May 3rd

BOYCOTT EARL’S

I sure hope I don’t see any of my friends eating at Earl’s. You have to stand up for something and there are more than enough great restaurants to eat elsewhere. To criticize and punish a local industry should not be forgiven. Perhaps some of you may forget just like the mistake that when the NDP vote happened and you all would like to change your mind. Stand up and Earl’s will change !

Wow is time flying by. As I said it seems there is never enough time to do everything a person wants. I have the motor home all ready except for the food buying that I will get done soon. I have the motor stand completed thanks to Mel & Fred that I love. I am hoping the first time to the lake the engine starts perfect. That is still to come. I am going to Lethbridge to finish Jessica’s fence with Cory this week. I am going to Edmonton to visit Mom on Friday as I haven’t been there since Christmas and I am working on Mother’s Day. And I have two golf games arranged this week.

The weather today and tomorrow is setting all time records. Today we will beat a 120 year old record. I do wish it would rain soon but love the heat.

Calgary Flames being a pro-active team and not wanting to become a basement team like Edmonton made a change today that surprised people. The coach wins the Jack award and you know next year he is gone. We thought different but it happened. My only thoughts are that Burke and Trevling didn’t hire him so they wanted their own man in place. Time will tell if it was a good move. I would rather a move than sit stagnant though. I think we will see Bruce Boudreau as Burke knows him and this will be their pick. Time will tell.

A/C is working hard  today to keep up. I finally got Jackie’s computer to work with the new Win 10 downloads. They really are a pain though the program in good. Always hiccups though.

Golfing this afternoon with Jeff was most likely the best golf outing I have had in while. It was so great seeing him play like he used to and can. No second thoughts or guessing just playing well. He had some wonderful shots, seemed very relaxed and it was fun playing as he  was having fun !

Bad news good news.

Good News- Jeff played the best I have seen him play since 2007. That’s nine years of keeping score and this was his best score ever playing with me. He did everything right. Chips, drives and second shots. His putts were mostly taken as real putts and in the centre of the hole every time. It was fun to watch as I am sure he had a great time.                                                              Bad News- I lost. I didn’t play bad or struggle with anything really. Just some bad luck taking three triples on three holes. Every other hole great. I played from the forward tees this time with Jeff and not making excuses but it was just too short as I had to really hold back from not driving in the water distance wise. Two water balls hurt.

It was a fun fun night of golfing and enjoyed the after golf beer and burger at the hotel. They are wonderful there.

Thought of the Day

Real friends don’t anger when you insult them. They smile and call you something more offensive.

May 4th

BOYCOTT EARLS

Up and out of bed by 5:30am. Corey picked me up and we headed to Lethbridge to help out the girls with their fence. It was a slower week in the building industry. ( surprised anyone) so Corey was very kind to help me out. Man it was a hot one !. The gauge in the Jeep said 35 degrees at the high point. Another 120 year old record broken.We didn’t have any shade so we had the heat.  Luckily the girls had lots of Diet Pepsi and water for us to drink. And we did.  Jessica & Penny hired a company to drill the holes and install 4 x 4 posts last year in the fall. They had some friends help them apply the stringers and boards but it was never finished.  The friends did what they could which is very nice of them.  The post company should never have been paid.  The girls wanted a 6 ft fence and the posts were installed every height you could think of and not one of them tall enough. They had 4 ft and 5 f, 6ft heights  etc.  So when the rails were installed they struggled figuring out where to put them.  There was some plan originally to cap ( cover) the 4 x 4 posts all around. This should have been done before the rails were applied. Sooooo after much thought Corey & I agreed we would cut the boards to a reasonable height and cap them and not worry about the post

heights for now. This was adventure in itself as they had a lot of wood left but the person deciding the lengths didn’t think a lot. So we 6ft pieces to stretch to 8ft plus. We had to make a lot of cuts and had a huge amount of measuring. I didn’t want to waste the qty of wood. So for each section of fence where we should have had 4 cuts and measure we had  8 cuts and measure. Working in the heat and with a lot of cutting it took longer than original thought. Now I just need a plan to top off the posts somehow to make it look finished.  This won’t be a easy fix. Overall the fence looks 100% better than when arrived. We about another 8 hours to complete the cutting and cladding. And then some kind of detail to raise the posts to look good.

Things are happening in the world:

First you have to feel for the FT McMurray residents. This will be the largest disaster in Canadian History. The fire is amazing and it just sad to see everyone losing their homes. 1600 homes so far. That is huge. In the 80’s when I used to drive up to Ft Mac every two weeks they had 9 houses starts due to Trudeau’s NEP program. It destroyed Ft Mac. The NDP has had a similar effect on this town. Now this. Ironic the NDP cut one program. The wild fire fighting budget. Everyone knows we were expecting a warm pattern of weather and they cut this. No jobs, no salaries, nothing except a wild fire fighting program cut. Brilliant to play double down with mother nature when you know the potential of a hot dry season coming told to you by experts. 4 years won’t go fast enough. These poor people in Ft Mac. I sure hope the insurance industry acts quickly. This is a major disaster but I am sure there are some happy people knowing they are going to get paid out their equity and will leave Ft Mac especially when there are no jobs there. This is going to have a huge impact on Alberta.

Second . Amazing Donald has had every one of his competitors back out. He is now the Republican  nominee. Trump against Clinton. Two horrible choices. One of these will be the President of the USA. That’s a little scary. I take Trump over Clinton but what the world and the government will be like is going to be scary.

Third- Way to go Alberta. Earls  Enough ruckus was raised they have decided to reverse their decision on where to buy meat. The spokesman said they are changing back to Alberta beef but wouldn’t commit to a date. I would suggest a boycott until they start advertising they are supporting our local market.  Great news but I didn’t like the wishy washy statement they gave.

Thought of the Day

Problems don’t scare me, not finding a solution does.

May 5th

Looked at the weather and realized today was going to be a little cooler than expected. Out at the golf course and only 4 cancellations from my elderly participants.  I found it quite nice until about the 15th or so hole and then the wind was cold. The wind also played havoc on the game for us. I played ( other than on the greens) the best I think I have ever played. Straight long drives and fantastic second shots. My final score wasn’t my best be far due to putting.  I was short putting for eagles and birdies and only getting pars and boogies.  I beat my entire group that I was playing with but didn’t win any money overall as other with caps beat me. If only I would have putted better. Issue is Phoenix courses are fast and Heatherglen is slow right now on the greens and I keep coming up short. Turner has wonderful greens but the are longer and slower due to the time of year and type of grass. Jackie did bring up a thought though. My eyesight has changed and perhaps the depth perception change has affected the putting distance.

The putting killed me but I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the round.  Just would have liked to score a little better. I don’t know how to practise speed and accuracy at putting.

Watched the news again on the fires. It is amazing. I can honestly say that Notley is a joke for a premier but I was impressed with her handling of the crisis so far. She did a great job and seems on top of it. Time will tell if the people affected are taking care of. This event will have a huge impact on the economy again on Alberta. The estimate figure is over 9 billion insurable claims. What will Ft Mac look like after this ?

Jackie picked up Michael and Audrey today at the airport on their return from Wales. It will take a while for them to get settled in. Odd how they had bad weather in Wales all winter and the day they return we get the first rain and cold day for months. Things that make you say hummm.

Thought of the Day

Can bad weather follow people ? Hummm

May 6th -8th

Busy, and haven’t had the time to fill in the days. So here is quick catch up of the last couple. It may mixed up as I remember the events.

Out of the house by 8am to travel to Edmonton to visit Mom as a early Mother’s Day as I was babysitting and working on the weekend. A quick stop at the Tim’s near Carstair’s is always great. I filled up with gas, had my Timmy’s breakfast and headed. The highway was fairly light with traffic which was good. Set the cruise at the 122 km per hour and settled in for the 3 hours drive.

Near Nisku all of a sudden a cop with his lights on but no siren rips past me on the left side and I was in the left lane. Got me off guard a bit as I hadn’t noticed him in mirrors.  Then another and then another. The traffic stopped on the highway. Slowly edging towards Edmonton I see 9 cops cars. Yes 9 cop cars and one roll over accident. And they were RCMP. I would have thought these guys needed to be in FT Mac to protect property from looters. It was a single car roll over with no other cars near it. They were trying to get the passengers out as it ended up upside down on it’s roof.

Funny but sad sight. As I enter Edmonton they have the new Welcome to Edmonton sign up but they don’t use the City of Champions sign anymore. Good thing too !  But some die hard fan ( Oiler) created out of cardboard the sign and stood it up next to Welcome to Edmonton. Let it go buddy. Those times were a long time ago.

Thinking of something to get Mom for Mothers Day I thought car wash coupons would come in handy.I went to Bubbles Car wash in Edmonton and did you know a single exterior wash now is $20 from these guys. That is ridiculous. I spent less than that to wash my entire motor home in the self-serve wash. I said to the clerk no thanks and you guys really need to look at your pricing. There was no one in their line up waiting for a wash. So I went to a Esso station that had a touchless wash and bought Mom some coupons from there.  That was interesting also as the clerk had to run each wash separately though the card. I thought it may get declined when you see multiple transactions going thru att he same dollar amount. MY WALLET app works perfect with the loyality cards being scanned.

Had a nice visit with Mom at her place. She has a very nice looking apartment that is decorated to perfection. The lady in charge of renting out the place has used Mom’s as  show suite to show potential clients what it would look like.

Later in the evening Mom and I met Alfred & Mary at the Keg Steakhouse. They serve Alberta Beef. We all had a wonderful supper. I love the Keg. They do a great job every time we have been there. I like the bread, they cook their steaks to perfection and do very well with the baked potatoe or mashed.  It was a nice Mother’s Day visit.

Parents are funny. There is a unsaid expectation on visitation. I know so many families where this is an issue. If a child moved to Europe or to a big city in the States the amount of times one would see each other would be limited. I know every year when we were younger having to because we felt guilty  visit three parents in two days as it was Christmas wasn’t fun. Jackie and I always said that we never wanted to make our kids feel like that.  Everyone has their own life, issues and commitments and as parents the expectation shouldn’t be that a child is a life line to entertainment, activity, friendship or enjoyment. A place like where Mom lives is excellent at providing all of those things if they are participated in the events. It is funny as it was only 4 months ago I saw everyone but they thought it was a lot longer.

After supper I went back to Mom’s place as she was getting rid of some of the pictures she had and I took them back in case Jess or Tor wanted any of them. It was nice visit. This one of the pictures from my Grade 4 class.  It was pretty neat to look at this as I remember the bulk of the kids names and a lot of them where attendees that came to our Grade 12 40th reunion.  To name a few good friends.In the back row. Norman Begin ( Osborne Acre neighbor), Darryl Howery ( across the street neighbor when we lived in Spruce Grove, Terry Harris ( good friend all through school)  Jim Kruse ( loads of fun with Jim in his garage,cars and Friday nights) . In the second row. Armand Begin ( best friend from grade 1 to about grade 11) Grant Nelson ( boy scouts, )Darryl Truke ( Osborne neighbor) The teacher was Mrs Ibsen who was a “mean” teacher. She would yell, and scream at the students. I didn’t care for her at all and I remember my mommy having to talk to her as it was unsettling to me. LOL

At the reunion from this picture was: Terry Harris, Jim Kruse, Armand Begin, Grant Nelson, David Secord, Darryl Truke, Jim Kruse,Christine Knetter,and  Marion Imerson that I saw or visited with.

I headed out on the highway again. This time near Nisku  here come the cops again driving at about 160 km per hour rushing past me and headed into the Edmonton Airport. So I did see a lot of cops in one day. The drive was nice, the traffic light and no incidents. Stopped in Red Deer to fill up. It costs my a $100 buck worth of gas to drive to Edmonton and back.

We went over to Corey & Victoria’s place as the ladies were going out for a Mother’s Day painting event and Corey and I were looking after Jackson and August.This painting event was held in a bar where they had an instructor teaching the art of art. Jackie, Victoria, Jessica, Penny, Audrey, MaryAnn, Danielle and Kennedy all were painters.

 

 

 

 

It is a good thing Corey didn’t have to work as we were kept busy. Little August is a great kid but I think his parents kept him up to late the night before. First we took them to the park to play which on a warm nice day is always fun. Jackson ran around the park and entertained us all. August was very good . After a while back into the wagon and we headed home. At home in the living room Jackson say August has something in his mouth. Corey fished it out and here the little guy had been sucking on a large piece of bark all of the way in the wagon ride. Then our fun began. Corey went to drop off

Jackson at a birthday party and Alan dropped in for a visit. I will blame Alan as he scared August and August began to cry. August wasn’t easy to get him to stop. He was over tired but refused to close his eyes. Hungry, wet diaper, tired, ill or scared are the only reasons a kid cries. Matter of elimination. We even tried the burp thing which for a 8 month old I thought shouldn’t be needed. He burped but no sleepy eyes.After one bottle still no sleepy eyes. Diaper change and still no sleepy eyes. Another bottle and still no sleepy eyes. I passed August over to Corey to hold for a while. Corey started to hum and his eyes( Augusts) started to get heavy. Along with the second bottle and the melody of Corey’s humming it finally worked.  Then the pass back to me as Corey had to go pick up Jackson from the party. August slept in my arms for close to 2 hours and awoke being the happy smiling baby boy he normally is.  One funny thing. August is a very smart kid. He gets his parents to hold the bottle. He wouldn’t hold his own bottle I had to hold it for him all of the time. LOL That is the first time I have seen that. Clever little lad. You don’t hold the bottle I cry is his mantra.

Corey cooked us all up some great burgers and we had a nice summer supper outside. You can’t beat a burger, beans, potato salad etc.

Sitting outside in warmth we had lots of company. Chad, Andrea and their two children along with his parents Pat & Bob came over. We had a nice visit. A little later the neighbors came over which are very nice people. They have a trailer out at Tie Lake near Jarvis BC. This place is on my bucket list as they have small mouth bass in it which for western Canada are rare.

Around 9pm the golf course phones me to tell me they don’t me to come in the morning as the tee sheets is a little light. Mother’s Day all of the guys aren’t allowed to golf. LOL  To bad as I plan around my work day and I enjoy them.

A great night and a lot of fun and I know Jackie enjoyed the time with the girls. I enjoyed the sleep time with August . LOL   Fun day and night.

May 9th – 10th

Up in the morning a way earlier than normal to make Jackie her “breakfast” in bed for Mother’s Day. Got that done and she was able to have her tea and read the paper in the morning. She had a laugh at my card I gave her.

No real plans for today as I was planning to work. Turned out to be a very relaxing day. After lunch we went to the store as Jackie needed some updated new business clothes as she has a little bit of travelling to do. After a few hours we ended up with some very nice looking clothes that hopefully will last her during her little business trips.

Drove Jackie to the airport for her flight. It was very windy so I bet it will be rough.

Had a great fish & chip supper and watched a bit of TV

Washed the Jeep. Moved all of the tools into the Enclave as I am heading to Lethbridge on Wednesday for a fence trip. A little harder this time as two people make most tasks a lot easier. Clamps work fairly well in holding up boards until you can fix them. Paid bills.

I pre wrote a birthday message for Terry Keys as she is turning 60 years old and as I was travelling I needed to get this done but it started to make me think.

According to science, there’s a difference between chronological age and biological age, which means you can be 60 years old and literally have a body of a 50 year old. I’m sure you’ve met someone that not only looks 10 years younger, but has boundless energy and stamina. That being said, I’m sure you’ve seen the exact opposite as well, someone that looks and acts much too OLD for their actual age.

So what’s the deal?  Is it genetics?  I know it sounds like the most reasonable answer.  But genetics have very little to do with how fast or slow you age.

Let’s look at what happens as you age…

1. Your metabolism slows down to a snail’s pace as you age.  This makes burning fat and losing weight next to impossible.
2. The hormones responsible for all of your youth-like qualities such as healthy skin tone, strong lean muscle, robust energy and insatiable sex drive, start declining more and more each year that goes by.  And if you’re not proactive, your youth enhancing hormone levels may drop so low that there is no turning back.
3. Aging makes your bones weaker and more brittle by robbing your body of vital minerals that are essential for strong bones.  This is why so many elderly people suffer from hip fractures that can lead to even more serious medical complications.
4. It’s not just your physical qualities that get negatively affected by aging…your brain suffers as well.  Your memory, your ability to solve problems, and your decision making skills all start to decline and worsen each year.

And here’s the real kicker:  After 40, your biological age starts to speed up and age faster than your chronological age!  In fact, for every year that passes you can age up to 6 months extra.  That means when you turn 42, your body is essentially turning 43…if you keep this up, at 48 your body could be as old as 52!! Too many people think that cardio is the answer to everything related to weight-loss and fat-loss.  And although cardio can be helpful (if done properly), it does nothing to slow the aging process.  In fact, it does the exact opposite!.  Doing long frequent cardio sessions will break down your muscles and increase the production of free radicals.  These free radicals are nasty little things that damage the cells in your body and accelerate aging.

It’s hard to believe that “low-fat” is still a dietary recommendation because science has proven that fat is not the cause of weight gain or heart disease.  In fact, since the introduction of the fat-free diet, the world has gotten more fat and sick than it has ever been before.

Fat is not the enemy.  Fat does NOT make you fat.  In fact, fat is an absolute must if you want your body to look and feel younger!  Why?  Because healthy fats are an essential source of good cholesterol, which is KEY to producing the hormones that enhance your youthful qualities.  (Not all cholesterol is bad, by the way — good cholesterol is a crucial component of healthy skin tissue, making your skin more supple, glowing, and youthful).  If you’re following a low-fat diet, you’re depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to slow aging and keep your youth.

You all are probably confused now. Don’t be just remember marketing and profits are always considered a priority over health. Liptor would go broke if people realized the truth. Jenny Craig wouldn’t exist .

We need to find a way to slow down the clock, and speed up the metabolism. Some one does that they will be rich.

I have a golf game at Turner Valley tonight.

The weather was odd in a way. As the evening went along it warmed up that it was reasonably warm even though my gloved hand still felt cool and the wind when driving in the cart was quite cool. It was a another fun night golfing. Jeff didn’t have a stellar game like last time which is the way golf works. Any given day you don’t what happens. He struggled with drive being pushed extreme right on just about every shot which at TV causes you issues. Like I always say “next time”. I golfed ok not stellar but still ended up with a 84 from the back silver tees. I find these tee a lot easier than the blue or whites as the course for me is set up narrower where my ball lands if I use the forward tees plus water comes into play and a few holes. While golfing the whole night my nose was running. Hard to concentrate when you are sucking in snot.

Another fun golf night though and then to the Inn for their great burger and beer.

Thought of the Day

Don’t you hate it when you go to play golf wanting to shoot your age and end up shooting your weight.

May 11th

Sent my congratulatory message to Terry Keys who today is hitting the ripe old age of 60 years old. Poor girl !

Up at 6 am to leave for Lethbridge. Stopped in Claresholm for a Tim’s bite and carried on. It was only sitting around 5 degrees on the gauge which is a little cool. I had only brought sandals so thought my feet may be a little cool.  Unloaded the vehicle with all of my tools and started to work at about 8:30am. I did very well completing all the trim on the fence and even changing out a warped rail on the fence. I precut with the table saw all the pieces width wise and only cut one small piece for each section to save time. Went well.  Quick Clamps are just like another person’s hands they work so well. There are a lot of things I would have done different on this fence but it is coming together nicely and we are working around the issues. Won’t be perfect but will look great and last for a long time. Penny made me a quick lunch and we had a wonderful supper. She made mashed cauliflower that I thought were wet mashed potatoes that were awesome tasting beside the spiced chicken breasts.

I did not get to the post extensions which I will do next time but the yard is ready for top soil. If

it was me I would hire a company to deliver the top soil with a bobcat, remove the one garage section and have it done in 1 hour for $75 versus a full day wheel barrowing and leveling the soil remembering to grade properly. I will be back soon.

A full day of work and then I headed back to Calgary and to the airport as Jackie was getting back at 9:30pm. I drove straight to the airport from Jessica’s place and made it in plenty of time. Our cell lot is pretty weak with no arrivals electronic signage and no porta potty facilities. It needs work. With the huge reno going on the airport is a mess. There is a not a gas station within 5 miles so I feel for the rental guys.  I just about fell to sleep waiting for Jackie in the car. It was a long day.

Thought of the Day

Hard work has never been proving to kill anyone but I don’t know if it is worth the chance.

May 12th

Well I was supposed to golf this morning in my men’s league. I checked the weather and emailed the organizer I wouldn’t be attending this week. Mix of rain and snow and only a high of 6 degrees. Not my idea of fun golfing. A few minutes later a email comes saying it was cancelled today. Here is a picture of the web cam of our course today.

I think this would be called a little more than a frost delay. Oh well we need the moisture and just perhaps they may remove the campfire ban for the long weekend coming up.

This year we are visiting a golf course and campsite just outside of Camrose called Whistlestop Golf and Camping. It looks good so weather permitting we should have a lot of fun again. Amanda one of Keith’s kids bought a new RV so we will have 6 units out this year plus the extras. I enjoy the long weekends with the golf, games, pot lucks, grandkids all there ( 7 kids this year) and the campfires and socializing.

So on the agenda today is to put away all of my tools in the Corey’s garage, get some groceries and rest.

 

Thought of the Day

A old guy on my course right after I hit a good one off the drive says to me ” I can drive 300 yards also”  He gets in his golf cart and drives up to my ball laughing his head off.

May 13/14th

Our good friend Terry Keys was having a special 60th birthday party. We headed up to join the party. Fred had arranged it at their condo. Luckily we had enough room that every one fit comfortably in between the kitchen, living room and patio. The Key’s live in a Medican complex

which is very nice. They have done a fair amount of work on their place with customizing the color of the cabinets, wall paint, crown and a “pantry door”. Along with the nice wood flooring their place looks great. Fred spend all day cooking a 15 pound beer roast with a special rub on it. It was fantastic. In fact amazing. A great meal. Terry had some great presents including a trip with her daughter to see Adele in Vancouver BC. We got her a silver flask engraved “Terry’s Par Juice”  along with some Butter Rum to put in it.

It was a fun night. Stayed up a lot later than we have for a long time and most likely hit the pillow around 1:30am. Medican has a suite for guests that is awesome. Terry provides the sheeting and pillows. It is the perfect suite for a visitor and overnight guest. ( did have a small whine noise coming from somewhere)  Up early and Fred cooked us a wonderful bacon, eggs and hash browns breakfast. We visited for a while and then headed home a little tired but very enjoyable.

We were going to stop by Mom’s place and Keith’s but ran out of time.

The road was very busy which was amazing for a Saturday night. We still most likely averaged 125kms per hour. Arrived home, stopped and got a little food and supper and then just about fell asleep on the couch. I have to getup early tomorrow for a full day. The weather is supposed to be ok hitting 15 above. Means pants for the morning.

Thought of the Day

Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people with the most of them live the longest.

May 15-17th

The day was sunny but had a cool feeling to it. I arrived at the golf course at 9:45 for my shift. The course had quite a few tee times booked all day until 2pm and the sheet was fairly empty. I think a lot of people were scared away with the weather forecast. It stayed cool for most of the day but well warm enough to enjoy a golf game.

We had a few incidents of groups playing a way to slow. It is funny how people just cant grasp the concept of keeping up with the group in front of them.  Sorry to say but most times it is women and old men. Today I had combination. Probably the worst offenders today were two groups of four young Siks. Brand new golfers and in fact first time out for a couple of them. It just looks odd with the turban on while golfing. Nice guys and polite but I had to warn them at least three times. They finally picked up their ball and ran the odd time to keep up to the pace. Our pro shop can track the exact behind the pace any group is on the GPS screen which helps me determine where our issue is. You never like to keep bugging a group but 4 unhappy golfers are a lot better than 100 behind them playing slow. In fact if the slowness does continue they can be kicked off the course. I can help most groups never get into this position. If they have one beginner golfer just have them play the double par rule and or pick up their ball on certain holes that aren’t going well.

Overall another enjoyable day working the course. My shift was until 5pm but due to very little tee times in the late afternoon I clocked out at 4:30. My thought it is useless for me to be travelling around the course with nobody on it and nothing to do. It saves the course a bit of money. The pro hasn’t said anything to me so I will continue to monitor the effectiveness and need based on the busiest of the course. As the summer begins a lot of times I am kept very busy.

In order – slow play, cart usage and not following cart rules, illegal alcohol,  carelessness, questions.

Having stayed up past 1:30 the night before and having to get up earlier than I normally do I felt tired. I said it was the fresh air not to put the blame on age. LOL

Peter came over for supper. He was in fairly good shape conversation wise but extremely weak in physical ability to get out of chair or walk.  Still, it is good for him to get out, socialize and experience something different than sit in his room.  I sure hope I don’t live long enough to experience the dementia and oldness.  Having said that the odd time I scare myself when I can’t find my phone etc. LOL

It was very windy and I had a golf game with Jeff out at Turner Valley. I don’t play well in the wind as there is too much guessing on distances and the wind moves the ball to easily. We had a fun night though even though the scoring wasn’t the best by a long ways. It still is practice and helps in the long run but the scoring does get affected. Some good shots, some great shots and some poor shots. Some very unlucky shots also. Overall still a great night and I even won a bet so didn’t have to buy my beer. Things are good.

Up and at it early. I worked on the motor home all day. Put in the towels, blankets, shoes, and other needed equipment. I installed the new clock. I installed the new water filter. Bought all the groceries that are in the unit for the year like cans of beans, tuna, soup, stew, potatoes, spices, pop, water and water jug and paper eatery. Just need to get the other stuff later this week. I washed the exterior. Man that road grime is sticky. Without actually wiping the grime a person could power wash and have the vehicle appear as dirty as before you started. My extend a brush has given me a sore arm. LOL Polished the rims. I cut a new rubber shoe rack to place by the door. Funny though as we have a sub woofer installed in the floor that  this goes right over. Vibrates a bit when the bass hits. LOL

Worked on the lockers downstairs as the garage is being cleaned tomorrow and I needed to move my cargo rack and organize things. If I remove any noise issues, the lockers are the only other negative comment I would make about condo living. First they are a way to small and second I believe every building should have closed in lockers 10 x 10 would be a good size that are dust free and easy accessible. All it takes is a sprinkler head but most companies are too cheap to spend a few bucks. None of this page wire, chicken wire or chain link storage areas. I am sure a client would be willing to pay for it. I would rather have dry clean storage than a pool.

Put all of my boat stuff in a bin that I will strap on top of my boat seats and I will be all set to go. I still may try to start the engine in a pail next week.

Looking forward to the May Long but it seems the weather as usual may not be cooperating.  For Camrose it appears to be a high of 14 to 16 with 60% chance of rain each day. Note: Define 60%. Does that mean 60% of the area will get rain ? Does that mean we will only get 60% of the rain expected ? Does it mean 60% of the time it will rain ?  A lot of unknowns. The way I see it if we believe it is based on odds of getting rain it is pretty close to 50/50 which millions are bet on each day with those odds.  In 40 years of May Long weekend camping we have most likely 50% of the time with sun.  Mud and not being able to stay outside is the only reason I hate rain. Besides this year I don’t think the fire ban will be lifted. Oh well I have played outside crib games in 4 above temperatures before. My liquor cabinet is stocked, my fridge will be full, I will have a rain jacket and hopefully some off rain time to get a couple of games in.

Camping is a funny thing. Most of my friends love camping and we all enjoy it as one of lives best adventures. Others not so much. Some think it is dirty, or there are bugs, I will smell like campfire, there might be germs, it will too cold, it will be too hot, how do I shower, I have to go to a outside toilet, I have mud on my boots or any other perceived issue. I believe that camping is very similar to a Christmas and Thanksgiving get together. I believe it makes a family closer as it is memory making of fun times . Jessica & Victoria started camping when they were 4 or 5 months old. We had them in the middle of our tent in their playpen. I am speaking for them but I am sure they have some funny and wonderful memories of camping. Now as a couple camping is still a great thing to do. Relaxing, enjoyable, and entertaining.  Ask any kid and they will say the summer camping trips were the most fun events  they experienced. You can go to Disneyland or Mexico and stay in a 5 star resort but they remember the fun around the campfire with glow sticks and riding thru the campsite other than the resort. Resorts are vacation spots for working people. Rv’ing is a lifestyle and life long event for weekend warriors or retirees.  I know for myself while it is nice looking at an old church, or museum or castle, or sun tanning on the sandy beach, give me a campfire by a lake with fish in it and a golf course near by and I am in heaven. I am lucky that Jackie loves the good life also. ( she isn’t 100 % sold on the fishing but loves the boat ride)

Today camping is a little different. As teenagers and young married adults camping we started with nylon pup tents. We then moved up to larger canvas roomed tents. Very early when we first married we moved into a double queen bed tent trailer. We had the tent trailer from about  1986 to 1994. In 1994 we bought a brand new 20ft deluxe travel trailer. We thought we were in heaven. It was a little heavy to pull with my 6 cylinder Jeep but we even managed to climb the Coguihalla, In 2006 we bought a brand new large 30 ft travel trailer with a full slide out and separate bedroom which we traded in for a 2005 30 ft Class A motor home in about 2010. We wished we would have had one of these when the kids were young. After retiring in 2015 we bought a beautiful 2007 Commander 32 ft Class A motor home. This is our current unit. It was bought in 2007 for $205,800 from Triple E.  We love this one with all of it’s amenities. Full shower, built in vacuum cleaner, fireplace, two slides, auto levelers, satellite, two TV’s, power everything including the awning. We plan to keep this unit for as long as possible. It has only 36,000 kms on it so far.

GO CAMPING YOU WON’T BE SORRY.

I can’t imagine a summer where I wasn’t camping. The campfire, the outside air, adventures, excursions, crib games, lot of other games, great BBQ’d food, fresh air and the social part of visiting.

Our friends Keith & Jenny have camped with us since we were about 18 years old ( 41 years now) We have cooked plenty of steak, drank barrels of alcohol, seen a lot of the country, and have had some amazing times. I see another 15 years of camping in our future.

 

Looking forward to another May adventure.

It is always nice to quickly look back at some of the fun times you have had. I quickly found these which are only 1 /1000000 of pics from different trips but thought I would throw them out there to see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The girls had a great time every time we went.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoy the fun of everyone eating at the same time and the combo of foods that everyone brings. The other two pics are from trips to Saskatchewan with the Geddes and a trip to the Kootenays with the Harry’s . The last picture is our traditional Sept long week end camp out each year at Pembina. And the picture below is from Raven May weekend 2014.                     Snow that weekend.

You put camping, golf, and fishing in the same sentence and get to experience it, you are then living the good life.  Get a little dirty, smell like fish or campfire, but trust me you will have the time of your life. It’s just to bad so many people have discovered this, as the campgrounds are one busy place all of the time now.  It doesn’t matter if you have a tent or a luxury 48 footer it is camping and you will fit right in. It is like being retired. It doesn’t matter if you are a millionaire or just getting by you are all still retired and can enjoy each others company without comparisons or judgments. Campers are the most friendly of people. It is a life style and it keeps people with a smile on their face. ( until their sewer backs up)

Alberta government says 26% of the population own a RV in Alberta. That is huge when you think of the amount of children and older adults. 40% of the population camp and 3 out of 4 sleep in a RV. I guess when you consider the beauty of Alberta it makes sense.

My 6 favorite things about camping. I stopped at 6 but could have gone to 50 at least.

1. It’s the simple life — it make you realize the things you need to exist and be happy actually are very simple
2. Peace— It is quiet and peaceful. Look at the sky in the black night. Birds, Loons, frogs, coyotes it is awesome. Have you ever been near a lake at dusk and listen. No music
3. The day revolves around food and drink— It just seems you think about your next meal. It takes longer to get ready but everything tastes better BBQ’s and cooked outside.
4. Scenery– Everywhere you camp it is beautiful. The wilderness, the lakes, the forest and the mountains they are beautiful.It is God’s nature at your finger tips to enjoy
5. Disconnected- no TV ( we do watch movies) no Wi-Fi, no phones. It is just nice. Forced disconnection means we get time to reconnect with each other and our kids, play games, listen,laugh and plan future adventures. Become world crib champ.
6. Physical activity— golfing, walking, riding bikes, chopping wood, hiking,  more of everything. The fresh air alone is good for you. Starting a campfire could be considered moderate exercise.

Thought of the Day

Camping- It always fun and games until someone loses a wiener.

May 18th

Broke my routine this morning as I needed to get up early to move the Buick and Jeep onto the street as the underground garage is being washed and cleaned. They have four big floor sweepers and do an amazing job. The concrete just about looks like it is polished. Luckily as some people had left for work already I was able to find two spots quite close to our condo.

I picked up Jackson at his day home and drove him to his preschool this morning. Big day for Jackson today as it is his first real school bus ride. His parents must have talked to him as he was very excited and made a great comment ” You know what Papa ? School buses don’t have seat belts on them so I have to sit really good in it. Why don’t they put seat belts in them so we can go faster ? ” You got to love kids. Here is a kid that from age 1 has worn a belt and wonder why which you would think any common sense person would think the same. Go figure.

Notice all the ladies in the back with camera’s ready. And me. LOL

All of the kids thought it was a great event today. The parents are amazing. It was like the wild paparazzi taking pictures of their kids getting on a bus. Funny.  Me and the 20 stay at home Mom’s swarming the line up. LOL  I should have taken picture of them as they were more hysterical than the kids. I tried to find Jackson on the bus to get a picture in his seat but the women kept pushing me back by squeezing in front of me to get a picture of their kid.

I am sure Jackson will be very excited when I pick him up after the trip this afternoon. Darn I forgot to tell him to seat right at the back as when you hit a bump you fly off your seat plus you can get away with more fun than up front.

BOYCOTT EARL’S  just a reminder !

Why do you think we all get carried away and concerned about things that really don’t matter.  Health and Happiness really are the only two things needed. Money the root of all evil. Think about it. It destroys families, causes suicides, crime, greed, and agony. There are people that waste hours everyday dreaming of winning the VLT , lottery or scratch cards thinking it will cure everything. Ask Prince, Elvis, Michael if money made them happy. Ironic thing is money can’t buy health. I will guarantee that millions of people would trade all of their money for health.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the “IN” brand of shoes. Is it really that important. Do you think the guy in the 5000 sq ft house sleeps any better than the guy in 1000 sq ft.  Could you live without a phone ?  Is it necessary to have a vacation abroad ?  Does your 10 year old car get you the same place as someone’s new one.

As humans we are naturally competitive, jealous and judgemental. Everyone is and  I will call anyone that says they are not a liar. It is how we handle these things. I have changed. Perhaps it was retirement and seeing that everyone is the same. Some one asks me what I did for a living I now down play it. I used to proudly say General Manager or Regional Sales Manager. Now I say in the building material business. They don’t care and I don’t care. No one brags about the trips they have taken, no one HAS to go on vacation to get the suntan, no one cares if someone is driving a older car. It really isn’t important. Money isn’t that important. I know people that will work until their 65 because they are afraid of not having enough.  It isn’t enough because of their lifestyle. If you want a new vehicle, exotic trips, huge house, every “in” gadget you will never have enough.   Save enough to live comfortably and enjoy it while you can. Spend your money while you are able to fully enjoy it. You have to be careful but you also can’t let frugality and perception and an advisor that wants you to keep your money in his bank for as long as possible make your life less than what it can be.

It comes down to health and friendship. If you have both of these everything else is gravy. Awesome that the Jones can afford to go to Bali while you spend the day at the park with your friends. The scenery will be different but I bet the enjoyment will be equal.

I picked up Jackson after his great adventure. He was hungry so what is better than a afternoon at  the DQ with a hotdog and chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Nothing !

Thought of the Day

We were not born to just pay bills and die. Live a little

May 19-

Early morning golf game with my men’s league today. I would like today to be the day I score well. I haven’t broke 80 since coming back to Canada. Must be the altitude. I have been above 90 a few times which isn’t good.

Well, a cold and rainy day. I wanted to really well today before the weekend but driving cart #13 didn’t work out for me. Let me say I golfed very very well on 14 holes. On three of the par 3’s I took a 4 over, and a 4 over and a 3 over.  That’s 11 over without any other holes. On the rest I was pleased with driving and ok putting. I did end up with the highest score of 2016 but at least didn’t break 100.  I had three great guys to golf with which made it fun. They didn’t have a great game either as the weather sure does make a difference. Cold hands, tight muscles sometimes causes you to just not care and want to finish the game.

Finished loading the motor home and I think I have everything. I hate rain and especially mud. The storage lot is quite muddy. And getting everything wet isn’t fun. I hope we get a little break this weekend but I think it may a wet one. I hate rain.

Camrose Weather

Friday 14 degrees and RAIN  80%

Saturday 12 degrees and SHOWERS 50%

Sunday 10 degrees and RAIN 80%

Monday 15 degrees and SHOWERS  60%

Things aren’t looking good. Hopefully a game and supper on Saturday work out. Have I said I hate rain. We need it bad but why on the long weekend. Especially with no fire. Lots of treats to eat. And I went extra heavy on Ceaser’s as today is National Ceaser Day to celebrate all weekend.

May 20th -23rd  GONE CAMPING –  will load our adventure on Tuesday when we get back.

May 24th

 

Well the weather for the May Long weekend was predicted correctly. We had a lot of rain. The first night it rained heavily the entire night. They were very few hours without some kind of

moisture leaking out the sky. BUT knowing this can happen didn’t damper anyone’s spirits. I think the 7 kids with us had the most fun of all our trips. Parents were lenient which was great. The kids had lots of clothing changes as they played in puddles, played hide and seek and literally were wet all weekend. They tortured a lot of earth worms this weekend. I couldn’t believe the amount of time the kids spent outside playing. The adults were so lucky that Jason brought a pop up tent. This thing saved us. It was closed on three sides and was large enough we had at least 12 chairs in it. Keith had his propane log fire along that provided a lot of heat in the tent. I know I am going to Wal-Mart to get a tent just like this as it was amazing and I believe at least one if or two others will buy one. Next year we will have tent city. But they will keep us warm or cool using the shade. Plus they fold up tiny and take 3 minutes to set up.

So we did a lot of drinking , a lot of talking and visiting and we actually got one golf game in on the weekend. The course was neat as it was a 9 hole that was expanded. The first nine were like an executive nine and the second nine like a traditional course. It was a fun course to play. Jackson and Katin walked the 18 holes with us. To have a 4-year-old do that was amazing. As I said the kids had fun and were incredibly well-behaved.  On Sunday it was raining during breakfast hour so we walked up to the clubhouse and had a perfect breakfast. The diner is a perfect looking place and has great food. The sausages were made from a local meat shop and were spiced perfectly. The owners are wonderful and extremely helpful with everything. Everyone that came to eat thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus it was raining so I would have had to cook inside or get wet. Sunday afternoon we headed to the lounge to watch the Canada/Finand  final hockey game. Frosted mugs of beer and fantastic tasting chicken wings. Great wings in fact that rival any place I have been. The traditional Franks Hot sauce ones and Salt & Pepper. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon especially as it was wet and cold outside. OUR team played very well. Funny how players when they leave a toxic work environment of losing all the time perform. The Oiler’s provided the goalie and the player with the winning goal. If only they could play like that in Edmonton the Oilers may finish out of the basement.

So even though it was most likely our worst weather May weekend I think everyone had a good time. The potluck on Saturday turned out great again with some great dishes for everyone to share. And we got lucky with no rain during supper. A fun event. My favorite was a hearty beef barley soup made by Fred. Awesome tasting !

This was the first year where we had music being played. KIDS ! Now I am not a fan of playing music while camping. The peace and quiet of the country and enjoyment of visiting doesn’t need the background of music but it was handled very respectively and with appropriate  sound levels even though no music is still better. I think music is like an addiction. It is good for the brain to lack stimulus for a moment.

I love my motor home and with Jessica, Penny and August all sleeping in it we still had plenty of room to move around. Kids do need a lot of stuff. August was fantastic all weekend. Jackson was also fantastic but did have a short spell of him getting sick. Poor guy. Even Jessica’s wolf dog was perfect and was no trouble at all. Fixing things seemed to be a thing needed this weekend. Fred had a blown fuse in his inverter.  He was very clever

in his deduction as we got a new battery, checked everything and couldn’t find any one issue then Fred found the fix in his sleep. Not an easy fix as they are right behind the inverter and very difficult to get at. To compound the issue due to a lot of power draw the voltage thru the line was very weak. Our toaster took forever to toast and the micro wave was extremely slow. Got Corey’s heater issue fixed and I never did get a fix for my DVD player.  New RV for Amanda and Justin is nice. I am sure they will get a lot of use of it. They are pregnant right now so the use maybe limited for a while but if they make the effort the kid and themselves will still love it.

 

 

 

Made a run into Peavy Mart for Fred’s battery and I picked up

these boots for Jackie as it was wet outside. With her pink lumberjack jacket she is one cool camper.Got home about 7:30 and put the motor home away until next time. I will try to get the TV/DVD to work using the generator. I took HWY 21 all the way home which was a great idea as there was no traffic on it at all. I am sure the HWY 2 would have been a mess.

So another May weekend closes.  It was fun, it was wet, it was cold, and it was wonderful. I am tired though. Camping like this isn’t the normal relaxing time we have by ourselves.

It was just over three hours for us and Corey and 5 1/2 hours for Jessica. I will try to find a good spot a little closer to the south next year.

Camping is ON and I am looking forward to it. Hopefully some warm weather also. LOL

It is too bad most of my friends are still working as I would like to do a lot of trips golfing, fishing, camping, sightseeing but they are all binded by work and allowed vacation time. By the time they get retired we will have seen most things or be watching our money.LOL And gas is the cheapest right now than the future by a long ways. Keith & Jenny Harry have alternate plans this year so have to pass on our annual golf/camping excursion in Sept we have taken for years so maybe Jackie and I will head to Kelowna for a golf experience as there are about 6 very elite wonderful course there or look at heading up to Northern Alberta to spend another week at a lake fishing and throw in a game or two at a nearby local course. We will see.

On the news they stated this 2016 May long week end was the second coldest in the last 40 years. See we were part of history making and survived.

Thought of the Day

Welcome to Camping. Where all my friends get toasted along with the marshmallows.

May 24th

Watched the Voice finale and then headed to bed after a hot shower.

Jackie and I both slept like a log. It was a perfect sleep after the weekend. I watched the news this morning on the weather over the weekend and local and world news.  Had our smoothies and getting ready for lunch get together with Ray Laberge ( Totem Building Purchaser) to do little catching up on and just to visit.  Then home to get ready for a golf game this afternoon out at Turner Valley. Opened my payroll slip up from Heatherglen and I was shocked how much money I made as a marshall working only on Sunday’s. I like it as it will buy my new tent shelter. I marked in our golf scores for 2016 on my Harry Versus Larry sheet.  With only one game in this year so far due to the weather we are behind in the numbers of times golfing together. Hopefully we can get a few in this summer if they get some time off or meet halfway for a game of two.

Met Ray at Tommyfield Bar in Seton which is a great bar. The roof top patio wasn’t open for us( to cool for the waitresses) even though they say it was a staffing issue. Great food and atmosphere here so a worthwhile spot to keep on the radar.  Had a great two hour or so visit with Ray. We are both so glad to be out of the business but agree some of the inter action between customers and staffing is missed.  He has been kept busy doing things around town and at the cabin. Nice to see him again. Hopefully in June we can get together for a golf game or two.

Turned out to be wonderful day . Wouldn’t you know it. The day after the weekend and it is great out. Went to Turner Valley and we actually got to start a little early but as it was a men’s league night it was a slower round. Can I use that for an excuse. It sure wasn’t the weather. I think I must have peaked in my golf career. Another poor result . Darn. I am better than I ma playing and I don’t know why. I had the same issue where three holes wrecked the score. I am going to break 80 again very very soon.  Jeff also had a off night with some odd things happening. But that is golf.

Got home in time to see the finale of the Voice. The right person won !! I am sure Ailsan  ( why couldn’t her parents learn to spell)  will make a impact in music with her voice. Time will tell as some winners just seem to disappear.

Thought of the Day

Here is a joke for all of the mind readers out there !

May 25th

I was going to head to Lethbridge today but decided not to. I figure out a way to make this work. Not having a trailer, or pickup makes it difficult to pick out anything. No one to help hold product up isn’t easy. No one to carry drywall, studs etc. No where to loads tools and the distance between the cities isn’t close.  I will figure out a system.

First thing on my list to do was take back for the second time a Cuisinart Blender. Everyone would agree it is a good name and should perform. DO NOT BUY CUISINART . Two blenders in two months I have returned to the Bay. I picked up a little more expensive KitchenAid this time and the test will be very soon. I am impressed with the new BAY. Hudson Bay has made huge improvements to their stores and to the staffing etc. It was a good experience even though I had to return a product again.

Second thing was to purchase the pop up tent like Jason had on the long weekend for future use. Well Walmart staff suck and are not trained what so ever. I got the tent but they did not carry the side curtains and no one could help me order them there. So hopefully on line they are available.

Then I installed my rock guard for the motorhome/ Jeep. This thing works fantastic but you need to drill 4 holes in the fibreglass skirt to make it work. Careful measuring and tweaking and got that done.

I was determined to fix my DVD/VCR/SAT/TV combo. After a long long time I have marked down the sequence to make everything work. With the satellite dish, two TV’s , DVD/VCR combo and surround sound it took a while. I am sure some of our problem on the weekend was the voltage drop on the lines. Anyways everything is working now and it has an amazing sound system in it.

We had one curtain which is Hunter Douglas pleated shade cover that is full shade or light filtering by lowering or raising it have a string issue. Google to the rescue and I found a place willing to re-string it. The lady says she doesn’t know the price as of it but it wont be over $100. I said how much for a new one and she laughed and said a lot more than that. So she is going to re-string the blind for me. Triple E sure make a quality product and getting this blind off was a true test of patience . One week before I get to reinstall.

Rushed home to babysit Jackson but Tor finished early enough I didn’t need to. That bridge construction on the Deerfoot is a nightmare. Bad enough we have trapped traffic on the Deerfoot everyday for two months but we also did the same thing on McLeod. So the only free exit from the south is the ring road. Not good planning.

Did a little banking , made supper and watched the news.

Then my Walmart experience. I had the gazebo that included mesh curtains that was 11 x 11 and a little more heavy duty than the one we used on the weekend. On line and in the store I couldn’t find accessories for this. I contacted customer service and started a long drawn out process. Turns out that this model does not have any accessories for it. So I decided to switch to the gazebo that Jason had. I drove to 4 different Walmart stores and could only find the mesh curtains not the wind walls. I emailed back and forth about 7 times to customer service and finally had to order them direct at a premium cost plus freight. I emailed the money and hope they come.  Without them it is not as useful as we would want. So I have the wind curtains coming, I have the mesh curtains, I have the sun wall option and I have the light option so should be all set.

Thought of the Day

God made everyone different in this world. He got tired by the time he made it to China.

May 26th

Up and out  for my league golf. I went to the driving range and was shooting pretty good so was hopeful for a great game. The weather was better than we expected and I got paired with two other great guys. I was happy I was switched up as I was originally with a 2 and 5 handicapper. First tee a decent shot great but ended up with a large spruce between me and green. My second shot up and the unbelievable happened with my ball staying up in the tree.  Shooting three. I golfed quite well and would have been around 80 except for three lost balls. Every other hole par or boogie. 8 pars total. Darn I just can’t get a round in TV without one or two lost balls that wrecks my score. Next time !!

Stayed and had a light lunch with the guys as they were telling me about their wonderful shots. LOL .

A slowing day only doing a few small things and watching a bit of TV.

Thought of the Day

The art of resting the mind and body and the power of dismissing from your mind all care and worry is probably one of the best secrets of a great man. I am getting much better at this.

May 27th

A wet day ahead including thunder storms. I cheap window washer for sure. I had quite a few things to get done today on the computer.

First I paid a few bills. One bill that stands out is it costs me $28 a month to run our fridge in Mesa. ( a/c still isn’t repaired as they are waiting for a part so it is the only thing on). Activated my new Capital One m/c which pays 1% on all purchases, 2% on gas and 3% on restaurants.A simple math problem. If I spend as per my budget $7000 per year on gas at 2% that is $140.00 rebate/ coupon I will receive. The travel point thing just doesn’t work anymore and I would like the incentive to use it. Plus I get 1% back from Costco purchases also. Time will tell but I think it is a good thing.

I emailed Brewster’s to check into my Epic tickets for the park this year as it has been 21 days and I haven’t seen them as of yet. Still no answer as of yet.

I set up my new online billing/payment inquiry system with Viewpoint which will be nice.

I went and picked up and sorted thru our mail. More mail today than normal. Dishwasher started, clothes put in hamper, combed hair, had a diet pop and my favorite peanut butter and lettuce sandwich. I am having more of these as you know the bad rap processed meat gets.

Ordered our new fire pit. After the long weekend I will be using this a lot. First it is safe for bans, it has zero smoke, no expensive wood to burn, and is easy to carry. I think we will use this most times we camp as the fire is just to smelly and does require a lot of work. What I like about this one is the height of the flame. Up to 8 inches. One 20 pound tank and 1/2 speed will last 12 hours. AND no smell. Reading the reviews 4.5 out of 5 everyone uses it to cook wieners and marshmallows and it only takes 15mins to completely cool down. Only weighs 20 pounds and I have a storage compartment just waiting for it.  Putting this is the new gazebo with some chairs and a table I can become the Crib Champion of the World without getting smelly or cold.  I would say wood at $10 a bag x 2 or 3 a night this is paid for in 4 or 5 outings. Now propane isn’t cheap but a 20 pound tank costs about $8 to fill at Costco and lasts at least two nights burning at full blast. I have the connection to the motorhome if I ever run out of propane. Now I can hear the nay-sayers suggesting because it is not real it really isn’t a thing they would want. Show me someone who suggests fake breasts aren’t a good thing, or fake eyelashes, or a wig, or a prosthesis. All not real but in a lot of cases much better. Same with this fake fire. No smelly smoke, no cutting logs, no buying wood, no chopping wood and no hassle.

Had one unexpected expense hit today though. The Cherokee sprung a rad leak. These are cheap plastic rads from factory. I would have changed it myself as it is only about a 3-4 hour job but it is the only vehicle Corey has right now. There is a saying “That shit happens” and it all has to be taken in stride. Vehicles cost money and that is it. You never know when something will go wrong. I do believe the shops need to correct their system. $140 a hour shop rate is ridiculous. On a radiator that cost about $300 bucks you have $500 of labour.  I can tell no mechanic makes even half of that. I may have to marshall more. LOL

The house got so dark I had to turn on the lights at 2pm in the afternoon with the clouds. Need the rain as I am sure the farmers are smiling.

A very important anniversary today. Today 7 years ago at the Speargrass Golf Course I recorded my first and fabulous HOLE IN ONE.  Funny how such a minor thing is remembered so well. I can tell you the distance, the time, with who, the how etc. The second one seems to be taking too long to get. LOL

On the PGA Tour Tiger and Nicklaus have only 3 and Spieth only has 1 so I guess I am good company. (pga games only)I do know it was a lot of fun. Jeff was with me and he really made the event with his excitement!

I hope to see a few others in the next years. I also hope it is at a course that promotes it knowing it is a special moment. Speargrass gave me a wonderful trophy, a future name on the wall of their to be built clubhouse. I even was listed on the internet with the description of the event .

National Hole-In-One Registry

I hope for the next one and to see others do it. It was a fun night and only cost me $20 worth of beer as we were the last tee time of the day.

Jessica sent us today a great picture of August wearing my Dads’ hat. He looks great

May 28-29th

Today was a family get together for Michael’s birthday. Hard to believe he is  70 years old.  When you think about that, it is only 10 years older than Dave and I. We had about 15 family members there to celebrate that included some of Michael’s children. Audrey did all of the cooking and the food was great. Every dish tasted fantastic. And we had more than enough for everyone. Having the party outside at the lake is always wonderful. Great beach, nice grass, benches, waterfall,trees etc. We had good weather but later in the afternoon the wind picked up and it got quite cool out. We packed up in anticaption of a storm but only the wind and coolness came. It was a fun afternoon. We had both Kristen and Michael blow out candles for birthdays.

After the party we went for a visit to Audrey’s & Michael’s place. Jackie tickled Michael’s foot while it was in the air causing him to jump and he spilled his hot coffee in his crotch. It was quite funny to see him jump so fast and get up so quickly for a man of his age. LOL   Nice day and nice that Michael’s kids and Audrey’s kids could get together.

Up early and went to Heatherglen to Marshall. Turned out to be a beautiful day and much warmer than expected. A slower day though for tee times as everyone was scared off by the forecast which turned out to be wrong. Typical day, one illegal alcohol confiscation, one dangerous driving of the cart incident, one lost club cover, and one very slow behind the pace group. All taken care of. Always a tentative situation with slow players as they believe they have the right to play at their pace even though the whole course is backed up. Gentle persuasion, logical discussion and showing them the backup usually results in a faster pace of play. Again it is the LAW set by the ALCB not the course when it comes to illegal alcohol. Yet people are upset when caught. Another fun day at work meeting some great people and having a lot of fun with them. 99% of them would have had a great day golfing today.

When I went to check in this morning the internet was down which meant I couldn’t log in. Hopefully the hours get submitted when the system get up and running.

Jackie made a wonderful pasta supper which we had with Peter who was in good spirits again today.

I have a golf tournament tomorrow and then I will spend two days framing Jessica’s basement in Lethbridge.

Thought of the day

A old persons night out- sitting on the patio reading a book.

May 30th- June 2nd

A busy few days and now back home for a bit to relax.

Monday was a wonderful day golfing with Ray Laberge, Ken Crockett, Nicole ( Star Building) and myself. This is a charity event called Drive for Thrive which is an organization that helps cancer patients with the physical and emotional recovery after a major event. The organizer of the event is Colin Robertson who used to be a Vice President ( I believe or in any case a major player in the company) with Totem Building Supplies. This was their second annual event and they had full capacity for the golf course facilities. Super event as you get lunch, supper, golf and prizes and you are donating to a worthy cause. This year they had a little incident with the cook and numerous people bringing their burger back as it was a little rare in the middle. Things happen and the wind was playing havoc with the grills. We may have not won any prizes be it earned or draw but we had fun as a team. Our score ended up being 72 which would put us in the middle of the pack.  Ken started very strong with some excellent long drives, Nicolle helped us out with a long long putt for a birdie  and some nice shots, Ray played very well overall and contributed very well to the team, and I golfed quite well on the back 9 using 7 of the 9 drives as mine. No limit on drives which should have allowed lower scores. Plus Ray was kind enough to buy us mulligans. The winning score was only -12 so most of the golfers were fun rec golfers which is nice. Great prizes and silent auction items. Had a chance to visit with some old acquaintances like Jim Thorogood, Trevor Sweet etc. Very very enjoyable day lasting from pickup at 9:15 am to 9:30 pm . The weather turned out wonderful for us and surprising as all forecasts had it poor, rain, windy and cold. We were very lucky. This event was played at the Sundre Golf & Country Club which is owned by the Totem Golf group and it is in pristine shape. It should be considered one of the best central golf courses in Alberta. Beautiful course.

Picked up all of my tools from Tor’s garage and headed to Lethbridge. This was a wake up call. Working two days straight framing a basement made me tired. I am either getting a little older or am out of shape as the up and down, crouching and lifting etc made me very tired. This is where I need to say ” I hate get older”  First day picked up a lot of the material to do the job at Home Depot including the air framing gun and Ramset. A little annoying the staff at Home Depot knowing NOTHING about the products they sell or rent and especially not having the correct size of nails in stock.  The industry in a way is a little odd also on this. Anyone selling nails knows that the number one selling nail was 3 1/2″. Then we got a little smarter and switched and the most used nail was      3 1/4″ . Still dumb as it still does stick out of two nailed together  dimensional lumber size 2 x 4 which is a net 3″ thick. A 3″ nail should be the most common.  Using a power nailer you know the nail is going to be embedded into the wood so perhaps a 2 3/4 nail would be the correct one to use.  Had an issue with framing the tub and Depot guys were no help. Good thing for Google. I phoned the plumber that did the rough in and his comments were ” it really doesn’t matter we just put it in and let the framer work around it”  A standard bathtub is 30″ wide. The

rough in plumbing should be at 15″ from the wall ( centre of tub for drain) and this plumber “just” put it 12″. Three inches to me is a little out but good luck to the plumber hooking up the 45 degrees etc to try to make this work. Nice. I started to work by myself but it was very difficult when trying to square and plumb a wall. Luckily Penny started helping me and we did well. Jessica helped also taking turns. Nice though as Penny can say she helped build this basement and for me very nice as I don’t think I could have completed it by myself. I am very happy with all of the walls being plumb, square and correct with only one wall albeit the most important one as it is the end tub wall out by 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch off square.  Hate to but have to live with it as it is nailed down to the concrete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was fed very well, grilled cheese, steak and potato etc which was great and the bed provided was very comfortable. Two smaller walls left to cover plumbing pipes and then it is ready for wiring and more plumbing. I am hoping to get the two walls done on Saturday so they can get the rest of the trades in. I do know just before I install the drywall I will need to install some stitchers for the ceiling drywall to have a solid top corner. I didn’t get home until about 9pm on Wednesday night. Big rain storm with a unbelievable rainbow in the east.

 

Early rise today for my men’s league. I was paired up with three great guys. Three of us had poor golfing experiences. A 10 capper shot a 90. I had a 95. I just cant get rid of my slice and I am hitting them long but slicing causes lost balls. Some excellent shots I had but taking a 10 on one hole kills the score and I didn’t recover mentally. I will say my muscles were very tight but I hate excuses. I just had a very poor game period having to shoot back to the fairway at least 5 times. I am getting a little annoyed at myself. I am going to start golfing three times a week to see if that helps and perhaps get a driving only lesson.  NOTE to self:  Have I peaked and this is the best golfer I will be ?   I could start to play Heatherglen, Mackenzie Meadow, Blue Devil and lower my cap but I want to play a tough course better.

I am two days late in my budget numbers but looking at the TSX I think I will be happy. I will work on that tonight as it takes a couple of hours to complete. But it is a needed tool to figure out where the money is going and going and not coming back. LOL

Thought of the Day

Every have that awkward moment when you are wearing Nike’s and you just can’t do it ?