THE LAST VESTIGES OF NORMALCY! April 21

I know I said I would be here every day and I am going to try but I have another blog that I want to write for sometimes called THE LAST VESTIGES OF NORMALCY!

Please follow me there if you are interested in random thoughts and experiences with some channeling sessions in the mix.

If I do any photos or stories of Saskatoon they will be on this travel page as well as any actual travelling that I do. Otherwise you will mostly find me at The Last Vestiges of Normalcy.

If all you want is travel stories, wait here! I'll be back soon.

Later then...... chow!

Waiting for Spring April 20

It is nearly the end of April and the snow is just gone. It is more noticeably dingy looking to someone from away who hasn't dealt with snow banks all winter. If I lived here last winter I would be enjoying the fresh almost warm weather and not complaining about the dust and occasional snow flurry each day. It will all be different in a couple of weeks when the rain washes away the winters dirt and the grass and trees begin to green up.


Of course it has to be this way when you have four seasons. I am one who welcomes the first snow in the fall that covers the old grass and gardens with a fresh clean blanket of snow. The North American prairie weather is in my blood from the clear blue skies to the smell and feel of freshly ploughed earth.

Just a random house waiting for spring to perk up its attire.


My day passed uneventfully with more sorting and accomplishing of small tasks. The world of paper which I left behind is quickly normalizing and getting updated, or perhaps it is me getting normalized and updated.

It is good to be home.

Books need waterproof boxes too. April 18-19

April 18: Well, now I know why I liked traveling so much. Aside from all the beautiful places I saw there was also an absence of details and paperwork. I don't like it and I'd love to find a way to avoid it altogether.

That was my day and I don't want to dwell on it.

April 19: After some gentle prodding I got up today and finished my pre-employment reading assignment, which I promptly delivered to our office.

It snowed again today.

On the way home I stopped to photograph this beautiful Ukrainian church in my new neighbourhood.

The name plate of the church.

In the afternoon I headed for the cottage to oversee the drying out process.

My sister has most of her storage items in plastic tubs which prevented major losses. Only some old books were soaked and some of them are drying not too badly.

It is hard on them knowing they had a flood and not being able to come here until next week.


This photo was taken driving into Saskatoon toward the West Side on 20th Street. The sign on the sky walk says Saskatoon Shines. I don't know about that, it is still dusty from winter but it is going to green up pretty nice real soon.

As always, if you want something nice to look at in Saskatchewan ..... look up!

It snowed again today. April 17

The day started cold and snowy and I got an early start to Pike Lake to help Scott rip the carpet out of the flooded basement at Joanne and Bert's cottage.

It actually went well after Scott cut the old carpet into small bits and Janet and I carried them out.

Then I came home and had a nap. I guess I will just have to resign myself to the fact that re-entry will take a while.

After supper I went for a short walk. It must be freezing or nearly because my fingers got cold in my winter gloves.

I can't stop taking pictures of the sky, it is so amazing here. This is looking south on the street where I am living for a while. The trees haven't started to leaf out yet.

The railway track is only a block away.

Looking towards city center at an industrial area.

Getting to be a homebody April 16

I made some food from my new Indian cookbook, Tandoori Chicken, Saag Aloo (Buttery spinach and potatoes) and Raita. I was going to take a picture but we ate it before I remembered. It was delicious! I didn't even go to India but my new Thai book is in one of the parcels I sent home to Susan in Regina. I have a nice place to live for the next few months. A one bedroom basement suite in the house of a friend. I gathered up some of my stuff that was spread around at the relatives and with the load in my car I should have all I need without digging into the storage. Taxes are done and I have time to work on the flood issues out at Bert and Joanne's cottage at Pike Lake.

Today was all about relatives. April 15

I just love Saskatchewan's living skies.......

And beautiful views as far as the eye can see!

Even if there is nothing there, it is still worth looking at the beauty.

I had a slow start again this morning and realizing the jet lag is still going on. When I was functional I ran out to Pike Lake to do some flood control in my sister's cottage. I crossed a low spot on the highway that was beginning to be swamped.

Here the water is lapping at the side of the barn, or almost.

They had lots of snow this year and a quick thaw which resulted in a lot of water issues. We had some snow this morning, just for me I think, but it quickly melted away.

Later that day I cut cross country to my nieces farm at Asquith where many of her family were gathered for the weekend. Great to see everyone again including my son and his girlfriend.

No plan for tomorrow. I am just working on getting settled but I am still in travel mode and my brain doesn't want to co-operate.

Taxes and housekeeping April 14

There was no reason to get up so I slept in and enjoyed it.

Then I tackled laundry and put away some of the stuff I had stored in my car while I was gone. Besides that and my rented storage facility I also have stuff stored at my daughter's and my sister's cottage.

It is so nice to wear something different after six months of the same clothing day after day.

I am slowly working my way through the issues raised in the six months worth of mail that accumulated while I was away. I don't really like that part of reentry. I find that I don't remember the details of arrangements I made before I left and so I rack my brain trying to deal with things.

Taxes were not too bad. I found the online tax program from the Royal Bank much easier than the one I tried last year.

I went shopping for groceries and I bought a wok pan so I could whip up some Thai and Indian dishes.

Since I returned, I have yet to remember where I put my many loyalty cards for stores so as a result I am not getting the points or the low prices when I shop.

Coming back to that system again after being away made me see how crazy it is to carry around a pocket full of plastic like that, aiding the stores in controlling where we shop. What were we thinking, or were we. I pay one store to shop there and I frequent another where they are up front about us knowing they penalize those with no loyalty cards by charging them more. Cards give us points, prizes, air miles and dollars saved.

Enough, I say! I will try to avoid those stores in the future.

Moving into town for a while April 13

I have been going through the process of getting myself rehired by the lab at Royal University Hospital.

I am observing myself do that with great surprise because when I retired I felt "done for good" but six months rest has softened that view I guess.

I have spent the last three days with my daughter and granddaughter in Asquith but today I am moving to a shared accommodation in Saskatoon city. That will make it easier to work.

I have enjoyed the time with family and "crazy dog" Oreo. He is a big friendly mutt who loves to come in the house and sleep on his blanket with his stuffed mouse.

This morning I received Khmer New year greetings from PACDOC the agency which sponsors the orphanage I visited in Cambodia. Here is the link: http://www.pacdoccambodia.org/

Here is one of the enclosed pictures of the children.

I am excited to be going to live in a place where I can finally unpack for a while and where I can spend time with an old friend.

Hanging out in Asquith April 12

Here are some typical prairie scenes that I caught on my way back to Asquith this afternoon. It is cold and windy here today and this evening it is snowing again. Where is spring?

The thing about this country is you can see for miles and there is water everywhere from the snow's thaw. Water on the road is common.

This is not really a lake, there is that much water on the field.

I got my criminal record check today, a requirement for going back to work. I watched Kirsten fencing tonight. Tomorrow starts with a paraffin pedicure which will put me in the perfect frame of mind to deal with more details.

Back in Saskatoon April 11

The flight from Calgary was less than an hour and I arrived to Saskatoon mid morning. It is still cool but the snow is pretty much gone.

My car was parked out of town so I waited for Alison to finish work to ride home with her. I took a taxi from the airport to the bus depot where I stored my bags and arranged for Alison to pick me up there after work.

Then I walked and took the bus to run errands, get my car registered and my phone upgraded. Did some shopping, talked to friends, and went for coffee. Saskatoon is a city of 200,000 plus and it is easy to cover the center shopping area on foot.

It will soon be green and lush with many parks and walking trails along the river. Now that I have been to Paris I understand why Lonely Planet calls Saskatoon the Paris of the Prairies.

Saskatoon's skyline along the river.

Art on Broadway Avenue.

Waiting for a bus at Circle Park Mall.

There are so many details to look at all at once and it will take a few days to get everything done.

I will be here for a few months and then off I go again so I'm not getting too settled. It will be nice when I can completely unpack for a while though.

April 10 Back in Calgary

Betty and I went out for Moroccan food at a place called Sultan's Tent. It was good food and the restaurant has a cozy interior like being in a tent.

Here they are pouring warm water over Betty's hands before the meal.

After dinner we went to St David's Church where we heard the Rosebud Masterworks Choir and St Davids United Church Chamber Choir perform Mozart's Requiem accompanied by a live orchestra.

Tomorrow I have a morning flight to Saskatoon.

Spiritual Experiences of Meditation - SEM April 8 and 9

Arrived in Calgary last night to cold and snow. Betty picked me up at the airport to stay overnight with her. In the morning I was off to a SEM meditation weekend at Chief Hector YMCA Camp near Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Betty was unable to go as she planned so she arranged a ride for me with another participant and off we went. I was appreciating the cool air and beautiful snowy scenery as we drove into the camp.

I had no wi-fi to post blogs from camp and with my summer clothing I didn't even venture out to take pictures.

This is taken behind the car after we were parked at the camp.

It was warm inside the cabins and I had an enjoyable time.

April 7 Traveling day - Going home.

I packed last night and finally had to use the zippered extension on my back pak to get everything in. This morning I carried my pack for the last time on this trip as I trucked over to the airport train about 10 blocks or so. The train comes right to the airport which is handy but I walked another few miles to my terminal all the way at the other end, past terminals B, C, D, E and F all the way to A which is this little pod thing in the picture.

As I'm writing this I am sitting on the floor in Montreal's airport waiting for my connection to Calgary.

I thought I might as well stop at the meditation retreat in the Rocky Mountains near Calgary before I dive back in.

What a great trip it has been. I am so blessed.

It will be hard to change gears and go to work for the summer but that is what I said I would do.

Blogging every night on the road has been good for me. It has helped clarify details which would otherwise have been forgotten and my pictures are all organized too.

I think I will try and keep up the practice while I am home even if I only post a picture each day. I wouldn't feel right without a camera in my pocket.

So that's it for this trip. I will keep in touch.

Last Day in Paris April 6

I knew the Louvre took a long time to see so I was there when it opened at 9 AM. That was a good idea as the line to get in was short and the crowds didn't show up for a couple of hours. I got off at the Metro on the other side this time and went to Saint Germain's Cathedral first.

All the churches are so beautiful and amazing and each is unique and worth a look.

There was enough light to take this with no flash. I was the only one there. Awesome!

I was just there a few minuets and then crossed to the Louvre.

A fountain in the square where the entrance pyramid is.

The pyramid, I still don't like it.

I didn't have a clue how to approach this mamoth so I just went into the first wing and discovered how easily you can get lost while walking and looking at stuff. I am crazy about the Louvre though and would go again tomorrow if I wasn't leaving.

Here is a view from a window.

I liked Rafael. This is one of his.

I did see her but from behind a crowd. Then I read in the Globe and Mail that people are digging up graves in Italy to get a body that will prove the identity of who is in the painting. That is taking the need to know a bit too far I think.

I would have taken a picture of this scene had I been there. It is awesome that someone actually painted it.

There was a woman in one of the galleries making a copy of a portrait.

I had the electronic guide and it was useful in many ways aside from the commentaries on the individual pieces. It contained a locater which showed you where you were on the map if you keyed in a nearby number and it had tours grouped under specific subjects.

After wandering for a couple of hours I decided to start a tour on the history of the museum. That took me to the basement first to see the only original stones of the building.

The tour lead me from place to place pointing out how the museum changed and developed. I was liking it very much and must have been over half done when the battery died. It was complicated to find my way back to the front and get a new battery and then I couldn't get back to where I left off - the map guide isn't very user friendly.

While I was looking for my tour spot I saw lots of other stuff so it didn't matter. This is in Napoleon III's apartment. The Louvre was a palace once way back. They had a nicer display here than there was at the Palace of Versailes.

I spent six hours there and decided to make a run over to the Opera House before it closed.

What a grand place this is. Here I am taking my picture in the mirror of the grand entrance of the Opera house.

The grand staircase.

The archway to the theater which tourists aren't allowed into. Next time I will go to see the opera.

Then I decided to look at an area called St. Denis. The Metro stop is called Strasbourg-St. Denis. I came out of the Metro and there was this large arch in the middle of the square. I knew there was another one in the city but didn't know where.

It would be worth a walk around the neighbourhood but I opted for coffee and a strawberry crepe.

St.Denis should have been where I got the Metro to take me home but it was under repair so I decided to take a short trip back down the way I came to a stop called the Boulevards. There is a well-known, glitzy shopping center here called Galeries Lafayette.

It is a nice looking area with wide streets and lots of trees.

The Metro is great because they name the stations after the well known stuff that is there, making it easy to find.

The next stop I went to on this line was Inveladies. Here we have a former hospital and military retirement home as well as other military buildings and a private Royal chapel called Eglise du Dome.

Cannons in the courtyard. It was also where the armorments were kept.

Main gate.

One wing.

The windows on the roof are kind of cool.

This is the Royal chapel which I was too late to get into. It looks like a small cathedral.

This building called the Cavalerie was nearby.

You could see the Eiffel tower from there so I decided to walk over there since the closest I have been is on the river beside it. It was a good hike but through a nice park. All the attractions are so big you can see them from a long ways away.

Paris is clever enough not to try to grow grass in heavy traffic areas and just have nice clean sand.

Flower interlude.

OK here we go. The line was short enough that I could have gone up but I am satisfied on the ground.

Looking underneath.

Well, I do have to stop at some point so I looked for a Metro to get me home. I got as far as St. Michel's where I had to change trains and since it is my very favourite place I came up for one more look around.

Now I know why they call Saskatoon the Paris of the prairies. We live outside in the summer like they do in Paris.

It was starting to get dark and there was music being played at some of the Bistros

I have to eat supper anyway so I went to a little place on one of the side streets here so I could stay a little longer. Then I did some last minuet shopping before I caught the Metro home to pack. All I can say is, one week wasn't enough but I am glad I came.