Why Not Build a Fence?

 Because it is a LOT OF WORK!!

We returned home from the infamous fishing trip and knew we had to get going with this project!

As much as I spent days and days and days painting the fence boards, it was nothing compared to Don and several assistants building the fence. Paul came and assisted with some strategic areas and measuring, Cory (the neighbor that shares the fence) added his muscle help, and we invited Blake out to try his hand at the air nailer, hauling wood, etc.  It was so great to have him with us in so many ways. First he is not a little boy anymore, he is the size of a man, and did a man's work every day he was here. That being said, he eats a lot too. haha He carried the old fence out, carried in new boards, nailed, painted, and was an extreme help to Don throughout the whole process. And it was also great to have him around for some one on one time.

The fence was completed on July 10 and then it was time to go.. you guessed it CAMPING!

This time we headed to Cross Lake, an old favorite, with the Camerons in their trailer and Lindsay and the boys trying tenting!

We were so happy we had this time with family, considering what a year we have had in many unique ways through the pandemic. We missed Jeremy, but he had an great biking adventure!

The exterior house and garage painting was started this month also. It was almost all done, but we left to visit Jim and Janice at their farm for the August Long weekend, so the final touches and walk through will be done the first week of August, so I will save that surprise reveal for them. 

A Camping We Will Go - and Maybe Catch a Fish?!

 June was an ideal month - it started with camping and ended with camping and who can ask for more?

We headed out to Abraham Lake for a few days, and decided to hike a few times instead of just laying around. LOL

The whole area is so beautiful, there were not many campers, and it was a great way to extend our anniversary celabrations!

On the ongoing saga of house renovations and repairs, we finished painting the east side fence. AND bought the fence panels for a whole new fence on the west side, and started the painting of those! But first a picture of the completed sidewalk repair from last month. Then combined with the freshly painted fence, things are looking up.

June seemed to go by faster than normal, but all the painting may be the reason for that. I am sure our neighbours are wondering what we are doing, we aren't much for outside work. LOL

Finally we moved on to bigger and better things and made a 10 day reservation at Calling Lake. June and Walleye fishing go hand in hand at Calling, and we were glad the park re-opened for camping.

Our friends Bruce and Keri joined us for the first 5 days. We were all excited to try our hand at fishing. We had the greatest time. The drinks were cold, the fish were biting like we had never seen, and the weather was on it's best behaviour! You couldn't wipe the smile off Bruce's face.

I finally perfected cooking the fish, but when you have 4 to clean and eat per day, it was bound to happen!

On Saturday Jim and Janice pulled in. Last year we joined them camping at Abraham Lake. We had not camped together since our St. Paul days in the 90's, although we have stayed in touch visiting and watching grandsons play hockey. So we made a pact that Jim would take time off every summer and we would meet somewhere.

Oh what a great time we had again! Don't take good friends for granted!!

Through this visit, Tracy and the kids drove up to see us for a day. The kids were excited to get out on the water and see if there were any fish left to catch. There is no way to describe this fishing expedition! Literally the hooks went out and the fish were there. Don and Tracy could barely keep up with the net, baiting, getting the fish off, etc. I am not joking - it was actually exhausitng. Suffice to say this trip saw everyone's fish stories and dreams come true!

May - In Like a Lamb?

Well May is certainly a blessing with the great weather and the fact that we can focus our efforts on the outside and our yard. Seeing the green come alive is so refreshing.

We are getting used to COVID regulations,and are lucky that restrictions have lifted somewhat so we can enjoy more things.

May was full of flurry and fun.

First off Blake's 13th Birthday!! How did that happen so fast? We were still in a distancing phase, so his celebration was a drive by party, no hugging etc. But we sat in lawn chairs in  the gargae and joined in a take out meal. I made a hugging suit out of recycle bags and gave away hugs to the kids. That was the first time since we left in February and boy did thse hugs feel good!

Next came Mother's Day. The Stecyks came by first, then the Camerons. It was a great day, and I enjoyed using my new patio umbrella. The chairs that Don had started were done, and mine is painted and in use. I just love it! The black one is for Lindsay and the yellow one is mine:)

May long weekend found us at the Stecyk cabin, enjoying the quads, fresh air, etc. Boy was it nice to be in the trailer again!

We also picked this year to get the sidewalk on the side of the house mudjacked. This time a local company, Stryder Construction, came through with flying colors. We are so pleased with the results, but find as we walk around the yard we have learned to anticipate the uneven spots, and take some funny steps that are no longer necessary.  Don't worry - this is the before photo.

Somewhere in all of this we painted the garage trim and installed a new window in the garage. This is all in preparation for getting the house painted. That comes hopefully next month. We have selected Student Works Painting. It was beyond frustrating trying to find a local company. Only one even returned my call, and their prices were very high.

In our family May starts with Blake's birthday and ends with Lindsay's. We visited with her but left the big celebrating up to her friends, who organized a bike tour around to their houses, with drinks and food at each one. A great distancing birthday idea.

The last installment of May is our Anniversary! This year marks 40 years. WOW  We had a great party planned, a hall booked, the menu made etc., but of course COVID...

What we did have that was so special and fantastic and full of love was a family day with all of our kids. The girls and guys went to extra lengths to make this a special day to remember. We are so lucky to have these great children, who make every occasion special. Thank you so much... And our gift was a booking for family photos - what better way to commemorate our 40th year!

And lucky you - I won't show off my baking and cooking from this month. LOL

So here are 

Pandemic Mode

I don't have to tell anyone about this, we are all living it and trying to cope as best as we can.

Our daughters are to be commended for how hard they are working at home schooling. We're so proud of you and your families for embracing this like you have.

Who knows how long everything will go on for. We know the kids are missing school, friends and sports. And we are missing all of you!

We have visited both families a bit this month, careful to avoid contact but wishing for it as well.

I have also been on a baking and cooking spree. I love to both cook and bake but I have never been that creative. This month we have perfected homemade buns and bread, hot cross bun and added Sushi to our repitoire. And yes I will bore you with photos!

It has been great to use video meetings, messenger video and everything else you can think of to visit famy amd friends.

My new Co-op position has been quite busy with virtual meetings, orientations and trainings.

At the end of the month we took a much needed trip out of town to Jasper. The drive was refreshing and beautiful!

This is April and this is life during a pandemic. Be safe to all.

WTH

Well things can change fast can't they? I referred to COVID in my last post. We've been doing a lot of reading amd talking wlth the kids, and thinkng about heading home. Then on Friday and of course the 13th, our insurance company sent out a notice if you are outside of Canada after March 19 and get sick from the Corona Virus, your insurance won't cover you.

As worried as we are about the virus our hearts are heavy with our decision to return home. We will have to isolate in our house when we return as well.

So we are stocking up as much as we can on groceries fresh and frozen amd heading home. Thank goodness we are so self contained that we will not have to have contact with anyone on the trip back.

I'll keep you updated.

Take care everyone.

March - in like a lamb? Or out like a lion?

So I made it to Saskatoon and back:)

And I have some very exciting news. I think I shared that I was letting my name stand for District 2 Director on the Federated Co-operatives Board? Well - I WON! IN anticipation of doing so I had booked an extra night in Saskatoon, and a flight a day later than usual. I didn't want to say too much because I was nervous and not too confident on the direction the vote would go. Sorry to my male readers, but I do believe that women are just getting going on this Board, and in my District the outgoing gentlemen was well liked. Anyway, it's over, and I have a 3 year term!

So here we are in March, what now?

On Wednesday we went to the city, stocked up, and planned our next destination. You know Telephone Cove is a favorite, so that's we headed to. This area is for relaxing, some fine dining in our terms, and relaxing by the water; all of which we are quite accomplished at.

Every year we meet awesome travelers, some full time RVers, others like us. This year's group was VERY cool, and we shared a ton of laughs, beverages and campfires. I am always somewhat awed at women who travel alone, and we met 2 ladies that live in their vans. You need to know that rarely are these folks sad, whiny or even poor. They typically have worked hard their entire lives, have families across America and choose to live this simple lifestyle. LOVE IT!

Our next destination? Yuma.

Pat and Walter and Ivan are there. We know that there will again be lots of food, laughter and beverages. And hopefully still lots of sun. Yuma is having a wetter winter than normal, but compared to ice and snow still better.

I will say we are starting to carefully track what is being called the Corona virus, as I am sure many are. After our Yuma visit we plan on going to Phoenix to hang with Ken and Brenda, Ron and Bev, and Carol and Richard.

So what has Yuma involved? Quiet evenings with Ivan, lots of visits and cards with Pat and Walter, and Don and Ivan snuck in a couple campfires.

Our boondocking site is so close to Yuma, I love it. You know I love a good city or town as much as I love boondocking, so this is the perfect location.

The bottom 2 photos are "the wall". Yes the wall between the US and Mexico. It was quite dusky out so the photos aren't the best, but it was chilling to see in person.

As often happens on our travels we have met some new friends, this time through Ivan. Ernie and Deb are fellow Saskatchewan folks from a long way back, and currently full timers. A short evening visit turned into a late night of music and 2 Ukrainian gals having a dance party!!

Well I have a better offer on the table right now than writing - a cold beer, so I will talk to you soon.

Part 2 February

So we did depart on February 19 after my eye appointment. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I was told they would be doing a more intensive test and I was still expecting another needle. I was beyond thankful to learn that my eye is 100% healed!! It may remain more sensitive to bright lights and perhaps not great in darker areas,  but that is not too new for me. So yay, let's hope no needles go there again.

We had the trailer packed and hooked to the truck so we headed home and were off.

We overnighted at Walmart in Helena, and other than the temperatures,  all was fine.

Our last night on the road was in St George. We had a little mishap on the way down amd broke the toilet.  We know the St George area well so we were confident we would find a place to purchase a new one, as well as overnight too. 

Our destination was Government Wash just outside of Vegas. Typically we stay at Laughlin because I fly to Saskatoon for Co-op work, but this year we thought we would try something different and closer to Vegas.

It was a great choice. Although there were lots of people it was not crowded, the views were still great, and we had easy access to city or countryside.

As you can see we also found a short hike to get us back into the swing of things. The Lake Mead Bluff Ttail is a nice 4 km walk through some gorgeous areas. 

The fun can't last forever so soon it was time for me to leave for Saskatoon. This year I was gone from Friday to Tuesday. 

Don kept himself busy with a few hikes, and cleaning the trailer:)

And I guess this will be continued again...