November 1st 

This spring/summer/fall flew by. Literally gone in a snap. Too fast. Scary fast. I remember when my Dad retired he said time went by a lot faster when retired versus when working. His rationale was when we are working we are always only looking forward to the weekend in most cases. Now weekends don’t exist and a person is looking forward to a trip a year away or summer 4 months away and the time just goes by.

Only a few more days before heading south. I gave up my under ground parking space today as I have rented it out again until April. As soon as we leave I will park the Jeep in our other spot.

I only have a few things left on my agenda. Doctor’s appointment today, helping Corey at one of his jobs this weekend, out to supper with Jeff & Wendy to celebrate her retirement, finish packing and then gone.

It is funny the different personalities of people.  Today’s ECHO operator was very proficient, and professional but had no personality. The 3 P’s working together create a superior customer service level and missing one, the personality one in particular, diminishes the overall experience. She may have had a tummy ache from all of the candy last night. ( she wasn’t that young,lol)

Looking forward to heading south this year more than ever. I think it was the horrible fall weather and the abnormal busyness of the summer. Relax, swim, golf, visit ,company and enjoy is my plan. Jackie will be a lot more relaxed also as last year with Peter’s health failing it could only be described as hectic.

I went to put on a set of wiper blades on the Enclave as we may hit snow or rain on our trip. To change a set I would say is about 15 minutes tops. 1 hour later I give up. They were a Premium Bosche set from Canadian Tire with the universal setup. I returned them to Canadian Tire and headed to Jack Carter’s to get a factory set. I have to apologize to Bosche. It turns out GM mid year switched suppliers and had two different ends. I took home design #1 and was lucky with a 3 minute turn around to install them. What is GM thinking to switch mid year ? Only $5 more than the Bosche ones but a little less blade.  But, new blades always make a huge difference.

Jeff & Wendy picked a fantastic Italian restaurant for us tonight. The name didn’t click but when I looked it up I instantly recognized it. It again has a front facade that doesn’t indicate how nice it is inside. I used to take Totem Building managers there for lunch and loved it. They used to close a 2 pm and the reopen for the night crowd but the interior design was wonderful and the food awesome. I hope they like it as I always loved it. I will let you know how it is today when we we return.

Thought of the Day

I miss those days of an expense account !

November 2nd 

REA’S ITALIAN CUCINA

It was the place I was thinking of. Everyone’s meal was exceptional. The Caesar salad the best in along time. Shrimp in Sambuca  exquisite. Veal, chicken and spicy Italian sausage where all tried and everyone loved their meals. The pasta was exceptional. The bolognese superb. Plus the portion sizing was large. Years ago and they may have had a lunch menu but the portion sizing wasn’t as big as they are now. I highly recommend going there for great food and atmosphere. Don’t be fooled by the front facade of the building. First class Italian excellence.

A fun night with Wendy & Jeff to celebrate her new-found freedom. After dinner we stopped by their house for a visit and great conversation. I accidentally broke an empty beer glass which is rare for me but stuff happens and lucky it was empty. Glass height should be restricted to 5 inches. LOL

This picture below is the reason we need to leave Canada ASAP.

November 3rd -4th 

I helped Corey install a set of beams in a Cardel Home on Saturday and Sunday. A couple of things. First the expectation for a single carpenter to install these beams 15 ft or more in the air and using 1 x 10 rough fir is unreasonable. These are heavy to install and to get tight joints I would say is impossible especially with drywallers not helping us. I am glad Corey asked for help as this job would have killed me even 20 years ago trying to do it alone. Clamps,the  need to scribe, heavy beams and long beams being 12 ft and the height i thought it impossible to single handed to do it, yet Corey showed me a job where another carpenter did and did it well was a shocker and another house where Corey did a lower ceiling with beams himself. Impressive. We had 7ft scaffolding and Corey used a ladder on top of this to get to the top. As usual in doing anything we had hiccup due to another trade. The drywallers installed a metal brace to support the drywall on one beam and installed it a 1/2″ out of plumb. This is a huge gap to correct. I am impressed with Corey’s innovative ideas to get things done. These beams took 18 man hours plus prep time and that is with two people. This job is practical perfection but was not easy by any stretch.

A fun job with the end result looking wonderful. I do feel for any carpenter having to do this alone which if another house comes up Corey will have to do again. No wonder the back is sore. Again I believe it needs to be 2 people for sure !!

A fun sports night with the Flames performing exceptionally well. Talk about a team playing great. Switching back and forth between the Flames and the Stamps. It is a great year to be a Calgarian with the Flames in first place and the Stamps in first place.

Thought of the Day 

Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing !

November 5th to ?

I will post as able ! Start driving and stop before dark is the plan. No reservations as we don’t know border crossing time or road conditions and we have no set leave time.

Had to make a last stop at Tim’s in Lethbridge before leaving Canada. A quick lunch and drink and then on the road. It was clear sailing even though we could see the where in the last day or so especially just south of Lethbridge they had snow. We only had one car in front of us at customs so it was a quick stop. Great drive and the sun was even peaking through the odd time. We could see a storm brewing in the distance but we didn’t hit any snow until the high elevation’s. I never thought i would ever say this, but 80 miles per hour through the mountain corners is a little too quick for a large vehicle. In a smaller vehicle no problem but with a large heavy vehicle, wet roads and the temperature at or below freezing the Buick had be to slowed coming into the odd corner. We decided to make it an easy trip so decided to stay in Butte for the night which is about  7 hours from Calgary. After stopping we saw on TV  there is a winter storm warning tonight. SHOULD have driven to Idaho Falls which is another 3 hours and we would missed it. Oh well.  Perkins supper tonight, a little TV , relax and enjoy and then off tomorrow to Mesquite, St Georges or Washington. This trip made me think about the time we traveled all the way to Mesa in two days with J ackson in the car. He was amazing and this was before IPAD’s entered his life.

Holiday Inn still had my rewards number on file which gave me a discount and points. Brand new hotel and with a breakfast.

Woke up this morning to 6 to 8 inches of snow. Lucky I was able to start the vehicle from our hotel room.  I let it run for about 1/2 hr. We had our FREE breakfast ( omelet sausages etc) . Great breakfast.  We helped this elderly couple clear their car as they were using Styrofoam plates. Turns out they were from Edmonton which I didn’t hold against them and had a place in Vegas. I would say they were in their 80’s and this was their 15th year of driving down. Fairly fragile but very determined. Nice couple.

We headed out to discover with the qty of snow it was not cleared very well. About 1/2 hr later the road cleared and another 1/2 hr dry roads. We went over this one bridge where we felt the truck move sideways it was so icy. Nice it cleared up so quickly. Set the cruise at 140 kms and go. We ended up getting into Mesquite about 6:15pm. Booked at Holiday Inn a brand new hotel for $85 a night. A beautiful hotel.

We went for supper to a nearby pub and had a great meal.

Came back and  watched the election results so far. Then we received a phone call from the front desk about a noise complaint against us. First time EVER  just about getting kicked out of a hotel for being noisy.Jackie was  walking to get her steps in back and forth  and was shaking the floor upsetting the people below us.  The front desk phoned to let us know.

Waking up to the sun and 70 degree weather is amazing. From Mesquite to Mesa is an easy 6 hr drive. Having said that the roads were very busy especially as usual through Vegas. Our GPS had a blonde moment with a recent road change. You now bypass Boulder City on a new highway with no signage and the GPS not knowing where we were headed including us.The new Interstate 11 is going to continue from Vegas to Phoenix but is only partial done.  Finally we were back on track with a happy girl in our Garmin. The amount of semi ‘s is amazing in this part of the world and is only surpassed by the 401 in Toronto. We arrived in Mesa around 3:30 and unpacked. Pat & Bob were home so we sat down for a quick visit. Being the amazing nice people they are Pat made us supper. Awesome and appreciated. Needless to say no groceries bought, very little put away , no bank visit but a great time. In the conversation Bob states he has a opening in his tee times. We needed groceries but golf called. Luckily for me Jackie cleaned, got groceries ( but I will need to go again to get some “normal” food) and organized.

Another poorer performance at golfing. I can’t get rid of my slice. I did win some money though which is always a good thing. I will go to the driving range and work on this as it is too prevalent.

After golf we sat down with Pat & Bob for a short visit before they had to attend the welcome back dance. Sounds like Bob can really kick up his heels. A nice visit and a couple of beers. On our very short trip home ( 20 ft) our neighbors across the street wave us over to their house. Russ & Carol and Ian & Gail were there and we joined them for some snacks and a few glasses of wine. Another great visit.

Have I said how rough we have it.

It is so nice to have the quiet of the desert and coolness to sleep in. Great sleep and we didn’t get up until 8:30.

Today was clean up and fix up day. Started pressure washing the house and windows. The sand gets embedded into the siding. Trimmed the balance of trees. Set up and cleaned the outdoor kitchen. Assembled the back yard furniture. Washed all of the cushions. Washed the patio and set up the outdoor furniture in the front and side yards. Pressure washed Bob & Pat’s patio and cleaned the BBQ. Took all day. Fred came by and helped me put the long couch in the backyard.

We got everything done except the patio lights which I will do tomorrow. I had a quick pit stop and a couple of cold ones at Fred’s place and then headed home to cook our first meal in Arizona. BBQ’d pork chops, carrots and potatoes were awesome. We sat outside on the patio in shorts and a tee shirt eating until around 7:30 pm. I love Arizona !!

November 10th -11th

“Mercury Forecast”  Mesa 27 degrees  Calgary -3 degrees with snow.

Installed the patio lights today. Visited with our new neighbors from NYC and had a nice visit. Removed the in garberator which was seized and repaired it. WD40 and a strong whack with a hammer and driver to loosen the blades from seizing up over the summer. Repaired a lamp in the living room that had stopped working. Paid a few bills and relaxed a bit.

We went out for supper with Fred & Terry to a highly recommended Chinese restaurant to celebrate her newly required status of retired. The amount of food brought to our table was unbelievable. In fact to look forward we were all stuffed and couldn’t finish and had enough left overs for the next day while watching the football games to have a full meal.. A nice evening and nice to see another early retiree understand the importance of living instead of working to live.

ESPN picked up all of the  CFL games and are showing them on the park TV. So we decided to gather at Fred’s place for a Sunday football day with the two games on. We also needed to eat up the left over Chinese food. A fun day which only could have been better if Sask would have won. Oh well next weekend is the most important football game anyways. Lucky to have it shown at the park.

A great Sunday to enjoy the warmth and friendship.

Remembrance Day which is very important to keep in the forefront of the younger kids. In the USA they really promote Veterans Day with free services and stuff for the veterans much more so than we do. They all do love our Poppies though.

New park TV is great. Internet still very weak. Trees trimmed awesome. All unpacking done. Great visits with neighbors and friends. Life is good

Thought of the Day 

It is proven a glass of beer shortens your life by 5 minutes. A glass of wine shortens your life by 10 minutes. But a day at work shortens your life by 8 hours. 

November 13th-14th

“Mercury Forecast” Mesa 24 degrees  Calgary 8 degrees

Jackie was heading out with Fred & Terry to Costco and a few other stops while I had a golf game booked.

Golf today was better being only 4 over on one nine. Holding the right arm tighter to the body reduced the slice but I had a few mishits due to it. But liked the results overall. A few holes where wind pushed the ball and a few missed shots and it would have been a great game. Getting back to normal slowly. I did lose a couple of bucks today though. Darn

This week is a cooler one with it only hitting 24 degrees each day.

After golf Jackie & Pat met us at the clubhouse for Fat Willy’s Burger night. An 8 ounce burger for cheap with a couple of jugs of cold beer after golf is wonderful. That is a big burger and as usual was excellent and with great service. I need to learn not say jugs. Pitchers !

Came home and watched a bit of TV and hit the bed.

A fun day and night !!

Project detail today. We headed to Mobile Depot to pick up our aluminum we needed to build a privacy fence on the east side of Fred’s carport. Got a great deal on the cross bar’s as they were priced incorrectly. Every bit helps. Also did a Harbour Freight stop as Fred wanted a pick to dig up the desert. Getting back we started picking up the paver stones to dig a hole for the extension  pole. Took a while to get the hole dug and aligned. We lined, plumbed and leveled until we were satisfied. With level pavers and the new support it already looks good.  We also had to cut and lower a plumbing stack to the top of the pavers and it turned out looking good. Another trip back to the Depot and unloaded. We could have finished today but Fred wanted to wait until his neighbor was home to check to make sure everything was fine with him.

It was a wonderful day to be working outside. Jackie worked all day cleaning the windows and washing the sunscreens. When I arrived home at 5 pm she was still cleaning away.

Up tomorrow at 6 am to go to my first Men’s league event. Hoping the slice stays away.

Thought of Day

My secret talent is getting tired without doing anything !

November 14th 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 24 degrees Calgary  8 degrees “

6 am comes very quickly especially when you don’t sleep particularly well. Out of the house and off for our short 1/2 hour drive to Whirlwind Golf course which is a beautiful Troon course. I love my men’s league with great guys and a neat team game.  Sandy picking us up each week is awesome.

I made up my mind today to swing easy, not go for the distance and not to slice. Semi worked. LOL   I lost 20 to 50 yards on the drives but not ONE slice. Only problem was a left pull shot each time accounting for a couple of lost balls. I started off with 4 straight pars then things happened. Overall i golfed pretty good except for the lost ball holes taking a 7 on each of them. I hate a 90’s score but considering everything a 91 with 4 -7’s isn’t bad. Next time. I seem to have to say that too much.  I had a really fun group with a guy from Sherwood Park, a guy from Edmonton and a guy from Thunder Bay.  We even ended up winning our money back plus more. Love it.

Came home a little tired but had a lot of fun.

Rested a bit, had supper, then headed up to the pool hall for our weekly billiard tournament. Jackie was my partner tonight as we had limited groups tonight. Even if I have to say myself we did awesome being the “winningest” team.  We ended up going a little early and had time to practice which was good and I guess it paid off. FUN night !

Watched the Country Music Awards which is always fun.

Thought of the Day 

If at first you don’t succeed find out if the loser gets anything. “participation medal ? “

November 15th

“Mercury Forecast    Mesa 24 degrees   Calgary 7 degrees 

Whipped up to Fred’s on my new bike. Rides like a Cadillac. I may need to get Tattoo’s now.

Today was privacy fence day. We started around 9 am and finished with a couple of breaks about 2:30 pm. The “wall” looks great and should cut down the a/c noise plus add a feeling of coziness to the patio. It turned out well.

Terry being newly retired and wanting to keep busy had a major project on the go today. Some may say a make work project. Fred got a new recycle bin and Terry wanted to identify it with her house numbers. Fred was going to use a marker. Terry spent a lot of time cutting out a stencil and laying it up to paint. She may look at going into the labeling business.

You can see our privacy fence just behind Terry in this picture. I watched Terry watch paint dry today. LOL

Off to our first block party tonight which turned out great. We had close to 40 people this time. In the last year we lost 4 residents but had 4 new residents join our block. It is a varied group that includes numerous educators,business people, managers in different sectors to stay at home parents. A great group. One couple has been married for over 65 years.  One couple with 29 grand kids. A lot of BC residents on our block and a couple of year round Americans to keep a watch out for us.

The food for an appetizer party was exceptional. Jackie made a Cheesy Enchilada Casserole. It is amazing how Jackie in retirement has become so domesticated. It was wonderful tasting. The only thing missing was the pickles, cheese and meat plate. A way to few Deviled Eggs as everyone loves those things. Great selection, great tasting and a fun get together.

Thought of the Day 

Pretending to know everyone’s name at the block party was the hardest work I have done in a while.

November 16th-17th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 24 degrees  Calgary -10 feels like -18 ” 

We are so lucky with the weather being so good.

Isn’t it nice to have this good weather and certain other parts of the world ie Calgary and Edmonton not getting it as much. LOL

Today was a wonderful sunny day hitting 26 degrees. I had a great group today to golf with.  It was a fun group with two Albertan’s and two Saskatchewanites. Didn’t play very well but ended up winning the match  and the money. It came down to the last hole to win the match and the last 9 hole segment.  Any day you can play golf in 26 degrees and bring home money it is a good day. My partner was from Chestermere and plays at Lakeside. He knew Ron Turner well, the original owner of Makin Door. Small world.  Here is a guy that bought a very nice home in Peoria but decided after living there for while it wasn’t the lifestyle they were looking for and are trying out our resort. There is a massive difference between an individual home and a home in a resort where you will know every neighbor on the block well, with all of the block parties and social activities.  Most single family home owners know two or three neighbors around them at most as everyone goes inside and is hidden from socializing.Plus the amenities.

After golf and collecting our money we  went to Fat Willy’s for Fish Friday.  Jackie , Pat and the ladies all joined us for Fish Friday which was a fun time.

The Park Garage sale was today so Jackie was up at 7 am to make her rounds with Terry & Pat. I left early to go to the Auto Zone as today was Demco Tow Bar repair today. My thoughts were if we could fix it great, if not, I would get a used one or new one on Black Friday. Fred and I with instructions from the factory started taking it apart. The bellows were worn but most other parts were in good shape. There is NO excuse for a professional hitch shop not to be able to repair it.  Two shops, and a couple of phone calls to other shops stating they couldn’t repair it. The I am going to order all the parts new  as it is apart and I want to fix it right. New seals, o rings, snap rings, collar springs, pawls and end plugs. It will be PERFECT for I under $100 bucks. I have to wait until Monday to order from the factory. What has happened is mechanics no longer fix anything. Their job is changing out a part that a computer diagnoses told them needs to be done. Not like my Dad who would fix and manipulate everything and my brother that has a ear for something wrong and fixes things by ripping them apart. A new job description maybe required.

Jackie found some hidden treasures and brought them home with her best buy being a new coaster 9 speed bike for $40. We will start riding around the park for exercise.

A few other decorations , decor items and JUNK but all is good. LOL  The girls had a fun time.

Thought of the Day 

Retire now – People kill themselves working at a job where they will replace you within a week if you dropped dead. Why when the world is such a lovely place to enjoy on your time.

November 18th-19th 

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 25 degrees  Calgary 8 degrees”

The day started well with the Flames killing the Oiler’s last night. The Flames were hot. Enough about the second place team in our division and the second last place in the division. There will be HEADS chopped very soon in Edmonton with their dismal performance.

Football today !  Fred & Terry were coming over for the day. The girls went out shopping while Fred and I watched the Eastern final. Quite a surprising blow out but still fun to watch. The Red Blacks ( stupid name, Fred suggested the Lumberjacks, which would be a lot better)  Fred’s team lost. LOL   Then to the BIG game. A lot closer than I hoped. A lot closer so it was a little bit of a nail biter. The BEST team won. Fred’s team lost. LOL

I got up a little earlier than normal to cook the hamburger for the nacho’s, cut up the veggies, fill the nut bowls etc. Everything was great and ate a way too much.

Nothing better than sitting outside watching a football game in the warmth. Fun day ! Even won some money on a bet. !

Here is a picture of Fred wearing a loser jersey watching two games where his teams lost. LOL

Every goal Jackie “rode the horse” which was funny and added to the effect of us playing and Edmonton not even making the playoffs.

Today was a golf game with the guys from Saskatoon. I had two partners today that I lost to. I am beginning to get quite annoyed with how I am playing. I have an expectation of scoring around 10 to 12 over max and the last games have been 18 over or worst. Not lost balls just stupid shots hurting me. Having said that having to shoot from another fairway doesn’t help.

A beautiful day today sunny and 75 degrees with no wind. Great partners, lost  .25 cents to one of my team members and won a buck from the other team. So a good day.

Ordered my tow bar parts with the bill coming to $100 and I will have a “like brand new” bar again. Due to Thanksgiving it won’t arrive until Monday. I had to order the bellows from Amazon as Demco doesn’t carry them so all is good. Looking forward to the assembly  and it working perfect.

A few drinks and to discuss our missed shots in golf and another wonderful retirement day done. Love it !

I checked out of golf for Thursday and Friday with it being Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Thought of the Day 

Love it when someone asks ” Did you see where my ball went ? ” Best answer ” Yes, but I can’t remember where” 

November 20th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 24 degrees  Calgary 8 degrees”

Calgary is getting some very good weather lately which is nice for them. Our weather this week has taken a turn for the worse and is only hitting 24 degrees all week. Darn that’s rough.

Had our breakfast, than Jackie & I headed out for a long bike ride all over the park. Here are some of the differences and items we noticed. The tennis courts and pickle courts were very busy today. It is a little odd seeing an old fat belly gentleman swinging slowly to TRY to hit the ball. The ladies overall were quite svelte. Loads of new homes being sold replacing some on the older park models on a lot of streets. TONS of new homes being sold in the newer section with them opening another 4 or 5 streets. You can tell the USA economy is booming as there are a lot of them moving into the park from the northern states. I was surprised as this year there appears to be fewer motor homes than normal. We usually have that area packed but lots of spaces left so far. Jan to March though are the more busier months. A shine company was working like mad making a few of the large buses all glossy. A beautiful shiny Triple E caught my attention. Golf course as usual was busy and the renovation crews everywhere were fixing up people’s units. Lots of action and a nice long ride. Nice thing about riding a bike is you can go miles and miles and not feel tired. I can’t walk the same distance due to time and my back just doesn’t like it. Buying the bikes was a great idea for here.

“Memories”

I am going to say about 1978, Keith and I both lost our drivers license.  I was in Edmonton with my bike as I rode home ( 20 kms)  each day after work. My Dad drove me in the mornings with it in the back of the van. It was a  weekend night so Keith & I head out on our bikes. Funny I can’t remember where we ended up drinking but I remember vividly the struggle to bike home. Riding a bike while intoxicated isn’t as easy as one would think. Luckily we made it from downtown all the way to 156 st without getting killed. Criss crossing the streets, not stopping, wrong side of road etc.  Amazing, really, the dumb things we do and live to tell about it. 

Got home and had my shrimp dish for lunch while Jackie worked on her puzzle. Wonderful sitting outside in the warmth.

Getting ready to go to the driving range in a bit to see what I can figure out before my men’s league tomorrow.

A large bucket of balls to see what I an do to correct the slice.  At the end of it I have come to the conclusion that I have a swing flaw that I can’t fix. I have to live with it. I bought a new driver which is about 20 to 30 yards shorter off the tee but still slices. I took a lesson and I still slice. I had my handicap down to just a few good games and it would have been single digit. After the last 5 months or so it is now 15. I may have to revert to a Tiger play and not use the driver from the tee. Takes the fun out of golf when you have to think too much and score high due to lost balls. I have played games that would have been close to par except on one or three holes a lost ball causes a score of 7 or 8. Kills the game. My need for tomorrow is to swing light and try to keep it in the fairway. Luckily for me my 3 hybrid goes 230 yards which isn’t that much less than most older guys drives

Jackie made wonderful enchilada’s tonight with sausage, chicken, salsa, sour cream, and rice in  a warm tortilla. Tasted great. I capped  it off with a bowl of fresh fruit.

Thought of the Day

I discovered a long time ago I can’t fix everything so may as well do my best and live with the results.

November 21st

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 25 degrees  Calgary 5 degrees “

The perfect day for golf. Up at 5:45 to go to Whirlwind. Yes, that it is ridiculous but this men’s group is so much fun and such a nice course it is worth it. Having said that this normally impeccable course had the worst greens on it I have seen in years. Yet they are better than most other courses and fast fast. What happened in a week is amazing. Hopefully next week they are back to normal.

I had a drug pusher from Calgary, a drug dealer from Saskatchewan,  and a native Phoenix guy today to play with. Great guys. As a team we WON money so all is good. I was very tentative today after the last few games and the driving range but I have to say I drove the ball the best I have driven for a long time and did not lose ONE ball off the tee. A simple foot work trick from the internet and I was good to go. I drove a little longer than the group on most holes, equal to or only by a few yards but every shot was middle of the fairway. It was so nice and fun to play like that. I didn’t putt well which kept the score higher than I wanted but a net 69 I am more than ok with. Love the game !!

Talking to the cart girl making the rounds she stated in Arizona they have NO minimum wage. Far cry from our idiotic Notley’s $15 a hour. I think a small min makes sense as these ladies have to live on tips alone. Even if it was $5.  We know how frugal some senior’s are. Hence why the HUGE difference in service levels between Canadian companies and the US counterparts as they want to earn your business. I know we can’t go back but Notley sure screwed this up for many years to come. Need to restate : She has screwed up soooo many things.

After a great BBQ supper of Costco pork chops and salad we headed to the pool hall for our couples night. Another fun night with Jackie and I doing ok and holding our own including winning a few games. One game the other team cleared the table on their first turn except for one ball and the 8 ball with Jackie and I coming back to win. Nice !  Another game a win from a  8 ball scratch plus another true clean win. Fun night.

Ended the night with a few drinks at Russ & Carol’s place fixing all of the problems in the world.

Thought of the Day 

Whoever said” It’s not whether you win or lose that counts” , probably lost.

November 22nd

” Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees Calgary 8 degrees”

The Canadian north winds are going to keep us in the low 20’s for the next few days which is very comfortable but a little cooler than we are used to.

Today is American Thanksgiving Day .

Pat & Bob joined us for Thanksgiving at Fred’s. The ladies all brought stuff for the dinner. Fred did an amazing job cooking the steaks and baked potatoes. HUGE steaks.It was an excellent supper and you know I love pumpkin pie. Beans were awesome along with homemade salsa. I managed to control my drinks as Fred doesn’t use a jigger and he makes them strong. Funny as Kieth is the same way. One made by Fred and the balance by myself. Fred also had out his good scotch that he and Bob likes.

After our wonderful meal we started to play the Marble game. Girls against the guys. I like this game and it was the first time for Bob & Pat. The game took awhile and we started late so we didn’t quite finish. Combination of too many drinks, a way too much food, later with a early rise for Pat and Bob made the ending not possible.   A fun night !!

Thought of the Day 

Don’t forget alcohol helps remove stress, the bra, the panties and a few other problems! 

November 23rd 

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 23 degrees  Calgary 0 with snowfall warning”

BLACK FRIDAY today. The odd thing there is NOTHING i need or want. I could get a bigger TV and Smart but the old one works fine even if it 32 inch in the living room. Jackie and I went to Lowes a few times today. Some amazing deals especially on Craftsman stuff. We bought new handles for the cupboards and wow what a difference they make. New lampshades to update the bathroom. A new mini blind ( raise and lower by pulling and lifting , neat) and a few misc little things. The stores were  busy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The knobs make such a huge difference it is unbelievable.

Not a hectic day for us with a few hours shopping and a few hours installing.

Thought of the Day

People are funny, they spend money they haven’t yet earned ,to buy stuff they don’t need, to impress people they don’t like.

November 24th 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 23 degrees  – 1 degrees “

Another beautiful day in paradise.  I decided I would rather spend my money on a satellite system for the motor home rather than buying a larger TV for Arizona. I am looking at $900 to $3500 for a new seek and find roof mount satellite system. I may even go with the Shaw direct portable tripod system but prefer the auto roof top one.  The Winegard systems I am not sold on. So we didn’t need to spend a lot of shopping as we don’t really need anything.

We went for a long bike ride and a long walk today looking at the decorations people are putting out .Some neat ideas on each block.

Spent A LOT OF TIME putting up our Christmas decorations. It took a good 1/2 hr and then a rest break .LOL   We are thinking when I get back as a make work project I will make a Christmas tree for behind our Teddy Santa to give it some height and more substance. Should not take very long except for the painting and installing of the lights.

I think a plywood tree behind with built in lights would look awesome and with the added height make the Santa Bear even look better. Problem is trying to get a consensus from 30 OLD people on the block could be an issue. I may make mine as a ONE OF or at least add a lot more decorations next year.

Some of the streets are looking spectacular so we need to pick up our game. It is getting everyone’s by in to agree to the money and the idea.

Relax and enjoy the day !

Thought of the Day 

Have you ever just agreed with someone just to get them to stop talking ?

November 25th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 24 degrees  Calgary 3 degrees Edmonton -1 degrees”

-1 degrees in Edmonton today for the Grey Cup. Cold !  This is when, even though it is Edmonton, I hope their plans for a cover of the Commonwealth goes through. The cold affects the game too much. Lucky for us to have that special dressing room of the Esks to use as we see fit with it spa, heaters and wraps should be an advantage. Hopefully it is a good game and Calgary wins just to rub a little salt in the wounds of the Edmonton fans. Sport fans are usually multiple sport fans so the bulk of them knowing the Oiler’s will not make the playoffs and their beloved Eskimo’s NOT making the playoffs should be drinking heavy which should make for a quite a spectacle of depressed drunks causing anarchy.  Can’t believe they wouldn’t let our horse run. Party poopers.  Just jealously rearing it’s ugly head I am sure.

Heading to Fred’s place to school the girls at crib before the big game.

Jessica sent us this amazing picture of the boys. August and Atticus are growing up so fast !

Here is where I believe having kids a lot younger is a good thing.  Take the age of 20 as a for instance. You have a kid at 20, you are a grand parent at 40 and a great grand parent at 60. Each generation is at the perfect age to fully enjoy the children. The kids get to see the different generations and be more involved.  Plus the fact the children are independent when you are 40. We know people that have kids still in school at 60 years old.  Pretty hard to retire at 55 if you are still paying for a degree or just finished paying. I hear people say they want to establish a career or travel first. Travel is 10X better when you are older and can afford to fully experience it and remember is your career an ego builder or lively hood.

Both situations work out well for different people.

Jackie and I are extremely proud of the way our kids turned out and the life they are living.

What a wonderful day. Fred & I WIN at crib. The Flames WIN in hockey, and the Stamps WIN in football. Great city of Calgary is killing it.First place in our division in hockey. First place and GREY CUP WINNERS.

We had a few close games of crib with the girls. Fred and I came out on top with one more win than the girls and we finished just before the start of the Grey Cup.  Calgary played great but it was a little scary near the end. The slippery field doesn’t help. Now the Grey Cup is being moved up two weeks next year which will help a little but a covered stadium in Canada should be mandatory. The guys all played well considering and the right team won.

Terry made us homemade pizza for the party and it was GOOD. Couldn’t ask for a better pizza. Plus homemade Carrot Cake. Quite spoiled with the food. Fred as normal had his three finger drinks made which get to me.  We even had a UBER cart delivery back home after the game. Great day and night !!

Thought of the Day 

It is not important to win, it’s important to make the other guy lose.

November 26th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 25 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees  Edmonton  -1 degrees”

Golf today at Viewpoint. I golfed ok today, just made a few mistakes that cost me. Ended with a 84 but with missed putts and bad chips could have been in the 70’s. Next time, next year as we are leaving for cold Calgary on Wednesday.

After golf the guys came to my house for a discussion on the good parts and bad luck we experienced on the course. Sat down and just a few minutes in my Exterminators show up to spray. So lucky Bob let us move to his house to finish off the event. It was funny as Ron had his Bentley parked in front of my house and the Pest Control guys says to Jackie ” Someone has a Bentley and lives in the park ?”   We all have notions embedded into our heads. In the golf group we have a gathering of some very influential business people that are all the most down to earth guys ever. The prior owner of a car dealership in Saskatoon, prior owner of the Freightliner dealership in Saskatoon, a owner of a trucking company out of Saskatoon, an engineer, accountant, etc.

Tonight was Burger night but as i have a FREE burger and Free beer due to my winning bet against Fred we stayed home as we will be there tomorrow.

My Demco parts were supposed to show up today but didn’t. I wanted to reinstall them tomorrow so hopefully they will show up in the AM.

Thought of the Day 

People have preconceived notions about too many things with most of them being a way off base. All of us have built in prejudices that we need to uncover 

November 27th-29th

“Mercury Forecast – Mesa 19 degrees Calgary 7 degrees “

Dogs are a big part of people’s lives. They do become part of the family and I am confident help any child grow up. Mad at your parents you can explain them, crying with hurt feeling they listen and cuddle, sad they lick your face. Emotionally I am sure a kid is better off with a pet. I think older lonely people also benefit from them.

First thing was the search for my parts. UPS showed them signed for and delivered. A quick response from Demco showed where in transposing they forgot the unit number. The UPS showed a signature so I am thinking the administration office. Checking there they said ” No we wouldn’t ever do that” When I showed them the delivery receipt it surprised them as the name was one of their employees. So we checked their delivery and sure enough it was mixed up in their parcels.

Off to Fred’s and we started working on the bar. With the instructions which were quite precise it didn’t take long at all. We replaced 4 “O” ring seals, 2 snap rings, 2 tube seals, 2 tube end plugs, 2 spring coils, 2 rubber bellows, and 4 pawls. We applied the anti seize to the o rings and re- assembled everything. On our first attempt it was like magic. The bar locked and worked absolutely  perfect. PERFECT . As I said before NO EXCUSE for a professional hitch shop not to fix this. I am very happy saving 1200 bucks or more.  I would highly recommend a DEMCO bar to anyone. I now have to change my review of the last Hitch Shop I took this to.

Helped Fred & Terry lay a few pavers in the front of their house.  I stabbed my forehead on a Cactus and thought I would bleed like a pig but got lucky. Finished that up and headed home to get ready for Fat Willy’s and my FREE supper won on the Grey Cup. I had their stir fry which was excellent. Everyone enjoyed their food except for the drinks. American’s don’t know what a Paralyzer is but are familiar with a Colorado Bulldog which is supposed to be the same. The girls drinks were horrible. The waitress tried to fix them but the girls finally had to change. Fred and I’s beer was cold, fresh , really large and great!!  There is a saying “When in Rome do what the Roman’s do. I say  ” When in a BAR order BEER !  Don’t order chicken at a burger place !

We had a fair amount to drink and eat but as the temperature dropped the patio cooled so we decided to go home to play some crib.

Did we school the girls. First game a skunk, the second game a skunk, the third game they got over the skunk line by two points, and the fourth game they lost. They didn’t want to play anymore. I can say I had a lot of fun !!

Yes after staying up late I had to get up again at 6 am for my last golf game of 2018. I drove out to Whirlwind so I can get back in time to lock down the house and catch a ride with Fred to the airport.

I golfed wonderful today and should have had even a better score but ended up with a net 68 which on this course i am happy with.  Drove the ball today the best I can remember. Every shot dead center of fairway and the longest or second longest of the group on every hole. Only one missed drive off the tee which went about 150 yards. Chips didn’t get me close enough so missed too many long putts but a great day. Our team on one segment set the LOW NET scoring record of -12 which was wonderful. The golf handicap system works great and allows the guy that shoots a 95 to play right beside a guy that shoots 75.  The final game of the year, played well, won money and had a blast so all is good.

Made it home and wrapped up everything. Turned off the hot water heater, turned off the water, put away anything we thought we needed to until we get back the first of January. I have been home ( Calgary) 12 hours now and already miss Arizona.

We had an excellent November there.

Plane was on time and we were very fortunate to have Victoria pick us up at the airport. Have I said how much I hate the cold ?   Why put Christmas during the coldest months ?

2 Thoughts of the Day 

I think the girls need to realize without losing, winning isn’t so great .

Just when I want to cut back on calories the lettuce gets contaminated. Darn !

 

November 29th

” Mercury Forecast  Mesa 19 degrees Calgary 4 degrees “

Speaking of time flying today is a BIG DAY. Our youngest grand child is ONE YEARS OLD today.

I went for groceries around lunch time with Sobey’s full of Junior High School kids on lunch break. I would hate to have them come into my store. One banana, a pop plus the stolen candy from the bulk bins from each student. The kids are noisy, annoying and pushy in the store. I attempted to run over three boys just to see them jump out of the way.  That was fun. lol  Junior High school boys are big for their age nowadays and the girls look like street walkers. All parental controls GONE with our new nicety nice society.

Thought of the Day 

Dear Atticus  –

I hope you grow up to be sweet, kind, yet tough and wise,

I know you will be handsome with that innocence in your eyes,

Birthday Number One is a special day to celebrate,

We will see you Sunday, we can hardly wait .