October 2nd 

Wow what a day !!

And people wonder why I love Arizona and want to leave this cold frozen country as soon as I can. October 1st to April 1st would be awesome but we will make it a little shorter. This year I am going in November for two weeks and then Jan to April.

What a sick world we live in. The massacre in Vegas is unbelievable. I hope they find some evidence to the rationale behind the attack. There has to be something. Drugs, mental illness, gambling debt, divorce something had to snap for this to happen. It just doesn’t make any sense. Legislate automatic guns illegal and lives will be saved. Guns don’t kill people but with a nutcase like this guy without an automatic gun he would not have caused the carnage.

BUT good news today. The Calgary Flames signed  Jaromir Jagr. The second best NHL player EVER in history with only Wayne scoring more points. While McHappy Meal is crying when someone touches him Jagr will be pounding in another goal. This is an awesome deal for Calgary and I would love him to score more points than Matthews or Mc David.

We might not have this team for too long if we don’t vote in a reasonable Mayor  but to have Jagr playing in our town is special for now is a dream.Even at 45 years old he is unbelievable when playing with the puck. It is going to be fun.

October 3-4th

It was actually nice to have two colder days. I spend most of both days working on the computer. I downloaded our fishing trip pictures and movies to a flash drive for Alfred. Here is where a simple task goes wrong. I had a 2gb drive that I thought I could use. 98 % downloaded and a catastrophic failure. Microsoft makes it sound so bad. The drive was too small to handle the videos as they were huge averaging 500mb to 800 mb each.Whipped to Walmart and picked up a 16gb one to use. Organized and completed the download. Funny as Windows 10 is always a challenge. I like XP a way better. Too big to email or text so I thought i would bluetooth transfer from the phone to laptop. Started and it took close to 20 mins and then failed. Tried one more time another 20 mins. Then I tried connecting straight using the USB20 from the phone to the laptop. This worked but still took a long time. Why isn’t everything USB30 as the transfer rate is double as fast. Transferred the files and sorted them and that part was done.

It took me close to 6 hours to complete my expense sheets this time as I was behind on a portion. I loaded everything, double checked everything and balanced everything. A little more difficult with the multiple purchases and e-transfers we had this month plus cheques coming in for the fishing trip. Got that all done.

Worked on my pictures deleting the original full sized ones and sorting them until my eyes got tired.

Big hockey game tonight !! Too bad Jagr wont be playing this game.

Went out and bought groceries. Booked a golf game for Thursday day. Cleaned up. All of this little stuff and I feel tired. LOL

Felt like two long days at work on the computer except for the lack of customer or company urgency.

Had a wonderful golf game today. The sun was out and it hit 15 degrees. Front nine a 37 which I was very very happy with the second nine I got a little cocky and sliced a bit and took a 45 with one blow up hole.  My golfing partner was a good golfer but a shorter hitter and it was driving him crazy all day when he would say ” I nutted that one” and we get up to his ball and see mine 50 yards ahead. Those Taylormade distance balls are amazing. I had a tendency to be right on all my drives which causes me concern for tomorrow on a tighter course. If I don’t slice I normally can score well but on Turner if you slice you are shooting three from the tee every time and in most cases ending up with a double boogie. I think the course should red stack everything so it can be played as resort rules instead of the added penalty of distance.

The fall colors are amazing and no leaves on the ground yet help big time.

Fun, warm, enjoyable golf game today. Broke up the monotony of looking at Excel spreadsheets and ton’s of pictures.

Thought of the Day 

Everyone brings joy to work. Some when they arrive others when they leave.

October 5th 

I downloaded and posted a bunch of additional photos of our epic fishing trip. Check out Sept 25th fishing area. I also changed up and added video. I will remember this trip forever !

Yes we lost the first game and it had to be against the Oiler’s. Well one Oiler. Just wait until Jagr gets here. Anyone else puke with the looks of the Oiler uniform. They used to have such a nice uniform now they look like orange pumpkins skating on the ice. Ugly !!  Some marketing guru wanted a promo tagline and chose Orange Crush. Weak !

I can’t believe Edmontonians think McDavid cant afford his own hat.

What a beautiful day again. Perfect for a golf game. Hit 17 degrees above this afternoon.  I played with a very nice couple and Tom our starter from the course.

The course was in amazing shape but I had an off day. Ended up with a 88 and with one hole a given as it was snow covered. The greens were wonderful. A lot of fun golfing in the fall. Putts, many of them and a couple of lost balls. Turner Valley greens keeper was very mean to us today. I think he was protecting his greens and the pin placement was in extremely difficult positions that aren’t normally used. Made for a interesting time. Love fall golf.

Whipped to Costco and got very lucky as the Pumpkin Pie had just come out of the bakery. Must have been a 100 of them. Costco is great !!

Thought of the Day 

Don’t forget to set your weigh scale back 10 pounds today as this is Thanksgiving week.

October 6th

I noticed someone STOLE my cleft pin and snap from the front of my Jeep for towing it. I know for a fact it was there and I didn’t misplace it.  Princess Auto to the rescue but I I still need to go to Lowes as i like the snap pin rather than the push pin.

Leaving the Jeep in the storage lot someone must have felt the need to replace their pin. Thieves !!

Went for visit to the Wholesale Sports. Nice store as I have been there before but the “close out” sale is joke. People are buying but not frenzied at all. They advertise at 40% off but most of the items are only 10 to 20% off which is a joke. That is a normal sale pricing and if compared item to item maybe even higher than Bass Pro.People are funny when they see “sale” and don’t really double check the pricing.

Washed and waxed the Jeep and black shined all of the tires. Looks good !

Getting ready for a nine & dine with Jackie this afternoon which will be fun.

The weather tonight was wonderful. Sunny and warm for most of the game. Funny as on about 3 -4 holes it got windy. Leaves were falling everywhere. It was raining leaves. McKenzie as usually was in perfect shape both on the fairways and greens. The course was busy tonight as everyone was trying to get in their last golfing games. We were lucky enough to be able to golf as a twosome which is always nice as there is no pressure. Jackie played quite well considering her limited golf this summer. She ended up with a 54 which is excellent. What she has lost on drives by a slower swing speed she more than makes up for her in her chipping prowess and improved putting skills. I golfed very well again tonight with a 38 with one hole having a lost ball. Missed an eagle by inches. I practiced using a inside out swing path for the drives and impressed myself. First to concentrate and not forget what to do and second the results. Huge drives with numerous over 300 yards. There were two par 4 holes where I was only 20 to 50 yards off the green. But very very happy not having one slice or fade. I am going to continue using this method for future until i need to change again.Fish & Chip special for Friday night which was great. I can’t say the same about the service which was horrible. Rarely perhaps never have I had to go to the counter to ask for service. Too bad ! But just a wonderful fun night and according to the weather may the last for a while but time is running out. I have one golf game coming up on Thursday which no matter the temperature I will golf in as it is a “special one man scramble” which is a blast.

Thought of the Day 

The nice thing about golf is it makes sure my backs stays loose !

October 8th Thanksgiving Long Weekend

Summer to winter instantly.  Up this morning and on the road for a Thanksgiving visit with my family. Darlene each year cooks an amazing meal. Recipes handed down from Grandma to Mom and carried on by Darlene plus the skill needed to pull it all off makes for some good meals. Kari seems to have gotten bitten by the “good cook” bug and helps out big time. The family recipe for the dressing and the way Darlene makes gravy is unbelievably good. We were missing a few people this year but still had Mom, Alfred, Graham, Garrett, Mariaz,Kari, Jim, Darlene, Victoria, Corey, Jackson, Jessica, Penny and August.

The travel going up was funny as we kept watching our temperature gauge get colder and colder. Rain from Red Deer to Edmonton.

“Politics”

Always a touchy subject for people but I always enjoy the banter and conversation of one side versus the other. Problem today with social media, do-gooders, environmentalists, social issues the process gets encumbered by young voters choosing “perceived” benefits over realistic  expectations and risks to the economy of which makes or breaks us as a have it society.

In Calgary we have three of the worst case scenarios in politics you can have. We have Nenshi for Mayor, Notley for Premier and Trudeau for Prime Minister. How we could have a triple  dose of voter stupidity is beyond me. Finally, I believe we can get rid of Nenshi. He was brilliant when first elected in promoting  himself to the naive young voter through social media. Now it is all coming crashing around him. He fought and had lawsuits between himself and the home builders and developers which is the mainstay of growing a city. He fights and could lose the Flames. His stance on bike paths, green line transit etc are all NDP backed programs. Taxes have raised 50% since coming to office and his love for ugly street art. The NDP is even trying to influence the vote today by threatening to pull funds if a good mayor is elected and wanted to change the program. We need to have better politicians if ever want to get back on our feet. I think most people would agree Notley is gone but getting Trudeau out is difficult with the east population. Remember the NEP from his Dad that brought the west to a halt well Justins NEP ( NO Energy Program ) is doing the same thing. Problem is his voter base doesn’t even know what the NEP is or did to Alberta.

A very busy weekend

The highway coming home was it’s normal busy self but uneventful. We arrived home around 11:30 pm.

Around 11am we meet up with Alan & Maryann at Peter’s place. Even though he may not know exactly what is going on the odd “out” day trip you would think he would enjoy. We decided to take the scenic drive out to Bragg Creek and have lunch in one of the bistro’s out there. Our choice was wonderful with everyone’s selection turning out great. Mountain Bistro & Pizzeria was great. Cozy but excellent food. Maryann and Alan shared a pizza that other than the kind they ordered looked and smelled wonderful. As per them it was also excellent tasting. I ordered the poutine which was amazing. And huge !!  If you are out in Bragg Creek drop in as it is a great place.

It was a full day for Peter and hopefully he enjoyed it. He sure drank a lot of hot chocolate.

Up next morning and whipped out to see a RV resort that I had been looking at for a long time. I struggled finding anything close enough to Calgary for Jackie and still offer what we were looking for. Finding a 4 season resort was the biggest issue. Then new owners, new concept and ideas and we hit a jackpot.

Hallelujah

We ended up purchasing our lot today in what we hope will be a very rewarding fun time for us for years. The unique concept of this park allows us to will it or sell it anytime we need or want to. Worst case scenario is Victoria and Jessica will have a wonderful place to have for years.We are only 30 minutes out of Calgary which is fantastic.We have it as a 4 season park and love the amenities. Swimming pool, basketball court, laundry, showers, pro shop, community events, swimming pond with slide ,docks and sandy beach along with a  challenging 9 hole golf course. I managed to negotiate free golf as part of the deal for a few years for us. I hated to part with the money but I am sure the lifestyle and enjoyment will ease any pain that part brings. I am already planning the landscaping ( deck, firepit, trees, plantings, shed,deck etc for next year) We are very excited about the decision and will make adjustments such as renting or perhaps selling our condo a little later on as we see how our new place feels and works for us.  I know Jackson will have a blast there with loads of kids in the resort. August in a bit will love it also with everything there is to do. I would have loved to have this when our kids were young. We are very fortunate today though to do it now.

If we need to stay out there in the future it will be interesting to see how cold and tiny it is in the motor home. They don’t allow Park Models due to county restrictions right now but we are ok with that and not having to spend a lot money on that.

Headed over to pick up Audrey, then Jackson and Tor and back to get Jackie after her “fixing” herself up and headed to Edmonton again for Davids 60th birthday party. I love the Keg. But I do have to say after having turkey dinner, poutine then a steak dinner I feel FULL and will need to cut back a bit to get to my perfect weight. Should take two or three days.

The Keg as usual was exceptional. In this case we had the manager visit us numerous times plus two waitresses so we were really looked after. Dave managed to stay awake ( 6 years old you know) and we had a fun time.

Got home about 11:30 pm again after driving the QEII one more time. Have I ever said how much more enjoyable it is to drive in Calgary than Edmonton due to severe frost heaves and very very slow drives in the capital city. Possible still mourning the fact their beloved Oiler’s aren’t as good as they hoped.

Thought of the Day 

It was a great Thanksgiving as I managed to avoid the tragedy of different food touching each other on my plate. Did everyone eat their vegetables this Thanksgiving to balance out the fat ? I did I had pumpkin pie. 

October 11th-12th 

The cold is staying around that’s for sure.

I went to the bank today to get a bank draft for our RV  lot. $7.50 for draft is a rip-off.  Banks and their charges eh !! I did get this fixed though which was good.

I went to the motor home to get out my wind breaker jacket as it looks like it is only going to be 4 degrees for my golf tournament tomorrow. Layers can keep you warm but the fluidity of movement is quite restricted which could play havoc on the score. Time will tell. I will have my UnderArmour tee on under my HellyHanson jacket with my windbreaker Climawarm jacket on the top. Biggest issue is always the hands but i filled my bag with hand warmers and made sure my toque and winter gloves are on the top of the bag. I love this tournament and hope it gets just a little warmer.

I did a lot of researching on products, garden sheds, decking, gravel, firepits etc for the lot. I can definitely say things have gone a way up. I will prioritize and do it over the summer to spread the costs out.

Two cold days and the first time this year I remember that I have nothing on my agenda that is pressing.

Got  up this morning to an email about the cancellation of the tournament. This is my favorite tournament being a ONE MAN scramble. With this format I expect a score around 70 or so.  Global warming with the snow on the ground appears to be happening I say facetiously.

Voter turnout for the advanced polling this election is double what we normally get. Either Nenshi is losing big ( best thing for Calgary ) or his supporters are thinking he is losing after all of the “situations” he found himself in. I am hoping he is GONE.  This city council needs to be changed out big time with the mayor and council being replaced with people that want the city to grow even with the struggles of the economy.  The unfortunate part of this election is Nenshi is pulling up every bit of scandal he can on Bill. He wants people to forget his massive shortcomings. It is ugly right now but hopefully the public see thru the rhetoric and stay the course. I remember when the Wildrose party had a chance to win and one comment from an obscure individual blew it up all for them.

Thought of the Day 

This cold and snow is quite refreshing. I haven’t seen a bug or mosquito for weeks now.

October 13th & 14th  FRIDAY THE 13TH  Be very afraid ! 

Why do we consider this day as unlucky.The superstition surrounding this day may have arisen in the Middle Ages, “originating from the story of Jesus’ last supper and crucifixion” in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday.

It is most likely the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson’s popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth, contributed to disseminating the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.

But the slasher movie series of Friday the 13th made the name a common household terminology. There were 9 movies made in the series plus a couple of spin offs. We like to be scared I guess. Watch one of them tonight if you dare.  FYI fake blood.

We have a lot of weird superstitions, like the walking under a ladder, black cat crossing etc all with possible rationale even if tainted a bit.

Now wouldn’t it be perfect if Halloween could fall on Friday the 13th.

New poll today with only 2 days left showing Nenshi getting the boot. Let’s hope the polls are correct so one of the miserable triple threat ( Nenshi, Notley, No-mind Trudeau ) will be gone.

I was excited about having a work space at our RV lot with a 8 x12 shed but after a lot of thinking I have decided to make it into a bunkie for guests. Heat, power, and water just no toilet. I will sacrifice my own wants and needs to accommodate this. LOL  I I have to keep it under 100 sq ft for permitting reasons. My plan is to have 8 x 11 for bunkie and 1 x 8 ft for tools on the one end with it separated and own door.  I think I can build a low profile locking box for any tools that matter and get away with it if needed.

Rethink- I have found a way to make everything work. Electric baseboard heater will work wonderful, RV water connection from garden hose to normal house plumbing, and the creme de la creme being using a portable RV honey wagon for  waste. I can get about a 15 gallon one that will fit under the shed and pull it over to the sewer drain to empty when needed. Should work like a charm as the use will be very limited other than overnight visits. I have drawn up the the shed plans and will be able to sleep 4 comfortable along with a washroom. A daybed looks and works great and a banquet seating table and couch from a RV makes the table and additional bed. Will be fun creating. I also decided this will be my first place with a cupola and rooster vane.

Baby sat Jackson which is always fun, a little tiring as we ran the hallways, played in the gym and build lego before having the nutritious McDonald meal ( had to have the toy) and then watching a movie. He picked Back to the Future. It has been years maybe decades the last time I saw this but it is one good movie. Loved it !!

Jackie worked like a madman cleaning up the condo. Even went as far as making me help move the entire living room furniture around ” just for a change”   It does look different but I like it a lot. Maybe because it is different. Clean and re-organized condo looks wonderful.

I went downstairs and installed my boat loader as tomorrow we are moving out the motor home and boat to our lot. I have a shitty job to do on the motor home coming up. I have to remove the toilet and replace the ball seal as water isn’t staying in the bowl and that is the P trap system that is used. Not looking forward to it but has to be done before a trip so may as well get it done now if it is warm enough.

Thought of the Day 

People say ” go big or go home ” as if going home was bad.  Hell yeah, I want to go home and when I get there I may even have a nap and wear a vest where no one can see me. So don’t say it anymore it is dumb.

October 15th

Hit 18 degrees today. That is a wonderful fall day in anybodies book. Today was removing the boat and motor home from the storage and move it out to the RV lot. Jackie and I loaded the boat. Funny how things work out. On our arrival i discover the neighbor who promised me he wasn’t putting anything close to my motor home had an engine puller in front of our motor home and a new motor bike 6″ away from the side. I am glad we are leaving.

Loaded up the boat and headed out. We arrived at the site and sat about fixing up all of the paper work. Met the new owners of the park which was great. Nice couple.

We changed our minds at the last moment and changed the lot we picked. Our new lot I believe is better. Only issue is a tree that I have to remove THIS week to get my motor home in it’s proper spot. The  park is following standard building codes for easements and fire codes which is good but I did notice our neighbors have not followed the rules from the property line which is supposed to be  1.5 meters and has pushed it to the property line. When I submit a building form to comply with the 5ft rule between structures I will loose a bit of my yard. I will rent a chainsaw and bring this tree down and cut it up for firewood this Thursday. Might be a bit green.

So on my agenda for the upcoming week is. Monday golf, Tuesday Edmonton, Wednesday & Thursday is tree removal day. I may golf  another game some where in between.

I will start searching for Kijiji product we need such as firepit, stones, gravel, etc.

It was very pleasurable being out there as it was quiet, beautiful with the leaves falling and just a nice feeling being out in the country.

The spring dropping of the buds won’t be fun with all of the huge black Popular.

Thought of the Day 

 Money doesn’t buy you happiness but it can buy you an RV and I have never met a unhappy camper or grumpy Rv’er. 

October 16th- 17th

We will see tonight but as I said before we need to knock one leg off the triple threat out. First Nenshi, then Notley ( this is a given) and work on Trudeau which is tough one.

Removed my boat roof racking and put it all away. We decided to take the Jeep again this year so I will get Corey’s help to remove the racking and store it in our new lot for the winter. I will keep the hardtop on and just use the Freedom panels when down south. That will work just fine.

When we did our financial planning this year with our fund manager I committed to earning at least $500 as my contribution to the family income from my job as a marshall. Well that didn’t work out but as the saying goes other doors open. I rented out our parking space in the underground parking for the winter for $500. No one can say I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain. LOL

Golfing today with Jeff at Heatherglen as my course is now closed. Hopefully the wind stays away and if so at 17 degrees it will be a wonderful day.

Turned out to be fantastic. It was warm and no wind like the forecast.  Boy is it getting dark fast now. We managed to finish our 18 holes but the last couple of holes we had to guess where the ball went. The rushing and not seeing the ball flight does affect you. For some reason today I wasn’t happy with the way my drives were going. I ended up with a 85 but between the last few holes and not having great drives it was hard fought.   I think I still can squeeze in a few games during the daytime. Jeff had some wonderful drives tonight but didn’t score well. He is looking at GolfTec lessons this winter. I think everyone can learn something from lessons.

After golf we headed to the Bull & Finch for a beer and wings. Turns out the waitress Jessica which used to work there 4 years ago is back. She is a little lady that is cute and friendly and even is the model on the picture for their advertising.  Her kid would be 4 years old now. She was our waitress many many times over the years when I brought customers and staff there for lunch.

Up and on the road to Edmonton as Jackie had a meeting “with an envelope” with a employee in Edmonton so I decided to drive and visit Mom while she was working. I had a great visit and Mom is starting to get better. Still very weak and gets tired easily but is doing well. Picked up Pizza and had a good supper. I ran across the street in the wind and rain to get the pizza and it was wet and howling.

Election:

The people have spoken. It is what it is.  The same people that voted in Notley and now are sorry are going to feel the pain again here in Calgary. First Nenshi overall did ok as a mayor. But and this is a huge BUT he is a disaster for us now in this economy. He has become arrogant, belligerent, intolerant of conflict and thinks he knows best on everything. He had a public fight and lawsuit with the home builders and developers causing the housing market to exit Calgary and move to build in Cochrane, Airdre, Okotoks, High River instead. He has fought with the Flames causing them to not  want to negotiate and they will leave. ( we don’t need a new arena then as concerts along won’t keep it busy) he is pushing bike paths, he is spending NDP money stupidly on the Green LRT line and he raised the taxes close to 50% since coming to office without cutting nothing. He needed to go but we have 4 years more of him now. I do say he is a clever man. Work the charisma , and excel at social media and highlite the “caring” agenda and you get the uninformed and naive youth vote on your side. Highest voter turnout in 40 years for two reasons. The purple army wanted to protect their man and mainstream people wanted him out . The purple army won and we are all going to suffer more for 4 years.

Thought of the Day 

The problem with political jokes is they get elected.

October 18th 

 

I know i know it is very very early. But it is fun to see the Oilers in 29th spot AGAIN ! 

Also nice to see Johnny Hockey with twice as many points as Mc Happy Meal.  That is a 3 million salary versus a 12 million salary.

You guys may not appreciate this  as much as me but Mel send me a few more pictures of our trip albeit from a apple product so difficult to manipulate. Speaking of Apple the one good thing I have seen from the Iphone is the Airdrop app. Worked amazing and I have to check into Android Beam to see if similar.

Today was a wonderful wonderful day.One of those enjoyable ones. I spent the whole day out at our lot. I had a old tree I had to fall. Turned out to be hard work. Take a 16″ chainsaw bar and needing to cut a 36″ stump it isn’t easy. What I was also surprised at is how fast the blade became dull. Just getting the stump done took a full 4 hours.  The tree fell where i needed it. I bird mouth cut the one side and straight cut the other then with my 50ft tow strap pulled it down with the Jeep. Worked perfect. Cleaned up all of the broken branches from yesterdays winds and measured up the yard. I pulled the large tree trunk pieces into a pile for the maintenance guys to load up in the front end loader.

 

It was quite funny as I had the park manager drop by and give me all of the “rules” which I politely listened to and smiled to myself. I had the maintenance guy come by and in discussion I told him he would have a pile of tree limbs and trunk near the front of the yard. He informs me that is the lot owners responsibility.    I had to gently suggest to him that I did his job for him as the tree removal was a condition of sale and he only had to remove the debris now.  He came around quickly.

Today was like leaving to go to work with my packed lunch and drinks. A fun day in the yard all day though.

Thought of the Day

Yard work. There is nothing like a well trimmed bush. 

October 20th

Got lucky for 2018 and found the perfect place and even have a confirmation for our annual May Golf and Camping trip. I have 8 sites booked into the campground and the course looks spectacular.Nice also they commit in advance as it is always a hard thing to find each year. Too bad they require such a large deposit but needed for sure as a precaution of lost business if no one shows up. I planned a Mexican theme for this event which will be great as the food and drink choices are excellent. Always a fun weekend. Every year someone gets a RV or new one and we add to the pack. This upcoming year will be the first for Jessica bringing her new 20 ft trailer. This is a nice unit with a lot of extras. I think last year or the year before Amanda brought her new unit and a couple of years before that Victoria bought her new unit. Last year we had Troy with his unit and kids which is excellent addition as Jackson and Jason’s kids love playing together. Looking forward to it.

Sent my lot plan to the park manager for approval. It includes two decks 12 x 16 that has a 12 x 12 gazebo on it and 6 x 14 joining  sidewalk deck. A shed 8 x 12 and 528 sq ft of paving stones with a firepit in the centre. Should look wonderful when all done.

Decided today was also a golf day. I may drop my membership at Turner Valley and play out at Speargrass as it is only 8 minutes away. So I played Speargrass today. The temperature didn’t climb above 11 degrees and the wind was blowing quite hard. Toque and gloves and i was set. I will say it is a much easier course than TV as it is treeless but the tall grass can kill you. I played wonderful today and if not windy would have scored really well. Guessing at a different club based on the wind and being moved sideways does cause issues but I still ended up with an 80. Darn last putt didn’t go in. As it was cooler and windy there were very few people on the course and I finished in under 3 hours. Three young guns tee’d off with great hits. I put a little extra effort behind my drive and flew past all three of them. They laughed knowing the old guy of the group can hit long. LOL A fun golf day. I came to my hole where I got my  hole in one and had dreams of it going in but ended up only getting a par. But it was fun to remember though.

I love my Jeep, but now with this RV lot I sure miss a truck.  Miss it a lot ! I have no storage place for a trailer as that would work so struggle trying to find ways to get things.

Thought of the Day 

It is good sportsmanship not pick up a lost golf ball while it is still moving.

October 21st – 22nd

Washed the condo windows this morning. The two I can’t reach look bad but getting a ladder here isn’t in the cards.

Did a material list and cost estimate of the decks which will change bit in the spring compared to today but we have a range to make a purchasing decision.  I think we have it down to Cedar not only for the smoothness and lack of splitting like PTW but for the aesthetics. It is 50% more but I think the looks and longevity will be worth it. I will be 5/4 stock with 12″ on centers which will make it very sturdy.

Did anyone else notice the Oiler’s with all that high paid help has the LEAST Goals For in the entire league. The LEAST.

I visited Lowes, Home Depot, Rona and Burnco to price out and see what each of them had in stock and what I liked. Turns out Lowe’s is the winner this time with everything I need. I am using an irregular shape concrete block beige colored, a tan colored three level high 42″ firepit with metal trim ring and brown treated lumber. The concrete weighs close to 3000 pounds so I am using their flatbed truck rental vehicle. Back should be a little sore after unloading all of this. LOL . I found a smaller bulk landscape place with the pricing close to half of Burnco and will have them deliver the 4 cubic yards of material I need. I decided to go with 7 mm washed rocks for the area in between the pavers. Should look good and easy to walk on. I will get the 2 yards of washed 10 mm rock delivered after I finish the ptw border.  Spent the entire day out pricing and checking stock levels and picking the right product but now it is work time !! I was looking at close to 4K at first for pavers, excavating , gravel etc but with plan B I think I can get it done for about $1.2K and still have a very nice look about it.

Removed a bunch of larger stones from my storage site and took them out to our lot for future landscaping ideas.

Thought of the Day

Our dreams don’t happen by magic. It takes a lot of hard work, determination, and a sore back. Don’t wake me up until it is done. LOL 

October 23rd 

A couple of wonderful fall days ahead for us.

Today our ceiling texturing guy was supposed to come and look at our ceiling where he patched and repaired a stress crack for us. Right after completing the job we weren’t happy with the result as there was a ridge showing and the coloring was very different. This was a guy who supposedly did the original condo job. He told us to wait it needed to dry and he was sure it would be alright. We left for Europe and on return we were still not happy. Three times he has promised to come to take a look and hasn’t shown up. Backdrop on this story. I didn’t want the crack repaired as I was tentative in the look of the after product. Jackie wanted it repaired. The first quote was to redo the entire ceiling for $4000.00 ( close to 1000 sg ft with no divide) We chose this guy as he did the original job and assured us a patch would not be seen easily at all for $700. I do not know how we are going to repair this now. I think our only solution is to paint the entire ceiling and sand off the ridge and hope for the best.  An old saying ” Sometimesthings are better left alone”  would have been our best approach. LOL I will figure something out on this hopefully. I could invite people over only at night as the patch doesn’t look bad then.

Wasted 4 hours waiting for this idiot again and then headed out. First to Lowe’s where I ordered the fire pit, the 4 x 4 post dividers, and the pavers. Then off to the Soil Guys for the gravel and rock to be inset in the stones.  Both of these companies were great today in customer service but I really liked Soil Kings. A smaller independent company competing against  the likes of Burnco. I went to Burnco first and left as the word “service” was foreign to them. Soil King was amazing. Priced cheaper, two kinds of rock delivery same load, and next day delivery. Awesome !!

I have everything coming Tuesday and Wednesday so I will be very busy. To put into respect I have about 7  loads that a 3/4 ton truck could haul coming plus the dividers and fire-pit. Plus I have a golf game in the middle. Most likely the first time in years where I will need back pills to help me golf . LOL

I am hoping my quantities are all good as this is all I am doing this year. If I am a little short I will get more in the spring. I would rather be short as if you have too much it is difficult getting rid of it especially as I am handicapped by not having a truck. NO ONE should own property without a pickup truck. It is illogical.

Washed gravel for parking pad—- check

Tan 14mm washed stone for landscaped between pavers— check

4 x 4 posts for dividers of gravel for parking pad and lot perimeter— check

12″ rebar for holding posts— check

Landscape fabric — check

Saw, post maul, PL400, caulking gun, staples for fabric, wheel barrow, shovel, level, screeting board, misc tools, – check

TWO FULL DAYS WORK AHEAD.

October 24th- 25th

Wind- does anyone else think we are getting an abnormal amount of wind this year. It seems like everyday is breezy and then days with hurricane winds. Too many gusts up to the 70 to 90 kilometers per hour. Makes fishing difficult, working outside as everything is blowing away, very difficult golfing and it can mess my hair. LOL  I would like it to leave us for a while. With these winds and dryness the fires have been very dangerous.

Delivery from Soil Kings right on time. As i said a very good company to deal with. They dumped my rocks in the two different locations I wanted quite easily. Man is that a lot of rock.  Started laying down the weed barrier and then onto moving rock. I filled 54 wheelbarrows today. Shoulders from the down weight and one side of my back extremely sore. I worked from 8am to 3pm moving gravel.

Last golf game of the year in Canada with Jeff today. I didn’t think I would do that well as my back was very very sore. I was right. Struggling with the tight muscles I didn’t hit too well at all. Combined with very strong  winds it made for a difficult game. Boy does it get dark early now. We did finish but the last few holes it was pure guess where the ball was. But any golf game is a fun thing.

We went over to the Bull for wings and beer. The Flames were playing tonight and luckily a win came our way. A hard win and not great hockey but still nice to get. Just think that ONE win we got last night represents 50% of all the Oiler wins this year.

Phone call at 7:15 am for the Lowe’s delivery.  Nice guy and perfect delivery and inventory.  Forget the wheelbarrow loads of yesterday. Today I had 3000 pounds of concrete to move around. Got all of the concrete placed and started on the wood surround. All of this done in 70 km winds. Cut everything and placed and then discovered the bit I needed to drill for the rebar holes is the only bit I am missing. Must have misplaced it or broke it and cant remember. Still need to do this soon. Another 40 wheelbarrows of rock moved and still not done but getting closer for this year.

I like the looks, and in fact three different residents all stopped by and commented on it. It will function well, and once the shrubs, hedges and flowers are put into place it will look wonderful and NO maintenance other than watering which I can fix up with drip lines. It is a shame but I am looking forward to spring and being out there already.

Shoulders are pained, back is totaled but I am feeling wonderful !! Give it a couple of days and I will be perfect.

Thought of the Day

If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of poor design.

October 26th-27th

The mind and eye sight is a funny thing. I used rebar and drove it through all of the wood barriers to hold them in place. The road in front of us is at an angle, the existing fence is at a angle, the lot lines are eye sight only with no markings so it was difficult trying to square everything up. I decided to angle along with the fence and then make a 90 degree corner as my reference point. Using the  3/4/5 method I made the corner perfect. Then I had 4 of a 22.5 degree angle corners come up. I finished it and due to all of the angles it looks a little off. I go to the other side and look and it looks good. As there is NO reference to get a measurement or right angle from I have to live with it but with my 90 degree corner mathematically it has to be correct. But eye lines do mean a lot. I did measure on the parallel legs which are only about 4 ft so you cant really get an accurate measurement and I am off by an inch. Cant fix but with all of the shrubs and planter boxes etc it will appear perfect. Lots of comments on it by passers by in looking good.

I finished off the other side of the motor  home and moved another 20 wheel barrows of gravel. Hard work but very very rewarding and fun. Spent the entire day out there working away.

I decided this morning even though wonderfully warm I would rest my muscles as I have a very important golf game tomorrow. I need the muscles to relax a bit. I am playing my neighbor Larry who is a little better than I am at golf but I want to win this game and the few bucks we bet. This will be the last game of the year in Canada for sure as the weather looks like it is starting to get nasty. Hopefully for Halloween it will be good as kids love to dress up and having to cover up due to cold wrecks everything.

So I worked on my budget for October today. This takes about 5 hours to do and I will finish it Nov 1st.No surprise with the down payment etc we were over but not bad. I also put a fair amount into landscaping this year which will ease the load for next year with the decks and shed etc. Gas in October was ridiculous but with three trips to Edmonton and four trips to Lethbridge plus all of the running around here the $1000 gas bill was to be expected. Gas was more than when used our motor home extensively in the summer. $250 of that was the winter fill up in the motor home though.

Thought of the Day 

There is a saying ” Money Talks” but mine must be stupid as it only says goodbye !

October 28th

A sports writer blaming GM Peter Chiarelli for the Oiler situation has it right.  “It happens when you continuously trade-in your sports cars for Kias. When you ship out Hall for Adam Larsson and Eberle for Ryan Strome, there will be consequences. When you reportedly say no to a PK Subban trade, that’s going to be an issue, especially when you think the answer to your defensive problems over the long term is Kris Russell. When you think you can replace Hall with Milan Lucic, you will eventually get negative returns.

Now if only the Flames would get their act together.

24 degree day today in late October. Love it. Last golf day in Canada today. It hit 24 degrees with no wind. My neighbor and I headed out to Heatherglen. They just announced they are closing tomorrow so I don’t think any course will be open and rightly so as the highs are all in the negatives  next week. Larry and I have similar caps but playing with him he is just a little better than I. Much more consistent and has some nice shots in the bag. Today it cost me $6.00. We were playing straight up so I lost 6 holes to him. He played very very well today making no mistakes and ended up with a 79. I struggled driving again today as I am thinking to much about the swing and screwing up. Having said that I ended up with a 85. The drives started happening near the end of the round. On two par 4’s in a row I drove the green.  I LOST though no other way to say it.  Oh well next time. Just a wonderful fun day to end the golf season in Canada.

Watched the Stamps lose to the Eskimo’s. Weird how all of a sudden we have lost our step a bit. It will come back in time I am sure.

Jackie was in Lethbridge all day at a corn maze and BBQ with August, Jackson and parents. She had a great day and a fun day for the kids with all of the fun things to do.

Thought of the Day 

A well adjusted man is one that can play golf like it is a game.

October 29th

24 degrees yesterday and 6 degrees today with all week being below zero. I hate winters.

Well the UPC party elected the new leader. I will say Jason wasn’t my first choice but after listening to him I am sure he will be a good premier. Like one reporter said ” The only way the NDP will ever be government in Alberta is if Edmonton became it’s own province:”  The NDP has caused irreparable damage to our province so it will take some doing to fix. I like Jason in the fact of his knowledge of the federal system and his strong opinions. He wants to stay away from the controversial “social” agenda and fix Alberta’s economy. He will be pulling a few of Ralph’s tricks out of the bag. We as a province have to cut to get things under control. Reduce government payroll, wage roll backs, cut programs, adjust taxes, fix the royalties, give business incentives to invest, fight the equalization payments schedule, and cut off oil to any province that puts their agenda ahead of progress, re-look at the farm bill, get our coal plants working again,can’t roll back the stupidity of the $15 but freeze it for 10 years. There are lots of common sense things that can be done to make us the best place again.

Went out to our lot today to finish the gravel before the snow. But too windy and a way to cool. It can wait until spring for me to get to it. Loaded up the garbage and pallets to return to Lowe’s and returned the tools to Corey’s garage. Jackie met me out there to help load the pallets on the roof. Audrey came for a ride and to see the place.  I am happy with how step 1 of my plan looks !

Wind, small flurries and cold so didn’t spend much time out there. Beautiful sun which as normal in the winter for Alberta is always nice to see but not used to the cold.

Great win tonight from the Flames . NOTE: double amount of wins compared to Edmonton. DOUBLE !

Thought of the Day 

Winning isn’t everything but wanting and giving the effort to, is. 

October 30th 

Worked cleaning up my closet with Jackie’s help. Threw away a ton of clothes that were too big, holes in them etc. Made a lot of extra room. Man were some of those clothes huge. Lose 35 pounds plus it makes a big difference. I was swimming in some. One suit and a nice one will make someone on a budget happy as I only wore it a couple of times. Amazing the difference in sizing that you really don’t notice when you are heavy. Looking back at some pictures you sure can tell though. Anyways the closet is reduced substantially again.

Made arrangements to have Corey help me remove my Kargo Master Congo Cage as I can fit everything in going to Phoenix without having to put anything on the roof. It makes a huge difference in wind resistance and gas mileage. Fred & I will be heading south on the 17th to get our places ready, put up the Christmas lights and have a few drinks and rounds of golf for me. If lucky we maybe even get to start ” Manning” up his shed. Mansheds are needed.

While going thru the closet I threw away the bulk of my TPC Sawgrass stuff except my official Pin Flag the  name plaque with Charl Swartzel and my name on it and my bag tag.

“Memories”

Being able to go to the Players Championship Golf Event was a once in a lifetime experience for me.  JELD-WEN at the time had sales and profits ( not a dirty word) so as a customer appreciation event I attended this event with one of my loyal dealers that i enjoyed working with. Les Schwartz the owner of Home Hardware Stettler was my guest for the event as JW was a host sponsor. Like I said once in a lifetime. From the caddie that helped on every shot, the gifts, the free drinks and food, seeing your name on the electronic leader board,and the picture on the iconic 17th hole it was amazing. Add to this I golfed with Les on the Valley course and the Lion & Bear courses. It was a lot of fun watching the golfing on the 17th hole as it is set up in a bowl with the island green. On this trip we also saw the World Golf Hall of Fame which was incredible and the courses fantastic. I believe the second one was called the Slammer & Squire.  Two outstanding events on this trip was the after event supper with KJ Choi the winner eating with us. The second and the best was a personal invite for supper to Freddie Funks house for supper and social gathering. Beautiful home right on the bay or river, practice range in the backyard, expansive door opening for the party and to see the trophies and memorabilia in his home was incredible. I will never forget this experience.

I do miss the company sponsorship’s and expense account. LOL

Thought of the Day 

Why did the accountant cross the road ?  So she could claim it on her expense account.

 

October 31st

Halloween or Hallowe’en (a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve,is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It is the time  dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals; that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain itself was Christianized as Halloween by the early Church.Some believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday. In many parts of the world, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows’ Eve, including attending church services and  lighting candles on the graves of the dead, remain popular although elsewhere it is a more commercial and secular celebration. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows’ Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

It is odd over the years how Christians believed Halloween was evil and not to be celebrated  when it really is just a day of remembrance. It is unfortunate how religion gets so twisted by so  many people and by so many different religions.

Today the soul purpose ( see what I did there) is entertainment for the children with trick & treating, apple popping, dressing up etc. I would love to go to Mexico to see their celebrations of the Day of the Dead. It is more of a religious  and remembrance celebration there but is a fantastic world recognized event.

As i was getting a picture of Jackson this year I found some old ones of our girls. Jackie always had fun with the ideas and making them up. They loved Halloween specially visiting a banker friend in the neighborhood Fran. ( side note, first lady I knew with fake boobs. One Christmas dancing with her it was like have rocks squished between as us as we were dancing)

Jackson looked great in his outfit but the full mask caused breathing issues, sweat in the mask and seeing issues so it was improvised to the look from the first picture which was great.  He filled his bag to the brim so will be having lots of treats for the next week or so. I forgot to steal some from him. LOL

 

I saw a wonderful video of August’s Halloween but didn’t get any pictures.

Late addition of pictures of August that Jess emailed me. In the video August thought Halloween was the best.

Being a shark is a great idea. What kid doesn’t like that.

“Memories”

What is with the kids nowadays. When I was young albeit a lot older than August and Jackson we would fill a pillow case, return home empty it and refill it again. Today the kids are worried about sugar, calories and decay. Our girls were never rationed on candy from Halloween. In fact I had to spell Slurpee to Jackie so they didn’t know where I was going. Jessica at 34 has only 1 cavity and Victoria also has amazing teeth. When I get my baby tooth removed I will have zero cavity filled teeth. Good genes. 

Thought of the Day 

Too cute to spook !!!