London, England/Three Hills, Alberta!

October is almost half over and so much has already happened this month.  At the end of last month, our hearts were crushed when we heard that Ron's cousin's wife had lost the battle to cancer.  She was only 45.  We decided that it was important for Ron to go and be with the family.  This part of the family is in England!

It was good for Ron to be there to have visits with his uncle and cousins.  Deaths are so hard and it usually brings people together that haven't seen each other in a long time. The funeral was hard but Ron saw that his cousin was surrounded by many friends and family. He was only there for a few days but he tried to make the most of his time.

While Ron was there, I worked and then went to Three Hills for the weekend.  The visit was a little overdue and so nice to see so many special people.  I stayed with Andrew and Brianne and got to spend some time with the twins.  Oh, they are so cute!

On Saturday, we walked all over town.  It was nice just being there. 

In the afternoon, I had tea with the team that travelled last year from Prairie.  It was so great seeing them and hearing about their adventures.  They are a pretty special group.

When I got back from our visit, John (the constable that Ron trained) was at Andrew and Brianne's and I got to visit with him for a bit.

That evening, Andrew and Brianne went out to a dinner and Carolyn and I babysat.  The boys were active but so good.  We managed to feed, bathe and get them to bed.  It did take two of us though.

On Sunday, I went to Mount Olive and it was so nice to be there again, especially because I got to sit with Marion and Merv Greene and their granddaughters.

After lots of hugs over the weekend, I drove towards Calgary and got to spend some time with my boy.  We did a Costco shop, had lunch and walked until it was time for me to pick Ron up at the airport.  He wasn't as tired as I expected and we had lots to talk about the whole way back to Pincher Creek.
Ron went right back to work and we were "blessed" with a little more snow.

This month so far has been about travelling near and far to see our friends and family.  I think the rest of the month will be more about staying closer to home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

September

This month has flown by!  It's hard to believe that September has come and is almost gone.  Work has been super busy with lots of training both in Pincher Creek and in Lethbridge.  I'm starting to catch on to things but there are so much more to learn.

Early in September, we took a weekend break and went to visit our son and take in some horse jumping at the Masters.

The second weekend in September Ron and I headed to Montana to Many Glaciers to hike to Iceberg Lake.  It was a little cool, windy with a bit of rain but it was a nice hike.

It was about a 15 km hike and it was very beautiful along the way and the best thing was to have a day with my hubby.

The destination was a beautiful lake.  We had lunch there and made our way back.  It was a nice day.

The weeks are busy and then the weekend comes and Ron and I have been able to enjoy most of the weekends this month.  Our next weekend, we did a drive down the Crowsnest Pass and stopped to walk through Leitch Collieries.

We also decided to do a little hike.

This past week, was my birthday.  Ron spoiled me by bringing me flowers, donuts for the office, a tea and a chocolate bar.  (I think that means a little more walking!)

That night we went out for sushi to top off my special day.

So it's been a busy month with work, weekend exploring and a birthday.  This weekend Ron had to work nights and it has snowed and snowed.  It seems be the storm of the year already.  We got almost 100 cm of snow with drifts that are right up to my back window.  I just got a message from the school that tomorrow is a SNOW DAY!  If you are going to have this much snow in September at least I get a day off for it!

 I'm not sure whether or not to decorate for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Oregon Coast Bike Ride

When Ron returned from Ontario we packed our motorcycle and headed out for our trip.  The first day was mostly driving along the interstate.  We arrived in Spokane and found a beautiful hotel with lots of history. 


Historic Davenport

We went for a walk in the evening.  It is always good to stretch your legs after a long day of riding. The next day, we had another long drive and arrived in Lacey, Washington.  We walked to Red Lobster for supper.  We both were hungry for seafood.  We got soaked walking back to the hotel.
The next day was a beautiful day and we arrived in Oregon.

We crossed the first of 11 bridges along the beautiful shore line. 

Along the coast, we stopped at some beautiful spots.  At a state park, we stopped to see a historic lighthouse and were treated to a spectacular show from some grey whales.  We watched them feed right off shore and could hear them spout.  It was quite amazing. 

From there, we went to the Sea Lion Caves. It is the second largest cave in the world. 

It was another neat stop.  We had to take an elevator underground to the cave.  There weren't any sea lions in the cave but lots along the shore.

 Along the way, we enjoyed lots of wonderful fresh seafood.  It was delicious.


Clam Chowder Soup

Fresh Cod



Ice cream from a Dairy

On Ron's birthday, we arrived in California.

The next day we drove into the Red Wood Forest.  The drive was nice and the trees were BIG!

 We started back up the coast.

On our way south, it had been beautiful and clear.  This time it was foggy but still pretty.

We headed across the state and came across more nice roads.  We had to go over White's Pass. 

Our final day of travel didn't have a great forecast.  We got up early and tried to drive as far as we could.  We crossed the border and still didn't have any rain.  As we drove to Fernie, we got a little rain.  We stopped in the Crowsnest Pass for a nice picture, just before the rain came.

The temperature dropped to 8 degrees and it poured but thankfully we were only a half an hour to home.  After warm baths, hot drinks and dry clothes we were okay.  It was a great trip and just what we needed.
This past week, I started my job and now I live for the weekends and am planning for our next holidays.