Sam at tea

Poppa Neil can't resist his youngest grandson. Sam is a few months younger than our Alexander.

Colleen's Birthday Tea

 

The last 14 hours

Well we now have 20 cm of snow and the first BIG driveway clearing behind us! Sorry no pictures. check out the web cam at http://webcam.usask.ca/bowl_big.html to see the beauty of it all.

Another day in sunny Saskatoon

hopefully the sun will come out melt the ice on the roads.

UP EARLY AND DON'T KNOW WHY

I trust all of you are well.

short update

We have been after Melissa to post so I will try to lead by example.

I have been trying to finish one project for a few days now Colleen has been trying to get me to finish for maybe 5 years! when I put it on top of everyday concerns for her health, Jay, Julie and Alex and Melissa it almost overwhelms me. Also I am not the world's best finish carpenter. Not the worst, but I like to do it myself and have the determination and not much skill. So it has taken me 3 years to get to where I MIGHT have the patience to use the skill I do have.

Oh please be praying for Lynn and Sylvia as they travel to Belfast, Ireland, oops Northern Ireland, to Jenn & Roger and David and Hilda with their mix of children and child to be. I think Jenn is due within the next couple weeks.

Saskatoon is a sheet of ice

Well this morning we had everything covered with a thin sheet of ice. Most has cleared now it is noon. I heard of several semi trailer trucks in the ditch and saw several bike riders picking themselves up after discovering that lateral stability is not good on ice!

Several years ago I talked with my friend Lee Barbour, engineering prof( now department Head), about bikes and cars winter stability. A bike has a better weight to contact surface ratio than a car, but the car wins with the protective cage and lateral stability every time!

It makes me desire Kaohsiung.

Saskatoon's first snow

 

The beauty of the first snow

 

The uglinesss of the first snow

 

The beauty of the first snow

 

Life continues on

Well like most people a few weeks fly by very easily when you are in the normal routine of work.

Get up go to work, come home, do stuff like get ready for winter, eat, sleep, care for each other, laundry, love, work and repeat as needed. Oh and MSN chat with Melissa often.

Then get ready for the next week or so which reminds me I am off to Mississauga for SCOD meetings next Friday and Saturday. I am the ??? on the Study Commission on Doctrine for the Free Methodist Church in Canada. It has forced me to think in a very differnt manner. Mind you a LOT of things in the lst 5-6 years have made me think in a different manner. I am almost too deep a thinker now! Alright some of you will laugh at me as a deep thinker. I hide it well at times.

Well that's it for now.

May God's peace fill each of you.

And remember to leave a comment even if it is only Hi I was here, but use your name!

Grandpa for 1 year!

We met at Moxie's for supper on friday night.

First there were gifts.

then there was mashed potatoes!

WE ARE HOME

A day late and so0me NW money ahead. Do I REALLY need to go in first thing in the morning??

The Adventure continues

The airline was over booked out of Detroit so we volunteered to be bumped. A VERY nice room at the Hilton suites, comfortable, but not elaborate, king size bed and a very good dinner. Hmm, now where will we go with the $600 in NWA travel voucher? We each got $300.

Oh and the wireless internet at the hotel helped rebook our pickup at home too. Too bad DTW, MSP and YXE don't have free access. They do have WiFi, but as far as I can tell you need to have a contract with a provider to look at anything other than their site.

Up at 7:45 to catch the shuttle and clear security for our 10:05 flight. I hope we sleep reasonably well tonight.

TTFN

Waiting in Osaka

Well we have the first leg well under way. We arrived at 11:30 local time in 2 hours and 1 minute from Taipei. Melissa is probably enjoying a good sleep at Chris and Nevada's about now.

We have had wonderful time, now we are in the endurance phase! We are here for just under 2 hours before we set out on the 13 or 14 hours to Detroit. Too bad we couldn't divert slightly south as we fly back through Alaska and the NWT. I think it would be worth learning to skydive.

Vending machine prices rival Saskatoon which is a shock after the much lower prices in Kaohsiung and Taipei. A 1 litre water bottle was often 15 or 20 $NT ($0.68) and it is 150 yen ($1.44) here! And when it is out of a product it seems to make a substitution for you. The woman didn't look too surprised!

Last night in Taiwan

We've had a great day and a half in Taipei. We went to Bongo's for dinner last night and had good poutine. Today Breakfast at Grandma Ditti's and lunch at the food court in the 101 Building. It was too rainy to bother going to the observation deck. In 12 hours I think we will be on the plane headed for Osaka, Detroit, Minneapolis and Saskatoon.

Thanks to all our hosts in Taiwan. It is like leaving family behind.

Last night in Kaohsiung

Well, I can hardly believe it.

We head to Taipei tomorrow to visit Chris and Nevada McKenzie and celebrate Melissa's 33rd birthday. On Saturday we hope to visit the 101 and a few other things while avoiding the protests related to upcoming elections.

Then on Sunday we will gain 14 hours. We leave Taipei at 8:15 in the morning and arrive in Saskatoon at 10:45 pm. About 35 hours of travel time including a 7 hour layover in Detroit! I'll go crazy just turning my watch back.

It has been FANTASTIC and very satisfying to meet so many of Melissa's friends and coworkers.

Our last Sunday at BCC

Colleen got to help with finding harnmony during worship practise.


It has been great to get to know Melissa's church family.

They have lunch each Sunday after church.
I though some would appreciate hearing part of one worship song. Sorry for the amatuer recording. 

Dr. Wu, Melissa's Mentor and Guardian

Dr. Wu invited us for lunch. Another elegant hotel and fantastic meal. We are being hosted as royalty. Mind you Dr. Wu did say Melissa will be the Queen of the foreigners! And that her busines card should say Social Entrepeneur.














Dr. Wu presented us with a lovely fruit basket. And had wonderful words to say about Melissa.




We are privileged to present 2 Saskatchewan scenes to him in appreciation for his support and encourgemetn to Melissa. 

International Coffee Morning

Melissa is involved with an international coffee morning that meets monthly. It was a very elegant fruit and cake presentation in the Howard Plaza Hotel.











We were in a room at one end of the Unicorn Hall. Coffee and other beverages were in the main hall.











I was the only man! Some times there are men, but I can understand why some men would be a bit intimidated. Look at the power and beauty at this table!










This week Marilyn, standing, brought card making kits to purchase and practise. Mine was very basic.



And of course this appers to be one more thing Melissa has discovered and ended up one of the major organizers. It is a great connection to the business community though.