AUGUST 1ST 

This is the 5th month anniversary of retirement. Best word to describe our time. AWESOME. There are so many things to do. Not enough time to complete them all and have some down time. Places to see and friends to meet. We have done fun exciting things since leaving the work force. Still lots more to come this year and in the future. Get a few items knocked off the bucket list and add a few more . Money is always a concern when it isn’t coming back in the coffer’s but that can be controlled. It is better to control it than allow it to control you. One life is all your giving on the earth. A slow day for me today , wash the car, clean the shower, and make a loading bar for the boat. Jackie is still working away ( her contract)for few more days. August bookings for us are :

1. August 2nd Jackson’s 3rd birthday party
2. Aug 4th Rod Stewart and Santana concert
3. August 6 or 7th or both fishing all day.
4. Week of the 10th in the Columbia Valley for a golfing package each day.5 days
5. Week of the 17th in Edmonton for organizing and having a moving sale. 5 days
6. Week of the 24th leaving on Wed for Pembina River Prov Park. (annual ) 5 days
7. Week of the 31st in the Creston Valley for a golfing adventure with Keith & Jenny( 9 days)

I will be missing quite a few Monday, Wed and Thursday commitments of league golf in August and will only have one week in Sept we are home. Hopefully we have a great October as I need to use up a few games yet on a pass I bought.

Thought of the Day  ” Use the word LOVE sparingly and only when you mean it. To use it to much and without meaning makes it become Cheap ” 

It bugs me when I see movie stars or actors shouting out “I love you”to the crowd. The word has become a commodity in our social interface today and is thrown out without true consideration.

Ps I Love you guys.

AUGUST 2ND-4TH

Well the August weekend is here already. Funny how when you are retired it seems no different as we don’t have to rush anywhere to get  a spot and have three days off. We can stay at home and enjoy the midweek camping without the rush, hassle of getting a spot etc. Unfortunately ALL of our friends and family are still bound to the workforce.  First major event is Jackson’s birthday.  This was the ultimate birthday party. Victoria and Corey rented a giant bouncy house with a Super Hero theme .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of little kids running around and adults enjoying the event. Hotdogs and fries for lunch. Here is a list of attendees hopefully not forgetting anyone. Victoria,Corey,Jackie,Larry,Audrey,Micheal,Alan, Maryann,Chad, Andrea,Raphie,Marie,Sean,Shannon,Peggy,Mori,Sarah,Jessica,Penny,Sebastian, Sam, Valentina, Jayce,Jayden,Noah and Hayden.

 

Everyone had a wonderful time. My only complaint is the skin burns on my knees and elbows from sliding down the slide face first. These hurt. Could be scarred for life.I can’t figure out why the kids didn’t complain.All the kids had a great time including the adults.Jackson made sure to get most of the adults into the house one at a time after all of the party goers left.

The next day off to the movies. As a family we saw Planes. It was great movie with a story and interesting for adults and kids. I like how they include adult jokes in there above the kids level. One car talking to the other ” Yep she left me for a Hybrid”  One female plane snuggling up to another ” Yes they are real” Quite funny. I guess you had to be there. LOL.   Worked on my boat lift roller for my roof rack. All done and looks great but most importantly will work great and make it easier to load on Jackie or when I go fishing by myself ( friends all working) It is very relaxing to be trolling on the lake for hours.

Meeting Jeff and Wendy tonite for supper at a bar and then heading to the Saddledome for our Rod Stewart/Santana conce. Went to the local bar to sit on the patio to have supper before the concert but got chased in with a few rain drops happening. Steak sandwich on Mondays for $3.95 ( 7 oz) unbelievable as their special. Rode the C train to the Saddledome. Great seats .

Santana is an amazing guitar player. The only thing is every song sounds the same as they use very few vocals.( I said to Jackie it is like listening to the Pow Wow music, they all think it is a different song each time but it sounds identical)  Now Rod Stewart was fantastic, neat modern stage, great singing, great sing along’s with the crowd and a great show. His band didn’t sound the same but digital sound recording sure can make a difference. He even had local players accompany him for a few songs. It was a great concert. Didn’t get home until midnight ( late you know) but had a great time. Riding home in the C train was unique.We waited for the second

car as the first one was packed packed packed. Our second train was very full also. Luckily in most cases people allowed the elderly or handicapped to be seated. I was impressed with the young guys looking after the elderly.I don’t understand how men think wearing a over abundance of cologne smells nice. It is over powering and if my wife or husband was one of these types I would ask them not to put it on. Sweat smell is bad but cologne is just gagging.Same goes for women but usually the smell is a little less powerful. I should join the fragrance free society and unite against the pollution of our fresh air. For all of those that think they are getting old go to a concert like this. Santana is 67 years old and Rod is 69 years old. The amount of energy they spend and they still have the moves.  Most of the crowd was grey haired. ( the odd vain person with purple dye) Senior Power !!

AUGUST 5TH

Got up this am and was deciding what I was going to do. Go fishing or golfing. Golfing won out today as I had a few minutes left of work still on my rack. Contacted Jeff and off we went for a noon tee time. We golfed Harvest Hills whose slogan in “One tough Nine”. It is considered to be the toughest nine hole in Alberta. We were playing it twice which should have helped. It bit us hard but luckily still below 100. It is championship length but has 68 bunkers and water hazards. Still if one played it well it wouldn’t be that bad. I like the saying Bad day at golf is better than a good day at work. Fun course. Got home, had supper and Jackie went to visit her Dad while I finished off my racking. Done.

AUGUST 6TH

Peter is back in isolation again. He now has a staff infection. Jackie has being busy dealing with the retirement home, the transition department of the gov’t and the hospital. Starting to wear on her. Did a few things around the house. Worked on the computer for a bit. Finished off the little detail work on my Wrangler.  Jeff picked me up but drove right by me as I was waiting on the side of the road with my golf bag and stuff. And he has new glasses. LOL Had a good night at Speargrass with Paul golfing sick again. ( 79)  .A long term JW customer joined us Garth Brett who just recently bought out there. A warm beautiful night . Had one good nine. (41) . My last men’s night for a while as we will be away most Wednesday’s until mid October. Hopefully will be able to sneak another one or two in. Has been a lot of fun. Got home and watched America’s Got Talent .

AUGUST 7TH

Up at 6:15 to get ready for my men’s league. Very early but the course in the early morning is great. Golfed very well today. Only one drive with a slice . Some great chips and ok second shots. Putting again was harsh as Turner Valley has the fastest and the most osculation of any greens I have played  in a long time. Still in the 80’s though.  Interesting note:  Diet Soda has been proven to be  very bad for people. Not only does it affect the brain ( aspartame), it affects the sugar levels, the need to eat more and the caramel coloring causes heart disease. Today is the last day of diet pop for me. Even though I am 43 lbs lighter than my high I want to make sure to count the calories from each drink.Liquid calories account for the bulk of one’s intake.Just trying to figure out what I will switch to. Beer hasn’t had to bad of a rap and the sugar content is lower. Sugar and flour(wheat) are the culprits killing us not fat. Difficult news today as we need to move Peter into long term care when he leaves the hospital. His retirement home can’t handle the extra needs he has. We will be looking for a new place for him tomorrow as his current place has no room for him with his needs . We also will need a storage space . Another move to be made. I hate moves!!!  We have a lot of commitments coming up so we need to work fast. Need to get the storage container as in long term the room size is only 300 sq ft. It is a shame when someone just can’t push them selves a little bit extra to avoid this and be in the existing care facility but he just can’t seem to get there. I struggle to understand this .Hard on Jackie as it is a lot of stress, time consuming and emotionally charged as we are giving no choice in the move.

All of my friends that send me jokes must still be on vacation as there has been quite a dry spell.Sorry about that.

Thought of the day “Things turn out best for those who make the best out of the way things turn out”

AUGUST 8TH 

Early morning call for an employment reference. I hope the individual gets the job if they feel it is what they want. Sometimes change can make a huge difference in the stress and the love for the job. Jackie is working on new arrangements for Peter. Not an easy task with all of the people involved. We have an appointment with a new home that can handle a SL4 patient this afternoon. Will work on getting the motor-home ready for the BC trip we leave on Sunday. Camping reservation and golfing reservations are all made for each day. Copper Point, Windermere,Radium Springs and Eagle Ranch. A great deal on this pass that I bought back in December. I had hoped another couple would have been able to join us but between health issues for one couple and money issues for the other couple it didn’t happen. So I will have a wonderful time golfing with Jackie on some pretty nice courses. Get to swim in the hot springs each night and enjoy the odd supper on a patio somewhere. (  I think there is a song about that). Got lucky and have used up all of the courses on another pass I bought except for one course ( Silverwing) but will try fitting that in on the odd day we are home in the upcoming month or so.

Just another poke. Retirement is an amazing event in one’s life. The relaxation, the freedom, the choices to make, the time , the knowledge you learn, and the fun you experience is great. Can’t be done while working. My only complaint per say is that there never seems to be enough  time to get everything in.

My sister is leaving for a wedding in Antigua today. It is always nice to have warm water and a beach to play in. It’s a shame it wasn’t during our winter though. Any vacation time going anywhere at anytime is great though and they should have a fun trip. It is a niece to Darlene  whose wedding they are going to. One of my golfing mates is flying this weekend to Istanbul for his daughters wedding.Now that is an exotic place to go to. A little scary in the region but should be an amazing experience for everyone going to Turkey.

One thing I find interesting is how many people I know don’t make that special time for each other and always include their young or adult children in on their vacations. While I thoroughly enjoy having our kids along it is imperative to have couple time together. Go fishing together,go camping together,go on a exotic vacation together, join a curling or golf league together,to a movie or go on a long drive together.  This person you are with is the one you will be spending a lot of time with as you get older and older so you better know them very well.The kids will be just fine when you return and you will appreciate them even more.Live your life for today. ( see below)

Ended up signing the papers for Peter’s new place today. It is only 300 sq ft ( studio) but is very nice and the home can accommodate from retirement living to palliative care. These centers are expensive but he will be looked after properly. Now we are moving him right away before Sept 1st and renting a storage space for his extra stuff.I do know that I don’t want to get old. It is rather sad the way we become like an infant again.

Thought of the day “Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it will be. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”

AUGUST 9TH 

Washed the motorhome, bought the food, attached the Jeep, loaded it and we are all set to go in the am. Jackie had a difficult call this morning from the doctor. The doctor believes Peter is in decline quickly on the mental and physical sides of things. She is afraid if he continues this way his heart will just stop. She says it is up to him how he handles this and if he really pushed himself he may gain back some of his independence. Right now he won’t shower, shave or get out of bed for his meals and his memory short term is very very weak.He moves in slow motion in doing anything. Hopefully he puts his mind to it and works at getting a little better as right now his quality of life is a 2 out of 10.

Thought of the day “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”

I have decided to add a new item every once in a while. I am calling this MY RANT and it will be about anything that is annoying, frustrating, or illogical.

My Rant

WE NEED OIL. I have never met a do- gooder environmentalist you can trust. They all say big oil companies are ruining our world. Then they jump on a plane to go to the next liars club meeting. Until I see one of them act on what they say they believe in it is just smoke and mirrors. No car, no plane travel, no heat or a/c in the house, no consumer goods, no food ,no clothes etc. There is not one product we touch that isn’t impacted by oil. ( transportation, creation, by product, packaging,production,etc) Our world would not exist. So get off the high horse and become a real person. Yes we can change by reducing emissions, carbon footprint, change packaging, recycle, reuse but we can’t blame oil companies for our way of life. People like David Suzuki , Al Gore, Neil Young should stick to what they know and stop using a celebrity status to express THEIR opinion. WE NEED TO HAVE A PIPELINE taking our oil to the market now.Our economy in Alberta is dependent on it. Our homes. jobs. lifestyle are dependent on it. With any thing there is a risk vs. reward. The odd spill ( it’s going to happen) vs no jobs, poverty,illness etc. There are conspiracy theories about everything and possibly some truth to a lot of them but let’s not let that fear determine the state of the world. WE NEED OIL TO SURVIVE.

 

AUGUST 10^th 

Will here we are sitting in our campsite in Canal Flats. It is a Good Sam campground which you think would have had to meet certain standards but it is pretty plain Jane. No internet, no pool, no activities, very few trees on the power sites, brown grass. I booked on line believing Good Sam would set a standard for their name. On well it is nice enough, we have two large trees next to us to protect us from the heat and we are settled in. It was very difficult to find a campsite in the Valley at this time of year without pre-booking far in advance. It will work out fine as it is only about 40 minutes from our farthest course. Only one incident on the way and it was a close call with a semi truck changing lanes and not looking in his mirror and seeing us. Driver was from the flat prairies so any kind of curve or hill must have thrown him off. Close call though as he just about pushed us off the road. Good test of  the brakes with the Jeep behind.We have the kayak with us this time to use after golfing. I will fish when we get back. Tomorrow is Eagle Ranch which is an amazing course that I have played a couple times which hopefully will help me a bit. Back is feeling ok, gout toe not perfect again so drinking lots of water. The temperature is supposed to be 34 degrees plus for the next few days. Awesome ! I hope to break 90 on these tough mountain courses. More water and cherries please.

MY RANT

It is funny how things come back to bite you. The WILDROSE party was all set to run Alberta after having a long term Conservative party destroy our province until one candidate spoke his opinion and the media grabbed it and blew it out of proportion.  People backed away and voted safe ( by people I mean northern Albertan’s and urban populations to an extent) and we were awarded another Conservative win with Allison Redford taking control. Most likely number one or two worst premier we ever had. Stealing, lying, power hungry and self entitled. ( Stelmach is her close call) It is amazing to me how people hate change. What Stelmach and Redford did is inexcusable. The RCMP is investigating Redford and hopefully they find enough hard evidence to arrest her. A woman even in today’s world has to work just a little harder and smarter to get recognized. She hurt this cause along with the BC premier. I believe the Alberta public has been kicked often enough I am sure that will change. Luckily everything has been brought to the attention of the public now and I am sure the next election will go to another party. The PC’s are trying to bring in “powerhouse” people to avoid this ( Prentice, McIvor) but I don’t think the public will be bought again. Especially with Prentice now being investigated into buying memberships for votes. We need a better system.  If the PC’s win shame on us.  BUT THAT’S JUST ME !

Thought of the day

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we will change the world.

AUGUST 11^TH

We had a wonderful night with the evening around 11pm cooling down a bit to have a great sleep. Excellent supper and enjoyed some down time. Up in the morning to get ready, had our super smoothie and readied ourselves for golf. Left in plenty of time to enjoy the drive and relax before our tee time. We used the time for the driving range to get warmed up.

Eagle Ranch is a beautiful course and in my opinion the nicest, best customer service and wonderful club house. Jackie and I were able to play as a twosome which was fantastic and makes it fun. I played very well losing only one ball and that was on the last hole. Jackie overall didn’t have her best game but still played very well. One has to remember these are mountain courses and they play tough. In the 80’s again ( broke 90 on a mountain course) so no complaints. Any day now I know everything is going to come together for a less than 80 score. Take away the lost ball and a few extra putts and I would be there. Jackie didn’t break her 100 goal but still only a few holes that killed her. We drank 8 bottles of water on the course as a couple. When we loaded up the truck to return to our campsite the temp gauge read 40 degrees. Now that is Canada hot. Wonderful ! Got a hold of our friend Dale Shudra ( ex- customer Finishing Centre)so we are golfing with him tomorrow at the Springs. Should be fun and great to see him again as it has being a while.  The a/c is running in the motorhome for a couple of hours until we cool down.  We drove to the boat docks in Canal Flats and they are first class. It is a great spot to kayak.

MY RANT

“Resort” the word. I don’t know about you guys but I have a conceived notion what Resort should mean. I have being subject to staying in a Resort that is far from my idea what it should be. Definition “a place that is a popular destination for vacations or recreation” I don’t care for the real definition and what reality really is. I believe the term Resort should be a higher end place. Not a campground, not a motel, not a run of the mill golf course, not a trailer park nor a standard hotel. It should be above that or call it what it really is. A Resort to me should have waiters at the pool, great food either buffet or sit down, at least 4 star accommodations and some kind of entertainment be it golf, pool, water park something. Too many people name their facility “resort” and snag a few customers that really aren’t happy. I will pay extra for resort vs  campground, country hick golf course or motel. Do us all a favour and call it what it is.  “Estates” is another example of a misused term.  BUT THAT’S JUST ME !

Thought of the Day

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but is woven into the lives of others.

AUGUST 12^TH

It was a hazing morning. The smoke lingering over the mountain tops like a soft pillow of fluff. The smoke was biting our eyes. Yet, we were determined to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Our lungs felt like a coal miners after years down the shaft. A less than perfect sleep as the Canfor mill is about a mile away so it is a little noisy at night. They run 24/7 and between the back-up warning beeps and whistle calling for coffee breaks noisy is a good word. Man they get a lot of coffee breaks.( unions !) The warmth stayed wonderful until least midnight before it starting cooling down.  Dale looked great today and it is great to see him doing so well. He has had his health issues. But I did notice he finally has a couple of grey hairs peeking through. LOL  It was great to see him again. We did the Springs today which is a very very nice course and both of us along with Jackie had a little off day. That’s golf. I did manage to stay under 100 though. Dale likely hits a 7 wood farther than anyone I have ever played with. He hits that thing at least 230 yards and straight. Jackie had wonderful drives but found the sand a few times and the odd errand hit. It was the slicing today for me which is odd as yesterday I only sliced on one hole. Had a nice meal on the deck of the clubhouse and planned to meet tomorrow night at the Resort for the Pasta Night. We are all set for another new course we haven’t played the Windermere Golf Course so we will see how that goes then meet for supper with Dale & Merilyn. Plan is just to relax, read and enjoy the wonderful evening. I started a new James Patterson novel and so far in every chapter someone has being murdered. Hopefully they all tie together soon. The smoke from the fires here is quite bad. It was bad enough that your eyes sting a bit just sitting outside. It hid the bright sun from us all day which is good as it only hit 32 degrees today.

MY RANT

The amount of food we waste in the world while we have famines in other parts of word is ridiculous. Why can’t we figure out a way to get it into the hands of the hungry people? Look at how much food we all throw out. Think of the quantity of food that the restaurants waste. How about the grocery stores trying to only show presentable food?  If we could only get this food into the hands of the people that need it. Fast cooler shipping across the ocean ? How about collection points and distribution even in our own country. ( years ago when we had our sub shop we wanted to give subs to the shelter and they refused them. Too high of risk they said) Or better yet instead of wasting money on war let’s teach and give them the tools to grow their own. A water well and shovel with some seeds can go a long ways. Intercity gardens. Community gardens. Care packages. Flash freezing of some extra foods saved for shipping. Check out a buffet next time and see the stock pile of food left on a heavy persons plate ( 3^rd trip)and then see it when they realize their eyes were bigger than their appetite.  Huge waste. Check yourselves after a big Christmas dinner how much we waste. So our task is what can we do to fix this ? There must be some way to help the people that need the food. BUT THAT’S JUST ME !

Thought of the day

Waste not want not

AUGUST 13^TH

We received just a small amount of rain last night. Great as it cooled things down a bit. We had just a beautiful morning with the sun shining and the mountains looking like shadows hidden in the smoke. Campground is fairly empty so getting into the showers in the morning is no issue. Had our normal smoothie breakfast , read a bit, saddened by the news that Robin Williams committed suicide and readied ourselves for another round of golf. Today was Windermere Golf. It is a fantastic country style course that is on the shorter side. Large spruce trees on both sides of the fairway. Not your typical mountain course but a real nice course to play and a fun course to practice on. Jackie scored a 97 and I a 76. Yes I like the sound of 76 but the par is 68 on this course. So a great score but not really a true test of the numbers.  It was a warm smoky 34 degrees today with no breeze. We golfed with a nice couple from Wainwright that were a lot of fun and good golfers. Both of us hit to the right to many times though. Finished up our golf game and headed to the Radium Resort to have supper with Dale & Merilyn. They put on an excellent buffet for pasta night which is the first I have seen and was very very tasty. You picked your toppings ( garlic,tomatoes,bacon,sausage,cheese and peppers) and the chef cooks it right in front of you. You then pick your pasta and type of sauce you would like. It was fantastic. We all had a great time telling vacation stories, health issues, family issues and great laughs. Great company over a wonderful meal.Then Dale & Merilyn paid for our supper. It was unexpected and not warranted but very very much appreciated. We hope to see them again this October when we come back to finish off our Valley pass.

Thought of the Day

Don’t die a virgin. Seriously there are terrorists waiting for you up there.

 

MY RANT

The weather patterns appear to be changing. They have changed before it just happens we have the ozone to blame now so people can take up a cause that we were not aware of a few years ago. Car emissions have nothing to do with the change. The so called environment do- gooders need something to blame. Weather patterns are cyclical. It is going to warm up for a 100 years and it will cool down for a 1000 years. When we look at a pattern we need to consider very long periods of time. One of the reasons we believe a change is happening is the media. 20 years ago we never knew that Japan had a typhoon or it hailed in Texas. Now we hear about any anomaly anywhere in the world. Earthquakes have happened all over the world for centuries but again only in the last few years do we have the means to measure and record. We are not getting more earthquakes than normal. People have started to live in area’s where they happen as we hit almost 7 billion humans on earth. No, they are not caused by pollution, fracking, removing oil and water from the inner core. They are caused by the normal pressures of gravity as the earth spins in the universe. Take a tennis ball and spin it really fast and it changes shape. The earth has a tremendous amount of pressure on it with its rotation. There are fault lines where the pressure has cracked the core that has to move. Now people are living on these where years ago they weren’t. Interesting that Rocky Mountain House experienced a 4.3 earthquake this week.Darn oil  people. LOL The natives called it Rocky for a reason. (they have had previous earthquakes) BUT THAT’S JUST ME !!

 

AUGUST 14^TH

We woke up the morning to a smoky view of the mountains. Combined with the light drizzle we were receiving it looked very eerie. Actually slept in a little today as we stayed up late reading books, the neighbors were a little loud and the mill was working away most of the night. We got ready for another wonderful day of golf in Invermere. The Copper Point Ridge is a unique and amazing golf course. The Marshall warned us to not be over confident due to the yardage. It had 10 par 3’s on it most of them 170 to 220 yards. The score can raise pretty fast with a 200 yard par three. The rest of the holes were normal par 4 holes. The big reason for a raised score on this course is the greens. They are fast and curved and deceiving. Jackie broke 100 again and I had 87 ( took an 8 on one hole)   I would highly recommend this course for anyone that wants to practice long iron, chipping and putting. Beautiful course and I will play it again as it is special with its design and beautiful with its layout. Score was a little higher than it should have been but we were fighting the rain and cold all day. Hot chocolate from the cart girl was great. The ball just didn’t seem to fly for a long time and kept coming up short. Great course. Drove home in the rain and had a perfect camping supper. No internet so I can’t check but I think I am close to max calories each day. The scale will tell me when we get home. After supper we went to the Fairmount Hot Springs. People watching is an amazing thing. There are short, fat,skinny, tall, obese,dark, light, muscled, wrinkled, flabby, and not one perfect human among the 200 or so there. Well one 18 year old woman and one 30 year old guy were close but.The hot pool was so packed I felt claustrophobic. Was a very soothing swim though on the muscles as the shoulders are sore.  Well that is our golf adventure for this week. Of the courses we played the winner hands down was Eagle Ranch. The most beautiful, free cart, free water bottle, ice water refills on the course, interesting holes and friendly staff. Try it out !

MY RANT

Slow play on a golf course. There is no reason for it besides being not very courteous thinking I paid my dollars and I will play however I want and forgetting the other people on the course having to wait. The courses are all trying to speed the game up and are continually coming up with ideas to make this happen without impacting the players . Here are few more ideas to help.

1. Have a course Marshall push slow players along. Every game has rules
2. Eliminate pin seeking devices from the course. ( pro’s can’t use them and they take a way to long to calculate the distance)
3. Make sure everyone removes their driver and putter covers and puts them in the basket so there not  spending so long trying to put them back on each time.
4. All courses should use the 90 degree rule. It takes a way to long to walk to your ball and to make sure you have the right club if it is cart path only. Even on par 3’s.
5. Make the paths closer to  the back of the greens or sides and instruct golfers they are not allowed to mark their scorecards until the next tee.( enforce electronic scoring only and don’t allow the system to input scoring until next tee)
6. Instruct each group that no more than two practice swings are allowed.
7. The starter each time ( just like a stewardess has to ) has go over a quick golf etiquette session.
8. Make sure every group is playing ready golf.Honor is for the pro’s.
9. Do not allow stroke and distance penalties. Play resort rules as a drop and one stroke only or instruct to shoot a provisional.
10. The cart girl can not approach golfers unless at the tee.
11. Implement and enforce a two minute rule for looking for a lost ball. Drop and penalty ! In most cases after looking for 5 min you can’t shoot it anyways.
12. If you are a higher handicapped golfer you are NOT allowed to walk the course.
13. Every course should use a 9 – 10 min between each tee off group.
14. Maximum of double par and pick up your ball.
15. Eliminate ball retrievers. It’s a $2 ball and wet and you hit it in there. Think of it as a donation and not wasting time holding the next group up.

All of these will make the game play between 4 – 4.5 hours max were it should be. BUT THAT’S JUST ME !

Thought of the day

Over thinking leads to negative thoughts

AUGUST 15TH 

We had a bit of a shower last night and the sky looked ominous . We had drizzle most of the way home through the park. The traffic was quite heavy going the opposite way as people were heading out for the weekend. Stopped and had lunch at a road side viewing of a gorge. The trip home was uneventful which is good. Have one squeak from the TV i need to fix before heading on the road again.  Got home to an email that Peter is leaving the hospital and we have to move him  the exact time we have my Mom’s moving sale. ( I should input a line in my will when I die or need to be moved throw the stuff out. It is old anyways) So we will be busy for the next week. We will move Peter out this weekend and ask for them to change his move in date to Monday the day after we get back from Edmonton. We are hoping to store some of his stuff just in case he gets a little better at Victoria’s place. We don’t want to get rid of everything as our hope is he will recover somewhat in the future. I know he can if he would only just try a little harder. I have to fit in a fix it day as I have a few things on the motor home I need to repair. Not enough time !!! This retirement is hard work.

 Thought of the day 

Don’t let aging get you down. It’s too hard to get back up

MY RANT

Driving- we need to really re-look at the whole aspect of the privilege to drive. It is a privilege so that doesn’t mean everyone should get to drive. Our test needs to be 10 times harder. Here are some thoughts :

1. If you can not maintain the speed limit either due to vehicle or skill lose your license.
2. Everyone at age 70 needs to have a medical and a driving skills test with higher standards than we do today. If your neck is to stiff to shoulder check or your too deaf to hear a horn or you can’t see the red light , or your reaction time is so slow you lose your licence.
3. Everyone has to take a paper and road test every 5 years. No if or buts. You fail no license.
4. If you can’t back up for at least 20 yards straight you don’t get a license.
5. If you can’t parallel park get off the road.
6. If you move your seat all the way forward – no license( any bump and you are going to hurt yourself on the steering wheel and we all pay insurance)
7. If you are scared to “go downtown or merge on the Deerfootor Henday” you don’t get the privilege of driving.There are no difficult roads only mental blocks and lack of skill.
8. No breaks everyone has to meet the same standard. It doesn’t matter if you are female, old, hard of hearing, new driver etc. You fail no license. It has to be given by an accountable government agent not a fly by night driving school that hands driving licenses out like participation medals.
9. All semi truck drivers, large motor home drivers, van drivers etc must meet standards that are above a regular vehicle license. We have 80 yr old blind and deaf drivers going down the road at 20 kms below the speed limit unaware of anything that is wrong in a huge motor home.They are on the brake all down a hill and manage to tie traffic up for miles as everyone tries to pass  them.
10. Have a speed limit set that is for 2014 , Our speed limit in the 1950’s was 65mph. We converted and went down to 100 kms ( 63 mph) The cars today are high tech pieces of machinery. Applause to British Columbia moving certain highways up to 120 KMS. We need to do the same and enforce a zero tolerance. BUT THAT’S JUST ME!

AUGUST 16TH

Only one thing to say. Moved Peters place from 9 am to 6 pm. A long day and with sore shoulders before they will hurt even more tomorrow. I hate moving. Why people can’t just get rid of junk is beyond me. Take photo albums.( or take 20 of them) They weight a ton and I guarantee no one looks at them. NO ONE. Why keep them ? Clothes that don’t fit ? Books that were read years ago ? Trinkets from a trip 20 years ago?  Why keep this stuff. I think if the owners were also the movers it maybe a different story. Dear Jessica & Victoria,You have my commitment this will not happen. If for some reason you are forced into moving us without our help call 1-800-GOT JUNK to haul everything away.We drastically downsized when we moved into our condo and plan to do one more time in the near future. Looking at a smaller cottage style home in the country as a possible move.A 9 hour move today only to do the remove in a week into the new place isn’t fun.No choice now but to eliminate as Peter is going from 600 to 300 sqf.

Thought of the Day  

The only problem with retirement is you don’t get a dam day off !!

AUGUST 17TH

We have no internet connection on the acreage so this week will be filled in next Monday. All week organizing for the big sale.  We need to get rid of stuff and more stuff. Not your typical garage sale this an entire household sale. Lawn tractor, hedge trimmers, shovels, dishes, cookers, pans, ornaments,clothes, antique stand up radio,furniture,towels, etc. It is this Saturday and Sunday Aug 23/24 9 am to 5pm. The address is #14    53106 Range Road 264 Acheson. Osborne Acres. Easiest directions are north off  Hwy 16A on Range Road 265. ( just east of Lilydale Farms) This road will take you right into Osborne Acres. ( need to make a right turn when in the acres and follow the road until you see the sale. Long bungalow north side easily seen. Tell anyone if they need household goods etc to come as I don’t want to repack or move the stuff again. See you there.

Babysitting Jackson today for while and playing a few games he suddenly says “Papa you always win” Now I know what some of you are thinking but even a three year old has to earn a win.If a child always has to win to feel good about themselves, they might actually be at greater risk for feeling bad. Learning how to cope with placing second or even last goes a long way toward boosting a child’s self-esteem. Children who know their own strengths and how to focus on their personal best often develop a healthier sense of self-worth than those who always need to win. I never lost to Victoria or Jessica on purpose. While it can be tempting to let your child win at board games and other games, don’t. When they genuinely win, show how to lose gracefully and we they lose, guide them through losing gracefully by encouraging them to be a good sport.( can’t say I have mastered that yet) For years playing Nintendo Hockey I had to be on my toes every time. They became very good in their efforts to win and the odd time it did happen just like the once Jackie beat me at golf. I believe they have learned very well how to win and how to lose when it happens.Kids have a uncanny way of knowing if you throw a game. They may feel good but inside they feel the other person didn’t respect them enough to try hard.I would rather lose trying my best than winning knowing the other guy let me.

Though of the Day     “Dieting is the only game where you win when you lose!”

 AUGUST 17TH – AUGUST 25TH 

Well my muscles are sore. I have to say I am very very impressed with my Energizer Bunny Jackie and how  hard she worked and how much weight she lifted this week with me. Odd how the traps which don’t get worked that often but when moving boxes etc get a good work out. We had 6 full days of moving and organizing. We organized everything on tables by category. Priced everything at garage sale pricing. The sale by Sunday was very successful.We moved a lot of stuff and a lot of stuff we didn’t think would sale moved. A older gentleman bought the Model T crankshaft and all of the Model A pistons along with the 1926 Dodge pistons. ( brand new pistons still in the box from my Dad’s service station days). Another old guy loved his 1935 Mercury Tonko truck.Sold a 1937 Chev headlight, a dog house, a plow, a old hand crank start pump engine, lawn tractor, BBQ, albums,typewriter, and a lot of other stuff. We cleaned out the entire basement ( sofa bed, sofas, etc) NOTE: never buy a sofa bed as they weigh a tonne. We will move some of the left over stuff into Edmonton to have another sale as we still have a dishes, glasses and a whack of Christmas stuff to move.Took a load to the dump ( or as Edmonton (parkland county) calls it ” waste station” . Our weight was 1100 lbs of waste with one more load to go before possession. Cancelled all of the services effective Oct 1st. Got back on Sunday night and started to move Peter’s stuff into his new care facility first thing Monday 8 am. A full truckload for a small studio but after working all day organizing it I am sure when he walks in tomorrow he will like it. Looks great. Did I mention my muscles are sore. Did I mention I hate moving. Hopefully no more for a long time. We need to move Mom into her seniors home but unfortunately or fortunately we will be away for that unless we can help a bit on Sept 15-17 which are the only days we are free. A busy month coming up with only being home 3 days. The blog will be sporadic with the Pembina Prov Park, and traveling thru the Kootenay Valley not having a connection. Leaving also mid Sept to Oct first week on the cruise which doesn’t have a free connection. I will write and input when I get a chance.

Thought of the Day 

Sometimes our lives have to be shaken up, changed and rearranged to relocate us to the place were meant to be. 

AUGUST 26TH

Jackie headed to the hospital to pick up Peter and introduce him to his new place. Everything went quite well. They had their dinner brought in to them in his new room and Jackie got him all settled in. He really wasn’t vocal with any bad or good things which in our minds is excellent. I worked on getting caught up on a few things. Sent my rims to a location to be sold. Organized the storage locker with my fishing/boat stuff. Finalized the hotels for NYC and Quebec. Have a mansion booked in Old Quebec called Manior Victoria which is beautiful. It was built in 1820. Organized my flights between Quebec and NYC. Odd but Quebec is just like Edmonton where getting direct flights is an issue. ( the poor sister thing you know). I have completed the itinerary now from the 19th of Sept to Oct 5th. This will be an excellent trip that I will blog on with pictures as we see NYC,Boston,Portland Maine,Saint Johns,Halifax,Sydney,Charlottetown and Quebec. My hope is the fall colors will be out. The east coast needs a frost. That could be good for the ice wine.

MY RANT

The medical world –

There’s some serious confusion about cholesterol, and whether high cholesterol levels are responsible for heart disease.Cholesterol is not the enemy. Your body needs cholesterol to make your hormones, your cell membranes, and your brain cells. Without enough cholesterol, your testosterone levels would drop and your sex drive and function would plummet. Cholesterol has been the “bad guy”since the early 1950’s, following a released research paper. As a result, people now spend tens of billions of dollars on cholesterol-reducing drugs each year, thinking they have to lower this “dangerous” molecule so they don’t keel over from a heart attack.An incredibly effective marketing system, Lipitor is the number one selling drug. This fact alone reveals why challenging this belief system is met by such resistance. There are very powerful, financially-motivated forces backing the continued belief in the cholesterol myth.Believing that a low cholesterol count is the best way to prevent heart disease, doctors prescribe statins to keep those levels low. But these drugs can introduce a whole host of problems: muscle damage, brain damage, memory issues, Parkinson’s-like symptoms, and muscle aches and pains. All of this has been caused by cholesterol medications, which don’t necessarily even work.Here’s the shocker: You have to treat 50 people with statins to prevent one heart attack, or treat 890 people to prevent one death. It’s just not a very effective drug.We need to rein in the medical professionals. Instead of spending money on wars and military let’s spend it on saving our race not just prescribing drugs. Let’s cure people not treat them with drugs and mask the issues because of profit driven companies. Some again would say conspiracy. On the medical issue I would agree. Did you know that the Drug administration wants to lower the standard for cholesterol that will result in 75% of the population on statins. Between high blood pressure pills and statins about 85% of seniors are on some type. The medical field says look we are living longer than ever. ( yes in 1960 people lived to in their 70’s now we live to 81 for a male and 84 for a female). We haven’t raised the age due to prescribing statins and blood pressure pills. We have raised the age ( the numbers are skewed and remember this is average age ) due to antibiotics eliminating a lot of earlier deaths and the infant mortality rate dramatically changed.  It is difficult for me to understand a doctor giving out these drugs when we have no real science to prove the increased longevity but a lot of data as to the negative effects it has on people.   Finally people are starting to fight back. Dr Oz even on national TV has stated his opinion on Statins. The belief is inflammation not cholesterol is causing the increase in heart disease. My doctor wants me to be on statins but so far I have refused. Do your homework on statins and I think you will be surprised. How many people do you know that died of a heart attack on statins ( why didn’t they work?)or are on them and have dementia. Our brains need cholesterol to function. It is scary! If I am wrong ( which I would hate to be) it is still better to die suddenly of a heart attack than wander the halls of an institution not knowing anyone and unable to control my bodily functions. BUT THAT’S JUST ME !

Thought of the Day 

For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth

AUGUST 27TH-SEPT 3rd 

The annual camp out at Pembina River Prov Park about a 1hr west of Edmonton. No connection so I will take some pictures and post our antics on Tuesday. Golfing, Rum, Floating down the river and having fun is on the agenda. There are about 8 couples and now adult children with them that gather for this that are all from our old neighborhood of Mayfield in Edmonton. Back is quite sore from days of moving furniture so have to concede and take a pain pill to golf. See you on Tuesday !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will know the why one day.

 

 

 

Well we had an excellent time at Pembina again this year. Played golf everyday, had excellent camping meals and few drinks at each campsite. There were a lot of couples this time that have grown children that have started to come. I would guess we had ten campsites booked.

Golfed Drayton Valley and Pembina courses this time and each course was in the best shape I have seen them. Had some good games and some poor games but overall went well enough. It is a 4 1/2 hour drive ($300 gas round trip) to get there. The weather was good with only the odd scattered shower

but never hitting us while we golfed. The ladies had their traditional river float rides with the river being lower than usual which helps the ride be a little longer. I haven’t been told the real reason ( women’club secret) but they were fancied up hats and pink bras outside of their clothes. Most men are fixated with boobies but it appears these woman are also. I do know to join their club you need to be over 50 and have had a child.With all of the wine and paralyzors they have a good time.

 

Keith and I lost to Jason and Brad this year by one stroke. It shouldn’t have happened !. One shot of mine everyone agreed was centre of fairway and we couldn’t find it and it cost us a stroke. This is also a tough course with very difficult par three’s that can take there toll.

I spent a lot of time fixing every little squeak in the motorhome and was very successful. Jackie has a 2 day contract for a branch review in Edmonton so she will head there today and Wednesday. It looks like they will use her also in October a bit for another project they have on the go. She will be visiting Peter today before she leaves to see how he is managing in his new place.

September 1st is our 6 month anniversary of RETIREMENT  . As I have said before it is the best thing we have done in our lives for ourselves. It is wonderful. Our Sept plans:

1. Sept 5th to Sept 14th- Kootenay Valley golfing Kokanee Springs, Balfour etc
2. Sept 15 to 18th – Doctors appts, helping Mom ,Jackie’s birthday,
3. Sept 19th -23rd NYC
4. Sept 23rd to Oct 2nd Rhode Island,Boston,Portland,Saint Johns,Halifax,Sydney,Charlottetown,Quebec City
5. Oct 3rd to 5th Quebec City

MY RANT

Financial institutions- Forget what the financial planners tell you, forget what the nay-sayers tell you. You can retire and have a very wonderful life on a lot less than you think and you will never never be bored.  The financial services industry which, after all, has a vested interest in encouraging you to save as much as possible has preached for years that you need to generate 60% to 70% of your pre-retirement income to live comfortably in retirement. Fortunately, the evidence doesn’t agree with these scary numbers.StatsCan says that the average Canadian couple comes nowhere close to replacing 70% of their working income in retirement. The average couple replaces more like 45% to 55% of their working income. People get scared because they think they are making 50k a year and need to replace it at 35K when retired.They are really living on  30K a year with all of the deductions.The average CPP/OAS payout ( not near max) is 11K a year. So you really only need to spend 19K of your own money to live exactly like when you were working. Forgot the 4% rule. First it is hard to make 4% in today’s market and second why are you saving to give your kids an inheritance.  Let them have the hard assets which will still be 300K to 1Million depending on your home and cars. Spend your money and withdraw from the nestegg based on your needs and a projected death age. One of the big mistakes a lot of people make is putting everything into RRSP. It is only a tax deferral system. If you look at your account and say I have 100K in there remember it is only 75K after paying the government there portions even though it is a a lower tax rate. This is the one thing I would have liked to change in our plan.If any of you need information ( my new job re-engaging consultant) let me know. I have budget spreadsheets, web page recommendations and financial suggestions for you. The government,the financial industry, the insurance industry, the market place all want you to work until you die. You will be trying to invest as much money as can, you will pay for insurance in case you need it and you will continue to be pulled by the marketing gurus into purchasing more stuff you really don’t need. Practice KISS and start enjoying life. Oops I have to leave my rant short as my tee time has crept up to me.

Thought of the day 

The longer you work, the more money you’ll have for retirement.But the longer you work, the less time you’ll have to enjoy that retirement. Don’t let your retirement age be DEAD !

September 4th

Played Mckenzie Meadows with Jeff with both of us  scoring in the 80’s.Missed a few to many putts as the score could have been a lot lower.Did a few things around the house. Paid all of bills. Inputted the numbers of the budget for August. Boosted Peter’s car with Corey’s help and brought it to our condo. We will look at selling it in October as it looks like he will not be driving.Will be a great car for someone.A successful month again spending only a couple hundred over budget. Babysat Jackson after his first day of pre-school. He had a great time , liked his teacher ( Miss Jennifer) and had fun with the other kids.

Played in the front room building a tower taller than him. Lot’s of fun for me. Fast learner.Had my blood donation today which went very well with little bruising. Have another appointment with the dermatologist tomorrow early. After that get the motor home ready to leave for Creston. I will write and take pictures of and will input them as I find wifi.

Thought of the Day 

When I get a headache I take 2-3 aspirin and keep away from children just like the bottle says

September 6^th

I had to take pills last night for the pain because when the freezing came out my head  it hurt. I had a hot shower hoping the bandage would fall off but the hot water only caused the blood smear,melt and run. Hope the sore heals fairly quickly and doesn’t scar. Jackson was quite concerned about my owie. We had a wonderful sunny morning to start our drive to Creston. Got ready and headed to the Walmart store in Okotoks to meet up with Keith & Jenny. We started our trip down the old cowboy trail Hwy 22 which is always a great highway to drive. With the mountains being snow capped right now from the earlier snow they looked beautiful. One of the best reasons we have to love living in Calgary. We ended up at the Lost Lemon

Campgrounds in Blairmore which is an excellent site with a pool, clean showers and a fantastic creek running only a few feet away from the back of our units. Laying down in bed it sounds like the perfect babbling creek. Thing is though there are wonderful 6 lb trout being caught right at the campsite in it. The railway tracks are only 100 ft away  but luckily weren’t busy at all. Love the sound of the creek and the train while laying in bed.We headed up to the Crowsnest Pass Golf course for a 3:30 tee time. We didn’t have any coupons, golf pass etc so had to pay the weekend rate.  This golf course is amazing. ( see reviews) and deserves better recognition. Both Keith and I had good games but with a little higher than normal scores due to the greens being spectacular with their undulation . It took about 5 hours as the course was packed but a wonderful day on a fantastic course. We ended up with a quick supper, couple of drinks and a competitive match of cribbage. The night ended in a tie with the girls team. Tomorrow !

September 7^th

Started the day off with a lot of screwing. Tightened every screw in the dash and overhead cabinets to get rid of the small squeak that was bugging me.We all got ready in the morning to head out on our trip to Balfour. First though I needed to return to the Crowsnest Pass golf course to return a club. Somehow our golfing partners club ended up in my bag. I must have picked it up on a hole and never noticed it. Returned it and filled in the survey card they had stating how impressed we were with the course. Got on the road and travelled on Hwy 3. This is gorgeous country that we sometimes take for granted. We stopped in Cranbrook for lunch at a very nice road side stop (industrial area with picnic tables). We headed up to Creston with a stop at a local farmer fruit market. This guy gets up at 5am and picks all of his goods and hauls them into town to sell. Jackie actually received two free corn on the cobs to do a taste test compared to Taber corn. He says Taber sprays for earwigs where he doesn’t which makes corn taste better and better for you. Travelled from there up Hwy 3A which is a very windy slow moving highway. Tried finding Audrey and Michaels place but no luck. Passed a Lakeview but no signs of a Lakeshore.  Near Balfour we took the ferry across Kootenay Lake. A huge ferry capable of transporting 88 cars at a time for the 30 min trip. We were full with all of the trailers being hauled.

It is the longest free ferry ride in North America. We arrived at our site which is fantastic at the Birch Grove Campsite.

Right beside the lake at a small marina. The squaw fish were jumping like mad in the water all of them being at least a foot long. Had a great supper with the Harry’s and checked into firewood for later. How about this. $6 for a arm load but you need to cut it yourself from huge timbers. Didn’t go well. LOL

September 8th

The time change makes it difficult to work with for a while especially as some devices auto change and other don’t. We got in our line for the ferry ride back to head to Kokanee Springs Golf course. (see reviews).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great course but very disappointed in the clubhouse and persona of the course. Won’t make a special trip to ever play it again. Nice thing Keith got us a special deal on Golfnow for $25.00 a head. Wonderful day until late evening when it got a little windy and a small amount of rain. We had supper at the Dock Pub which was fantastic as it was late coming off the ferry. Arrived home to see tree branches thrown all over the place and a few things blown over. Everything was ok though. We then received an email from Calgary with the pictures of snow on the ground. sure glad we aren’t there. LOL  Below is the comparison of our days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought of the Day

I’m not bossy I just know what you should be doing

September 9th

Woke up to a wonderful sunny morning. Checked the news to see Calgary area was expecting another 15cm of snow after getting the first storm of the year. Checked Golfnow and we booked Granite Point Golf course in Nelson. A 20 min drive to a unique golf course. We both played well here and the course had a lot of elevated tees with beautiful views of the town and lake.Nelson is a beautiful city with neat architectural elements and lots of old hippies walking around. Check out these pictures to see who you think had a good shot !  Ps Keith did have a nice Ricky Fowler orange shirt on though which did make him smile. He even had matching orange plaid pants on. Important to look good no matter how you play. LOL

 

After a wonderful camping supper of pork loin roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli,peas, and gravy we readied ourselves for a Netflix movie by Keith sitting his TV on the picnic table outside and us sitting beside the fire watching a movie called Bad Grandpa.( funny but a little stupid)

Nice that is was so warm outside to enjoy the experience. Keith also got us 4 tees for $10 a player at Balfour Golf & Country . Saved us a lot of cash on this special. Comes highly recommended.Will see tomorrow.

 

 

Thought of the day

Careful or you will end up on my blog

September 10th

Up early than normal to cook a campers delight breakfast. Toast, bacon, eggs , potatoes and sliced tomatoes. Started everything and then discovered Keith was still snoring in bed. Luckily Jenny woke him up to eat outside. Divine !  Time for us to head out to the water in our Kayaks. Jenny & Keith in theirs and Jackie and I in our Snap top Kayak. The river current ( or as Jenny keeps calling it the Fraser Channel) from the arm of the Kootnenay Lake is quite strong but we all managed to have a lot of fun paddling up and down the river.  Here is a picture of the river taken from the motor homes front window.

 

The only issue we had is it is cold on the bum as the paddle water spills a bit into the kayak. Plus where the joints are is a cup holder that fills with water when going slow and leaves when you are speeding up the creek. Still a lot of fun but I prefer being pushed by a gas motor. LOL

Then we headed up to Ainsworth Hot springs. We have  been to a lot of hot springs but I put the Ainsworth Hot springs as the number one hot springs we have been to. I drop Radium down to number two.

The main pool is kept at 99 degrees which is nice as you don’t have to keep your chest out to breathe due to the heat. The small pool and accompanying caves are kept at 104 degrees. The caves are amazing ( a little to low for me ) with their lighting and the tunnels around. The air in the tunnels feels like a sauna. The only weird thing is they don’t have lockers so you are given a plastic bag for your clothes and towel and you check them in like a coat check. System works though. While we were there two you girls were being photographed for a new Hot Springs brochure. The poses and location were odd and really won’t help sell who really goes to the pools. ( 85% were silver haired while these girls were 20ish)  We really didn’t think they hired very good looking models but hopefully Keith and I helped the photographs out by being in the back ground.We did see a fair amount of European tourists there also. The long underarm hair of the women gave it away. Somethings just don’t look right !!!   Have an early morning wake up call as we have to catch the ferry to help Audrey and Micheal with their unit in Gray Creek.

Thought of the day 

Humpty Dumpty was pushed !

September 11

We had to get up earlier than normal to catch an earlier ferry to get to Gray Creek to help Michael and Audrey prepare their destination trailer for removal. They had a beautiful 40’ Keystone with triple slides that has high end finishing including a fireplace. Unfortunately for some reason they decided to sell it and did manage to sell it but at a very very reduced price compared to what it is really worth. If timing would have been different I would have looked at it as Gray Creek is an easy  drive from Calgary only about 5 1/2 hours away. Kootenay Lake is a wonderful place with fruit belt weather. It is a shame as it was a lovely spot. Only thing I would change is the park that it was located in compared to some others we saw. The blocking to semi-permanent locate a unit like this was very poorly done on site and only took us a short time to remove. The unit was also located to allow a very easy removal of the place with lots of room on both sides to allow the turn. Having my golf membership is a deterrent to having a secondary vacation spot otherwise I would have loved this model. Got it all done and headed to our site to change and get ready to golf Balfour Golf & Country. This is a amazing course that is not recognized by people and is equal to any resort mountain course. Spectacular elevations and a great course layout done by Les Ferber makes it a cut above the rest. It is a shorter course which also makes it fun. It cooled down considerable on our last few holes but it still was a great day ending up with us going into the clubhouse for supper. Turns out they hired an amazing chef that delivered first class food along with great presentation. The desert of licorice, bailey cheesecake or peanut butter fudge cheesecake that they made on site was fantastic. Got home in the dark and set about a cribbage game. Again the team of Keith & Larry dominated the board including a skunk line win.!

September 12th

We all got up earlier and started to pack up. The manager of the park came by to collect her money and a short friendly visit. Got ready and rushed to the ferry. Keith & Jenny made it on but we didn’t so we had to sit on the other side for about 1 ½ hours. Gave me time to write this and a few other updates.LOL  Finally got moving on the ferry and with us being right at the front it is a wide screen movie experience watching our trek across the lake right in front of our motorhome.Stopped on the way to help Micheal make sure his trailer was moved without damage thru the park. Back on the road again which is a fantastic drive, winding road and great sightseeing. Drove into Creston to get gas but couldn’t find a station for the 5th wheel and motorhome to access easy so we carried on. Stopped in Yahk to fill up but the station was charging 1.99 a litre. We both only filled up a 1/4 tank . Two miles past we found another station selling at 1.35. Had a very easy drive today stopping at Will-O Bend Rv campground and golf course. Nice place . On the way as we were following Keith we had two directional miscalculations. One into a weigh scale and one up Hwy 93 instead of Hwy 3. You have to remember he is getting older. After arriving we took a drive up to Tie Lake and have plans for next year to go there to camp and fish. Fantastic little campground right on the shore of the lake and I picked out my spot. As we can go Monday to Friday we should have no problem having a spot if I can squeeze the motor home into it. Will work great as I can leave my boat in the water and tie it up only a few feet away from our campsite.Jenny made us a wonderful spaghetti supper with her homemade sauce which was fantastic.We had our normal cribbage board out again and again the team of Keith and Larry dominated. We have tee times booked for tomorrow at the Will-O-Bend course.

Thought of the Day

There are three kinds of people out there, those that can count and those that can’t.

 September 13th

We packed up and headed over to the golf course. Great course , very short but a lot of fun and a great test of the irons.  It was a very enjoyable course to play. After our golf game we headed out again on the highway. We decided to stop in Black Diamond at the hotel to have their great burgers. Jenny had a beef dip which has to be the biggest I have seen and they even sell a bigger called Mega Dip. Food there  is wonderful. Then off to put the motor home away in Calgary. I had used my trip meter and from Balfour to Calgary it is 510 Kms which is  a very easy 5 1/2 to 5 3/4 hr drive. Could be less than 5 hours in a car but the road beside the lake has a lot of sharper curves in it so with the larger units we where down to 60 or 70 kms for about an hour between the ferry and Creston. Beautiful spot that Kootenay Lake .

Great golf get away golfing some amazing courses,sight seeing, hot springs, boating, ferry rides, food, winning  at crib again ,and visiting with good friends.

 Thought of the Day

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes .

That way, you’ll be a mile from them, and you will have their shoes.

September 14th 

Up early to get ready for the family birthday get together. We are celebrating Peter’s 80th birthday, Jackie’s $# birthday and Danielle’s  21st birthday. We had a nice sized group with Jackie, myself,Penny, Jessica,Victoria, Corey, Jackson,Peter,Alan, Maryann,Danielle,Carter,Kennedy,Brenton,David and Erin. Three birthday cakes are to much. Peter did very well lasting the whole time and he seemed to enjoy himself . It was a nice event.

Keith paid me my money from Ron on his bet against the Stamps. The labour day classic is owned by Calgary and I will continue to take their money.Nice game also with Calgary coming back to win against Toronto. Edmonton was cheering loud for Ricky Ray but you can’t beat the best team in the league.I e-transferred the money to Keith I owed him from our trip and again it went smooth. He is becoming a computer guru !

September 15th

Washed the jeep.  Drained the hot water heater and dumped the sewer in the motor home. Covered the wheels etc as it will be sitting for about a month until we get back.

Printed off all of our documents for our NYC trip and cruise to bring with us. Checked out some clothing to pack. Babysat Jackson for a while and headed to the doctor. First words from my doctor were ” wow you look skinny in a good way” Did the weight scale and I have showed losing 16.8 kg (37lbs) from previous visits. We went over the blood work and she is amazed. Cholesterol is 3.4 from 6. Iron is actually low instead of high. Every category except the low iron was in the normal range. She was very happy and said there is no value going on statins( she knows I disagree on these), loved the blood pressure and the results.Her comments were that I was a perfect example of what a individual can do to change their circumstance and even took down the info on the webpage I use to track my progress. ( calories, carbs, potassium,sodium etc) She suggested to think deeper about foods and study how carbs and proteins work to even better manage the food combinations. Plus find cholesterol lowering combinations.  My new project !  Her only comment due to the fact of the heart blockage is that don’t come back to her at 65 after having a heart attack and say I wished I would have taken statin’s to lower my number into the 2 range. A big what if as the same event may have happened even on the statin. My good friend Mike Lopachuk is a perfect example where they were not successful.

It was a great doctors appointment.

September 16th

Jackie and I both got up early. Jackie was heading to Lethbridge for a haircut with her Mom and I to Edmonton to to do a few more things for Mom. Funny thing this is as I used to bug Jackie on her $300 haircuts. Now she only spends say $100 bucks but spends a $100 on gas. But she does get to visit with Jess and Pen which makes it nice plus the fact that Pen is a top stylist and has always made Jackie look great.Met with the Realtor to sign another document ( changing name of person on title ). They needed this to get more funding for the renovation they want to do without having to put a large down payment down. The bank also requested a water sample as they don’t want to lend the money and find out they need to drill new well.I was impressed with the clarity of the water and am hoping everything comes back perfect. We drank the water for more than 50 years but e-coli and arsenic are showing up in some water samples  all around the country so the gov’t and banks are clamping down. Talked to my good friend Fred Keys. Fred has joined the ranks of us living the good life effective Nov 1st. Fred is an amazing agricultural feed rep and has already being offered a part time position with another company and can work the hours around his schedule. Smart company to get an experienced person working and being content. Jackie and I often said if our companies were to offer 8 weeks of  holidays we would have worked  longer even if they had been unpaid. I do believe the boomers will get this in the future as the talent pool leaves.

 

Here is a picture of a relaxed Fred now knowing the work life so to speak is soon to disappear and the good life ( fishing,hunting, Mesa AZ, projects , Landcruiser,and part time work when needed or wanted ) CONGRATULATIONS FRED ,JOB WELL DONE !

Everyone else between 55 and 65 please think about joining our club as I promise you, you will never ever regret it. There is a lot more than just working. The Good Life Club now has 5 members that I know very well.

Thought of the Day

Everyone dies but not everyone lives .

September 17th 

Big day today at our house. Today is Jackie’s birthday. Today the little woman (LOL) turns the ripe young age of 54 years old. Yes I agree she is too young to be retired but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Imagine travelling and seeing a beautiful mountain and having no one with you to enjoy the scenery together. Imagine golfing or fishing or hiking or site seeing and having no one to enjoy it with you.It is important that both spouses have enough time to spend together, to enjoy things together and to visit and play whenever they can plus have their own time apart to do the things that each likes that the other one may not as much. Being frugal we do not give each other material gifts anymore for birthdays but it is still nice to receive a card, a kiss or a look from someone you know loves you. I am very fortunate to have such a wonderful person in my life and yes I did rob the cradle for those thinking that.Must have been my good charm, charisma,and my nice car. LOL

Ps, a wonderful man Brian English again made his yearly phone call to remind me of Jackie’s birthday. A club member and an extremely nice man. I promise Brian soon I will get out to Whiterock to visit you. Good health to you.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACQUELINE !

Here is to this one and many many more to come .

Thought of the Day

You don’t stop having fun because you get old, you get old because you stop having fun

 

 

 

September 18th 

Just a day to get ready. Pack up all of the bags. Check to make sure we have everything we need. Phone Visa. Water plants and install drips in them. Tried on my new low rise skinny pants which fit me well. ( other pants kept falling down). Sent a fun message to the Edmonton Oiler fans I know mocking them on their new addition of David Pelletier that is hired to teach all of them how do to a triple axle or sow cow. A easy team to make fun. They have the NHL record for missing the playoffs consecutively 8 years in a row. They also have the distinction of being the only other team to hire a figure skater to teach the guys skating techniques.The Leafs are the only other one. ( worked out well for them, not winning the cup for 47 years). I do feel just a little bit for Edmontonians  as all of their sport teams struggle. It has really demoralized the city and I can see future problems because of it. Last time in Edmonton I did notice an over abundance of billboards with the city health help line phone number in big letters. Please call it if it is getting to much for you. LOL

Thought of the Day

Don’t accept your dogs  unwavering admiration as confirmation of you being a great person.

Posting will be sporadic for the next three weeks as the ship doesn’t have free Wifi and the data usage when roaming is a huge expense. I am taking my ASUS tablet which I hope will work fine . I can tether it to my phone if needed.Otherwise it will be multiple days posting or one huge post when I return. Camera is ready and we are excited about seeing the Maritime’s and having poutine and wine in a street cafe in Quebec. Here is our itinerary:

• Sept 19th Leave Calgary
• Sept 19th  NYC Hotel W
• Sept 20th  NYC  Wicked Tickets
• Sept 21st  NYC  Book of Mormon ( still waiting to get tickets)
• Sept 22nd  Board ship  1pm
• Sept 23rd  Newport Rhode Island
• Sept 24th  Boston
• Sept 25th Portland Maine
• Sept 26th Saint Johns NB
• Sept 27th Halifax NS
• Sept 28th Sydney NS
• Sept 29th Charlottetown PEI
• Sept 30th  at sea
• Oct 1st Quebec City
• Oct 2nd Quebec City
• Oct 3rd Quebec City
• Oct 4th Leave Quebec City to NYC
• Oct 5th Leave NYC
• Oct 5th Calgary arriving near midnight

Thought of the Day

A traveler sees what he sees. A tourist sees what he has come to see.

A full day of getting ready for our the great adventure to NYC and the Maritimes. Picked up the final last things we needed. Jackie went to visit her Dad and Jackson while I printed off our boarding passes etc. We were able to load two suitcases and one carry-on for a 16 day trip which I thought was pretty good especially as it is fall and you never know what the weather will be like. Jackie is a great light packer and I am very lucky she isn’t a shopper to fill the cases.Printing off the tickets I noticed a spelling mistake on Jackie’s boarding pass. We decided to leave a little early in case it was an issue at the boarding gate. Set the alarm for 2:30 in the am to cover getting ready, travel time and pre-boarding allowances.
September 19th
Morning came very early but we managed to get ready and we did it 15 minutes earlier than our scheduled taxi arrival. Just heading out the door and the cab company phoned that they were at our house so loaded up the 15 mins earlier than expected. Had to wait a bit in line as the gates don’t open until exactly 2 hours before departure. The check in girl was great. Had the traditional Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Got on our plane and discovered American Airlines has Wifi on their planes. It is a bit expensive at $6 for 15 min or $20 for the day. Comes in very handy though especially if you travel for work. Neat part you can’t access internet without paying but emails still can be sent and received. On our way to the Dallas Airport where we have been a few times but have yet to the town.This time we have a quick connection and a different terminal so we will need to be speedy.I have a short person in front of me that reclines her seat. A few big knee kicks every few minutes has had little success. Bigger kicks required. The airlines need to get rid of reclining seats !!!It is getting ridiculous the amount of carry on people are using so they don’t have to pay. I am sure the airlines will change this soon. The old woman finally realized and put her seat up or her back was getting sore.  A huge airport at Dallas and with us leaving from another terminal with not much time in between we caught the Skylift and were transported to our terminal. We had time for a quick lunch and for the first time in a long time I had an unhealthy lunch. When I calculate the calories it will be salad or the gym. American Airlines plays the same movie on their arrivals as departures. Odd someone can’t figure out people don’t want to watch the same movie twice in a day. Just about in NYC and am excited for the big apple. I find first impressions are very important.

The LaGuardia  airport is a dump. The projects with full chain link fences on the balconies are horrible to look. The garbage on the streets is disgusting and smelling bad.One very interesting idea is you are not to compare what you have at home to where you are. Each is different and it is not fair to the place if you want to really experience the feeling of the locals.

The W Hotel after arriving is a fantastic hotel.Modern, sleek, urban and hi tech. QR reader for keys and lights plus a modern decor make it a hip and happening hotel. Walked around a bit and settled for Billy’s Bar to have supper at which was a good choice and we had our prepaid card for.

Thought of the Day

I do not know what NYC is coming to- the higher the buildings the lower the morals

September 20th.
Had an amazing sleep with the comforter and pillows to die for. Slept in a bit and headed out to see the city. Went to a Ma & Pa “Georges” restaurant which is the perfect NYC place with outside street seating and fantastic food. Wow what a difference a day can make. Started walking and started to love the city. The

buildings are unbelievable, the diversity of the people incredible and smells and excitement amazing. Starting to love NYC. We caught a tour bus company and we signed up. We rode the double decker bus all over the city.

Stopped to catch the cruise boat out to the Statue of Liberty which was an amazing trip learning all about the history. Interesting the connection between USA and France. Nice ride and very interesting especially the history of the Brooklyn Bridge. We then took our tour bus all around visiting some amazing spots. We saw the Freedom Tower Brooklyn Bridge,China Town,Little Italy,Broadway,Empire State Building just to name a few places. We walked thru China town which is amazing with the fish smell, and spices from the vendors. Later that night we found two places to eat at that were on our prepaid cards. We found via GPS Ruby Foo’s and Blue Fin and decided on, based on the menu’s to eat at Ruby’s. This Chinese restaurant makes PF Chang seem like the McDonald’s of Chinese food. Awesome is the only word I can use. After eating we headed to the theatre to see Wicked. The show was unbelievable and had a long long standing ovation at the end. The lead star was the loser from the first American Idol, Justin. The two lead women carried the show but Justin did quite well.

Then  headed down to the Time Square. I have never ever seen so people.  Millions!  The lights were spectacular. People !!!! Hard to get a cab home late at night from there. The traffic is extremely heavy. We then discovered due to the United Nations meeting we were in for a lot of extra traffic, security and road closures plus them closing run ways down to let all of Presidents land. Plus there was over 1 million protesters against Climate Change. ( their jets must be glider as they wouldn’t want to use fuel to fly to NYC for the event) This town is one busy place and

fun fun city. It is becoming the new Vegas for stagettes and I see why woman like it as it the shopping mega of the world. If you want to people watch you could sit for hours and be entertained. I love NYC. Didn’t make it home until quite late from Time Square but had a blast. Drove by Wall Street and discovered the reason we have an issue with the Stock Market. Who wants someone up your ass.

 

September 21st

We decided our first stop would be to the World Trade Centre museum today.

Amazing amount of people here but you do need to remember it is NYC. First thing  we see are the bottomless pools with the names of each person that died that day. As you look around you can the reverence and somber feelings on each persons face. A huge line up to enter awaited us. When we finally got there it was $24 per person to enter. First thought is that is expensive. I will say right now worth every penny and more. It by far is the best organized, best displayed and most interactive memorial museum I have seen. There are pictures of each person, voice readings from family or friends and a little story about each. They have recordings from cell phones, recordings of the calls and 911 calls. They have a burned out fire truck, police cars and have built the museum over the original site. This allowed them to show the original  pillars and how they collapsed. The sizing of the pillars is amazing and how they bent unbelievable. The terrorists did not know

the mechanics behind the towers
but they hit them at the only weak point. The design was such that all of the  weight was supported by the inner beams. The outer beams where meant only as “skin” beams. The force of the crash at 400mph and the heat of the aviation fuel and going so deep into the centre of the tower the centre beams just couldn’t hold the weight. No engineer could have designed a building to stand under these conditions. It was more luck on the terrorists part than skill. To have it happen on both towers is incredible. The museum is three floors high and is full of amazing artifacts.  Recorded news broadcasts, explicit pictures of people jumping from the buildings and found personal items of people. It was a 3 hour tour to get thru and could have taken a lot more. It is odd feeling in there as it is emotional. Meant to be that way. It is one of those events you never forget where you were like JFK shooting,Elvis dying, Wayne traded or Lady Di being killed. I was having breakfast with Ed and Mike at Frank’s Casino and we watched the entire thing unfold in front of us on TV. We were late for work that day. The new Freedom Tower is another awesome looking building ( only one tower though) ( and hopefully built better) and designed with thought. It is 1776 ft high which relates to the year of Independence for USA.  This is a must see.

Thought of the Day

My favorite thing is to go where I have never been. I sound like Capt Kirk.

September 22nd

Slept in a bit again as the beds and room are so great. Headed to our favorite coffee shop George’s to have another great meal. Tried again but
the internet kept causing issues with my tablet and our phones. Roaming costs are huge so we needed to keep finding free or cheap Wifi but didn’t
have a lot of luck.The program I am using on tablet doesn’t work that well for what I need. You can’t beat Microsoft products. They are just the easiest and best to work with. To post has been very difficult. I am going back to an old program to copy and paste on the blog as I don’t want to get to far behind. Bought a few NYC gimmicks, walked around a bit before getting a cab. Found out we were only 15 min away from the cruise terminal.Arrived and went thru the cattle call process of loading. They do a perfect job without missing a step. Arrived on board and walked the ship to get used to it as every ship is a little different. Great room, gifts from our travel agent of a travel bag and chocolate covered strawberries were appreciated. Being a little lazy we opted for the buffet supper. As usual the smorg was great. We walked the ship, took some pictures of the city , had a beer and watched a film with a band called Take That. Working on this to see if I can post anything. I said American was expensive for Wifi. Princess is .55 per minute. It takes that long to log on. Not right!! They have also raised their coke card to $45 for the unlimited soda. I understand margins but they are getting carried away with charges similar to banks and airline companies. Going to bed a little earlier tonight as it is cool on the deck and our excursion leaves at 8:30 in the am.
September 23rd
Up and at it quick for a bite to eat before we tender to shore. As usually they were very well organized and set us off fairly quickly. Grabbed our  tour boat and headed out to the Brenton Cove.Newport Rhode Island is amazing. We are talking old

history here dating back to early 1600. It was based on political and religion freedoms having the entire mix in one spot all getting along. They are still bitter toward the British that took over and after losing the revolution burned the town down. It was the 5th largest city in the USA but today is only a population of 24 thousand. Mind you a very very rich group of people. It is a town that is heavily involved with all of the American Cup yacht races. The amount of historical mansions is unbelievable. I feel very very poor!  It was the home of Jacqueline Kennedy ( bouvier’s), the Vanderbuilt’s, and the Duke’s.  Amazing how politics can play such an important part in your State’s history. They forgot to vote for Nixon so he removed all of their navy bases wrecking the town’s economy for the “normal”  people.Love the city. First time in my life where I have seen the men’s washroom line longer than the woman’s. You get all of those old guys with prostate issues and it takes them a long time to pee never mind not having enough pressure to stream into the urinals instead of  the floor. Headed back to the ship to relax by the pool with lunch. Did this while having a drink in the warmth and Jackie reading a book. I will fix spelling etc as .55 a minute and a slow connection is frustrating. Having a brutal time with internet.!!

Relaxed around the pool for a bit and treated ourselves to a ice cream cone. Went to the internet cafe to see about downloading something to my blog. Between a tablet, android and lack of or slow internet it is a real issue. Finally figured out a way. Instead of Quicknotes which kept asking for a connection, lack of spell check etc I tried  Supernotes. Still had page issues plus others. Even with these I needed to copy and paste. Plus down loading a picture took 5 min which is $2.50 to load soooo no pictures until I get home. I will spell check when I get home and my newest system is now email draft that I can copy and paste. We decided to go to the art auction today and again Jackie won a piece and she bought three pieces from Tarkay. Three beautiful fully framed collector art pieces for our walls by a well renowned Polish artist. I won’t tell you HOW much we had to pay. They will look good though in the living room with the others.They will also appreciate in value similar to the two pieces we previously bought. Had a great supper at the buffet again as tonight was the formal night and we had made the decision and didn’t want to dress up. Dining room tomorrow night.

Thought of the Day

A rich man is nothing but a poor guy with money. No better no worse

Sept 24th

Up and ready for Boston. Ate a large breakfast as we are on a 3 1/2 tour and Jackie needs her energy. Boston is an amazing town with a huge historical impact on the USA. It is the closest sea port to Europe, Graham Bell’s first call was made here, the Boston Massacre(embellishment as only 5 people died), the revolution, Salem with witches,Harvard,baked beans,Boston terriers, Fenway Park and of course Cheers the famous bar from TV. Can’t go wrong with Boston Creme Pie or fig newtons all Boston inventions. As a make work project

Boston a town of only 600k spent 14 billion dollars and buried 8 lanes of freeway and two LRT tracks under city centre. It is referred to as the “big dig”. The LRT tracks are buried under the freeway which is under the downtown streets. Everything NYC is Boston isn’t. Small narrow streets like Europe, huge historical implications and venues, quiet and friendly people and just a nice city. We did the Freedom walk and were taught quite a history lesson. Paul Revere, John Hancook,John Adams,Declaration of Independence bill, English control and the French with so much help to over throw the English. Felt sorry for the Brit couple along having to take the bashing. Amazing city. We went to the dining room tonite to have the NY cheesecake and to meet some interesting people.

MY RANT

Old people !
What happens to the human mind with time is very sad. Old people should not be allowed to drive, walk in a narrow hallway, try finding anything anywhere, should have to wait for everyone to get off the plane, and especially not be allowed in a buffet line. First the pace they move at then the indecision sets in. After ten minutes of deciding what they don’t like it takes them 5 mins to put it on their plate with their shaking hands and weak arms. Heaven help us when they decide to carry a plate and a cup. Watch them figure out how a ice maker works for ten minutes or how the hand sanitizer works is like watching glue dry. Now some of you may say well you are going to get old also. I promise you I will not be like that. Even if I slowed down 50% i would still be 50% faster than most of them. It is a shame as some of these  people were very intelligent men and woman at one time. Maybe talking about what is wrong with your health as your only conversation deteriorates the mind as it is no stimulation what so ever. Perhaps the worrying they put on themselves for no reason blows up the mind circuits. ( we were on a tour bus and the police screamed by and we saw smoke in NYC. A older lady ( 70 yrs) yells out it may have been a bomb) Weather and ails. The unfortunate thing is some of these people are not even be that old but just fall into a “poor me” trap and decline.  BUT THAT’S JUST ME 

Sept 25th

Portland Maine. Portland is a port city of only 60K people so you can imagine how 3000 tourists on one ship are appreciated. Wonderful small town. We had a great tour guide to take us to the lighthouses, tour the city and showed us where John Travolta’s house is.Not a lot to see in the town but if you liked and wanted Lobster they catch it and cook it within minutes at numerous restaurants. George Bush’s summer is here. The Portland Head lighthouse, Fort Scammel and Henry Longfellow’s home are also here to be seen. We  had booked a  40ft schooner ride out into the ocean today.It was a great experience but we didn’t have enough wind to catch full sail but still a neat experience. Two interesting stats on Maine are that it produces 99% of the blueberries harvested in the USA plus 90 % ( 40 million pounds) of the lobster are caught here. Beautiful harbour.
Mom should have signed off on her house sale today. I sent a text but didn’t hear back so assume everything went fine. She now has only a few days to move everything out which is hopefully already done.

September 26th

Saint Johns NB- I am writing this after a very full and great day. The weather was fantastic again at about 20 degrees and sunny. We had booked a long excursion today at about 6 1/2 hrs. Up early to catch our bus. Our first stop was watching the flow of water leave the river ( rapids) to exit into the ocean as the ocean was a low tide.

Quite a rapid it forms. Looked great. Loaded up and headed up to the Bay of Fundy. Beautiful drive with the forest and red and yellow trees turning color. On a windy stretch of road that is typical of the east coast. Another retired school teacher that was our guide was awesome at her job. We learned all about the history of the town ( great fire, Irving family, war of 1812  etc)  The Bay was great to visit with the boats up on pads as the tide was out. Had the chance to take  a picture with two covered bridges in it at the same time which I understand is a rare thing. Checked out a lighthouse and beach. Walked out on the ocean floor to look for a lucky wish rock ( rock with a line all the way around it )  I found at least 6 of them.

Took a visit to the Geo Park which is the only registered  Geo Park in  North America. This park has Pre-Cambrian and Cambrian rock formations along with Devonian rock formations. Supposedly over a billion years old. Neat that NB has the registration and is unique in North America. We tasted some kind of seaweed called Delse which is very dense in minerals. Tasted salty and like fish. I will take a pill thanks.  We then had lunch of a Lobster roll which was delicious. Lobster season hadn’t started yet but this lobster was great tasting and presented well. Then off again to see the reversing water flow. The water was rushing in down the river with a huge force and was quite amazing as just a few hours earlier we saw it going completely in the opposite direction. This stop was our favorite port so far. They welcomed us with a Canadian Flag and a rose for Jackie. This evening was a fun night. First stop was to a comedian who was amazing and kept us laughing for the complete hour show. This guy thinks just like me.  “We need a cattle prod to get the people moving in the hallways etc.” Funny guy. Then off to the Guess this Song contest than off to a hilarious game of Family Feud. My cheeks are sore from the laughing and smiling today.  Great stop. Never heard back from Darlene so Mom’s signing must have gone good. Haven’t heard anything from Alan also so Peter must doing ok

Thought of the Day

If you are from Nova Scotia you are called a BlueNoser, if are from New Brunswick you are a Herring Chocker, if you are from Newfoundland you are called a Squid Jigger and if you are from PEI you are a Spud. 

September 27th
Halifax- another wonderful day with the  weather being 22 above and sunny. We choose a later day excursion of a scenic coastal drive and a visit to Peggy Cove.

This 1914 lighthouse sits on a bed of granite and is very statuesque standing over looking the bay. As there isn’t as much to see in Halifax EVERYONE goes to Peggy Cove. It is over run with tourists but still is a must see. The ocean shore line is spectacular .We learned  a lot about the 121 Titanic victims that were buried here, the Great explosion,a fortress for wars, Flight 111 burials and story about a father who moved here as he didn’t want his daughter to be alone as she was buried here, the uniqueness of the harbour being protected and the most eastern of Canada plus Hailfax’s history of being the father place of British Canada. Did you know Halifax is almost dead centre of Victoria and London UK and that Halifax has 15K trees in their city. The fall colors are starting to explode and I will need to delete a lot of pictures as Jackie went wild with trying to get capture the brilliant red foliage. Went to a wonderful musical production last night and enjoyed the family feud contest. Missed having a sidekick to win at the ship’s games. Jessica when she came as my partner won at just abut every game. Again another old Chinese lady was the ping pong champ. I watched and I am sure she just spends her time on cruises playing ping pong.It has to be the same old lady that beat me 4 years ago in Panama. I am sure of it.

September 28th
Sydney – wonderful day reaching 24 degrees. I checked Calgary weather and saw a high of 9 degrees. Couldn’t resist sending a picture to bug a few people of Jackie sitting on the deck of a Irish pub at 24 degrees with a cold beer and FRESH fish & chips.

There was a 500 lb tuna caught and pulled on dock. The  fish are as fresh as you can have it. Another beautiful looking city with some nice scenery, great board walk and rugged coast. Missed our chance to see Cabot Trail but just like visiting castles, museums or churches the same old gets boring fast and it just a road along the sea side which we have being bused on numerous times this trip already. Now me in a Corvette on the road with no old people on the road would be a different story. Spent most of the day wandering the town , visiting with fellow shipmates and enjoying the warmth. Spend a fair amount of time on the upper deck before pulling away from shore.

September 29th

Charlottetown— Off for our horse and carriage ride around town. It was a cool day and we had to dress up warmer than normal. A young girl from California was on our trip and luckily for her Jackie had  spare togue to lend her. She was very very appreciative. We had an excellent guide and enjoyed the trip very much. This is one small island with it being the smallest province and only 175K people.Another great historically city with the founders of Canada signing the Charlottetown Conference there. The Queen, Prince Charles ( not very many people attended his event) and Prince William and Kate who stayed there a couple of days. This was a circus  according to our guide. We were glad it was only a hour tour as it was cool. Visited with a couple in the dining room which was nice. The lady was a senior admin for their church which is a TV produced church. Married 51 years and just a friendly nice couple. Had a great time with them. Saw them a few times at different events we attended. Another wonderful production show in the theatre today.

September 30th

 Sea day– Got up and had our  new normal too much to eat buffet breakfast. It was a cool day today so we ate inside which has been a rare occurrence for us. It was a busy day on the ship as we lined up our entertainment. We checked a “how to workshop” on magic tricks, we then entered a trivia gameshow and lost at it. The winner got 18 out of 20 . I won’t say what we got. The questions were not designed for western Canadians. Needed to be American. We then took in a magic show from another “mind reader” which was incredible. The tricks that these guys play are amazing. After that we visited the Princess theatre with a show put on by the Princess Dancers that was fantastic. We also saw a singing contest “karaoke ” final and were part of the judging. We had some very good singers in the contest. It was a full day of fun entertainment.

Thought of the Day

The world is a book and those that do not travel read only one page.