Carson's Rig

Patsy and I quite enjoyed meeting Carson at his work yard. His "rig" is 18 wheels with 18 gears.
His alarm went off at 4:00AM. These pictures, taken within a half hour of him returning home, were stamped "12:11" and "12:12".
He did three jobs today, taking him as far away as Hobbema!

Ladies Night

Patsy, Pam, Kaylee, Myra and Brianna treated themselves to a ladies night, dying each others hair and taking care of toe and finger nails.

Lenita Vicky Rose

Patsy and I are now godparents to Lenita Vicky Rose. Karen and Barry had asked us a couple of weeks ago.
Kaylee will be returning to school, at Fort, tomorrow. She'll travel back with Bud, who'll be picking her up around 7:00.
Patsy and I are likely going to work out in the morning, so we're planning to get to bed soon.

Survivor?

It was about a year ago that Juicy's only surviving pup, "Survivor", disappeared.
This young dog has been around lately. Because of the unique tip of fur, at the end of his tail, and his coloring, Patsy and the kids are convinced its him, returning "home".

Phoenix Completed

Today, "Nasa says its Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars has gone silent and is almost certainly dead." This is significant, as the Phoenix had landed on Patsy's birthday.
Yesterday morning, Patsy and I arranged to complete the funeral cards. Amy and Paul met us and helped.
Patsy and Amy joined me, in Cree, for "Amazing Grace", the theme the family had chosen for yesterday afternoon's service. The response was very positive.

Snow's Here

Although its heavy and damp, it looks like this snow wants to stay around, at least for a day or two.
I'll be accompanying Patsy and Amy on guitar. We're performing "Amazing Grace" in Cree, at tomorrow afternoon's funeral service.

Finally Home!

We finally made it home!
The Grande Prairie dealership's service staff were unable to diagnose or emulate the issue that had stopped us.
Three days late, we were given the best assurance the shop was able, that there seemed to be nothing wrong with the vehicle.
On our way home, we stopped at the mall. I asked Patsy to just get me the "Titan" parked there, for Xmas!
There was something wrong... On Sunday night, at the Dunvegan Bridge.
Juicy (I'm thinking of simply renaming her

South of Dunvegan Suspension Bridge

On our way home, on Sunday, our vehicle lost power. We were completely disabled at the south side of the Dunvegan suspension bridge. It was at night, thick with fog. No cell service. Terry, the driver of a service truck, had a cell booster that allowed us to contact "Roadside Assistance".
I had to wait with the vehicle. Terry gave Patsy and the kids a ride to Fairview, where I hoped to meet them as soon as the tow truck arrived.
Priscilla came to our rescue, pulling up behind me around 10:30. After transferring our stuff, she went on, to Fairview. She'd been on the cell with Patsy, who was already at an hotel waiting area.
A tow truck arrived, attempted to get the vehicle running, then hurried on to a police call (a pickup truck had driven into a dugout), and promised a second truck would arrive in about three quarters of an hour. He suggested, if my ride arrived sooner, that the vehicle could be picked up "unattended".
The next day, it was realized the vehicle was expected at the dealership (closest to the breakdown), but hadn't arrived. It was with the towing company at Fairview.
After a series of calls, it was decided one of the Grande Prairie dealerships would be able to provide a quicker response time.
The dealership was unable to get the vehicle into the shop until around noon, when most of the staff went on lunch break.
The service department was unable to diagnose or re-create the problem, and weren't able to assure the issue wouldn't recur. It was agreed the service manager would take the vehicle and drive it normally for the evening, emulating various conditions, and hoping to experience the problem first hand.
We should have an idea what we're doing early tomorrow morning.
My employer has been understanding

Dress-Up

Patsy went to play cards at Edwards. Everyone had to dress up. They had a lot of fun!
I actually kissed her while she was dressed like this. That's gotta be love!

Carson at Strathmore

Carson is now at Strathcona, and will complete his courses this coming Friday or Saturday morning. He might be driving a company truck home.

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Another Saturday

Yesterday, we picked up Kaylee at Fort Vermilion. She had to wait for us for a couple of hours, at the school. We took the kids and went to BP in High Level.
After a little shopping, we came home..
After sitting up late with me, Patsy is sleeping in.
Brennan and I are watching Ice Age.
Roxanne went home a little while ago.
Kay's sleeping downstairs (of course).
Brianna camped at Tallie's.
So far, today's been all about chores.

Carson Called

He's taking Sanjel training at Calgary. It was a nice, long phone visit

Went To Visit Ava

The "two grandmas" visited Ava at North Tallcree, when Kaylee returned from the weekend. Ava met her Great Grandpa Johns as well (though, she didn't actually wake up).

Thanksgiving with the Folks

Turkey and Ham feast. The house was enjoyably full :)

Ava Comes to Visit

Sheena and Ava came to visit. They picked up Kaylee, so she can return to school tomorrow. Grandma succeeded in burping Ava twice.

Cultural Camp at Sulphur Lake

We camped in a walled, canvass tent, with a wood stove in it. It was a wonderful family time! Brennan wished there were more boys. I kept the fire reasonably well. Preparing the night before, I could get the morning fire going within five minutes, and the wood was fairly damp.
Dried meat with marrow. What a surprising treat! Richer than lard and tastier than butter.

Moving South

Carson, just before heading for Lac La Biche with Pam and Latoya.

Married Them!

Here's the bride, Sandra, and the groom, Arthur. I was a "Marriage Commissioner" for the day, and we actually pulled it off!
Cam and Lorraine are the best man and maid of honor.

Tug of War

"The Gathering '08" at Little Red was a well-attended event. Patsy and I work throughout, but do get many opportunities to enjoy ourselves. The family had a great time!
Patsy and Kaylee both joined in the tug of war events during the second day.

Pysanka

On our way home, we stopped at the famous Vegreville Pysanka.

Latoya enjoyed the caboose as much as the other kids.

Pysanka. (2008, December 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pysanka&oldid=255676537

Cochin Beach

We settled Paul's trailer at Jackfish Lodge, and spent our days at Cochin Beach. Pam and Latoya joined us.

Leaving Killem

After spending the evening with Amy and Paul, and Paul's folks, we hooked up the trailer.
We headed to Cochin.
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Father's Day

I had an awesome father's day! A cake from the kids, and a satellite radio from everyone.

School Feast

After work today, we took our family and several extra youth and children to the feast at the school. There were generous portions for everyone.
Because they had not been able to arrange for tea dance singers, round dance singers played for those who had come out.

More Chores

After work, we got right into chores.
Mowed most of the sides and much of the back today. Should be done tomorrow.
Patsy cleaned and washed all of the kitchen, living room, and hall areas. She put on a special treat for dinner; boiled, coil farmer-sausage and potatoes.
All the girls went out for the evening: Kaylee with her youth visitors, Brianna with the neighbor kids, and Patsy with the folks at "Chachak's Garage".
The young ones are asleep now. Kaylee and a couple of her friends are surfing downstairs.

Sleepy Time

Patsy and I mostly did chores this evening.
Mowed the front yard, as well. That's going to be a three-day job.
As we hadn't had much sleep before going to work, Patsy lay down for a nap this evening, and she ended up sleeping for the night.

Bbq and Drive from Slave Lake

We stayed over, at Alice's.
Around noon, Louie barbecued a great lunch. After taking the kids to the park, we drove home. Kaylee and her friend joined us at High Level.
It was a very nice trip.

Dance and a Visit

About two hours late, we pointed the Caddy toward Slave Lake.
Kaylee ended up staying at High Level.
Carson, Teddy, Dathan and Trenton had traveled to sing. It was obvious they were popular.
Brianna and Patsy bought earrings.

"The girls" led and carried on the dancing.

Town Trip

After work, we drove to town with the kids and Kaylee's friend. After pizza at the Stardust, Kaylee and her friend joined her High Level friends and we headed home.

Patsy got home around five this morning :) She woke me up by slapping my foot!
The young ones got bikes and toys!


Kaylee and I got some great clothes :)
Tired as she was, Patsy went in to work for the afternoon.
After work, we walked to the store. On the way home, our neighbor stopped and offered to bring our packages home for us. Very, very nice.
This evening, Kaylee paid me an extra special compliment. She's a wonderful daughter.