Summer 2009, Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Prairie SeaShell Sea Stories
Donna, Greg and Eve - April 2009
Even before we had left LaPaz, received an e-mail from my sister saying WestJet is having a big sale from Kitchener to Calgary. I'm coming to Calgary for Easter ... are you going to be home???
Well, we arrived back in Calgary two days before she arrived for the weekend, so we only had a little time to visit, shop, and celebrate Easter and Greg's 30th birthday.
I started back to work as soon as Donna left, and as soon as I recovered from a bad case of laryngitis.
Don started work as well, removing the shingles from the roof in preparation for the roofers to install new ones.
The roof of this little house was in much worse shape than we had realized, and we were very lucky that it hadn't leaked.
Thanks to the efforts of our friend Wade, the new roof was installed just moments before a big spring snow storm hit.
Bobcat clearing yard for off street parking
Between the snow and the rain, Don attempted to re-model the back yard in order to accommodate some off street parking.
Had a friend come in with a bobcat and a dump truck, they removed many, many loads of dirt and leveled out an area for a two car park.
Next mission was to build a retaining wall and put in a new fence. The post holes that he was digging were filling up with water so quickly that he thought he must have hit a water line.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case, but we discovered that the downspout for the eaves was draining right under the cedar deck ... it was very rotten and also had to be removed.
After many weeks, got the water drained away, the retaining wall secured, a new fence up, and replaced the deck with patio blocks.
He re-built the storage shed with some of the salvaged lumber, and finally we have a usable back yard again. I'm sure Don was wishing he had gone back to work as well, it would have been a lot easier!
Owen's birhday party
We celebrated Owen's 7th Birthday on Canada Day, July 1st. He had a few friends from school join him for games, treats, and Pam's own recipe for gluten free, casein free chocolate cupcakes. His friend Mackenzie also shared her bag of chips with him.
The weather in Calgary so far this summer had not really co-operated with our schedules. I'm sure the boys were a little disappointed, they only got to come to the trailer for a sleepover once this year.
I did give Don a little down time from his construction projects. Here he is relaxing in front of the trailer on one of the rare warm, wind free days. We enjoyed a beautiful rainbow one evening at the trailer park.
In the company of our friends Tom & Ruth, we took in the Airdrie Air Show and watched the SnowBirds perform. There was also a Car Show there, and Don found the car that he had learned how to drive in.
One of the most important reasons to spend time in Calgary is to spend time with the grand kids !! Here's Evelynn ....
Four generations, Granny, Oma, Mom & Evelynn
Evan had such a good time at Owen's birthday party, that he wanted the same kind of party, so instant replay about six weeks later ...
It seems our boys are quite the girl magnets ... this is Evans with his girl friend who is just begging for piece of cake.
This summers big event was a trip back home for a family reunion at the lake. Greg accompanied me on the trip, and before we headed to Montreal, we stopped in Kitchener for a surprise 50th birthday party for Donna.
Since her birthday isn't until the middle of September, and this was only the end of July, it was a real surprise to her.
My niece Kimberly did an awesome job of planning the party, and keeping our visit a secret.
First cousins at Lake Hughes
Next stop, Lake Hughes for the Family Reunion.
Next on the summer's agenda, a Paul Brandt concert at the new Cross Iron Mills Shopping Center. Since Blue Grass Nursery, where I am working, is right next door to this huge new shopping center, Blue Grass has done a lot of the landscaping etc. for the mall.
And thanks to Roger at Blue Grass, Shannon and I enjoyed Paul Brandt's opening night concert in the parking lot of the Cross Iron Mills Mall. It was a great concert, limited number of tickets available, a beautiful mid August night, and fireworks to end the evening.
The summer was quickly coming to an end, we celebrated Greg & Julia's Anniversary with a Mexican style dinner, and an early birthday present for Evelynn - a tree for her front lawn.
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Coming soon - videos of Evelynn.
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