Did you see that?

It's been a while since I've blogged. I've been busy. I know...I know

Excuses excuses. But it's true. 

I've always loved the water so I took lessons and began kayaking.  

Me with friends, Kathy and Sue.

 

We decided to move. Well, we made that decision a while ago. 

Looking for a new home meant a lot of road trips and a ton of picnic lunches.

This little gem was a perfect spot.

It took a lot of searching but found a lot we love. We listed and sold our home. Great job, Pat. 

Now, twenty years of love is getting packed into boxes.  

Apparently, having a new home built is hard work

I hadn't been in a canoe in more years than I can think about. 

The wind made kayaking a bit challenging so I jumped at the opportunity to go out with this group. 

Hubby and I were in St. Mary's for the taping of the Canadian series Murdock Mysteries.
I thought they might use Molly as an extra, but they didn't ask. Silly producer.

"Quiet on the set!"

We hadn't been to the horse races in a while. 

So hubby and I had a date night with friends at Georgian Downs

My sister gave me two tickets to a Blue Jays Game.

I wasn't about to pass up on a girls day out.  Besides, it was my first live game of the season. 

We must have brought them some luck

The Jays won and the crowd went wild. 

A little piece of Canadian history. 

Gander Newfoundland opened their community to airline passengers during 911.

It's the Canadian thing to do. 

If you haven't been, get tickets. "Come From Away" is fantastic. 

You will laugh and you may shed a tear or two.

 I read that Terry O'Reilly, a renowned marketing expert was speaking locally. I've always wanted to hear him, so we got tickets. A small venue, we got fantastic seats. What a speaker. His passion comes through in his tone. 

His wife, my good friend Debbie keeps him organized. You know what they say. Behind every successful man...

I've recently taken up Stand-Up-Paddling. But I haven't got a picture of that. 

I haven't fallen in, touch wood, but my camera doesn't come on the water with me, just in case. 

No wonder I haven't finished packing yet.  There aren't enough hours in the day. Time is ticking on. 

  

Retiring my Coaching Hat

If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’ll know I’m a curler and I’m a coach. Ten years ago, I offered to help a friend with our local league. Seven years ago I stepped up and began administering the league.  There is no way I would have done it without the help of my friends, Kathy and Willie offering to help on the ice. 

I email parents with an upcoming event and track who wants to take part. There are weeks it takes multiple emails, reminding parents I need a firm answer or a form signed and returned to me. I communicate with coaches with other clubs and of course, I communicate with our board of directors. Never a dull moment. 

My gosh time goes quickly. 

Carrie was in a serious car accident and had to step away from coaching.  Cindy and Steve’s daughter’s both decided to try other sports so I lost two coaches.

Mike, Mark, and Don offered to help when their boys decided to give curling a try. I will never turn down a coach. 

Every autumn the kids enter the lounge after the summer and we say ‘Wow, have you ever grown.’ I have watched 8-year-olds grow to graduate elementary school, get their licenses and graduate high school. What an absolute honour to see these kids mature into responsible adults. 

When I began, our membership numbers dwindled as the season progressed. This season began with twenty-two kids and the season ended with twenty-six young curlers. Not a single curler got bored and left. That is a huge compliment to my coaching team.

 .      

But, like all good things, the time has come to hang up my coaching hat. So, this autumn I announced it would be my last year. My sidekicks, Kathy and Willie have also announced they will be taking a step back. They will coach, but not every Sunday. 

  Thankfully, one Mom has offered to step up and take my place. One father has offered to step in as the main on-ice coach. I will miss working with all of you, no question, but our league will be in great shape. 

So a big thank-you to the coaches, parents, and the kids. You made the winter months zoom by over the past ten years. I’ve enjoyed spending most Sundays, a great deal of Saturdays with you. 

2018

The New Year has arrived.  We make resolutions, but this year, I truly hope that change is in our future. 

So many issues and challenges have surfaced, we can’t even count them. 2017 certainly brought a few to the forefront. 

Women’s issues. My word it’s 2018, not 1918. The time has come that all females should be treated as equals. Thirteen women run countries, according to an online search. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany is just one. 

Our Canadian Prime Minister made a cabinet with equal numbers of men and women. Not because he had to, but because he had qualified females to fill the role. Chrystia Freeland in Foreign affairs is a force on the world stage. She would have my vote for prime minister.

It’s time to introduce respect for men, women, children, animals, ethnic beliefs, and our environment. We are born with brains. Let’s use them. Treat others the way you want to be treated. We have different opinions. We won’t always agree, and that’s okay. Respect the difference.

So my News Year’s hope is that people gain patience and understanding. That men and women stop abusing their power and treat subordinates with respect. That people realize that money and greed will not buy happiness. I’m reminded of the F. Scott Fitzgerald movie ‘The Great Gadsby’. 

People flocked to his parties, but not to his funeral. I want to be remembered as a good, caring person when my time comes to an end. Do you?

HoHoHo

It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. 

I have a lot to be thankful for.

A big thanks to my osteopaths, Pam and Cory, and to my physiotherapist, Tony. I’ve been taking treatment since March but we’re making great progress.  Someday, I’ll write about that. 

To our friends and family who have been there to support us through these past few years. I love you all. 

Wishing all my friends, near and far a fantastic holiday season. 

If you’re fortunate enough to be surrounded by loved ones, cherish them. 

From my family to your family, Merry Christmas.

Beer, Burgers, and Horse Thieves

If you missed last month’s blog, we investigated the hoodoos. Scroll down a bit for that exploring adventure. 

Hubby likes westerns and war movies. So, given the fact our bellies were having a good discussion with us, we turned and headed across a dirt road with gorgeous, some rickety, one-lane bridges toward the town where you could surely find John Wayne and ‘The Last Chance Saloon’. 

We arrived at the restaurant where time has chosen to stand still, with style. It’s a perfect location for a movie shoot. A couple walked out as we approached the door.  

They raved about the food. So, in we went. Canadian hospitality at it’s best, we were greeted with smiles as we entered. The walls are covered in history and memorabilia. We couldn’t help but stop and gaze around.    

We headed to the patio out back to enjoy the perfect Canadian summer.

My travelling companions were served beer in mason jars. We ordered moose burgers and took some fun pictures while we waited for our meal. 

     

The burgers, fries, and onion rings arrived and we licked our fingers clean. I wobbled out, my stomach bursting, filled to capacity. 

If I were to go back, I’d spend a night at the adjoining hotel. Looking at the pictures online, The Rosedeer Hotel is quaint and the prices are reasonable. 

We drove back that same road and then turned toward the North Dinosaur Trails on route to the 'Horse Thief’ canyon.    

  

What a name. Of course there’s a story behind that.  According to the legend, horses and cattle were smuggled in the canyon on route to Montana. Supposedly the animals were hidden in ravines created by the ice age floods within the canyon. The canyon turned out to be a reputed way station for the smugglers. 

Fact or fiction? Who knows, but this land would offer a wonderful location for a game of hide and seek.

Wow. Simply wow. Words do not do this area justice. The dark ribbon of coal that curves around the eroded canyon. Spectacular. Having arrived late June, in a dry spell, we would have hiked down the sandstone if we’d had more time.  We didn’t so we stood and simply gazed in awe. 

HooDoo

In last month's blog, we travelled from Canmore to Drumheller and visited the museum. 

  

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is so beautiful, we headed back the following morning. After parking the car we headed up the wooden staircase. Step after step after step we climbed. Okay, I admit. I'm not in fantastic shape but my good old heart and my muscles got a bit of a workout with that climb. Huffing and puffing, I wasn't blowing anything down when I reached the top.  But it was so worth the effort.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          I would describe Drumheller as an old pit that has been dug out and left, forgotten. An accurate description given the history. 

Men arrived looking for oil. Who hasn't heard of the oil sands in Alberta? The digging began. What a shock when they found fossils and bones. Yup. Once upon a time, the dinosaurs roamed freely. The workers stopped. Word was sent back. The palaeontologists went in and the exploration began. 
Mother nature is more than a bit stubborn.  She doesn't give up easily. Vegetation began to grow. Man didn't give up either, after all, it is residential.
 From our vantage at the top of the lookout, we can see lush green trees and bush and that beautiful lake. It's truly spectacular.  We remained elevated in the sky and gazed about, just taking it in. A few tour groups wandered around searching for treasures. What a fantastic place for kids.

We had done our homework so there is more to see of this area. We're off in search of the HooDoos.   

HooDoos are sandstone and clay particles that are cemented together and erode at a rate of about one centimetre per year. The interesting aspect. They resemble mushrooms. How cool is that! Gotta love Mother Nature. An adventurous person can attempt to climb the soft sandstone around the HooDoos. Many did during our sightseeing. I did not go to the top. If only I'd come in my youth, I would have.   
It's worth the trip to see these unique formations. 



Leaving the HooDoos, we headed for Horsethief Canyon, but that can wait until next month. Check back in December to see if the horses survive.       

                                                                           

  

Something old ... something older.

If you're following my blog you'll know we spent our summer vacation in the breathtaking province of Alberta. Using Canmore as a base we enjoyed day-trips, touring the area. We couldn't possibly fly home without a trip to a totally different part of the province, and a history every kid likes.

Looking at the map, we had two options to head east. As beautiful as the Trans Canada Highway is, we opted for a scenic route with a different perspective.

With the luggage packed and a picnic lunch ready, we waved goodbye to the mountains as they vanished in the rearview mirror. 

Our journey took us through Cochrane, Airdrie & Acme. Beautiful, bustling towns with gorgeous parks. So much to see, so little time, we kept rolling along toward our destination.

Why is it our stomachs had to have the worst timing in the world? Seriously, all three of our bellies imitated a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere. One grumbled and the domino effect went wild. The rumbling drowned out the music. 

So where did we stop for our picnic lunch? On a side-road by a farmer's field. I'm surprised the residents of the area didn't send men in white jackets to rescue us. I must admit it certainly was peaceful. Most of the time. Too bad the odd truck went by. Nothing quite like a cloud of dust smothering our sandwiches. Just kidding. We closed the doors and raised the windows to keep the air clean and fresh. At least we tried to. We kept the mini coughing fits to a minimum. Amazing what guzzling a mouthful of water can accomplish.

The picnic bag/cooler went back to the trunk and our journey continued. 

 The land of the oil.

Once we got out of the mountains, Alberta seemed relatively flat. 


And then suddenly, out of the blue, the descent began. 



Impressive really. It felt like we were entering a tunnel, but I could see that rich blue sky through the skylight. Doing a little research, if you think about how the area came about, it really does make sense. They began mining for oil and low and behold, didn't they find dinosaur bones and fossils.  




Yes, we had arrived in Drumheller, Alberta.

First impressions. Wow. Simply wow. Driving through the winding hills into the valley known as the town. Second impression. Wow. This truly is the land of the forgotten, in more ways than one. Shame on our previous government. Nine years in power. His home province. This area is and should be heavily promoted as a tourist attraction. We saw, and talked to a lot of people from all over the globe. Tourists are visiting. A little bit of money invested and this town would flourish. They just need financial aid to get started with the cleanup. Give tourists a reason to stop and stay more than a day. But then, when has there ever been employment created through tourism? (Just a touch of sarcasm there).

After checking into the hotel, the highest point in the entire city, we headed for the renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Friends had raved and with good reason. The state-of-the-art building is nothing shy of spectacular.

We paid our admission and walked through the archway. A humongous dinosaur and her not-so-tiny baby greeted us. Literally. Eyeballs glared into our souls and they spoke. Well, they growled, a chest-rattling friendly sort of voice. Excited as a kid Christmas morning I was hooked. 

The stroll around the museum continued. We met Clement along the path. Knowledgable and super enthusiast his words rolled off his tongue like he was born to discover these ancient creatures. 

A five-star review for the museum. I couldn't come up with a complaint about the place if I had to. A must-see if you're anywhere near the area. Pictures do not do justice to this museum.

           

We overstayed our visit, hogging his time, closing the place down but not before getting a 'recommendation' for dinner from another tourist. My travelling companions wanted a beer so we headed to the Vintage Pub and Grill and had a meal with the locals. Relaxed service and yummy food. We trudged back to the hotel with full bellies. 

Energized the following morning we would tour around this incredible area. 

The land of the largest dinosaur. 

But that can wait until next month's blog.  Stay tuned. Hoodoo!