THANKSGIVING

If you have been wondering why I haven't updated my blog for two weeks, I will explain.  Alan and I have been away on a holiday. We started out by spending a week in Calgary staying with his two teen age grandchildren while their parents were away.  Alan is an ardent fan of the Blue Jays so we spent many hours in front of the TV keeping up with them.  It was the first time in 22 years that Canada's only MLB team has made the playoffs.  Today we'll find out if they continue to play or if they lose the third game in the best of five to the Texas Rangers.

Blue Jays fans!

One afternoon we took in a matinee of the movie "The Intern". (Thanks Nancy, for that gift, along with the pop and popcorn.)  We both really enjoyed it, so age appropriate as it tells the story of a 70 years old widower who was recently retired.  He found that he still needed something to do and applied to be an intern, new positions just created at an online clothing company. I won't reveal any more, just go to the movie! 

On Tuesday we drove out from Calgary to Canmore.  What a beautiful drive with the fall leaves against the snow capped mountains!  It was a somewhat cloudy day so the colours on the pictures don't do justice to the view.                  

   

It was great to connect with Dorothy (Hamblin) Youngberg and to meet her husband Brian.  Dorothy and I spent two years at the Whipple's home in Shaunavon where I taught grade one and she had grade three.  After two years we both went to the U of S and roomed together there at the Pierce home on 10th St. E.  Then we went our separate ways and hadn't seen each other since 1988.  A visit was long overdue!  Brian is retired from Parks Canada and has a very interesting hobby of wood carving.  Here's a picture of his work on moose horns.

Canmore is surrounded by mountains so the view from their south facing windows is spectacular, as is the view from their front yard.

We had driven about 25 miles back to Calgary when my cell phone rang.  I had left my purse at Dorothy and Brian's!  We headed back and got another chance to view the beautiful mountain scenery! We arrived back in Calgary in time for rush hour but all went well as long as Alan was at the wheel.  City driving is not for me!

On Wednesday morning we headed for Edmonton with a lunch stop in Lacombe to visit nieces Mareena and Mandy, who live right across from each other on Johnson Ave.  We enjoyed homemake soup and buns, a tour of their well kept yards and a walk on the path around a lake before continuing on to have supper with nephew Kris, Stacy, Sam and Ava.  Kris works for Canada Post and Stacy is a teacher so it was great that they made time for our visit in their busy schedules.  Ardis gave up her bedroom for us and spent the two nights at Kris'.

Alan had booked tickets for three of us at Mayfair dinner theatre when we knew we were going to be in Edmonton.  Ardis did the driving that Thursday evening.  We all really enjoyed the show, "Dark Star", the life and times of Roy Orbison.  Roman Pfob, the fellow who played the part of Roy, did a super job of singing and the buffet meal was excellent.  Roy's life was not an easy one.  He lost his wife Claudette in a motorcycle accident and then two sons, aged six and ten years, in a house fire.  He died at the age of 52 from a heart attack.  His music lives on, especially the song he wrote for his wife that was a hit by the Everly Brothers.  It was an evening to remember.

We left for Saskatoon on Friday morning and listened to the Blue Jays' game most of the way.  We got to watch the end of the 14th inning when we arrived at cousins Melodie and Lloyds. It didn't end the way we were hoping!  We enjoyed supper with them and a visit with their daughter and her husband, who had just returned on Tuesday from their honeymoon in Spain!  So there were two sets of newlyweds in the house as this week we will celebrate our eight months anniversary!  I enjoyed seeing Melodie's many quilting projects and Alan had a tour of some of Lloyds' classic cars.

Saturday saw us homeward bound with a stop at Milestone rink where we enjoyed lunch served at their annual Craft Sale! (Laurel was on kitchen duty until one o'clock.) I was glad to find Gail Blaney and her table of fresh vegetables, homemade salsa and handwork.  Gail and I met when we were involved in ELW Weyburn Conference events.  She and Bryan are now retired and live in Wolsley.  She is facing hip replacement within the next month or so.  Alan could sympathize as he went through that three years ago.

We stopped in Weyburn for groceries, then in Torquay for a boxful of mail and soon we were HOME.  We didn't even mind the awful highway south of town.  It wasn't nearly as busy as the road between Calgary and Edmonton!!  

It was good to be back with our church family at Trinity this morning.  Pastor Danny is away this week so Phil led the service and shared a very good message from a pastor on the internet.  It was good to touch base over our coffee fellowship.  We were sorry to learn that our friend Bob Hurren is now in hospital in Regina suffering with liver failure.  He and Howard were friends from Luther League days and sang duets together. I'll always think of them when I hear "There is a Balm in Gilead". Howard and I also sang quartets with Bob and Phyllis.  Our families spent a lot of time together - Sunday afternoon picnics at Oungre or the old Mainprize Park were favourites.  Please keep Bob and family in your prayers.

Tomorrow we look forward to a visit from Kirk, Shauna, Carter, Lindsay and Jamie so we will have our Thanksgiving dinner with them. We have so much for which to be thankful.  In fact I am planning to do a Thanksgiving letter as my yearly letter.  Hopefully it will be out in time for American Thanksgiving the end of November.  Now that I have that in print, I am committed!  

I will close with a picture of Nora in her new outfit from "Grandma" Gunn.  Nora's grandmas are far away in Canada so I am so thankful for Gunn who can fill in for us.  Nora stays with her on her "vacations" and is blessed with beautiful knit garments from this special lady.  Mange takk, Gunn!