Happy New Year, everyone! We wish you all the best in 2009. We hope you had a very happy Christmas. It's been a while since we blogged so we thought it was time to catch up on what's been happening. It's strange to not be moving from city to city and state to state. We actually miss it, but it's nice to stay in one place for a while, too. Same drill as before - most recent pictures at the top, so if you want to go in order start at the bottom and work your way up. 
December 31 - It's been a tough few weeks weather-wise - freezing temperatures and lots of snow. Ted has been whining about the cold and snow for 6 weeks now; even the ladies at the Blood Donor Clinic told him to "get over it and suck it up"! I must admit it will be nice to head back to Yuma in January; hopefully the roads will be better than this!
December 25 - We spent Christmas Day at Melanie & Clayton's with Chris and Clayton's parents, Rick & Lynda. It was wonderful to be with family for the holidays and Santa was very good to all of us.
December 13 - We had planned to come home for Christmas this year (no more lonely Christmas dinners for us!), but not until the first week of December so the length of our stay was extended by two weeks. As a result we bounced around between Mel & Clayton's, Chris', Ken & Joyce's, Jon & Connie's and a motel in Lethbridge, trying not to wear out our welcome at any one place. I'm sure we did though!! We had an early Christmas dinner at Ken & Joyce's (after spending the week before making krumkake, lefsa and buns). This time Mel & Clayton couldn't make it, nor could Dayna and Denille who were writing finals at the U of S. We had a "Chinese" gift exchange. Poor Brian - last time he got a pair of big, fluffy slippers and this year he ended up with a candle. Hopefully he'll get to choose last next year and get a gift more to his liking!
November 25 - Six days after we moved into our home, we received word that Ted's mom had passed away. It came as a shock as she had been in good health for her age, but it was her time. We made the long trip home in two days. Mom's entire family was in Vulcan for her service (as were some of my family) and although the circumstances were sad, it was wonderful to have the whole family together. Ted's niece, Mariliz (on Chris' left) flew in from Korea and her sister, Dolores (on Chris' right) flew in from Toronto as did their parents, Don & Nancy. Unfortunately, the cousins seldom get a chance to be together.
This is Ted's idea of a perfect yard - gravel, cacti, palm trees and bougainvilleas. No grass to mow or water.
This is the view of the foothills from our driveway.
On November 13, we became the proud owners of a furnished, single-wide mobile home on a large lot in the Foothills area of Yuma. It's nice to have a large kitchen and a spare bedroom and the lot is serviced so the 5th wheel can act as a guest house. Ted and I can actually be in separate rooms now which is something we didn't really appreciate until we shared a 34' trailer for 16 months. We hope to add a deck and carport in the near future.
Sunset over Yuma. The Foothills area of Yuma has very few streetlights so the lights in the distance belong to the city of Yuma, San Luis, AZ and San Luis, Mexico.
November 13 -We spent nearly a month at Don & Cathy's making use of the RV lot beside their house while we went house-hunting in Yuma. They arrived on the 10th and we celebrated their arrival by going on a weiner roast in the hills. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. They have great neighbours - Jim & Susan and John & Doris - who have introduced us to the ritual of the 4:00 happy hour - not that we needed much introducing!
October 16 - We spent the night in a parking lot in Bullhead City, AZ looking at the casinos across the Colorado River in Laughlin, NV.
October 15 - The day after the election we headed south to Yuma. We ran into snow in Montana and no matter how beautiful it looks, it was still cold and it was still snow and it is Ted's mission in life to avoid as much cold and snow as possible.
October 11 - We spent Thanksgiving with Ken and Joyce and their family in Cabri. Chris couldn't be there because he was at a friend's wedding and Jordan, Brian and Shelly's daughter, went to a friend's after the delicious turkey dinner, but otherwise the gang was all there for the family picture!
October 3 - Ted's mom's 89th birthday. We all gathered together to wish her a happy birthday and Melanie and Clayton shared the exciting news that they were expecting a baby in May and Mom was going to have another great-grandchild. She was not surprised - she said to Mel "I knew you were pregnant; I could tell by looking at you. You look tired". How she could tell "pregnant" tired from "regular" tired, I'll never know, but it was a wonderful day for all of us.
September 29 - Back at the farm at Vulcan with harvest in full swing. As we watched the combine making its rounds, we were reminded of a trip we made to Lethbridge from Vulcan one day. We came around a curve and there sitting smack dab in the middle of the highway was a John Deere self-propelled combine whose wheel had fallen off. As we drove into the ditch to get around it, Ted sarcastically remarked "Nothing runs like a Deere", referring to the John Deere commercial. I laughed my head off (especially since I was raised on a Case IH farm). Sorry all you JD fans!!
September 22 - Back in Alberta, we spent a few days with Chris in Wetaskiwin and went into Edmonton to have lunch with Ted's aunt and uncle, Anne and Rube. We then had supper with his cousin Rick and wife Leslie. Two delicious meals in one day - it's no wonder we gained weight this fall!
Our last stop of the day was the Natural Bridge. There is so much to see and do in Yoho National Park - next time we visit we plan to spend a lot more time hiking. We had hoped to camp there, but the campgrounds were already closed for the season.
Of course we had to take a drive into Field - so much has changed since we lived there 30 years ago. Most of our friends have moved on, but it is still one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen (on a sunny day, of course!!). We also had a good visit with Carla and John, who worked as a signal maintainer in Field until he retired the same time as Ted.
A view of Mount Stephen from Takakkaw Falls.
We also drove up to Takakkaw Falls, the second highest waterfall in Canada. Takakkaw means "it is wonderful" in Cree and it truly is!
September 8 - After leaving Spruce Meadows, we spent a few days at a campground at Donald, just a few miles west of Golden. We visited our friends, Philip and Patti, while we were there and took the opportunity to hike to Wapta Falls, a hike we had not made since we left Field in 1978. It was just as beautiful as we remembered.
The Masters is not just about horse jumping competitions. It also includes the TELUS Battle of the Breeds, the Festival of Nations (entertainment, restaurants and marketplace), the EquiFair and so much more. The grounds are absolutely spectacular and if you ever get a chance to go, we highly recommend it. Of course, the only place you'd see this sign would be at Spruce Meadows.
I'm not sure who this competitor is, but the grace and agility of the horses and riders was amazing!
Jan and I standing in front of the International Ring.
September 3 & 4 - After hearing so much about the Masters at Spruce Meadows from our friend, from Saskatoon, we decided it was time to see it for ourselves. Jan stayed with us at a campground in Okotoks and we attended Thursday and Friday's events. It was awesome and what made it even more special was seeing Eric Lamaze, Ian Millar and Jill Henselwood, 3 members of the Canadian team who had just won silver medals at the Beijing Olympics. Eric Lamaze also won gold in the individual show jumping event at the Olympics.
Clayton and Melanie - hard to believe it's been 3 years since their own wedding. Time sure flies by!
Chris, Shelly and Shelly's brother, Philip, an RCMP stationed in northern Alberta.
The proud parents of the bride with Shelly and Isaac, Shelly's son.
August 31 - One of the highlights of the summer was the wedding of Shelly and Scott in Calgary. Shelly is the daughter of our good friends, Kim & Elvin.
August 30 - After spending 3 weeks in Lethbridge after our long weekend with the kids at Kikomun Provincial Park, we moved on to the farm at Vulcan where we mowed lawn and cleaned out a few more outbuildings. Melanie, Clayton and Pilot came out for a visit and Clayton introduced Pilot to the neighbour's cow - a true meeting of the minds (or the noses, in this case)!!!
December 31 - It's been a tough few weeks weather-wise - freezing temperatures and lots of snow. Ted has been whining about the cold and snow for 6 weeks now; even the ladies at the Blood Donor Clinic told him to "get over it and suck it up"! I must admit it will be nice to head back to Yuma in January; hopefully the roads will be better than this!
December 25 - We spent Christmas Day at Melanie & Clayton's with Chris and Clayton's parents, Rick & Lynda. It was wonderful to be with family for the holidays and Santa was very good to all of us.
December 13 - We had planned to come home for Christmas this year (no more lonely Christmas dinners for us!), but not until the first week of December so the length of our stay was extended by two weeks. As a result we bounced around between Mel & Clayton's, Chris', Ken & Joyce's, Jon & Connie's and a motel in Lethbridge, trying not to wear out our welcome at any one place. I'm sure we did though!! We had an early Christmas dinner at Ken & Joyce's (after spending the week before making krumkake, lefsa and buns). This time Mel & Clayton couldn't make it, nor could Dayna and Denille who were writing finals at the U of S. We had a "Chinese" gift exchange. Poor Brian - last time he got a pair of big, fluffy slippers and this year he ended up with a candle. Hopefully he'll get to choose last next year and get a gift more to his liking!
November 25 - Six days after we moved into our home, we received word that Ted's mom had passed away. It came as a shock as she had been in good health for her age, but it was her time. We made the long trip home in two days. Mom's entire family was in Vulcan for her service (as were some of my family) and although the circumstances were sad, it was wonderful to have the whole family together. Ted's niece, Mariliz (on Chris' left) flew in from Korea and her sister, Dolores (on Chris' right) flew in from Toronto as did their parents, Don & Nancy. Unfortunately, the cousins seldom get a chance to be together.
This is Ted's idea of a perfect yard - gravel, cacti, palm trees and bougainvilleas. No grass to mow or water.
This is the view of the foothills from our driveway.
On November 13, we became the proud owners of a furnished, single-wide mobile home on a large lot in the Foothills area of Yuma. It's nice to have a large kitchen and a spare bedroom and the lot is serviced so the 5th wheel can act as a guest house. Ted and I can actually be in separate rooms now which is something we didn't really appreciate until we shared a 34' trailer for 16 months. We hope to add a deck and carport in the near future.
Sunset over Yuma. The Foothills area of Yuma has very few streetlights so the lights in the distance belong to the city of Yuma, San Luis, AZ and San Luis, Mexico.
November 13 -We spent nearly a month at Don & Cathy's making use of the RV lot beside their house while we went house-hunting in Yuma. They arrived on the 10th and we celebrated their arrival by going on a weiner roast in the hills. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. They have great neighbours - Jim & Susan and John & Doris - who have introduced us to the ritual of the 4:00 happy hour - not that we needed much introducing!
October 16 - We spent the night in a parking lot in Bullhead City, AZ looking at the casinos across the Colorado River in Laughlin, NV.
October 15 - The day after the election we headed south to Yuma. We ran into snow in Montana and no matter how beautiful it looks, it was still cold and it was still snow and it is Ted's mission in life to avoid as much cold and snow as possible.
October 11 - We spent Thanksgiving with Ken and Joyce and their family in Cabri. Chris couldn't be there because he was at a friend's wedding and Jordan, Brian and Shelly's daughter, went to a friend's after the delicious turkey dinner, but otherwise the gang was all there for the family picture!
October 3 - Ted's mom's 89th birthday. We all gathered together to wish her a happy birthday and Melanie and Clayton shared the exciting news that they were expecting a baby in May and Mom was going to have another great-grandchild. She was not surprised - she said to Mel "I knew you were pregnant; I could tell by looking at you. You look tired". How she could tell "pregnant" tired from "regular" tired, I'll never know, but it was a wonderful day for all of us.
September 29 - Back at the farm at Vulcan with harvest in full swing. As we watched the combine making its rounds, we were reminded of a trip we made to Lethbridge from Vulcan one day. We came around a curve and there sitting smack dab in the middle of the highway was a John Deere self-propelled combine whose wheel had fallen off. As we drove into the ditch to get around it, Ted sarcastically remarked "Nothing runs like a Deere", referring to the John Deere commercial. I laughed my head off (especially since I was raised on a Case IH farm). Sorry all you JD fans!!
September 22 - Back in Alberta, we spent a few days with Chris in Wetaskiwin and went into Edmonton to have lunch with Ted's aunt and uncle, Anne and Rube. We then had supper with his cousin Rick and wife Leslie. Two delicious meals in one day - it's no wonder we gained weight this fall!
Our last stop of the day was the Natural Bridge. There is so much to see and do in Yoho National Park - next time we visit we plan to spend a lot more time hiking. We had hoped to camp there, but the campgrounds were already closed for the season.
Of course we had to take a drive into Field - so much has changed since we lived there 30 years ago. Most of our friends have moved on, but it is still one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen (on a sunny day, of course!!). We also had a good visit with Carla and John, who worked as a signal maintainer in Field until he retired the same time as Ted.
A view of Mount Stephen from Takakkaw Falls.
We also drove up to Takakkaw Falls, the second highest waterfall in Canada. Takakkaw means "it is wonderful" in Cree and it truly is!
September 8 - After leaving Spruce Meadows, we spent a few days at a campground at Donald, just a few miles west of Golden. We visited our friends, Philip and Patti, while we were there and took the opportunity to hike to Wapta Falls, a hike we had not made since we left Field in 1978. It was just as beautiful as we remembered.
The Masters is not just about horse jumping competitions. It also includes the TELUS Battle of the Breeds, the Festival of Nations (entertainment, restaurants and marketplace), the EquiFair and so much more. The grounds are absolutely spectacular and if you ever get a chance to go, we highly recommend it. Of course, the only place you'd see this sign would be at Spruce Meadows.
I'm not sure who this competitor is, but the grace and agility of the horses and riders was amazing!
Jan and I standing in front of the International Ring.
September 3 & 4 - After hearing so much about the Masters at Spruce Meadows from our friend, from Saskatoon, we decided it was time to see it for ourselves. Jan stayed with us at a campground in Okotoks and we attended Thursday and Friday's events. It was awesome and what made it even more special was seeing Eric Lamaze, Ian Millar and Jill Henselwood, 3 members of the Canadian team who had just won silver medals at the Beijing Olympics. Eric Lamaze also won gold in the individual show jumping event at the Olympics.
Clayton and Melanie - hard to believe it's been 3 years since their own wedding. Time sure flies by!
Chris, Shelly and Shelly's brother, Philip, an RCMP stationed in northern Alberta.
The proud parents of the bride with Shelly and Isaac, Shelly's son.
August 31 - One of the highlights of the summer was the wedding of Shelly and Scott in Calgary. Shelly is the daughter of our good friends, Kim & Elvin.
August 30 - After spending 3 weeks in Lethbridge after our long weekend with the kids at Kikomun Provincial Park, we moved on to the farm at Vulcan where we mowed lawn and cleaned out a few more outbuildings. Melanie, Clayton and Pilot came out for a visit and Clayton introduced Pilot to the neighbour's cow - a true meeting of the minds (or the noses, in this case)!!! 
