Retirement101

Back to WL with Deb's kids & the famous WL Stampede parade!

2010-07-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to watch the parade!

cowboys...

First nations....

RCMP...

and my old Cutlas!

Trip to the prairies!

2010-07-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Visiting friends in Snowflake area!

It's now an official ghost town!

I got a ride on the truck-sprayer with Russel

and saw Rebekah-newest member of Dave's gkids!

and a special visit & lunch with Howard & Aletha!

The 3rd b'day "party" for Dolores-Wpg(2) & and; this one in Calgary!

and to top it all off; a dance performance by our princess!

Our first grandson's HS grad!

2010-07-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

Baxter reads his grandma's grad card!

There are real "treasures" in his new bible!

Last minute "touch-up"

Proud grandparents with graduate!

Proud parents with Baxter!

Those cool shades!

The whole family!

Posing beside firetruck with Baillie

...but dad was the chauffeur!

Judith's b'day in FSJ(This too is a late post)

2010-07-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Judith's ? b'day!

We drove to FSJ to be there!

...and Harry Jr learned to make perogies from his Grandma!

Grandkids& family visit us in Phoenix...a late update!

2010-07-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

one of a few trips with brother Eckhard!

He likes to mooch off my cereal

4th birthday celebration

Party time!

2nd birthday celebration!

D&A took the kids to the Zoo

Serious cards with older gkids!

J came with the boys after a quick trip to New Mexico

The Harrys went to a baseball game!

The boys learn to play pingpong!

Arni & Rosemarie showed us their "time-share"

Its New Year "Fat balls" time

2009-12-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Yup D is making Mennonite "Portzelje" yummy raisin donuts or as some family members say..."Fat balls"!

Thanksgiving & Christmas

2009-12-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

D putting the finishing touches on the added half-bath!

Christmas pointsetta!

D puzzleing while I'm under the trailer adding/changing sewer & water lines!

Almost there!

Starting the bathroom project!

Christmas cards are coming in-(some via email)

I got to be Santa for a church family in between the two Christmas Eve services(one at Baptist church & the other in the clubhouse here in the RV park!

Traditonal cheese fondue Christmas Eve!

and yes we did get Satellite TV and Hi-speed internet so we could "skype" family!

In our "new" home!

2009-12-31T14:19:00.000-08:00

Van is unloaded and I'm trying out my recliner!

Via Los Vegas & Hoover Dam!

2009-12-31T14:05:00.000-08:00

They are building a new hwy("google" the awesome new road-via helicopter) beside the Hoover Dam just outside of Vegas and it took us 2 hrs to travel 4 miles(those figures are correct) on the old road...because of 9/11 security is tight and it was just a Sunday afternoon and there were many sight-seers![Motorhomes pulled over & inspected thoroughly for anything that could cause damage]

First & Last part of trip GREAT...inbetween ????

2009-12-31T13:55:00.001-08:00

Great trip to Cdn border...the next morning it started to snow and we slipped & slid thru parts of WA, OR, ID, UT and finally at St Georges,UT we had sunnier warmer, weather.

The ice was coming out from the wheel wells and the van was covered with sandy slush!

We visited with both BC families -then off to AZ!

2009-12-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Having coffee with Tam!

Two trips to ``Foot & Ankle`` clinic(Vancouver)

2009-11-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Dolores accompanied me this time to Vancouver to see the "one of a kind" foot & ankle clinic at St Pauls Hospital. My ankle has slowly been telling me that it needs some help and so I am scheduled for further fusion...in Spring most likely. The healing process will be longgggggg but hopefully I can get further use of this limb.

We arrived early and so had time to view scenic Stanley Park !

PEI to New Brunswick & back to Nova Scotia

2009-10-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Arrived back in Calgary to blowing snow, gridlock on the Deerfoot Trail, and COLD but Avi(with the two grandchildren), were there to pick us up & we all went out to Perkins for brunch!

We stayed just outside of Summerside,PEI for two days to see the north-east side of this pretty awesome province!

Loved this display in the mall at Summerside, PEI.

My wife wants me to do an album of just churches we saw on this holiday!

Many of these rural scenes!

Dental offices in what was once a church!

Love those farmyards!

Lighthouse on north-east side of PEI.

Some of those many windfarms come real close to private property.

After we wandered around the "North Cape" we went into the restaurant and had another seafood chowder meal AND a LOBSTER omelette!!!

North Cape PEI !

Just coming up to Confederation Bridge...8 km! 12 min to cross on a good day!

But it was windy-trucks not allowed and we were supposed to only drive at 60 kmh!

Now in New Brunswick. Just as pretty!!!!

...also many small churches!

nice farmyards!

and back in Enfield NS close to the Halifax Int Airport!

PEI -1

2009-10-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Crossing the Northumberland Strait

After driving thru some small agricultural areas we found Lane's Cottages!

Scene across from our "cottage" !

The PEI ferry terminal !

JD working the red soil fields !

Cabot Trail - 3

2009-10-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

We left our inn at Cheticamp to travel the "loop" thru the National Park!

The wind was howlin !!!!

Wow...what scenes!

We are travelling thru Cape Breton Highlands National Park...raining but SOOO scenic!

The pounding surf down the other side of the Trail ! (Ingonish)

Crossed over to the Sydney area!

Fisherman fixing lobster traps!

Before we knew it we came to the ferry to PEI. We were the last on! Just made it!

Cabot Trail-2

2009-10-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

Early morning at Baddeck, BUT we are off to Cabot Trail!

The wind was blowing, I got the rental car stuck up here but we are in Cheticamp for 2 days!

We left Cheticamp and are travelling to Cape Breton's National Park.

It was rainy but the scenery was spectacular!

Cape Breton -1

2009-10-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

D in Baddeck!

I think I may want a nice BIG print of this!

Picturesque scene on way to Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Nova Scotia!

Nova Scotia in the fall

2009-10-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

Doing the "tourist thing" at Peggy's Cove!

I found the picture & name of the ship which carried our family to Canada ! D & I are at Halifax's famous Pier 21 which is now a museum with multi-media, artifacts & pictures of the many people who immigrated to Canada in the 1900's. Actually my family landed in Quebec City. D is not sure which port her parents used BUT then the immigrants travelled by train to the prairies! [our stop was Winnipeg] At Pier21 you can use their computers to do research on the Family Tree stuff.

We both found interesting tidbits of our relatives!!!!

Family Picture

2009-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Family weekend

2009-09-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Grandaughter helping spruce up the place !!!

The boys showing off to us "older" folks!

Lots of people around the table!(tables for some meals)

The grandchildren loved my trike!

Oldest son with with youngest grandchildren!

Tam & Judith sharing a joke!

It was a zoo for a while....

Sept-Family weekend

2009-09-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

My good wife has been cooking up a storm for the family get-together! The beds are ready...incl the motorhome...safe journey all!

Manitoba Trip(even Northern Ontario)

2009-08-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Oak Lake(Ernie's reno project)...and

new baby Micah....

my mother's belated birthday celebration!

Morden ( a combined b'day party(Mom) & 25th Anniversary for Paul & Heidi)

Supper with my sister & husband in Wpg....

....walked around the "Forks".....

....visited with friends we knew from our farming days...

....then my bro drove us to Kenora Ontario to see Karla on her personal (almost) island!!

...and a Manitoba sunset followed by a typical thunderstorm !

2009-08-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Dolores & I spent a week working @ Camp Likely and had two of our grandsons attending as campers. They had a ball, were treated like "royalty" and then came for a few days of "Family Camp" & slept with us in the RV. IT WAS HOT the whole time!!!!

FSJ-RCMP musical ride-2nd day! The SHOW!!!

2009-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

FSJ-RCMP musical ride-2nd day!

2009-07-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

Our two grandsons had the privilege to see the 36 horses, watch a farrier at work(he gave them each a horseshoe) and feed hay to the horses in the afternoon before the show!

After Kelowna trip-Fort St James 1st day!

2009-07-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

The people of FSJ put on a re-creation of locally significant historical characters. Byron became "Johan Pitka" who came with a few other families from Estonia to start a colony in the 1920's. They were not successful in their endeavours but many names of their time spent can be found.

After the "walk", ice-cream cones were served in the old restored "Fort"!

Kelowna Trip

2009-07-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

We over-nighted & visited friends in Kelowna as well as met my sister & her husband. We picked up a pail of cherries on our way home via the "Connector." That area is now (4 days later) ravaged by a forest-fire. (July 18-09)

Dolores's Puzzles

2009-07-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many puzzles Dolores has put together!

Bentley AB & Calgary [Catrac trike for me]

2009-07-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

I don't have to worry about falling off my bike...its comfortable but sure is low to the ground!

Purchased a 1980 motorhome

2009-07-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Brent's Caskets in Quesnel [for real]

2009-07-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Calgary too in May

2009-07-04T16:14:00.001-07:00

Back home ![Good but.....]

2009-07-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Phoenix for the winter duration-94C !

2008-12-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

and we stopped off in Sedona just N of Phoenix !

2008-12-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

Stopped off at Zion National Park !

2008-12-06T11:03:00.001-08:00

The "Parks" staff were doing a "controlled burn" in the area which made some interesting photos!

Trip to Arizona via Calgary

2008-12-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Stopped off to see the kids & gkids in Calgary!

Thanksgiving-08

2008-10-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

David lost his first tooth- Byron is putting an addition to hsi house for mother-in-law(Toni) and we had lots & lots to eat at Byron & Brent's places

Part 2-Still cont'd-Germany-Bingen(on the Rhine)

2008-10-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

We spent our last day & a half at Bingen & Rudesheim(across the river) David's son Victor took us with his car to Bingen to a hotel that he had researched on the internet-made the reservation and carried our luggage up to our room.

Part 2-continued in central Germany!

2008-10-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

David Penner-fellow in the grey suit(holding D's hand-bottom picture) came with his son to pick us up. We arrived at his place after 9 pm and a large crowd was there to greet these "canadians". We attended a German Baptist church but it was all in Russian that Sunday...lunch was Schaschlik-pork kabobs on a "grill" We spent the next 5 days being "grilled" but again not in English although some of the school-age children tried their English on us...but we again ate wonderful food, were escorted to scenic locations and had a terrific time that left us drained. We now had 2 days left before our flight back to Canada.

Part 2 -Europe(SouthernGermany)

2008-10-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, a number of families(Gertrude in particular-in mauve sweater) who had recently immigrated from Russia to Germany contacted Dolores looking for info about the David Penner(her grandfather's) family. Her Grampa Penner was the only brother of 6(?) to come to Canada in 1926.[It's complicated because of step-siblings] Now Dolores was in contact-letters & phonecalls and since we had to fly via Frankfurt, we decided to take some of her family history to them. We were hosted lavishly by the busdriver couple and spent 3 days in Bad Waldsee close to the Swiss border. They treated us like Royalty...food, lodging & sightseeing...only one problem...they speak Russian, Low German, High German....in that order but we managed to communicate even tho it stretched my "comfort" level![It's hard work esp for a hard of hearing guy] then another "David Penner"...my age came to pick us up(a 4 hr oneway trip) and took us back to central Germany...see next blog!

Off to "Mennonite Story in Poland" tour

2008-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

I found the farm where I spent my first 2.5 years, my birthplace(the village church-Montau) as we toured the northern Poland area in a bus with othe Mennos from across North America!

A visit to the "old farm" in Snowflake

2008-10-15T13:10:00.003-07:00

Since flying to Toronto is SO much cheaper from a "next to"province when you are doing it on "airmiles"- we combined it to a visit to Snowflake-our farmstead and saw family & friends in Manitoba as well!

D & A's deck needed replacing

2008-10-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

We had a Janzen wedding in Edmonton in August and so we combined it with another project in Calgary and replaced a very weathered deck with a new one(treated wood this time)

Helping at Likely Bible Camp

2008-10-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

We had an opportunity to "lend a hand" for a week at camp. Dolores in the kitchen & cleaning & I tried to do some maintenance stuff!

The toolshed

2008-10-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to replace my "temporary" cover over my tablesaw with a more permanent toolshed!

My main focus-new bathroom for D&A

2008-06-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

June Activities in Calgary

2008-06-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

D&I went to Calgary to take care of S while D,A & Spencer went to Germany to be "best man" for Christoph !

-belated b'day celebration since D was on the Rhine that day

-took some time to bring flowers to Mom & Dad T's gravesite

April-house upgrades & another trip to Alberta

2008-05-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

We put new flooring in kitchen & bathroom(new low-flush toilet...we are SO GREEN)new countertops,etc and then a trip to Lethbridge & Calgary!

Other winter 2008 events-Easter in FSJ & PG

2008-05-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter Friday & Saturday in FSJ and then drove to PG for Sunday brunch at Tam's...still lots of snow for the boys and the food was great...(D also made paska for both places)

2 birthdays-Feb 24

2008-05-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

We barely got home from Calgary-did laundry-checked our house & then back to Calgary...and just in time! Spencer arrives early next morning-6 minutes after his mom & dad got to the hospital. Little 2 yr old sister will now have to share her birthdate with her new brother!

Mom's Celebration of Life-Alliance Church

2008-05-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

The service at the Alliance church was entirely put together by family with most of her family taking an active part.

Mom's Calgary Celebration of her life -Graveside

2008-05-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Feb 8 was cold, windy,snow threatened and it came right after we were finished. Brother Dave conducted that part of the service!

[Notice the grandchildren's plaques on the side of the casket & each sibling had a special spot to slide a chosen branch for their family]