August 1st 

Another great day with it hitting 32 degrees. Finally summer and it is wonderful. Up early again this morning to head to work.  A tournament with over a 100 players today. And it was a building industry tournament. Brad Remington Homes which a well respected and known higher end multi-family condo builder was having their annual tournament. I ran into a few industry people I knew including Len who worked for D & E Lbr plus the AWW reps etc. This was the best behaved, well organized tournament we have had recently. There are changes that could be made to improve the process but I don’t get a say. LOL  I had a few carts take off on the wrong 9 holes and numerous carts that filled out their card incorrectly. To have two teams per hole and such a large group they finished right on the nose at 5 hours. Not bad. I met some wonderful people , had fun teasing the group and I believe everyone should have had a great day. I  heard a lot of great comments on the course conditions. Another 7 hour work day done which is fun but as I said previously I am working to much to enjoy my time, get my work done, allow free golf, allow golfing period and fish. This I will fix.

I got home and Jackie and the boys had a great day with them spending over 3 hours at the pool alone. Kids and water is a love affair.

We cheated tonight and had a McDonalds supper. After supper we headed to the pond and the boys played on the raft, slide and beach for a few hours. The water is warm after our recent temperatures.

Tonight’s outdoor movie was Richie Rich which everyone liked and enjoyed. Great kids movie and August is even old enough to listen and enjoy it. He sat thru the movie and laughed when we did.

I have a lot of pictures to load of our week but just haven’t had time to do much with the kids demands. LOL

Thought of the Day 

A couple of days with the grandkids makes you fell young again. Longer than that you start to age very quickly.

August 2-5th

Perfect summer weather staying warm even at night. The boys have been great sleepers each night. We have done a lot. The pond and beach is always a fun place to hang. The boys love the raft and slide. August is a water freak. We collected snails, we build sand castles, floated on the raft and swam in the water.

We had Jackson’s birthday party at our lot. Fun giving bumps, singing and having hot dogs and salad. Loads of water and pop we have gone through due to the fact kids have a couple of sips and leave it. Drives me nuts as our girls did this as children and still continue to do so. I tried buying the smaller cans and bottles of water but it still happens.

Jackson received very nice presents from everyone. My favorite was the science experiment rocket which is supposed to travel 50ft in the air using vinegar and baking soda as the propellent. I would loved this as a kid.

One night our neighbors stayed up to 3am.  This is an issue a bit as a few or our neighbors are coming out for a party long weekend. Luckily most of our other neighbors are older people either retired or near retirement. Nice people. I do understand the people coming out to celebrate a long weekend but it makes it difficult to sleep. I love the country quiet, the country smells and darkness we experience 95% of the time.

I noticed August scratching his head  early on in the week. Jackie thought it was due to him just receiving an haircut before coming out. A few days later Jackie checked Jackson’s head and sure enough he had head lice. She found multiple live louse. First check and August appeared clean but the two of them have been sleeping in very close quarters. A quick trip into Strathmore for medicine. Special shampoo costing $30.  Jackie washed Jackson and picked his head to remove and eggs. She did the same to August but as August still has some cradle cap it makes it more difficult. Funny as you see these louse and it makes you itchy. With the quantity and sizing of the louse I would suspect they were at least a week old already. We took out all of the blankets, sleeping bags pillows etc and brought them into town to wash. I did learn that cutting their hair short doesn’t really help. The only solution would be to shave the head.

Taking care of the kids is fun but it is very tiring. The week seemed short and long. So on Sunday we had our first day alone and it was so nice!

Jackie and I worked the entire day again painting the ceiling. I was going to rent or buy a sprayer but I was determined to get it done somehow and the rental or buy was cost prohibitive. Took us all day but we got ‘er done. I wasn’t super pleased with the results but after drying the end result is very good and I like it. It is meant to look like cabin vaulted ceiling. I finished off the final boards in the bathroom, a couple pieces of trim and base in the living room. LOVE the looks and getting closer. I need to build the barn door and the two sliding doors, the flooring and finish off the electricity main panel. Finally !

My body isn’t holding up as well as I would like it. My back pain which I have had since high school is getting to me. I injured my broken bicep arm forearm which hurts every time I lift anything and the worst pain is the thumb. It must be a ripped ligament or tendon as one week later I still cant open the car door or turn the ignition key. One doesn’t realize the amount of times you need a strong thumb.

I received an all employee email from the CEO of Golf Calgary which is the group that owns Heatherglen. He issued a statement regarding employee golf. Remember the only reason I work is for the perk of free golf. The free golf is supposed to be an employee perk. With the new rules it is a CARROT not a perk. Something that is offered but due to policy fairly hard to receive. The only days that are allowed are Monday and Tuesday. These two days are heavily weighted with league play so tee times are limited. Twilight golf is also available. What retired person wants to golf twilight when it is busier with after work customers. He also reduced the special guest rate to one additional player from three. What someone isn’t understanding this reduced rate is not a revenue loss it is actually 100% incremental income due to the fact guests are playing due the employee perk. An additional change was made to be walk on tee times only. Impossible to plan a golf outing when you have to check in and wait and have the possibility of no tee time open. I was declined three times for tee times and having received this memo it was the catalyst that determined my decision to resign. I loved the interaction with the golfers, the employee team is first class that daily gave customer service that made me proud to be part of it and the course is very nice with possibly the best greens in Calgary. I have one more shift left on Wednesday and that will be it.  The above was the main impact of my decision but I was also working a way too many hours. I will now be able to get back to more golf, fishing ( I haven’t had my boat out this year yet) and get some duties done I haven’t had time to do for a long time.

I need to :

• Get my boat ready
• Wax and polish the motorhome
•  Wax and polish the Jeep
•  Detail the Jeep
• Finish the bunkhouse
• Install our artificial turf
•  Relax and enjoy summer !!

Thought of the Day 

Nothing is worth it if it doesn’t feel right or work for you

August 6-7th

I spent the entire day out at the lot. It was a great day. I installed the header board for my barn doors. I built what I would say is a beautiful barn door 8ft high. I stained it 80% complete before running out of stain. A quick sand and I will finish the staining. I cut to size and installed my sliding door hardware for the storage room. I organized my tools and threw a few things out. A good day and if I have to say myself the barn door looks fabulous.

Big rain storm came in and chased me away. I heard on the news this storm hit a house in DouglasDale with lightning and Edmonton received grape fruit sized hail. For us only rain albeit it was raining very hard.

I smiled to myself when I received a text that the golf course cancelled my final shift. I don’t know if due to not being busy ( 26 degrees and sunny,odd) or the manager felt necessary. I will again say I loved the job, enjoyed the customers, enjoyed the staff members but I don’t take to being taken advantage of. The CARROT( free golf) has so many encumbrances that is more hassle than worth. Mon & Tues only. Twilight other days. One guest special rate only other than three. But the biggest issue the WALK ON only with no bookings allowed. It is a unfair, unreasonable not an incentive in anyway. It is too bad but receiving that text was freeing. I now have time to do things. Worked there for 4 years and will miss it though.

I phoned to confirm my work cancellation and then immediately checked to see if Jeff was golfing out at Speargrass. Kelly, Jeff and I had a wonderful day with it reaching 26 degrees. This course is in remarkable shape with super fast greens. I haven’t played for 12 days, have a pained back with all of the work I am doing at the lot and my thumb pain is brutal. I took an extra dose of pain killers and it was heaven. I played very well overall today with the front nine  a par on every hole except for one. Nice when things go right. Thumb was hurting but holding the club different helped. I did have two mean slices but still recovered my ball luckily. This men’s league is amazing as you get a great course, cart, range balls, prizes,sleeve of balls, a drink and a fantastic meal for $60. You cant go wrong.

I will ice my thumb tonight and hope to have a good round tomorrow at Turner. That course kills me with it’s tight fairways and unforgiving bush under the trees.

I plan to build the two slider doors on Friday and install the flooring. Getting close !

Thought of the Day 

I enjoy life. I am a happy person.  I am always positive. I think you see that in people and they are fun to be with . I think nothing is more aging than misery and being negative.

August 8th – 10th

Men’s league with 3 great guys today. The course has their senior men’s tournament on today and shaved the greens. They were beyond fast. I worried to much about speed I forgot the line. I had 7 – 3 putts plus 6 lost tee balls. Brutal. Shoot a 83 one day and a 107 the next. My highest score for years and years. I think the drugs sort of dulls your mind. Tough course and lack of talent the cause of the rest. I was getting quite good scoring high 70’s to low 80’s  but every game at TV gets me. I have to learn and have struggled for ever with a slice or extra power fade. I am swinging slower, I have a higher loft club, I have tried every trick but still not enough to pull off a good score at TV.

Loved the day again and had a lot of fun.  I will forget the score. LOL

Jackie came out with me to the lot and we started to work. We painted the bathroom and trim. This picture tells the story. Did she get ANY paint on the walls. I know I was covered with paint. Have I said I hate painting.!!

I built my two sliding doors and Jackie whitewashed them. Must be watching to much HGTV as we have white shiplap, cathedral open white beam and ceiling, white washed doors, wood stained barn door, and square stock wood window and door trim. Starting to look good. We picked up the flooring cheap from Calgary Liquidators but it is glue down product so will have a learning curve here. Color is perfect. It was too cold as per the adhesive label to apply today. August seems like October. LOL

I started to install the lightning fixtures. They look good also.  Old style oil lanterns but with power to them.

I plan to start and finish my floor the same day as I have to rent a 100lb roller. I always thought with flooring adhesive you had to let the glue breathe and tack up but this one says lay fresh. Time will tell.

Talk about cold today. Got up this morning and had to turn on the fireplace as it was freezing in the motorhome. One day hot next day like fall already. Sure not climate warming !

Worked in the Saloon all day fixing up things. Packed up and headed into town.

On the way back, AGAIN, another head on t -bone accident with the potential of another death. I won’t rant as you all know how I feel about this but we have to do something to get these poor poor drivers off the road. TESTS every year for everyone.  To be clear speed does not kill, stupidity does. Excessive speed is a huge factor but more often that not it is carelessness, lack of attention  and skill that is the root cause.

Thought of the Day 

Why do they limit Happy to one hour ? 

New found days off means I have :

Plus when I get back I will :

Make a doctors appointment, make a blood donation appointment, get a new Jeep windshield,  finish the Saloon, and install my artificial turf, sale our dryer , sale my kayak, find a new texturing company for our living-room  ceiling, detail the Jeep, figure out my golf game and numerous other stuff to get done.

August 11th -14th

First the weather. It is odd as it can’t decide to be cool, cold , warm or hot. So we had a mixed bag this trip. We had to have heavy coats, we had to have rain coats, we had to have pants and shorts with all the changes. BUT the best thing is we fished for at least 16 hours or more and never got wet. Rained in the evening and mornings but never when we were out on the lake. And no wind which is very usual for this year.

On the way up I took a direct hit to one of my PIAA lights and the rock went right thru my rock guard and broke my lens.   Very expensive so hopefully I can buy just the external glass coverings.  Gravel trucks !!!  This is with me being always cautious when behind one of these things.

Fred & Terry have completed their lot and it looks fantastic. The lawn is wonderful, new garden area , new washed rock and shrubs etc plus the completion of the gazebo makes it look wonderful. I love the lot sign from Dusty Lumber and just the overall look.

First day we decided to hit Lake Wabamun . This lake used to be one of the most used lakes in Alberta due to it’s proximity to Edmonton. It also was the lake that had Alberta’s largest coal fired generation plant. The water temp should be higher than other lakes but it wasn’t.  The lake was crystal clear and only 64 degrees. No algae, and we had the entire lake (20 kms long) all to ourselves mostly due to the coolness in the air. What a day fishing !! One of the best days ever with us catching 83 fish total. That makes for a fun day with the constant reeling in of fish. Out of the 83 fish only 4 Jackfish which is odd. The Walleye were not huge but could be classified as good sized. They hit hard and fast and are a fun fish to catch. I kept putting bigger and bigger hooks on trying to get the big Pike but they weren’t there or just not biting. I love large Pike.  It is a catch and release lake which is great for the fish stock to recover after years of commercial netting happening.  For a Walleye it takes 10 years to hit 3 pounds and 18 inches.  I like the management of fish as it makes it a lot more fun catching lots of fish than not.  Fun day !

For anyone that isn’t familiar with Walleye notice the spiked dorsal fin. If these get you it cuts your hands like a knife. Also they have additional spikes near their gills. Fred was holding this fish up and I wanted a picture and the fish decided to jump back into the lake. The surprised look on Fred’s face is the fact the fish is getting away and the fear of being sliced on it’s exit. Favorite picture !

Next day a little warmer starting off cool and warmer up substantially in the afternoon. We decided to hit Lac St Anne the second day. First impression of this lake not so good. The lake was covered with algae and in spots blue algae which was bad. The poor people buying lakefront $500K cabins and having to deal with this. The fishing was poor today. Like golf one day great next not so much. We fished for 8 hours and only landed 12 fish. 8 Walleye and 4 Jacks. The fish sizing today was quite a bit larger. Both the Jacks and Walleye were larger. Again today we had the lake to ourselves until about an hour before supper time. What was odd was this lake had the perfect weed beds that we trolled which should have produced large pike and we kept getting nice sized Walleye. Walleye in 10ft of water is odd. Hiding in weeds is a Pike trick not a Walleye trait.  Another fun day !

The boat launch at Wabamun was first class. The boat launch at Lac St Anne was not great. Huge drop-offs and only 10ft wide. I can see a trailer dropping off and breaking an axle or shackle quite easily. I was very tentative backing the boat in as with the drop angle it was hard to see the edges of the ramp in the rear view mirrors.

One night Ralph, Fred and I were sitting in the gazebo with the mosquito netting up. It was around dusk.  Fred had built a bat hotel but we haven’t seen any. Then I see one. I say ” There’s a bat ” Then Ralph screams and ducks ”  The bat is in our room”  Fred goes to the exit and opens the zipper as the bat is going nuts circling inside the room.  Fred asks me to turn on the light. Sure, it is 7ft high and a pull chain with a possible rabid bat flying in circles around my head. I manage to get to the light but in my haste pull off the chain part. The bat leaves. For the next couple of days Fred is laughing at Ralph screaming about the bat and my haste to get the light out. It was funny but you probably had to be there. LOL

Fun trip with great fishing. Fred & Terry are exceptional hosts as i had first class meals, lunches , drinks, games and sleeping accommodations.

I got home and headed to Moore’s and Mark’s. After having to wear suits for years and years working I prefer not to wear one any more anywhere. I bought a new dress shirt fitted and modern fit dress pants that are comfortable, classy and modern looking. Reminds me I better update my Will, NO SUIT !

Thought of the Day 

Make sure you enjoy today as yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come !

August 15th

Beautiful day.  Up early as I had an early tee time at Turner for my men’s league. I golfed with Larry P and Rick today which as usual was a fun time. Larry golfed amazingly today. I had a better performance.  It has been 7 days since I last golfed and golfing once a week doesn’t equate to stellar games. I hit the ball at 75% speed which helped. I ended up only losing one ball off the tee but still with poorer chip shots and putting ended up with a 91. Yet I still felt better about the game considering everything. Larry P will win money again. This is his last game before going into for surgery that will side line him until next year. The weather was perfect.

” MY RANT ” 

Booking a hotel and getting this third party booking company Reservationcounter.com. Absolutely a deceitful company. We had issue with them coming back from the states and again tonight booking our hotel in Edmonton. Anyone would assume as it is right from the hotel’s own webpage you are dealing with the hotel direct. I had two charges on my card as the site had a server error. I phoned the hotel direct and received a rate less than from any site Expedia etc  including these crooks that hijack the entry at the hotels own site. Last time the hotel refunded our money. This time the card had two credits on it and I refused to continue with the reservation counter clerk.  I do not care for companies that deceive, and manipulate the system to their advantage. Be cautious with these guys. Their business plan is the $12.99 service fee for every transaction and are difficult to deal with. 

BUT THAT IS JUST ME 

August 16th- 20th

We went back and forth about bringing the motorhome up and staying in the lot at the wedding venue but we finally decided due to a  couple of reason to bring the Enclave and hotel it. Mom needs help getting ready and we would have a difficult time getting her in and out of the Jeep as it would be pulled behind the motorhome. So factoring that in and the gas versus hotel we decided to take the Enclave and hotel it with Jess & Victoria.

The drive as usual was with a busy highway but it is an easy drive. You can’t use cruise as it is too busy so up and down from 100km to 130kms steady. As usual dumb drivers, old drivers, young guys in lifted 4 x 4’s and the odd cop all caused issues, but I love driivng and it is a fun drive.

The hotel I picked and had the issue with booking ( as above rant) was incredible. The special deal of $105 a night for a 4.5 star hotel Marriott was unbelievable. The rooms fantastic, the pillows and mattresses the best and a great diner in the hotel.  Jackie and I had supper there and it was good but a little on the pricy side with Caesars being $8.50, beer $6.50 and and a steak sandwich for $20. Very good and we didnt feel like getting in our car and going anywhere.

Jessica & Victoria arrived. It was a lot of fun having the girls just with us by themselves. Normally spouses or kids so it was like a throwback to years ago being together having a few drinks and sleeping in the same room. Fun !

We went early to get Mom ready as her wedding outfit was a difficult one to get done up. Today she was amazing. She dressed extremely fast, we actually were ready 1 hr before needed. But at the last moment we got a little behind so we had a quicker drive to the hall.  That was fun also watching Jess behind me swerving in and out to get behind me all of the time.

I am sure if you asked anyone they have looked at their wedding pictures maybe 4 times or less and we all pay thousands for them. The bride and groom requested a unplugged ceremony (new thing) which is too bad as no one has pictures of the them at the alter. The pictures will be shared by a photo sharing webpage but I prefer having my own pictures as  you will only look at the pictures once instead of seeing them over again and having the memories associated with them. Technology is controlling us. LOL

Putting Horse Ranch is a unique and very nice place. It is a fancy larger scale putting course that has horse back riding and a dance hall. A little work on decor with flowers etc it would have been wonderful but still very nice. Kayla and Christian had an excellent outdoor wedding with a great pastor overseeing the wedding. It was lucky for all of the us the weather was very good. Sun was peaking out and no wind.

Darlene with family/friends did an incredible job decorating. The tablecloths, pallets, flowers, lighting and table toppers all were great. Very nice job turning a pole barn shop into a wonderful looking wedding venue.

Unfortunealty the venue does not have washrooms in the hall. They use a porta potty outside the building. Now they were incredible clean, most likely the cleaniest I have seen, but they are still portable potties which are tight and in the dark hard to maneuver in. Especially for Mom with her difficult outfit. If plumbing is an issue they should buy one of those fancy bathroom trailers which are fantastic. Porta-potties just don’t cut it.

The food was exceptional. The caterer had lots and the food was hot. The best thing was the taste as it was first class. Roast beef, with potatoes and Au Jus  were wonderful. Deserts were like homemade pies.

Funny as you get older the music just isn’t right. I prefer the odd polka or waltz but today it is all disco, techno and rap. The kids have fun but the older people don’t get the opportunity to enjoy the music. This would be my only comment. The music was ridiculously loud. You couldn’t talk to people across the table with out shouting which limits the conversations. Weddings are a social party not a rock concert. I am sure most people would have sore throats from yelling and ringing ears from the noise. I know I would have demanded them to reduce the volume as the payee has the right to. Kids do love the loud music though.

It was a wonderful wedding. Great ceremony, wonderful decorations and décor, excellent food, nice venue and everything appeared to go well. Kayla looked wonderful in her dress. The odd older tradition thrown in was nice to see with the bouquet throwing and cake cutting. Some not so traditional with the music and no present opening event. The present opening event gives the bride and groom the opportunity to actually enjoy the guests after a real hectic time leading up to getting to married.  The younger generation does like change.

I enjoyed shouting to some relatives that I haven’t seen for quite a while. My Aunt Ethel who I believe 92 years old is doing awesome. I had a nice talk with her. My older cousin from Boyle was here with her brood which was great see. A very nice gathering.

Stopped by Mom’s in the morning and brought her McDonalds for breakfast as she wasn’t going downstairs for the buffet. Had a very nice visit with her before leaving.

We stopped at Dave’s place to see his new acreage. I am biased towards country leaving as I was raised in the country. A wonderful lot overlooking a pond with lots of bush, a paved road the entire way and a larger home.  When they complete the basement living area I am sure they will enjoy the property. Two things though. Country living is MUCH more expensive and time consuming. You need lawn tractors, chain saws, snow blowers and may other tools not required in the city. To leave an acreage for three weeks on vacation CAN’T be done. Lawn, snow, freezing, etc are all factors. I loved the country and I am sure Dave & Erin will enjoy the peacefulness, and the extra exercise required with all of the additional work.

I think my blood pressure took another drop quitting my job. I found it inconvenient and cumbersome working around that schedule and trying to fit everything else in. Today I had all day to lay the floor without interruptions or timing. Glue down luxury vinyl plank is pretty easy to work with. Scratch and snap and lay down in spread glue. After I was finished I thought to myself. I hope this stands up to the  -40 degrees when we are gone to Arizona. Time will tell. The flooring looks fantastic !!!

I had a call to meet a couple of freinds for breakfast today at the Century Casino. When this place was called Frank Sissons I ate breakfast there EVERY work day for 20 years. The new reno is awesome. The resteraunt looks first class and the food is second to none. Loved it and  Iwill be back. I meet the two original owners  Barry Hanna and Racheal Cundy of REGAL Building Materials along with thier best in the industry General Manager Gary White.  This account was one of my favorites and the largest door customer we had.  These guys became friends over the years and it was very nice to have a long visit with them. Very nice of Racheal to buy us breakfast. The casino also besides having good pricing and huge portions gave us a 25% senior discount. Nice !!  Great way to start the day. Each of them is looking good and doing well.

Home Depot stop and off to work on the finish electrical.  I got some excellent deals on fixtures and installed everything except the one lantern. The nut I picked up was the wrong size. Plus I installed the box too deep so need longer machine screws. $1 worth of parts but a long drive to get them to finish that. Then the power to the box is all that is left and a little touchups

Thought of the Day 

The BEACH- the only place where salt lowers your blood pressure 

August 21st

Looking at my visa statement today. It is unbelievable how much things cost. A wedding weekend in Edmonton with a total cost of $1000.  Gift, hotel, food, drinks, and gas and gone. Things add up so fast.

Wow a HOT day. Second day this year over 30 degrees with us hitting at our park 35 degrees and in my car reading 33 degrees. Luckily there was a nice breeze and later 30 kms winds which really helped.

I golfed at Speargrass today with Jeff & Kelly. I do have to say it was the first day in forever where the heat and the amount of walking wore me down a bit. We were looking for balls on every hole. As a threesome the scores where not good. The greens were freshly punched and the grass was longer than normal. That sounds like a good excuse. LOL

Great fun day golfing, great meal in the shade on the deck and one of the best Caesars I have had in a long time including high end restaurants. I told the waitress how good she makes them. They even had celery. Had to have more than one when they ae that good.

I spent an hour at Rona trying to find lamp parts. I found longer screws that worked but couldn’t find the back nut. I am hoping the cross threading holds it well enough. Time will tell.  Finished off the fixtures and am down to running conduit from my box to the shed and installing a subpanel box.  Getting closer but I am busy Thursday/Friday and the weekend looks like rain.

Jackie and I walked around the park tonight. Super warm, nice and quiet and peaceful. I love this place. We sent an email to our back neighbor if they were ever interesting in selling we would love to buy their lot. That way we would have lots of space to do stuff as the lot would be 52 x 90 then. I joked saying I would build a small western town with the jail being next.

Thought of the Day

I couldn’t figure out if I forgot to dry myself when I got out of the shower or if I was sweating.

August 21st – 25th 

I had to leave a little early as from our lot to Turner Valley is about a hour. All country driving which is nice and relaxing. My partners today were three great guys again. I golfed with Rick, Larry Phillips and Tom. The first game in a long time at TV where I never lost a ball off the tee. Moving up to the blue tees helps as I don’t try to kill the ball to get within striking distance of the green.  If I reduce the 2 eights I took due to various mistakes I would have shot a 83 which is where I like to be. The mistakes are second shot lost balls with a 60 degree wedge skulling it into the bush. Overall  I was happy with my play and played well enough to win $74 with a deuce and a skin. Nice !  Tom scored an 80 and missed a birdie putt on the 18th. Tom is 79 years old. Amazing golfer.TV this year is in amazing shape with great fairways and exceptional greens. I believe I have a handle on the slice again.

I came home and did some clean up and relaxed.  My passive aggressive tendency surfaced today. The park closed their dump and now make everyone haul to the Strathmore waste disposal yard if it isn’t personal household garbage. Sooo I now burn everything . I have some pretty big fires with osb, plywood, cutoffs, cardboard etc. Can’t cook a hotdog on it but gets rid of everything. Jackie was the social queen today visiting multiple neighbors for hours and even consuming beer. She enjoyed her visits.  On our evening walk around the park we even had a gentleman hit on Jackie commenting on her beautiful hair. I just smiled to myself as the guy and her then adding another older guy join in the conversation.

Up and out to Rona for more electrical parts. I picked up everything except the Alibaster lamp shade for the bathroom. I bought a 12/3 electrical extension cord 25ft long and conduit plus the misc needed stuff.  Jackie and I struggled with the cord as it was short. I had to be creative and we crawled under the deck to make it work. I didn’t measure but I am sure it wasn’t 25ft long. My deck is only 16ft plus 4ft to the shed I should have had lots. It was all metric and I didn’t do the calculation. I installed a larger box in the shed, drilled a hole for the LB fitting and ran the conduit under the deck. I hate working with short wires but had no choice this time. Also braided to solid wiring isn’t that easy but we got it done using pigtails. At the deck I had to move my GFI box to make the shorter wiring work. Lots of wiring to jamb into the boxes with the pigtails and 4 wires running into the box. I installed the GFI so power in and protection after for the outdoor kitchen and the shed.  Last wire to cut and slice to remove the sheathing I slip and slice a deep vertical cut over my finger knuckle.  Darn ! I sucked on it for a long time to stop the bleeding as with taking aspirin everyday my blood is very thin. Jackie bandaged it all up but too quickly. Blood clotted and formed a large bubble under the skin right at the cut.

Test time. Turned the power on and did a test. Using my tester all of the receptacles checked out. Everyone needs this tool. It gives you ground open, reverse polarity ,open neutral, so it basically tells you if messed up. All good. Then I discover an issue. My lights will not shut off. I discover that I have actually made a two way switch connection which is not what I want. I pull apart the wires in the switch box. As I used shorter pieces of wire to save money in this box I had three wires running into it. I need a circuit to continue to pass for the plugs but another circuit to be broken for the lights. I couldn’t tell which was which so it was a matter of deduction. First attempt it worked like a charm. Got lucky as I had fears of hours trying to decipher which wire was running where. Finished all up and Jackie and cleaned up. Just a couple of glue marks to remove from the flooring and DONE. I basically built a tiny house and man did it take a long time. DONE ! I will take picture when we load the furniture. Done !

Early morning again as we were golfing with Jeff & Wendy in Drumheller. Jackie and I picked them up, stopped at Tim’s and on the road.  It is a nice drive to Drumheller. Inside joke here as I took a much better direct route this year. It was cloudy out and cooler when we arrived but heated up quickly. This is a wonderful golf course. The first nine is a traditional tree lined country course. The back nine is a one of a kind and needs to get more attention from the media as you don’t find courses like this anywhere. The back nine is hoodoo to hoodoo and is very difficult but loads of fun.

Wendy has improved her golf game dramatically. Her drives are long and accurate and the second and chips shots are a way better. A little better putter control and her scores will come down fast. Jeff didn’t have his usual drives or iron work but that is golf. Considering the course he still did quite well. Jackie struggled today with her sore thumbs and wrists but had some wonderful shots. Pain is something I had to deal with for the entire game. My sliced finger knuckle was double it’s size as blood had accumulated under the skin. Good that it was on my gloved hand. I beleive the pain was most likely more than childbirth. Knuckle vertical cuts as they are moved every time you move your finger take a long time to heal.  I played overall very well. Irons were great and only one slice. I was pleased with my game.  One birdie and a fair number of pars were nice.

Then off to Rosebud. What a wonderful little town. Neat museums, stores and shops. We walked around a bit as we arrived about an hour early.  I loved the museum as it had some great displays and the history told in pictures and artifacts were awesome. Wendy found a great place for us to have a couple of drinks before being allowed in to the dining room. She did good. Our waitress was funny as we had fun with our drinks. She hadn’t heard of a Paralyzer or Colorado Bulldog and finding a drink that she knew, could make ,and Jackie liked wasn’t easy. I think Jackie ended up with gin and cranberry juice.

The food as usual was EXCEPTIONAL . The buffet had everything you would want except for mashed potatoes. Roast beef with gravy needs mashed potatoes.  I ate too much as I think everyone did. Even the desert buffet was amazing.  Our waitress in the dining room was also a fun person to converse with. Her last name on her name tag was an odd one. ” I am under 18 ” She had to get a mature lady to take our drink order. LOL  My buffet experience started off wrong as I started with TOO MUCH salad which set the tone. Jeff & Wendy paid for our drinks which was very generous of them.

Off to the theatre which is right across the street. This play “The Kite” was wonderful. It was very well written and the actors were amazing. Always nice to experience a good play as we have had one bad one. This one was funny with great one liners and acting. It is worth the drive, the money and time to go see.

It was funny as during our meal we discussed potatoes as the buffet didn’t offer mashed which is a mistake as roast beef with gravy always should have mashed. During the play our identical verbiage on the subject was used. We all thought it ironic and funny. But I did miss my mashed. That’s too buffet meal in a row were someone screwed up.

One fun day with friends, golf, travel, food and entertainment. Live is Good !

Thought of the Day 

My formula for leading a good life is simple.  I get up in the morning, I go to bed at night and I fill the rest of the day with what ever I need or want to do. 

August 26 – 28th

The weather while cool at 19 to 25 degrees has been nice. I love summer and only about 20 some on days before fall. Even frost warnings for our northern Alberta friends.

Jackie spent all day working at Audrey’s packing up and organizing in a pre pre getting ready to move scenario. It is amazing how much stuff one can accumulate. Moving is always a great way to cull yourself. In most cases the easiest way is to throw away any stuff before loading if you can and then as you put stuff away discard rather than store in boxes. I have always found it interesting how people attach sentimental value what a lot of others would consider junk. When we sold our home to move into a condo getting rid of stuff was quite freeing. 5 truckloads of furniture, clothes etc to the church plus what we gave away to the girls. The extra clothes alone are amazing. Quitting work removes suits, ties, dress pants etc. From Value Village there are a lot of people wearing JELD-WEN shirts. Some were given still in the package.  Luckily, there are months for them to cull and get a little organized.

I washed the Jeep and cleaned the inside a bit but still much more to do. Didn’t have time for the tire shine or dash cleaning . Soon.

Jackie finished up with her touch ups so the Saloon/Bunk house is Done. Later in the evening Jackie and I worked building a sofa bed to use. Not 1000 Allen bolts which was nice but still took a long time to assemble.Different chairs and the Saloon is looking great. It was very warm working in the building. Toilet fits perfect and just waiting for sink to arrive.

DONE 

Just a few décor items and pictures to install. I have a couple western coat hooks and a pistol to install.

I worked for 6 hours on the motorhome. First to pressure wash it all. I used Dawn soap. Then using a brush on it all connected to the garden hose. Apply wax with a cloth and then polish it with both a cloth and electric polisher. I can honestly say ” This motorhome is HUGE”  It is looking very shiny though which is what I like. I  installed the tire covers and window sun shades which make it look good and are great protectors. It is very very tiring on the arm. Hurts in fact but I like the results. Slowly now getting things done. Love it.

Golfed with Jeff at Men’s night at Speargrass. Great course with a perfect men’s day. Tonight’s meal was incredible. Two larger pieces of veal cutlet, two scoops of mashed potatoes, and veggies. Don’t forget the gravy. Yes mashed potatoes !! One of my all time favorite meals and was cooked to perfection. To have this included is amazing.  When travelling on the road eating at a restaurant I always had a few favs. Breaded veal cutlets with mashed, hot hamburger, hot turkey, mash and sausage . We had our favorite Caesar maker again toady and she did not let us down. I like the traditional way with celery also.  The golf was good and bad. I had some great shots shooting mid 80’s which I don’t like but as always a lot of fun. Jeff had a bad front but an excellent back nine. Birdie putt at 20 ft and par putt at 20 ft to finish off his round. It is great course and I look forward to it each week. I want a below 80 score there again  very soon.

Thought of the Day 

I am lost for words except for this one odd thing. For all you workers out there. Remember if you are feeling overwhelmed, remember you are going to die. That should make you feel better.

August 29th 30th

An early start for my men’s league. Wonderful warm day and a great group again to golf with. First hole birdie, then a boogie and then 6 straight pars then bad a shot. On hole 8 I took an 8. Finished with 42 on the front nine with a 8 and a 6 . I hate that. Had too many errors on the back nine but does build confidence that I scan core low on this course given a little luck and caution. Playing from the blues instead of the back silver boxes helps as I am not trying to hit it that hard to get that extra distance. I didn’t lose one ball off the tee with my driver. I liked that. Next time. First time in years I didn’t have the soup and sandwich after. A sandwich ( only choice) should never contain the word salad. Just not right. The two soup chooses weren’t my favorite either. I thought I had a chance for money today but I got blocked out of the hole. That is the luck of a snip. A fun day ! Again !

I rushed home to take Jackson to his hockey practice. He is a good little player. Fast, good backward skating and great stopping skills. All he is missing to be wonderful or near the top of the group is desire or aggressiveness. Lots of fun to watch. But, arriving at the rink in sandals and shorts after golfing you soon discover it is COLD inside a hockey rink. Lesson learned.

Picking up food and Halloween treats for the celebration tomorrow. Looking after Jackson and taking him to his rink again today. I will bring a warmer coat and perhaps socks. LOL

Funny joke after the Greenland Trump talks  >   Trump to Trudeau ” I will give you 10 million for Alberta ” Trudeau > ” Where is Alberta ? ”

Whipped to Wholesale Club to pick up our Halloween Candy for the big event this weekend. We stopped at Party Central for a costume for Jackson. I do have to say I have never see a young kid take so long and change his mind so often over a costume.  He is very thorough looking at each and even trying on a few different kinds. My whole life I have made quick decisions. Some of them may not have been the right one but rarely did I ever regret my direction. Menu’s, clothes, purchases of anything, vehicles, homes etc I make a decision quick and I am happy. In 98% of the time it has worked out. I like fast decision makers. Any thing slow, decisions, drivers, movies, books, people in general etc get to me and I have to relax ,relax and wait. It is a funny quirk I have.

“Memories”

• I remember when we moved to Calgary. I phoned up this agent from a street bench and told her ” Find me 10 houses in this price range for this weekend to view and we will buy one”  We bought the 9th one we looked at and loved it. It also was a great deal. 
• I needed a new car after having my pride and joy 1969 Nova SS totaled by a drunk driver coming thru a stop sign. I passed by this car lot and saw a 1967 Camaro RS/SSI liked. Bought and drove it home and it become my favorite car ever.
  
• It was a few years later and married  I was driving down White Ave and I saw a black Corvette at Don Wheaton’s Chev/Olds. Without letting Jackie know I bought it and picked her up from work that night in it.     ” Nice car Larry ,was her only comment” That is why I married her. LOL 

Tonight’s hockey practice was a totally different Jackson. He was focused, he was aggressive at going after the puck and pushing his way over the control of the puck. One young guy #16 about the same size and Jackson had a continuous battle over the puck which was a lot of fun to watch. He has the size and the skill to be great but usually lacks the will. Not tonight. He was dead tired after practise. He actually closed his eyes on the way to get supper and out to the lot. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Rainbows in the sky and the odd rain drop. Arriving the grey water vent pipe smelled. Funny how grey water ( sink, bath water) that is left stagnant for just a few days can smell so bad. I emptied the tank, closed the knife and dumped a bit if Dawn soap in and ran it for while. All fixed.

Jackson loves the “Saloon” and spent a long time in it with Grammy playing on his IPAD. It is cozy.

Thought of the Day 

You stink so bad you make Right Guard turn left, Speed stick slow down,Secret obvious, and Sure confused.

August 31st

Had a lot of fun with Jackson staying the night out at the lot.  He slept in until around 9am when we had a call from Jessica and kids.

We met Jessica along with August & Atticus half way which turned out to be Champion. We have early Halloween out at our RV resort and it is a big deal. The amount of money spent on decorations is amazing. The amount of kids that turn up with parents, freinds and grandparents is huge. We had to have at least 150 kids again this year. We borrowed some decorations from Tor & Cor and added a few ourselves. Each year i will add and we can share with them due to the different times needed. I played wonderful scary Halloween music, had a floating skeleton, a huge bat and tombstone and bones and skull from a dead guy. For our second year I was pleased with it. It will get better.

I had a blast handing out the candy while Tor, Cor, Jackson, Atti, Auggie and Jackie headed out. One little girl dressed up came up for her candy and said ” Why are you playing that scary music instead of Princess music ”  She was dressed as a fairy princess. Cute !

The kids made a HUGE haul of candy. Enough to keep them going until the real Halloween. What is nice is the warmth so the kids can dress with their costumes and not need jackets. But this year after 1 /12hrs of trick and treating the rain came putting a stop to our fun. I hate rain. It was a fun event, the kids had a blast and I had a blast.

A good friend in Saskatoon is celebrating his birthday today. I knew he was turning 72 from living next door to him for 12 years in Mesa. As usual I sent out a message congratulating him on his 79th birthday to his golfing friends that in a lot of cases don’t know his real age. Naturally he would deny and I have to deny his deny. Live is fun !!

The question of how old is Bob really, is now burned into a few friends minds. I do have one question for the general public though. Would you believe a 79 or a 72 year old needs to wear a vest year round. LOL

Live is fun !!

“Memories”

I had a sale rep Melissa Welsh working for me for quite a few years. One year when she was about 27 years old I congratulated her on her 30th birthday. No denial worked. The other reps were sure she was turning 30.  Loved it !!

My phone went dead so I will load some Halloween pictures tomorrow.

Rain is continuing to come down and sounds wonderful on the motorhome roof. BUT I hate rain so hopefully for our family carnival it is good weather tomorrow. I feel for all of the tenters out there on the long weekend.