A blast from the past

My Fitbit is going to die from lack of use! In the last three days, I've walked less than I would in ONE day. I know -- it's not a big deal, and it might be good to take a break. But I can see that being inactive isn't good for me. And it's not even the walking -- I NEED something to do, and I can only visit for so long before I feel like I'm going crazy. And I feel tired from lack of doing anything! 

Oh well -- it too shall pass, and before I know it, I'll be heading home. Which is good because I have a ton of things to do, and then I'm on the road again. Yikes! 

We are making significant progress on our estate planning journey. Not sure what else to call it, but all five people are on the same path, and we're one step closer from A to B, so all is good as I imagined some heated discussions about the options, and that isn't happening at all. More investigations and information gathering need to happen, but nothing that I can help with. Fingers crossed that all goes well. 

I spent the afternoon visiting with my Aunt Norma, who lives just down the street from my parents. I met up with a cousin whom I hadn't seen in years -- make that 30 years, so we had a great visit. 

But here are a couple of blasts from the past, and YES -- it involves cooking and sewing. 

For those of you who lived in larger centers, I don't know if the Eaton's Catalogue was important, but to us, that Eaton's Catalogue was GOLDEN. 

The LAST Eaton's Catalogue

I remember scouring the darn thing from cover to cover to see what was there. Dreams about how cool and stylish I would look in the clothes and all the "new" and "modern" furniture we didn't have in our house. Yep -- there's history about that catalog. By the way, that catalog above was the LAST one that Eaton's put out in 1976. And yes -- my Mom had TWO of the darn things, and I saw them listed on eBay for $76. Here's another take on the history of Eaton's Catalogue. 

And let's not forget the Wish Book with all the toys. That was the BEST catalog, and we scoured that thing from cover to cover MANY times. I believe Sears also had a toy catalog, and both were coveted at our house. Here's an article about toy catalogs. 

But as I was flipping through -- LOOK -- here's the fabric section. What? No colored pictures? 

The yard goods in the 1976 Eaton's Catalogue

Times have changed, and while people are still buying through mail orders, paper catalogs have been replaced by digital ones. Let's be thankful that Mom did NOT move to the digital world. We would never get through everything she could buy! I found piles and piles and piles of old catalogs from many mail-order companies, and she KEPT them all, including lists of what she purchased. She was a good customer! 

Here's another blast from the past: our old cookstove. I think I was about 10 when we got an electric stove, but before that, all our cooking and baking was done on this stove, which was also used to help heat the house. Yep -- I'm that old! 

Wood burning cookstove

My two brothers rescued it from the old, old house on the property, and one of them will restore it. It shouldn't take much more than a good cleaning. 

Guess where the stove was made? 

Wood stove made in Guelph, Ontario

The Guelph Stove Company in Guelph, Ontario. 

And where did they buy it? 

T. Eaton label

From the T. Eaton Co., of course! I have furniture at my house that was bought from the catalog. We live in a different world today, and having these memories is great. 

And what about this oven? Mom could and did bake MANY loaves of bread in that oven. I was never good at baking bread, but I got to punch it down after it rose (or proofed as I now know it to be called). 

The oven in the wood stove

Well, that's enough excitement for me. Today should be quiet, and that's good. It was extremely smokey outside yesterday and smelled of smoke, but there was rain in the afternoon, so hopefully, that clears it up. I see the sun is shining this morning. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

If you have a stash....................

This is an eye-opener for all of us with a hobby where we have amassed HUGE quantities of stuff. We think it's OK to leave it to our families, friends, or guild members to clean up after we can no longer do it ourselves. But have you considered the time, effort, and money that is required to clean it up? 

Here's the thing -- my parents live on a farm. There are no dumpster services to call, there are no handy donation centers, and there is no weekly garbage or recycling service. The majority of the stuff will get left in an old house and buried when the house is razed to the ground, or it may get burned, although burning garbage is not as easy today as there are many rules. 

Now if you live in the city, you have access to services that make it easy for you to get rid of stuff. Even cleaning out a home, you would be able to load a car with recycling and take it to the recycling depot. You could bring in a dumpster, and within a day, you could empty the house and be done. You could call friends and have them carry it away. But it's a very RESOURCE-consuming effort to get rid of what we have collected. 

But let's say that you are a quilter, and you have passed on. You have a huge room filled with fabric, patterns, wool, and gosh knows what else you have, but the house has to be emptied. So who are you going to call? 

Here's an example. My Mom had a MASSIVE collection of ceramics. Not only did she have the molds that formed the shapes, but she had much greenware and already fired items. 

So you find a buyer who is persuaded to bring help. Four of them arrived bright and early (8 AM) with a large truck. I'm going to say that was a 26-foot truck. 

26-foot truck

Then with MANY boxes and four people doing most of the packing and moving, and TEN hours later, you leave with a truck filled. This is NOT the final picture, but the height of the boxes in the truck was half height as this stuff is heavy and delicate, and it was jammed to the end of the tailgate. And I mean JAMMED. 

Almost full

And the SAD news is that it honestly doesn't look like anything was removed from the house. I guess if you look at it this way, the area was SUPER JAMMED when they started, and now it's just jammed. 

So the moral of that story is if you have a LARGE collection of something and you think it's OK to leave it for someone else to clean up, you're saddling someone with a HUGE job. Perhaps it would be better to get a friend or family member NOW and start clearing out things that you will never use. Imagine if a NON-quilter came to clear out your stash. They would have no idea where to even start. And even if the person coming to clear out was a quilter, would they know what goes with what? The sheer enormity would be daunting! 

When I started to quilt and bought fabric willy-nilly, I gave no thought to that, but after seeing the results of hoarding and the challenge it is to clean up, I've been acutely aware of the situation and am doing my best to rectify the situation. I won't go into details, as I think you've all seen enough from previous visits that old papers, books, etc., need to be dealt with. It's a HUGE issue and wastes so much time on everyone's part. 

My brother is into motorcycles, and look at the amazing weathervane that he has over his shop! Yep -- that's a motorcycle, and I think it's specifically a Harley Davidson!

Motorcycle weathervane

How is this for a barn quilt? I spotted this on my Aunt Irene's barn. I love the small barn, and the barn block is perfect. 

Barn quilt on a barn

They have had llamas for years, and look at this guy. I think he's in desperate need of a haircut. He looks like a yak or a woolly mammoth. 

Llama in disguise

But you never know what you'll find on this "funny" farm. That's what my cousin calls it, and a lot of the animals belong to her. She has goats, guinea hens, and loads of cats, and dogs. It's actually a fun place to check out. 

One of the goats

We also spotted a moose on the drive. That's something I've never seen in this area before, although they have been in the area for a while now. 

A moose

And I had the pleasure of following this large piece of equipment for a while. Having him pull over is NOT an option, and the car that was coming towards him had to pull completely off the gravel road to let him pass. When the equipment turned into the farm, it was a track tractor and an air seeder, which comprises two big pieces of equipment. So not only was the entire unit wide, but the length was pretty substantial as well. If you're a car -- you take a back seat and drive slowly behind him. And that allowed me to get a picture! 

Stuck behind the farm equipment

Farming is so different from when I lived here. OK -- so I found a video. Of course, there's a video for everything out there.   In the video, you'll see how LONG this entire unit was, and there are several different setups, but if you watch for the RED tractor, you'll see the tracks on the tractor, NOT wheels. It's amazing to see how technology has changed the world as that entire unit would be driven by GPS, so not an ounce of seed and fertilizer would be wasted by seeding over something that had already been seeded. 

I know I'm a geek, and I'm OK with that. Totally fascinating to see how this works. 

Well, today, we're off to see an accountant to get some questions answered. And what I'm loving about the entire process is that everyone is on the same page. So now -- get the answers, have another discussion, and then attempt to figure out the road map to get from A to B. All very productive, and we'll see what happens. 

OH --- the ticks are pretty bad around here, and well, I'm not walking in any grass if I can avoid it. But even so, I found a stupid tick on my hand. He was still crawling around, trying to find a spot to burrow, but I made good work of it. He will NOT be searching for any spot to burrow!

Have a super day1!

Ciao!!!

This is who I am!

So sorry to bore you with family stuff, but if you want to appreciate me better, I think you'll get a kick out of this. 

There is no denying that my curiosity or the desire to make things did NOT just happen. That was something in my genes. And it didn't happen from just one parent -- it came from both. My Mom has done many crafts over the years, and even at 87, she just finished crocheting an afghan, and I'm going to help her lay out the blocks to determine color, so she can put it together. She did gardening (OK -- so I failed in that area, as well as cooking), but she loves to write and make journals - so I got that from her. 

My Dad, who got the tinkering gene from his Dad, as well as the social side of things, can make ANYTHING. That gene got passed to the entire family.

As I sit and listen to the stories, I'm amazed at how much trouble my younger brother got into - a motorcycle accident and bent his bike (Dad straightened it to make it good as new) and other things. Actually, I'm surprised Glen is still alive! 

Currently, my Dad volunteers at the local Museum, where they have a well-equipped machine shop, and without that Museum to keep him occupied, he would be dead, as his own shop on the farm has been completely dismantled and sold. A HUGE thank you to Wally (big brother), who is doing a great job clearing stuff out. 

The mentality here differs from the big city, where most people (sorry) do not know how to fix a single thing. Here -- they can fix and do ANYTHING! Case in point, years ago, one of the neighbors lost both arms in a farm accident. He visited my Dad to ask if he could modify his vehicle so he could drive. My Dad took it upon himself as a challenge (and AFTER calling the appropriate authorities to cover him for liability), he modified the vehicle so the guy could control the car with his legs. Now seriously? I wouldn't even know where to start on that. 

Yesterday, Glen (younger brother) and I went to the Museum to check out what Dad is working on. He loves to restore old engines, while others work on other things like steam engines. 

That was a couple of inspiring hours as I watched Glen (notice how white his hair is, and he's YOUNGER than I am!) and Dad chatted about things. How to open the hood of an older vehicle where the cable to open the hood has seized. A problem to solve! They tinkered around, and I think they figured it out. Or at least they got some ideas of what to try. 

Discussing the hood opening mechanism

This is one of the steam engines in the shop, but my Dad doesn't work on them. But very cool to see this technology from years ago! Now tractors have GPS, comfortable cabs, and an instant-on button! 

Discussing the merits of steam

We went from BIG to SMALL - it's a rather LARGE shop. And all the things that Dad has helped the staff and other volunteers make. This small tractor was made to replicate one of the large Rumley tractors but on a small scale. He fixed the seat and added fenders and some safety features. My other brother has helped in fixing some of these old tractors as well. Wally's mindset is that if you're going to restore it -- restore it to the original, not just halfway there. 

Discussing the model Rumley tractor

And then, they discussed the ins and outs of small model engines. Oh -- I wasn't just listening -- I asked loads of questions because I find the entire thing fascinating! And listening to the explanations and how their minds work blows my mind. 

The ins and outs of model engines

What's amazing is that NONE of my family has formal training in any of this stuff. No electrical degree, no engineering degree, but they just learned it. One of the issues today is acquiring some of the old bits to restore these engines. Well, if you can't find it, you MAKE it! Here are a couple of pieces that my Dad made. Now that is very cool! But he always had the right tools to make that happen. 

"Homemade" engine parts

This is an old engine (1912) that my Dad restored. What's neat about this is that Glen's father-in-law acquired the engine years ago. He had no intention of restoring it -- he didn't have the technical know-how. But knowing my Dad was interested, the engine changed hands. It has sat for many years, but everyone is happy to know that the engine now works! They started it up, and what fun to watch their faces as they listened to it pop (hit and miss engine -- whatever that means), and both were like little boys with a new toy! 

Dad and Glen with the Stickney stationary engine

I told Glen that he had to take his video of the engine running to Doug's graveside to let him see it in action! 

Nothing goes to waste, everything can be fixed, and the whole process blows my mind! 

There is a metal lathe in the shop, and only Dad has the ability (and the authority) to use it. So how do you stop others from using it? Well, you get a lock. 

Locking mechanism

No, WAIT --- you MAKE a locking mechanism that covers the electrical plug so no one else can use it. Brilliant!!! 

Then we went to have a look at his CNC (Computer Numeric Control), which runs MANY things today. He is trying to build a plasma cutter to cut metal. Now if you think about it -- my long arm, embroidery machine, and digital cutter all work on the same CNC base. 3-D printers -- CNC -- so much today is based on that. 

So instead of buying one, he's building one. Of course, he is!!!! So this box of wires is the guts that run the motor. He also built the table. 

The guts to run the CNC

There is one small problem with the wiring, so Glen steps in and looks at the wires, and gets in there to try and fix it. Hmm -- changed a few wires around -- didn't quite solve the problem, so they will troubleshoot that. But absolutely fascinating to see their brains work! 

Let's fix these wires!

And there's my Dad, who I helped with computers at the beginning and even brought him one from Ontario many years ago. He has now learned THREE programs in order to create the file that generates the cut file for the plasma cutter. I am going to bring that to the attention of my digital cutter group. My Dad is 90!!! 

Sending the files to the plasma cutter

What's hilarious about the process is that the first software he uses is Inkscape. Hmm - I can generate SVG files with that, which can be used on the digital cutter! Go figure! It's all the same technology. Then he uses a program that converts the files to code so the plasma cutters can understand the file. Then there's the actual program that runs the CNC machine. Yep --- he learned them all by watching Youtube, trial and error, and getting a bit of help from a friend. 

He has the patience of a saint when it comes to learning, and I can only imagine what he would have done had he been lucky enough to attend engineering school. Maybe he wouldn't have learned anything, but he can and does make or repair pretty much anything in the electronic or mechanical world. 

And we saw a photo from 1949 in which his Dad (they lived in Saskatchewan) wanted to visit some relatives in BC. So he bought a 1949 truck and made a camper for the truck box. The windows came from the barn. So the family of four drove out through the mountains in this truck/camper. The ingenuity to do that just doesn't fall off a tree. Somewhere along the line, our family got some serious tinkering genes. 

And not to be outdone, but my older brother also has no issues with making anything. You want a cart to put your plasma cutter on -- well, you don't go shopping for one. You make one. Notice the matching color? And you can't tell that this is a "homemade" cart. 

A cart for the plasma cutter

There are many times when I wished I was closer so I could take advantage of all the resources! 

All in all, it was a fascinating day, and I wouldn't have traded that for the world. As I said the other day, it's rare that we all get together, and there are loads of memories being made. 

I didn't even get onto the Virtual Retreat this past weekend other than to fix a problem. I was on my phone and managed to let them in, then I left. Hopefully, all went well with the retreat, and I'll have to catch up. 

So despite one "little" incident, I think this is going to be a very successful family visit. We should be able to get all the questions answered, decisions made, and hopefully, a timeline to make it all happen. 

And it sucks to get old. There is a dog loose in this area - I think I mentioned it the other day. The city came and got the dog to take to the shelter. Then we saw the dog on Saturday -- the next day. Now how the heck did the dog get from a locked facility across the river back in this area. It appears that an elderly neighbor saw them take the dog away. She has "claimed" the dog as her own, so she went and picked up the dog. 

Yes, she knows the dog has ticks, but lets it in her house. She won't put a leash on it because the dog doesn't like it, so she lets it roam. She has named the dog (twice) but can't remember either name! Oh boy! Apparently, the dog is going to the vet today. He is a wonderful dog, but I don't think she is responsible enough to own the dog. She shouldn't even be living by herself, it sounds like! And there isn't a healthy enough family member around to help out. So sad!!!

Anyway --- we're off on another adventure today, so I can hardly wait to see what that's all about. I did get one geocache in last night, and I need FOUR more to get my points for this month. 

Have a super day! 

Ciao!!!!

Memories

I'm glad that some of the posts are bringing back memories for people. Working in those old warehouses in Regina! And yes -- it's flat in that area unless you live in the Qu'Appelle Valley -- that is NOT flat, and that's a big hill if you're on a bike! Ask me how I know!

I hope everyone had fun at the Virtual Retreat last night -- I didn't make it. Sorry -- I'll try to stop by sometime today. 

And if you want to know who wore it best? The dog came out on top! Sorry Dillon and M, but he's just cute! 

Had a great day visiting with family and catching up. The three siblings are not often together, so we've had great fun reminiscing. And we are getting those important discussions underway and making good headway. It's fantastic when five people have the SAME goal, and now we just need to find the best route to get there. A few more discussions are to be had this week. 

I felt a wee bit guilty as I cut off the lids of the pizza boxes in preparation for putting them on the table for dinner at my parents. Just remember that my Mom is a hoarder, and well, a box is a box. So I found the scissors and hacked them off. I could feel her eyes GLARING at me while I did it, but she didn't say a word! I got caught a previous time when she asked for them as we were getting ready to put them in the recycling. I wasn't going to be caught in that situation again. God only knows -- she kept the cardboard for something. Sigh....................

The blog will be short today -- not that I have much to say since not much is happening. But I've been up early as I have two presentations today. And I messed up the time. In my mind, I thought they would happen at 11 ish, but NOT -- I went the wrong way with the time, and they will be at 7 AM. No worries -- everything is prepped. 

Well, shoot -- my pictures are sent, but my e-mail won't sync at the moment, so you may not get pictures. 

I bought bandaids for my healing blister. I did NOT put them on when I took a walk yesterday; I didn't need to wear them the day I walked 32 KM. But guess what I'm sporting today in that weak spot on the side of my heel? Yep - a darn blister. I have no one to blame but myself. It seems to be fine this morning, I drained it last night and kept the thread in there, and all seems well. So when walking today, it will be sandals or bandaids with socks and shoes. 

I almost hate to wear sandals around here with all the ticks and other bugs. OK -- so I know why I moved from Saskatchewan! Yes -- we have bugs and ticks, but it just seems fewer back home. OH MY GOD - I've become a big city girl!

Wait -- here are the pictures. 

There is a new subdivision near where my brother lives, so that was my walking destination yesterday. I didn't get a chance to walk right to it as it was further than I wanted to walk. But we did drive through it last night. OK, these estates are extremely private with 13 - 15 acre lots. What would I do with all that space? The place is called Battle Ridge Estates, and well, ridge makes me think I might have a view. Well, no view!!! I mean, there is a view, sort of, but nothing spectacular like the river. 

The view from the high point

But the price is right if someone wanted some land and to get away from it all! 

Last night, Mom pulled out some photos that we had fun looking at. 

Dad and his sister

That's a photo of my Dad and his sister. I don't know that Dad looks like himself, but my aunt is easily recognizable! 

Having these moments is good, as I know these conversations with parents won't last forever. We live far apart and only get to visit once a year. Dad is 90 -- you do the math! However, his Dad lived until he was 100!!!

Well, it's time to go and get set up for my Zoom calls. I tried to push stuff around while I was here, and I managed to do that for a couple of classes, but I didn't want to push all of them, and I had no weekends free to make that happen. So that is why commitments have to be reduced for next year. 

Here's the link for the Virtual Retreat TODAY -- Sunday, May 28. It starts at NOON EST. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119598156?pwd=ZDFxcElxS0NmeTRjczdSR2FXd3N2Zz09

Meeting ID: 861 1959 8156
Passcode: 053861

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

TICKED

 Another day -- another city! 

I did a reasonable amount of walking in the morning and only a third of what I did the day before. I'm good with that. But I went downtown Saskatoon and did some exploring; thanks again to the Adventure Labs and Geocaching. I know there are other ways to find these pieces of art, but having a destination really motivates me to get out and find them, and it makes me walk. 

There are all kinds of artwork to be found in the city and probably ANY city, and it's really fun to get out and explore. I find it's best to have a destination, and then by walking, you discover many little things along the way. 

I spotted this little box, which I originally thought was a Free Libary. Nope -- it was a spot for lost things in the neighborhood. What a cool idea, and wouldn't it be nice if you lost something, that there would be a place where you could go to potentially find it. And if others knew about your box, etc. 

A finders/keepers box

The only thing is you do not want it to become an eyesore. I thought it was a great idea because I often see an odd mitt, a boot, or something that I think someone would want to find. Maybe people don't care any longer - they just buy a new one. We need to start a new trend where it's OK to wear odd mitts -- they are many people who would kill to have a warm pair of mittens in the winter, and who cares if they don't match. But that's the pioneer spirit in me. 

Being where I am, there is a lot of art by or about Indigenous people. Shoot -- I didn't bring in any of that artwork. But there are these gorgeous grates around the trees. They were all different, and a lot of artwork on them is geared toward the Indigenous people, but this one was not. AHA -- I found a website, so you can check out more of them. 

Artwork on the grates

And this is NOT a neighborhood I would have chosen to walk in, but I found some very interesting artwork and murals along the way. This is close to the river, which is teeming with artwork. 

A mural on a building

So if you are poopooing the Adventure Labs and the Geocaching, that's OK. I have learned and discovered so many things in many places - whether I was in a new city or in the country and it's especially fun when you visit a new place because it usually takes you out of the main tourist traps! 

What's my tally after yesterday? I'm at 950 points. I need FIVE more finds, and I'll have reached my goal!! There are no adventure labs in the Battlefords, where I am now, but there are geocaches, and I might just go out and get some later today. Hmm - one a day for the next five days, and I'd be done. 

I also spotted this, and how the goose got there, I have no idea. This is the underside of one of the many bridges that cross the river connecting Saskatoon. He was way high up in the underside, and I thought they needed a bit of a landing strip. No landing strip for this guy! There are loads of pigeons up there, but the first time I've spotted a goose in a tight spot. 

Goose in a tight spot

I had put two hours of parking on the meter while I walked about. I made it back to the car and was 6 minutes over, which was pretty good. No tickets. Phew -- lucked out again. 

I had a couple of places that I wanted to check out, and a quilt store was on the way to the bookstore. I wasn't going to stop, but then I thought, why not? So I did, and I had a good look around and I spotted neat patterns, fabric, and other goodies, and I left it all in the store. I walked out without buying so much as a spool of thread. YES -- I am cured of the GUILT purchases. 

I do not need anything, I do not want anything, and to be honest, the thought of buying a new pattern almost made me ill. When would I have the time to make it when I have so much already. I almost bought a cute small kit that was on sale, but I didn't because I knew it would sit on the shelf and not get used. I did consider buying some neutral (whites mostly), and then I thought, I have to carry that home on the plane, and I can buy that back home, so I bought nothing. I bet that doesn't happen to them often! 

But very sad when you see a sign on the door that all bags and backpacks must be left at the cash. Theft is such a sad state of affairs. 

The next stop was Robinson McNally, which is my favorite bookstore of all time. Their magazine section (like all magazine sections everywhere) is a shadow of its former self. I didn't pick up any, as I can get them back home. Before, I always bought one or two. 

I checked out the quilt books, and purchased one, and saw several others that might make good classes, but again, I do not have room in my luggage. It's been a very cheap trip as far as buying anything goes. 

And I found myself on Quebec Street, which is the home of these guys. I stop by every time because the artwork is gorgeous. This is the company where the artwork sits. 

Metal recycling place

And there's the transformer guys! Hard to believe they were made of scrap metal!! I tell you, these Saskatchewan people love metal artwork!!!

The Transformers from scrap metal

There is a huge dinosaur also at this site and a massive globe of the world. All extremely well done. Kudos to the artists!

I picked up my brother from the airport and headed off to the Battlefords. Upon arriving at my other brother's house, we were surprised to see one of their dogs running around the unfenced part of their yard. Wait a minute -- this is NOT their dog, but you would swear they were the same -- the coloring was identical, but the dog had one blue and one brown eye. 

The dog was very friendly, and my brother and SIL appeared at this moment and told us not to touch the dog as it was covered with TICKS. Oh yes -- when I say covered, I mean there were multiple ticks on the poor thing. No collar, and it was likely dumped. The dog was gorgeous and friendly. 

He was easy to catch, and we put a leash around his neck and started to remove some ticks while we waited for the city to come to pick him up. OK -- so I've only seen one tick on my Little Sammy many years ago, but it was TINY. Look at the size of some of these. They were MASSIVE. 

One of the massive ticks from the dog

I think the dog was part Husky and had a very thick undercoat, and some of the ticks had not had a chance to burrow into the skin yet. We must have removed a dozen while we were waiting, and there were more. My SIL was very clever and did NOT warn them the dog had ticks, but revealed that fact to the person who came. Oops!

But what a shame to abandon a beautiful dog like that. I hope he finds a new forever home. 

So we sat around and chatted for the remainder of the afternoon, which was good as it's rare that the three of us are together! 

And now I'm off -- somewhere along the line, I'm the ONLY one in the family that is an early riser, but that's good so I can get the blog written and not be disturbed by anyone!

Don't forget there is a virtual retreat tonight starting at 6 PM. I'll stop in at some point to say hi!

Saturday, May 27 - starting at 6 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, May 28 - starting at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119598156?pwd=ZDFxcElxS0NmeTRjczdSR2FXd3N2Zz09

Meeting ID: 861 1959 8156
Passcode: 053861

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!

A day off!!

Another day, another city, and a new hotel! I had big intentions yesterday as I was going to zip off to Moose Jaw and then hit Saskatoon, and well, I didn't leave Regina until almost 5:30 PM. What happened? 

This happened.......................

That's a lot of steps!

That is 10:52 PM, by the way! And this is why I do NOT watch TV. When I get into something, I become obsessed, and I put on a lot of steps walking the city to the tune of 31.81 KM. I know!!! And I wasn't even tired. The problem was that when I did get to bed, I was wired, so that's not good. 

I might need a nap this afternoon!

I started in Regina's warehouse district and followed the trail to eleven different warehouses. Oh my --- that was amazing! All these buildings were built in the heydey -- there was a MASSIVE store that used to be Eaton's, the John Deere place, the GMC assembly plant, Westons Grocers, etc. The tour was absolutely fascinating, and I'm glad I did it. I would NOT have done it without the Adventure Lab and Geocaching apps, but you can also find a walking tour on the Regina Tourism website. 

And I absolutely LOVE the painted signs or what is left on the buildings' sides. 

Painted signs on the sides of buildings

I'm sure this exists in other cities across Canada and beyond, but this brings back so many memories. I found the Army and Navy Surplus store -- remember that? And all these buildings were brick, and the year the building was constructed, or the NAME of the company was etched into an emblem over the door. And why were those two tiny windows in the building to the right of the door? And there's one to the left as well. 

The facade of one of the warehouses

The adventure I went on covered 11 buildings, but the tour I posted will show you the history of the entire area. Next time, I'll use the city's guide and do the whole tour. 

I only had a list of addresses for this tour, so I had to use Google Maps to find them. Let's say that I'm not good with directions, which is hilarious because when I arrived at each building, I had to find something specific, and it would say - look at the northwest corner  -- ACK -- which way is NORTH? Thankfully the sun was out, so I was good. 

Speaking of which, I was LUCKY with the weather. The moment I left the hotel very early, I could smell the rain, but it wasn't raining. I ended up walking almost 6 KM instead of 3.5, as indicated in the adventure, but that included walking to and from my hotel, which was on the border of the warehouse district. 

I got into my room and looked out the window; it was pouring rain! Phew -- I timed that perfectly. 

Have you ever dreamed of converting one of those old buildings into a loft space where you could have the most fantastic quilt studio and live in it? Well, I found the PERFECT building for me. 

The perfect building to convert

I don't know how big this building is, but it was all on one level, and by that extra high wall on the left was a vast skylight that ran the entire building width on both sides. It was like a raised bump on the building with windows on both sides. 

There was GRASS at the back of the building and around the front, so Lexi and Murphy would have their own spot to play. Alas, there were no squirrels, but I bet we'd find a gopher or two for them. Guess what street it was on? Toronto Street and there was a big pothole across the street. I felt at home!

But, yes -- I think it would be neat to convert a building like that --- what fun and so much light! So what did the building used to be? It was a glass factory built when the GMC plant was in operation. 

W.E. Phillips Co. glass factory

Then I went for breakfast and decided to hit some of the Adventure Labs in the city. I parked the car and had to pay for parking -- $1.23 or something like that, but I was only staying for a little bit. I decided to walk the route, but I would drive to them. 

I walked to 66 different locations yesterday, and that's why the steps were so high! I was very economical with my efforts as some places were near each other, which meant flipping back and forth on the app, but that's OK. I kind of knew where I was by this time. 

I saw several families of geese with their babies. So cute and not in a hurry to cross the road. 

Goose family

I spotted some duck families on and near the water. They were the smart ones, but I almost ran over a mommy duck but braked in time. Excuse me -- but there are pedestrian walks! I guess she couldn't read!

I had to use the car to get to a couple of locations several KMs away from the Wascana Center, where I spent part of the day. One of the locations was in a schoolyard, and it was recess when I arrived! ACK!!! The sound of hundreds of screaming children -- how do the teachers put up with it? 

And the last stop was at the University of Regina. I must have been tired by this time because I parked the car and saw a Maximum of Two Hours stay, but completely did not spot the PAID parking sign. It's all done on an app, which I had to install on my phone earlier to park downtown. 

I arrived back at the car as the parking person was checking to see if I had paid. I pleaded total ignorance of the sign, and she let me off. Phew!!!!! And DUH -- this is a university -- of course, they make you pay for parking! 

I saw so much interesting artwork, and this one is at the University. It's a modern-day Stonehenge made from iron, and the pattern was formed with styrofoam. The artist is Joseph Fafard. 

Modern-day Stonehenge!

Those panels are very intricate and absolutely beautiful. Thank goodness I didn't linger too much, or I would have gotten a parking ticket!!!

Inside the structure

By this time, I was close to the bottom of Regina and decided it was time to head home. I stopped by the grocery store (for something to eat) that my nephew used to work at (he's now an assistant manager in Winnipeg - Sav-on-Foods), and then it was time to hit the road, as I had a long drive to get to Saskatoon -- well 2 1/2 hours. 

I put my audiobook in, and away I went. I saw the remainder of those metal sculptures along the road, but I didn't stop. I was in driving mode, listening to the book, and just drove on by. By this time, I was tired of playing tourist!!!

OH --- remember I said I needed 1000 points this month to get that geocaching badge? This was my status before I left Regina. 

My cache points so far this month

OH -- I should mention the weather yesterday. I already mentioned the rain, and I was very fortunate that even though it rained several times during the day and evening, I was in the air, so I didn't get wet. But I got sunburned. And I got mosquito bites -- these pests are the size of hummingbirds -- well, they seem huge. I left the car with my regular glasses, a sweatshirt, jeans, and running shoes. I wanted my sunglasses shortly after as the sun came out, and I took my sweatshirt off and braved the mosquitos. When I returned to the car to head out in a new direction, I changed into shorts.

Sandals worked just fine

 And at one point, I put my sandals on. My feet seemed to be OK in the heat. The only tender spot was my previous blister, and the new skin hasn't completely healed. But I'm walking on flat, even ground!!!

When I arrived in Saskatoon, I was not tired, so I checked for caches in the neighborhood, and I was off. So if you EVER see someone by the side of the road doing something that looks sketchy? They're probably geocaching! Reaching under lamp posts, looking at the back of signposts, and trying to be casual about it! I managed to snag a couple more before calling it a night because it was getting rather dark by then. 

But I saw this sunset as I was out. This is near the airport. 

Sunset

By this time, the temperature had dropped by almost 13 degrees, and it was COLD!! 

Here's a structure that I can see from my window, so of course, I had to walk past it. It was built by a company that makes log homes, and it's pretty recent, as you could smell the wood. 

Wooden Stonehenge

It was pretty cool and had artificial turf on the inside. 

The inside of the wooden structure

Oh -- when I went out last night, I didn't change back to my shoes, so I'm walking through long wet grass and mud with my sandals. They felt like they weighed a ton each!!! Silly me!!!!

Walking through mud and grass

So I'm glad that I had that day off. It was loads of fun, cost me NOTHING, except for the $1.32 for parking, and I was totally entertained, and I made up for some of those days when I didn't have a chance to walk as much as I would have liked!

I'm picking my brother up from the airport at 1:30, so I also have the entire morning off. I have TWO stops that I want to make, and I'll spend the rest of the time exploring!

DUH --- I forgot to mention that there's a Virtual Retreat this weekend. I likely won't be there, but that's OK. So here's the link for Saturday. I'll try to stop in to say HI. 

Saturday, May 27  --- starts at 6 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, May 28 -- starts at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119598156?pwd=ZDFxcElxS0NmeTRjczdSR2FXd3N2Zz09

Meeting ID: 861 1959 8156
Passcode: 053861

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!