A fun day

A tiny bit cooler today only 30c (87F) with a very slight breeze. I spent most of the day working on my website, not a real productive day, I found a new host for my video clips but cannot figure out how to link them from the host site so they will play when clicked on from my website, read directions, tried all the links they provide for embedding or linking, nothing wants to work and besides that the satellite is working only intermittently, so I give up! Will work on that another day the issue may be partly due to the satellite, no point in wasting any more time today.

The large group is involved in a Horseshow Tournament which goes on most of day into the evening between serving food and playing games with the little kids.

Part way through the afternoon they report to Woody that the well is dry, no water! Wow not good, Woody tries to prime the pump but no go, he calls O F & Game, yes that happens sometimes, leave the well alone it will recover in about two hours, so Woody informs the group and offers to get some water if they need it for drinking or cooking. They come back a little later to let us know they will be okay, enough water between the group members who have RV units to make out. Another thing we did not know about this campground, will make any new campers aware to use the water from the pump sparingly, only use for cooking or washing, no filling up kids water toys, etc.


Spectators and tournament players seeking shade!

They are an enthusiastic hardy bunch playing in the hot humid weather.

There were some sun seekers in the group.

We left around 5:30 pm to attend the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Stony Plain, a huge gathering, Chris and Michelle volunteer each year, this is the 16th annual gathering and we have not attended until this year, Chris invited us and saved two day passes for us. Lots of entertainment, food and booths set up for sellers, selling everything from clothes to candy. People come from all over Canada and the States to attend this Festival.

The entertainment was fantastic!

A family affair, the girls have awesome voices, can make the fiddles sing and were very entertaining.

This couple could not stay sitting down, the music just set their feet to dancing.

Granddaughter Caitlin volunteers at the Festival along with her Mom and Dad and has for the last few years, she is taking a break watching the show with me. Note the crutches, Caitlin re-injured her ankle (not at the Festival). I bought Caitlin a little toy kitty with a baby kitty all set up on a very cute cuddly blanket she was eyeing up, she never asks for anything but I thought she deserved it and I loved buying it for her!

Chris and Michelle making their rounds at the Festival, making sure everybody has what they need and running errands.

Woody purchased this Scroll Saw Art, a Father and Son team; they signed and dated the piece on the back. The pictures do not capture all the intricate work or the natural grain of the wood the eye can see.

What a face, he looks likes he just stepped into this Festival from the Old West, Woody asked if he could take his picture, he was pleased to oblige.

We left fairly early to come back and check on the water situation at the campground all was okay, the pump had not recouped yet but the campers were not worried, they assured us they would be okay until morning. We totally enjoyed the Festival and our visit with Chris, Michelle and Caitlin. Observing our “kids” working in their volunteer positions was very gratifying, it was one of those instances as parents you can sit back and see that they have grown up as useful, responsible, caring, and sharing citizens of this world. I give thanks everyday for the joy that our children give us.

Working and playing

A very warm sunny day temperature up to 33c (92F) predicted, we expect a group today for the weekend, first trailer rolls in around 10:00 am, I go out to greet them and to confirm they are part of the group as I did not have the reservation signs up yet (didn’t expect anyone that early in the day), yes they are, cool, the rest of the group pull in throughout the day. Woody is out and about introducing himself and making sure all campers have what they need, answering any questions, and directing them to our fifth wheel to pay me when that subject comes up. During the day he takes the big tractor to mow some more trails, he is in his glory, people to visit, toys to play with and helping out wherever and whoever he can. Oreo is tied up, too many kids, dogs and new people, she just would not stay in our “yard”, poor puppy she spends lots of time looking and wishing she could go and play with everyone. Once the campers settle in Oreo and I go for walk/play, Woody is out mowing the far field, he had repaired the horseshoe pits earlier today which is good as this group came over asking if we had horseshoes for rent, they were delighted at finding out horseshoes were available free of charge. Later they came back to borrow a rake so they could keep the pits groomed, wow they are serious horseshoe players!



Catching a few zzzzzzzzz's after working in the heat.









The small group that camped from Thursday to Monday, they had the worst sites in the campground, 3 units in 2 sites, they made it work for themselves, a good bunch of people.





Part of the larger group, they were well set up, even brought their own kitchen and set it up at the back in between a couple of their sites, we were impressed with how organized this group was and they left the campground pretty clean. There were about 60 people in this group all set up in 12 sites sharing and working together.

After dinner Woody took the tractor and delivered some wood to the group fire pit for them as a courtesy, they had let us know they would use the group fire pit most of the time. It is very warm this evening, we turned the AC on and retreated to our home to cool off, relax and do some chatting online before heading to bed.

Girl Party, Woody playing

Another beautiful warm day! The highlight of this day for me will be attending granddaughter Caitlin’s girl party, I am honoured she invited me; she is nine years old and a real little lady. Woody left for town this morning running errands for us and the park, returned shortly before I had to leave. I arrive for the girl party around 2:00 pm; I could hear giggling as I was walking to the house, what a delightful sound, kids having fun! Caitlin and Michelle greet me at the door, Caitlin introduces me to all her friends, they continue doing their “girl thing”, Michelle and I retreat to the kitchen, Michelle making sure all the preparations are in order for snacks and drinks. Caitlin is a good host, making sure her friends are well cared for, serving snacks and glasses of punch. After playing some games indoors, the girls decide to head outside to walk the trails on Michelle and Chris’s acreage. Michelle and I relax, catching up on news and generally enjoying our quiet visit time! All too soon it is time for me to head home, I then realize I have not taken any pictures, oh well too late the girls are somewhere on the trails, I did not want to interrupt there fun! I returned home around 5:00 pm, a small group we expected today has arrived and settled in.

Woody mowing the group area before heading out on the trails.

Of course Oreo wants to follow but Woody sends her home.

One of the fellows has a mobility scooter and wants to use the trails; Woody went out and double mowed some trails then unlocked a gate so he could access the trails (the trails are gated to prevent ATV use).

We had dinner, spent some time visiting with the campers, and while enjoying a quiet evening outside the gentlemen came over and thanked Woody for the extra effort he had made to accommodate him bringing us an adult beverage, does life get any better than this?. Later we spent time chatting online with our friends and called it a night.

Sunny, warm, a beautiful morning, as we were enjoying our coffee a couple drops in to inquire if they can reserve two sites, we walk out to look at the layout of the two sites we have left, they are coming in tomorrow and staying until Tuesday, yes they will work for them, cool now we are full unless someone wants to sit in the overflow. Very friendly interesting couple, we visited for a bit and when they left Woody got busy re-gluing the valves on our inflatable, still leaking very slowly. Oreo asks to go into the fifth when she hears the compressor she hates the noise. After lunch Woody is cleaning out the fire pits and I decide to clean out the shelter, wash the tables, sweep the floor, etc., Oreo happily follows me around, chasing the odd chipmunk even though she would rather be following Woody, he is using the tractor loading ashes into the bucket and dumping in a pit at the edge of the bush, not safe to have her running around the tractor. People come and go, using the walking trails; I have to be vigilant, hanging onto Oreo as she thinks greeting everyone is her job, especially if there are children or other dogs, having a hard time training her to wait until she is invited to visit them. A couple hours later I am all done, Woody is mowing grass, Oreo and I hang out at home relaxing outside, me in my favourite chair, Oreo laying at my feet in the shade, I play fetch with her, not many throws and she takes her toy and lays down, too warm to get to energetic I guess. Lol
Dinner is tonight is real easy, salad, hard boiled eggs and cold cuts, too warm to eat anything hot even BBQ steaks does not appeal to us. We spent the evening outside, enjoying the beautiful evening.

This and that

Woke up to rain this morning, not real nice but the rain is needed, checked the weather, supposed to rain most of the day, so change of plans, work inside not outside. Woody makes a few phone calls trying to track down the part for the pressure washer, takes the part off in hopes of finding a match, the pressure washer model has been discontinued hence the company that manufactured it does not carry parts any longer. He will pick up our mail while in Edmonton and run some other errands. I decide to continue my quest, finding a way to burn the music I ripped yesterday after completing the morning chores. Thinking about the challenge while doing mundane chores, I have one of those ah ha moments, I will use the DVD Architect studio and burn them all on a DVD, will hold more songs and I only want it to play when at home! I quickly abandon the chores and sit down at the computer, open the DVD Studio, open files, add the albums and set it up for burning, then back to finish the chores while the burn takes place. When the burn was completed, I tried to find a way to print a list of the names of the songs, no way can it be done on DVD Studio, so I make a hand written list of the album titles I compiled on the DVD, good enough for now. I now at least know what albums I have on DVD number one, 14 albums on one DVD and I still had room to add more but figured that would play long enough! I have many more to rip and burn, not today, I want to catch up the blog. Worked on the blog for awhile, grabbed a quick lunch, still not nice, took Oreo out for a short play, stood under the awning and threw her fetch toy for her, she doesn’t care if she gets her feet dirty or wet, when we came in I made her lay down till her feet dried, cleaned up her dirty foot prints, got to figure out a way to teach her to wipe her feet eh! LOL Woody arrived home later with the new part (generic) for the power washer the rain had stopped, was nice and warm, not to hot so out he went to catch up on some chores around the campground, I continued working on the blog happily listening to music! Woody returned a short time later wondering if I could find him a manual for the power washer online, he had not taken it apart and wanted to make sure he installed the new part correctly, no manual was to be found online. He called the parts department of the manufacturer (Princess Auto), had a chat with them, no manual available, but was transferred to the problem solving line, a few minutes of discussion and the problem was solved. He immediately went about installing the new part, came back a short time later, happy he had the power washer back together, now he needs a garden hose to fill the water tank, so he will pick that up when in town another day couldn’t find one here. I am thinking so why didn’t you think about that earlier and check if there was a hose around! Ah well, guess he cannot think of everything, not a big deal eh!

Before dinner we decided to put the decals on the truck, it was not to hot, I washed the windows and Woody applied the decals. We think they look good, giving the truck a nice personalized touch, not that is didn’t already have a personalized look with the air deflector and a couple of bow hunter decals.


We just added the four white decals!






Woody then started our little barbeque; we enjoyed grilled potatoes and very tasty Rainbow Trout, yummy!















Caught me with my mouth full!





We sat out for awhile, then headed in, chatted online with friends, listening to music. I found out the 14 albums I burned plays for 9+ hours, cool, I love it, just plug it in and let it play. Will create more one rainy day!

Music, shopping, wild flowers

A few more pictures of wild flowers at Imrie Park.

Bunchberries, they have a white flower in spring, then produce these little berries, in parts of the bush they cover the forest floor. Click on the picture to enlarge, shows the berries a little better.

Woody went to Edmonton this morning in hopes of finding valves for the inflatable and parts for the O F & G pressure washer. The pressure washer has its own water tank he would load the washer into the bucket on the tractor, fill the tank, making it portable and very useful for many jobs at the campground and needed for keeping the tractors clean. After cleaning up our home, I spent my time ripping music, so I can burn hours of music on one CD, picking out my favourite tunes, there are usually a couple of songs or more that I am not fond of on every CD that I buy. That is one thing I miss is the CD changer, use the DVD player and of course only one CD at a time and I find it a pain to keep changing yeah I know I am lazy, I like to have music playing when I am doing whatever in the fifth. I could play tunes from the computer but I much prefer to use our home theatre with sound surround! I also thought once I ripped all the tunes it would be easier to use them for the DVD slideshows I create, I will move them to the external drive to keep my laptop hard drive from becoming overloaded.

Wild Saskatoon bush struggling to survive in the dense growth. There are actually quite of number of bushes, I will them for the birds.

Woody arrived home late in the afternoon a little disappointed; he did not have much luck with parts for the pressure washer he did find valves for the boat, although he had to settle for a generic kit, which requires adaptors to fit. Guess we will find out tomorrow if they will do the job, it started raining shortly after he returned home. Woody and Scott had planned to go out this evening to set up their tree stands and luckily, the rain let up by the time they had planned to meet. While waiting to meet Scott, Woody told me he had a chat today with a friend who has a dealership and can get the club a real deal on a new garden tractor that will last them for years, do a better job, it would replace the small tractor which is used for cutting around the buildings and campsites is not big enough and scalps. Great news, now the members will have to raise the money for the new tractor. After Woody left I continued with my project anxious to have the music ready for playing later in the evening when Woody returned. Well I messed up, I ripped it in wav format did not think to check before I started ripping the music. I realized it when I went to burn the new CD and was only able to add a few more tunes on the new CD than I had on the originals! ARRRGGHH, I knew they needed to be ripped to the MP3 format, okay there must be a way to change the format, start reading the help menus, nope cannot change the format once ripped, bummer, now what, I sure do not want to delete the tunes and start all over, especially since I had spent so much time deciding which tunes I really wanted on my new CD’s. Woody arrived home and I explained my frustration with myself, he looked at me with sympathy in his eyes, and said “Sorry babe I cannot help you with that challenge, you know how much knowledge I have when it comes to computers”, came over and gave me a kiss “Yeah, I know, I didn’t expect any help, thanks for listening” I say. I was glad he was home, I needed to vent and he was all excited about all the does and big bucks he and Scott had seen, I shut down the Media Player and put the CD’s away, I will think about a solution tomorrow. I settled down to hear all about their trip to the new hunting area, now the trick will be to find the bucks come hunting season.

Fireweed is spread throughout the bush, very pretty when in full bloom, they are now at the end of their blooming season, not quite as showy.

We spent some time checking out our favourite forums took Oreo out for one last playtime and headed to bed.

A busy fun weekend!

This weekend Onoway Fish and Game Association are holding their annual summer gathering at the park, they put on a Barbeque on Saturday evening and a breakfast Sunday morning for all members as a way of thanking the members for all the volunteer work accomplished throughout the year. It was a great weekend; we met many of the members, and generally enjoyed ourselves.

Cooking for the gang!

The BBQ is a huge commercial type stainless steel unit that was purchased by the club and is available for rent to other groups who wish to use it at the park. The club also owns a commercial type griddle and Sunday morning we were treated to pancakes, eggs and sausage!

Salads, condiments, buns and deserts were provided by the hard working executive members.

Not sure exactly how many attended the BBQ, around 60 people.

Many of the members play crib, there were about 3 tournaments going on Saturday afternoon and again after dinner! Woody took part in a couple of games, did not win any money though. LOL

There is an ongoing Gopher Competition, 1st prize is a 22 cal. rifle to the person who brings in the biggest gopher, weigh in at the clubhouse and the second prize is bullets to the person bringing in the most tails! Not sure of the closing date, open to members that are in good standing and members who joined before June 08.

Some of the campsites, not all stayed for the weekend.

The only picture I took of Woody did not turn out very well.

One of the hardest working members celebrated his birthday on Saturday, the club could not let it go unoticed!

Left to right, Norm, President, Ron Bday boy and Gary in the background goofing off!

Ron figured out I had made the card for him. I so enjoyed making the card for such a great person.

It was a very hot day Saturday, some sat in the group area in the shade, later we had a big campfire in the group fire pit, partially hidden behind the tree to the left in the picture.

There were balloons attached to the board which the kids shot with darts, took them no time at all to pop all the balloons!

Later in the evening while we all were enjoying the campfire a thunder storm came crashing through, back to the shelter until the pouring rain stopped, returned to our home between showers after chatting, and enjopying some story telling among the members!

Sunday after a huge breakfast and more visiting the members cleaned up, Woody helped them clean up the shelter, clean the BBQ, load up the grill and return it to it's home, etc.

Sure was quiet here after all the activity of the weekend, I felt a little unsettled for awhile, I think even Oreo missed all the attention and play time she recieved from some of the club members, they all loved her!

I grabbed a book, to lazy to do much of anything except to read and play with Oreo! Woody made a couple of trips to the gun range just to make sure all were following the rules, all was great, except there was one young fellow breaking in a new gun and was not cleaning the riifle between shots so Woody loaned the young fellow his cleaning kit and explained to him why and how to use it. The young fellow had a cleaning kit but had left it at home and didn't realize how important it was when breaking in a new gun, later he returned the kit and thanked Woody a million times, the new gun was a Tikka 330 win meg, so of course there was much discussion regarding the gun!

Woody went fishing for awhile during the evening, only caught one fish, it will be our dinner tomorrow night! A great weekend!

Nothing too exciting today

Going to be a very warm day predicting 88F 31C and will feel even warmer with the humidity. We decided to travel into Spruce Grove to pick some more flower baskets and other needed items. We left fairly early to beat the heat, leaving Oreo at home, with the fifth tucked in the trees it stays cool inside until late in the day. We checked out the exact whereabouts of the dump station and parking possibilities for the group that want to stop in Onoway for lunch on their way home tomorrow, nowhere to park the rigs and go for lunch unless they use the school parking lot and want some exercise before lunch walking to the restaurant. Planted the flowers and situated the baskets as soon as returned home, had lunch and chatted with the campers sharing the information we had gathered. I then spent time creating some maps and information sheets to pass to campers covering topics of interest to the campers that frequent the park. Woody cut grass and cleaned out fire pits. A couple of the Onoway Fish and Game members will be pulling in later to start preparations for the gathering here this weekend. Then spent more time trying to locate the leak in our inflatable boat, just cannot locate it, we sprayed the whole boat with soapy water, filled it with water, it is a very slow leak think it must be a valve leaking even though we do not see bubbles, will check out where we can purchase new valves. Woody and Scott went fishing for the evening returning around 10:30 pm with more fish; Woody gave a couple away to the O F & G members that had arrived earlier. We then spent a little time checking our favourite forums and turned in for the night.

Working and fishing

Another warm gorgeous day, no rain predicted, Woody did some mowing in the campsites and cleaned up the horse shoe pits this morning, while doing that he stopped by the campers (a Good Sam group) to inquire if they needed anything, they requested a map to Salter’s Lake, Woody called me on the 2 way radio and I got busy looking for a map for them. It was a bit of challenge as Salter’s Lake is so small it does not show up on any maps, I can find Onoway but again streets and roads do not show up, after some research I find a map, print it out and off I go to pass it along to the campers. While I am chatting with them they ask about restaurants, the dump station and a bakery, I share the knowledge I have regarding restaurants and I know there is a dump station in Onoway, but not sure where it is, tell them I will find out for sure and let them know later, no problem they do not need the information until Friday. Woody is out mowing so I walk over to where is mowing and ask him but he is not sure exactly where the dump station is either, oh well back home, I will prepare a list of restaurants with addresses, etc. Later Josie drops by and she draws me a sketch of where the dump station is, I print off a map and mark exactly where the dump station is, I love doing that kind of thing, tomorrow when we go into Onoway I will check the directions to be sure they are clear and correct before handing them to the campers. We know what a pain it is to drive around looking for a specific location dragging a trailer behind when the directions are not clear. I played with Oreo but after about three throws, she took her fetch toy and just started walking down the path, too hot even for her. Woody came in for lunch, it was getting very warm, said he was going to go to Archery/Gun range to do some cleaning up with the mowers after lunch as it was getting too hot to work in the sun, shovelling and digging. We had a quick lunch and off he went with the small mower, returned later and picked up the big tractor, he came home around 4:30 pm tired said that was enough, lots more work to do there but was happy. We sat outside for a while had an adult beverage then he started working on finding a leak in the inflatable (it has developed a very slow leak), no luck finding the leak. We put some items on the BBQ for dinner, cooking them while still trying to locate the leak, cannot locate the exact place we will have to deflate it, take the floor out as it appears to leaking in one side in that area. Scott calls and wonders if Woody has time to go fishing this evening, well of course, he has time, so around 7:30 pm off they go, maybe they will get lucky again and we will have fresh fish tomorrow night! I cleaned up the dinner dishes, and worked on the blog for a while, Oreo laying in garage where it is cooler, not even asking to go out and play. Around 9:30 pm I take Oreo out is has cooled down very nicely, I love Alberta summers, always cools off at night, would be a great night for a campfire if we had a fire pit, but we have been told we will have one soon! All campsites here have a fire pit with wood provided with no extra cost to the campers, not many campgrounds offer that benefit anymore. . Interesting walk, fresh poop on the trail, I know it was there this afternoon and not deer droppings, thought it might coyote, there are always calling here in the evening, so decided to return home, do not need any encounters between Oreo and coyotes, she would loose as they usually travel in packs. Got home around 10:00 pm, the boys are not back yet either they are catching lots of fish or hanging out in hopes of catching some. Well it turns out they were catching fish arrived home about 10:30 pm excited and happy.






I think the smiles say it all.

Rainbow Trout, up to 3 1/2 lbs, Scott will smoke these fish, cannot wait to have a feast.


We sat outside chatting with Scott for a while and after his departure, we checked out favourite forums and called it a night!

Some wild flowers and other stuff

Woke up to a beautiful sunny, warm day, Woody was eager this morning wanting everything shipshape for the group that was arriving around 2:30 pm today. After the weekend, the garbage cans need emptying, some mowing done in the campsites, bathrooms swept and restocked with TP, etc. Woody went out to start the big tractor one tire is low, okay get the compressor and pump it up, I take Oreo and we are off for our morning walk/play on the trail. While out walking I hear the little tractor running and when I return Woody asks me to listen for the compressor, when it stops continue adding air to the tire, while he is mowing. The little compressor would not do the job, Woody makes a couple of phone calls, off he goes to borrow a larger compressor, returns, as he is blowing the tire up he notices the tire is coming off the rim. A couple of more phone calls, O F & G member (Ron) came to the rescue! They removed the tire and Ron takes it to the shop for repair. In the meantime, Woody continues mowing grass; I looked after the bathroom detail and swept off the sidewalks, we then grab a quick late lunch. Ron returns with the repaired tire and they are in the process of mounting the tire when the group starts pulling in as well as O F & G member, Josie who looks after reservations for the campground, she looked after getting the group settled in and then gave me the changes that were made, thank you Josie! Next year we will have a cell phone with the number listed in the brochure to look after all reservations but for this year it was decided to leave it in Josie’s capable hands as her cell number is the number listed to contact for reservations. Woody looked after the garbage detail and then cleaned out the large group fire pit for the group’s use they prefer to use it instead of the individual pits. Cleaning the fire pit was a major job, as it has not been maintained very well. To dispose of the bucket full of ashes he dug a hole to bury the ashes near the edge of trees in an unused area of the campground as instructed by O F & G Association. Around 4:30 pm, Woody left for town to return the air compressor after making use of it to clean up the big tractor, blowing all the accumulated fuzz, dirt, and grass from the filters, etc. Oreo and I went for a much-needed walk/play after he left as I have spent a large part of my afternoon working on the blog and trying to fine-tune my campground reservation spreadsheet. Just after 6:00 pm Scott called, Scott his wife Jill and Woody arranged to meet at a friend of Scott’s to look at some archery equipment he had for sale, should be interesting to see what he comes home with. I spent time catching up at my favourite forum, Oreo snoozed; now she is asking to go out and play, guess I will oblige, walking the trails is always great.





Can you see Oreo in the undergrowth? She is looking for her fetch toy.

Wild Raspberries fighting to survive in the dense growth beneath the trees

I do not know the name of these, they grow every where in this area.

Oreo bringing back her toy so I will throw it again. When she tires of chasing it she picks it up and starts walking ahead of me down the path.

We were returning from our walk on the trails when Woody calls me, I can tell he is all excited, he says he has a surprise for me, I immediately thought, oh yeah what did he buy. Just as I was coming up to the fifth, Woody is stepping out and sees me coming, he walks out, I say “so what is the surprise”?, “I spent some money” is his reply, “well that is no surprise I pretty much knew you would” I reply, “so what did you buy”?. He brings out the box, “I bought you a new bow and it is a real nice one, I got a real good deal on it, saved lots of money”. Hmm, I think interesting concept, how can you save money by spending money on something I was not sure I even needed, but he really thought I needed a lighter bow and a smaller one. Woody is excitedly opening the box and showing me all the goodies that went with the bow, now I am getting excited, as it real is a nice little bow, so much smaller than the one I have. He is still busy explaining how much he had saved, then he says, I bought something else also, a ground blind, that was not a real surprise, he has been talking about wanting one for awhile so I knew he would eventually get one. He pulls the box out of truck and shows me the picture on the box, “well aren’t you going to set it up?” “Not tonight” he says, “well come on I want to see it” I say, so he pulls it out of the box, all the time telling me how nice it is and how easy it is to set up. Then he tries to set it up, I should have had the video camera running at this point, it was so funny! I watch while he tries to figure out how to set it up, he unfolds one side and tries to pull out the other side, then the first side just rolls up again, he rolled it around the yard the bit, and then I hear, “What the hell, how does this thing work”. I suggest he look at the instructions, he grabs the box, looks in and says “there are no instructions”, I can see the instructions from where I am sitting, they are attached to the opening the storage bag, so I get up to show him when he finally sees them. I am sitting there just laughing; he asked for my assistance and between the two of us, we got it set up. I was entertained later while he figured out to fold it up; it is really too bad he would not allow me video tape this happening, we could probably win cash on AFV. So bottom line is he spent money but provided me some pretty good entertainment for a while, as well as picking up a nice bow for me, I really do like it and I now agree with Woody this bow is more suitable for me, weight and size wise.



Each point you see needs to pulled out, like popping an umbrella when the wind has flipped it inside out.

Oreo climbed inside right away to investigate and now she thinks it is her house!

The bow still needs to be properly set up for me, the weight is too heavy for me to pull at this point.

Going to take some learning to shoot it, I have a mechanical release for it, just needs to be installed. When I am actually shooting it I will post another picture, this is for target shooting and fun, not for hunting.

Family and Friends gather

Woody got up early to run into Spruce Grove to shop for the groceries he was going to pick up yesterday when returning from fishing but it was too late. Campers were checking out today and a few dropped over to pay their fees, shortly there after a member of OF & G stopped by to update the reservation list for next week and I handed over the fees we had collected this weekend, reservations are already coming in for next season! We finished our preparations for dinner after Woody returned, then our grandson called to ask if his girlfriend could come over for dinner also, well of course we always love to see Emily, she is a delightful girl, he then said it was a little more complicated than just Emily coming, a couple of his friends wanted to come also, along with one friends parents. I told him they would be very welcome to come but I did not have enough food prepared for so many extra people, he assured me they would bring their own food; cool we will have a good-sized gang to visit. A short time later friends, Stan and Debbie stopped by for a visit. We went for a nice walk on one of the trails, chatting as we walked along, soon after we returned home, our friends Allen and Karen with daughter Christine dropped in carrying a picnic basket and cooler. Wow, this is terrific, visiting with friends I have not seen since leaving in March; Woody had seen Allen and Stan briefly regarding business but not the girls. A short time later Michelle, Chris and Caitlin arrive, we gather outside catching up on news and of course sharing stories. Christopher, Emily and his friend Jessie show up later and it is then I realize that Christopher has played a trick on me, Allen and Karen are “his friends parents” he invited (Allen and Karen are long time friends of ours)! You are good Christopher, you know your Grandma; it did take me a while to catch on, eh! LOL. Debbie and Stan left, they had other friends to visit, we prepared dinner with lots of assistance, and Woody showed Allen and Karen the Africa DVD’s. Scott called wondering if Woody could get a “fishing pass” and meet him at the lake, sorry not this evening, we have company. Company left around 9:00 pm or so, Scott phoned later, and then came over for a short visit; he had four real nice fish and a gift for Woody, an anchor for the little boat, which he had found, so thoughtful! A truly fantastic day!






Karen, myself and Christine.











Our good friend Allen.







We had to tie Oreo up, she was determined everyone should share their dinner with her!

Christopher and Emily. Emily brought homemade cookies, thanks Emily, they were delicious and much appreciated.

Jessie and Christine!

Christopher and his friends.

Chris and Michelle, Chris was head Chef in charge of the BBQ, Michelle and Karen took over kitchen duties, thank you so much!

Caitlin enjoying a large burger!

Getting ready to eat!

Woody and Scott playing

Wow, I am actually up-to-date with the blog, yes, I am happy!
Woody, his friend Scott, Scott’s son and his Dad went to the gun range this morning and had a great time, Woody took his Tikka 308, Scott had many different guns and his son James used a 22 calibre rifle, .after a few shots all were making good shots right on target. We had a surprise visit from Grant and daughter just after Woody returned from the range what an awesome surprise, we enjoyed a short visit!
I spent my time completing the Africa DVD, I had to burn it a couple of times due some changes I decided to make after viewing the finished product. As the second copy was burning, I was listening to some of my favourite music while enjoying a message in our wonderful message chair we purchased from our chiropractor friend, Grant, thinking could heaven be better than this, I really do not think so, we are so totally at peace living here. Oreo and I walked on the trails a few times during the day and played fetch while walking, she is such fun to watch find her fetch toy when I toss it in the bush, the undergrowth is very thick, all I can see is her tail wagging, she never gives up until she locates her toy, typical Lab behaviour.

Around 3:00 pm, Scott and Woody went fishing at Salter’s Lake; they took our inflatable boat with electric motor and had a blast. I was online chatting when they finally returned about 9:00 pm with some real nice trout, good for the BBQ tomorrow when Michelle and family show up for a planned visit, we will provide dinner. A fellow that is camping here gave Woody and Scott permission to hunt on his farm so they gifted him two fish, word spread quickly and we had some visitors to check out the fish and inquire where they were catching such nice fish. We sat outside visiting with Scott until after dark, such a tough day eh!

The lake is small, aerated and stocked each year.

Fishing is such hard work eh, Scott!

A nice Rainbow trout!

Woody caught a couple of nice ones also.

What can I say, another fantastic day

Windy, cloudy, and cool this morning, feel for the campers in tents, not very nice with this gusty wind. We have been invited to watch a friends’ son play football, Woody will go, I will stay home, do not want to stand out in this blustery weather, threatening too rain and also one of us should be here as the camper’s are pulling this morning. Some campers have arrived at our door with their camp fees already and also asking if they can change spaces and the one I enjoyed the most, a fellow asked Woody to help him settle a difference of opinion he and his wife were having regarding the parking of their trailer, and he happily obliged.
Woody left and after the campers were settled in I took Oreo for a walk/play along the trail, then worked on the camper registration spreadsheet, it will be a work in progress for awhile, I am still not satisfied with the layout but it works for now to keep track of the registrations and funds, etc. The weather is improving, I am listening to some soothing beautiful piano music as I write this, Oreo is laying contently at my feet does life get any better than this I wonder to myself, ah well I shall just enjoy each day as it presents itself. Michelle called regarding a date for a get together on Monday, oh yes-good plan, we made a date and sure looking forward to it, always nice to visit with the kids.
Woody returned around 5:00 PM all excited, a friend had called and invited him to go fishing this evening, oh yes he accepted the invitation, so after a quick visit off he went. He was lucky enough to catch a 2 lb Rainbow Trout; he was a happy fisherman and totally enjoyed the company as well as the fishing. Just after he returned home a member of the OF&G Association stopped by, just checking in, we exchanged information regarding the campers, and were informed that they were receiving positive feedback regarding our host position, now that was sure nice to hear from our “boss” eh! We spent time chatting online with friends, Woody took a walk about the campground to make sure everyone was happy and after spending more time chatting with friends we closed the gate and headed to bed, another awesome day here at Imrie Park.

An important day

Today is a very important day for two reasons, first and most important it is our daughter Tracy’s birthday, Happy Birthday Tracy, love ya lots from Mom and Dad, hope you are having a great time camping this weekend! Second it is Oreo’s second birthday, but no cake for her, just some extra loving and maybe an extra doggie treat eh!
Woody got up early today, he is meeting with some members of the Onoway Fish and Game Association to help them install a new dock at Salter’s Lake, since our visit a few weeks ago, some vandals burned the dock and the toilet there, what a terrible thing it is such a nice little lake. We did not realize that the Association managed the lake when we first visited the lake. It is a real crime that the vandals will probably never be caught. The hours of volunteer time, the donated services, (a track hoe to lift the dock in place), the cost of buying the drums and having them filled with foam, plus the other materials, these rotten brats just have no idea what is involved to build and then re-build, nor do they care. They also burned some items at other parks in the Onoway vicinity.
Note: I hope to add some pictures of this task as one of the members said they would send some of the pictures they took, I will note the update when completed. Woody returned around noon as he had an appointment in the city at 2:30 pm with the clinic where he received his bone-anchored hearing aids. They asked him a while ago if he would volunteer some time as they are doing more research to improve the hearing aids. He has been their guinea pig many times before and is very happy to accommodate them. He completed other errands after his appointment and returned home round 6:00 pm. I spent most of the day working on the blog, cleaning up the hard drive on Woody’s computer, walking/playing with Oreo and getting very frustrated with a computer program I purchased a year ago. I re-installed it on my computer and when I attempted to activate the program, I got a message that informed me I had to buy a new license as I had exceeded the allowed activations, which is ONE! I thought okay I have the whole folder on my external drive so I will copy to my computer and then I should be good to go. No, that will not work either! So the flipping program crashes and I need to re-install, I immediately sent an email to their customer service department, I had re-registered online with no problem as I have the serial number and the key number you get when you first register the program. I receive an answer later informing me that I need to send them a copy of the original purchase receipt, the serial number, and my full name, what store I purchased the program, how I had paid for the item, cash, cheque, credit card, blah, and blah, blah. Well I do not have the receipt, when we moved I got rid of all the records that were not necessary, I only kept information for tax and warranty purposes. Who would have thought I would need that receipt to re-install a program. Well we will see what happens, I sent them all the information they requested except for the exact purchase date and a copy of the actual receipt. I am waiting for a second response. If they do not allow me to activate this program, I will spread the word around, and no, it is not a Microsoft program. I have never had a problem re-installing a program before this. Good thing Sony Vegas Movie Maker is not like that, as I have had to re-install it many times. The other thing that really bugs me is I registered the program online when I bought it, so why can’t they look up the information! Okay enough of that.

We had a nice dinner, then took Oreo for a walk, it is actually nice this evening after being blustery all day. There are a few campers pulling in tonight, we only have three open spots left for this weekend, and it is a long weekend in Alberta. I continued working on the blog until after 9:00 pm Woody is reading. After taking Oreo for her last play/walk we closed the gate and called it a night.