Tell Me Again Why we are Doing This?

Week of Nov 22 to Nov 29
Decided not to bore all you folks with a lot of nothing, as that is basically what we have been doing this last week. We went from this
To this in about seven hours while riding the flying carpet home.



Once we got settled in, with the thermostat turned up, we just sort of hibernated for the next four or five days. For you southern people, you may not understand that this is what most of the warm blooded animals do in the cold north. They just find a warm spot in a cave or under a log, and bed down, while their heart beat slows to conserve energy and heat until it warms up again. Well on about Thursday, our hearts started to speed up, and I finally ventured outside to see if maybe spring might be here. No such luck. Only a few days had passed by, but at least it was a slight reprieve from the cold. And also I had an eye doctor appointment down town, to check if everything was copasetic after the secondary cataract on my right eye was lasered, just prior to our leaving in July. All was good, so I'm set for another year. But funny, even though we were somewhat hibernated, our supply of groceries seemed to dwindle, and there were a lot of things that we were still missing, so back to Sobeys, for a re-supply. Well, my favorite co-pilot had had time to make a fairly comprehensive grocery list, so the cost was comparative. Anyway, during the hibernation time we were able to scan through the piles of mail that had accumulated while we were gone. Our next door neighbors, Bill and Dorthy Rowley, had been picking up our mail from our mail box and as they checked our house a couple of times a week deposited the mail in a box we had left for that purpose. Well the box runneth over!! Bills to Pay, appointments to make, letters to answer, (well I guess not letters to answer, who writes letters these days? Rather emails to answer), and on and on. Denice, after a day or two, had them all organized in to piles on her desk, to complete in a somewhat orderly fashion. A couple of those piles were for me to handle. So with a large garbage bucket between us we worked our way through them. Soon the bucket was full, and we were down to the few things of real importance. One of mine was several letters from the Workers Compensation Board. As I think you all know, before we headed out in the summer. I had my hearing checked at Costco Hearing Center, and determined that a set of Hearing Aids would be of great benefit to me, so that I would be better able to hear the directions of my co-pilot. I had been telling her for the last couple of years that I heard her but was "Sorting the wheat from the chaff!" Well this wasn't cutting it any more, so I ordered a set of the "Cadillac" version of aids, and received them prior to leaving, in July. So to make a long story short, I had applied to the WCB for assistance with the rather expensive outlay for them. I had talked to their Edmonton office, explaining my early years running heavy equipment, when hearing protection was not the vogue, and the nice lady I spoke with thought I should qualify for assistance. So now I had these letters from them basically approving the purchase of two hearing aids. I called the nice lady again and she advised me to just send in the invoice for the purchase and they would refund the amount to me. What a great surprise!! Of course I do not have the cash yet, so we will have to see the final outcome.
Now that the weather has warmed some the whole family is arriving here today to welcome us home. A Big Prime Rib Beef roasts is in the oven, and all the trimmings in the works.
About noon the whole tribe descended upon us, all except granddaughter Caitlin, who is in University in Lethbridge taking 5 courses for her final year Majoring in History, and working 25 hours a week at Sears to supplement your educational budget. We sure missed having her here, but Caitlin, if you read this, we want you to know how proud your grandparents are of you!

Here is Great-Grandson Joel, checking out the quality control of one of Great-Grampa's bowls
While Great-Grandson Leigh just relaxed and reads the news of the day!

Another of Chunk Leigh. I think he may be the next famous Sumo Wrestler!

By about 2:00PM the roast and fixing were all cooked and we sat down to a great meal. All accounted for were Daughter and son-in-law, Shannon and Don, Granddaughter and Grandson-in-law, Samantha and Mike, Great-grandsons, Joel and Leigh, son Ross, and of course the chef, Denice and cleanup man, myself. We all ate hearty and the empty dishes by 3:00PM were justification of a fine meal.
Later in the day the grand-kids and great-grand-kids, and son Ross, had to return to Pincher Creek, and Calgary, so with their stomachs full, we bid them safe driving, until we see them again soon. Sunday morning we had planned on going into Calgary to do some of that Christmas shopping that seems to always happen at this time of year, but Mother Nature had different ideas, and sent down some more snow, sort of putting the kibosh on the shopping. Don and Shannon stayed for breakfast of bacon, eggs and hash browns and then headed home to Pincher as well.

Nov 20th
Rise and Shine - Uggghhh at 4:30AM to be ready for trip to the San Antonio airport to catch flight at 8:20AM. Loren has graciously agreed to take us in, and Hettie is coming along for company. We were on the road by 6:00AM and arrived at the airport by 7:00AM and checked in without a hitch.

Boarded at 7:45 and were in the air by 8:15, for the 45 minute hop to Dallas/Fort Worth. A Dallas/ Fort Worth Interchange

Once on the ground there and into the Terminal "A," had to transfer to Terminal "D," quite a distance away. Now Dallas/Fort Worth, has quite a unique method of transfer from one terminal to another for people movers. You take a long steep esculator to a much higher elevation and there you catch one of many, two car mono-rail trains, that circles the airport a hundred or so feet in the air.

A Large Hanger ---------

Not enough room on the ground - You have to go Up!

Stainless Steel Sculpture in the terminal

Korean 747 taxing for take off

The Dallas/Fort Worth version of a "People Mover"

They just wisk you along and in no time at all we were at terminal "D." Checked in there and boarded within 10 minutes, and in the air quite soon for the 4 hour trip to Calgary.

See all those little squares? That what makes Dallas what it is today, oil wells

Fairly uneventful trip, nuch of the time above the clouds, but occasionly could make out some surface detail.

Wyoming --- and Snow

Approaching Calgary

One that we did see, was about somewhere in Wyoming over I 25, snow was evident on the ground! Then cloud cover all the way to Calgary. When we finally descended though the clouds, snow was the topic of the day!!

Highway 22X over the Bow River

South CalgaryCalgary City Center

Customs was a breeze, and Son Ross was there to take us home, but outside, "God it was cold!" From 75F when we left San Antontio to -5F in Calgary, is quite a shock. Highways are icy, but not too bad. Back in High River had to stop at Sobeys for groceries as the cupboard is bare! But at least the neighbors had turned the thermostat in out home up, so it was warm. Had chicken supper from one of those Bar-B-Qued ones they have cooked at most food outlets these days. After supper we crashed fairly early after a full days travel. Ross stayed the night, and will return to Calgary tomorrow.