Wedding at Rocky Lake and a BIG Surprise for Linda!

Well, it's been quite awhile since my last blog. We've been very busy this summer with me back at work and Linda, of course, still at work. Have only had a very few days off this summer, getting in a wonderful trip to Hecla Island golf course and another great day golfing at Morden's tremendous golf links.

Anyway, the highlight of July was definitely getting up to The Pas for Ryan and Kelly's wedding. Our Ryan was in the wedding party and I was asked to MC the gala. (Being asked to MC an event like this is akin to being asked to have sex with the Queen; it's a great honour, but nobody wants to do it!) However, it was a gorgeous weekend, a beautiful setting at Rob & Shirley's cottage on Rocky Lake, a very classy yet casual affair and we had a tremendous time right from our arrival late Thursday evening to our reluctant departure late Sunday afternoon. Blair and Marj, our walking-holiday partners next month, were our hosts at their cottage on Clearwater Lake. Although it's a long drive north (600+ km), it's always a treat going back to our home of more than 21 years!

And then there was "the surprise"..... I had known about "the surprise" for at least a couple of weeks and had a hard time containing myself. You see, a short while ago, Ryan and I had gone shopping in Winnipeg for both a suit for him for this upcoming wedding and a ring for his girlfriend, Caroline! Well, Ryan and Caro were camping in a Yurt at Camper's Cove ,just a 20-minute walk from Blair & Marj's cottage. We were to come down there for lunch on Friday and "all would be revealed". Linda, Marj and I made the trek at noon on Friday (Blair was working) and since I was "in the know", this is the picture I captured when Linda found out she was finally getting a daughter.

Was she catching flies, or what? It was a very exciting and happy time for all of us, including Marj (in the background) who also was finding out for the first time that Ryan had proposed to Caroline.

Well, we had lunch at the campground, took a few pictures; here's one:


and then it was off to Rocky Lake for the rehearsal. The supper was put on by the bride's parents out at Rocky Lake Cabins. It was a great get-together and, as I mentioned earlier, the weather couldn't have been nicer all weekend long.

I guess since I am an ex-weatherman, people were quizzing me as to Saturday's (the wedding day) weather. I told everyone, "sunny and hot" (I always say 'sunny and hot') and sunny and hot it was! What a picture-perfect day and setting for Ryan and Kelly's wedding!

More to come.....

Happy Canada Day!

July 1st. Happy 140th birthday, Canada! Did we spend it celebrating at the Forks or at Assiniboine Park, or at the zoo or at the beach or at the ball park? No! We spent it finishing the job we started Saturday, putting slate tiles on the kitchen back splash.

We have had the tiles for the back splash since early May, shortly after I went back to work for my old employer for a five-month term. Linda and I decided about a month ago that we'd spend our Canada Day July long weekend working on the kitchen, trying to get it finished. We did a major renovation of the kitchen last fall and this is pretty much the final bit of work to be done.

Our good friend, Ed, made the mistake of calling me up a couple of days ago to "chat". I happened to mention that we would be working on the kitchen this weekend and Ed bravely volunteered to help. What a guy! Ryan and Caroline showed up both Saturday and Sunday from Niverville as well, and the job got underway.

The tiles are 2" x 2" natural slate on 12" x 12" mesh sheets. They cut quite easy with the wet-saw, but a major complication was that we had decided, with the help of a great interior designer, Kelly, of Ritz Interiors in Stonewall, to place most of the tiles on the diagonal. This made measuring and cutting extremely complicated (for us amateurs, anyway). There were times I didn't think we'd ever get the job done. Almost every single sheet of tiles had to be cut in some form or other in order for it to fit in the space.

However, as the pictures below testify, we did it! What a job well done! Thank you Ed! Thank you Ryan! Thank you Caroline! Thank you Linda! And thank you Dorothy (for lending us Ed for the weekend!).

Ed checking his handiwork at the beginning of the project. Looks OK to me, Ed!

Ryan looking for the last half-tile. Not this one!

Dennis and Ed putting the last tile in place! Finished, at last! Just washing, sealing, grouting and re-sealing left to do.