From MorMor's Journal - June 1986

June 4, 1986

I must get back to writing regularly - my entries are too few and far between and too much happens in between.

Although we enjoyed having our teenage foster daughter, the situation was extremely stressful and she left in mid February. We'v had one other foster child since then - a 13-month old First Nations girl lived here from May 15-26. She was a bundle of energy and a lot of fun. The girls are both very good with babies and enjoyed her a lot.

I babysit regularly now. Jonathan comes here three or more days/week. he's just over two years old. He and Rachel are real pals. I also look after Paul & Kevin before school and occasionally after school. I'll probably have them most of the summer - if it's not too hot for Gerry to work.

Einar's been home for seven weeks now with a broken wrist. We've had a good time together but I'm looking forward to him going back to work. He has spent a fair bit of time at Expo - one advantage of being on Workers Comp rather than UIC - so we're glad we got season's passes to Expo. We're looking forward to going to Expo with Mom & Dad, Tim & Mabel, and Roy & Diane yet this summer.

from MorMor's Journal - 1985 Pictures

Christmas with our teenage foster daughter. These pictures were taken by our friend Martin Gee.

Hard to recognize anyone, but the girls are both in this ballet photo.

1985 was the year Dorothy & Isaac visited us. It must have been the year that Rachel told Kathy that she didn't like the color brown, so Kathy should be Kathy Black. After that Kathy even wrote her a letter and called herself Kathy Black... just to humor Rachel.

Having lunch at Cypress Park Lookout.

Kirsten - grade 1

Kirsten is getting an award... it was interesting sitting with her and her friends. None of them waited for their own name to be called. They didn't seem to expect to get an award. But they did expect to hear Kirsten's name, and thought it took too long for her to be called. Was that grade 1 already? I'm not sure.

Rachel & Gord

Rachel was very willing to lend her bathing suit to Monica so they could run in the sprinklers. Daddy went shirtless... so could she!

Kirsten's birthday

Festival du Voyageur

The first thing that catches your eye as you walk onto the festival grounds, is that there are snow sculptures everywhere.  Some are simple, others rather elaborate, but all very interesting.

The bonfire helped to chase away some of the chill of the outdoors.  But to really warm up, there were many buildings and tents with both activities and food.

We were able to watch a reenactment.  I know now why soldiers used the bayonets attached to the rifles... it took too long to load a rifle!!  War would have been a very slow process. 

Warming up while listening to the juggler in the children's tent.  His laugh (giggle?) was enough to keep us entertained for a while!

One of the more elaborate snow sculptures.

Sleigh rides were available for a small price.  With my grandson asleep in the stroller most of the afternoon, we enjoyed a leisurely walk around the grounds, and went into the more accessible buildings or tents.  In a few years the babies will be at the ideal age for enjoying the festival activities.

Calgary Trip

Last Thursday I drove in the worst conditions I've ever driven in - blowing snow so bad that I couldn't see the lines on the road on the way home from my work.  I got home rather shaken.  So I wasn't anxious to start out for Calgary before I knew the roads were clear.  But the roads did open on Friday morning (most highways in our part of the province were closed all night), and the worst we saw was this blowing snow near Winnipeg.  It cleared up quickly, and the rest of the drive was nice.  We were off to deliver a truck to Calgary... it's nice when the trip is paid for by someone else!

I love Elbow Falls, and so we took a day to go to the mountains.  This was our first stop.  Yes, it was as cold as it looks, so we didn't stay long, but shot a few pictures, at least.

Since my hubby drove all the way (it was a work truck), I could work on my monkeys, and these are the seven that I managed to finish in our two days of driving.

From Elbow Falls, we took Highway 1A to Canmore.  I love that road... very little traffic and a different view than the #1 offers.

One of the benefits of the backcountry roads is the wildlife.  We did se two moose on the road to Elbow Falls, but on this highway, you can almost be guaranteed a sight of the mountain sheep.

The mountains were so crisp and clear.  Yes, I miss the mountains.  Each place we have lived has had it's positives, and the mountains that are so near Calgary was definitely one thing we had a hard time leaving behind.  It was good to be back there.

Birds Hill Park - Cedar Bog

Today was a perfect day for a winter walk.  Perfect for walking and talking with my friend, at least.  And that was the priority for today.  But I can't go without a camera, even on a gray day.  I am inspired by other photographers - including my nephew - who can take incredible pictures in any weather.  I'm not there yet... I have much to learn.  But it was a lovely walk with a few surprises, and I did get a few photos.

A very pleasant surprise was this bird-feeding area.  One day I'll have to come back alone and just sit here long enough to get more close-ups.  The birds didn't seem shy, but we weren't there to sit quietly.

There were two snowmen on the path we took.  I'm grateful for my Manitoban friends who are willing to show me the places to go here in my new neighborhood.