If you’ve become a CFL fan, as one must be in SK, you’ve seen the snow falling and the cold air from Cow Town to Winterpeg and ToonTown in between. So it was a good time to head south. Marilyn and I took three days and went to Regina (which doesn’t seem to have a nick name). Still as cold, of course, but fun. Marilyn arranged invitations to the opening of the 27th session of the SK legislature. I’ve wanted to see and tour the parliament buildings since coming here.
SK is now a ‘have’ Province banking on potash, oil, and uranium to boom (excuse the pun). Of course we all hope agriculture does well too. Best I can tell, the crop in our area was between anywhere from okay to good this year. Anyway, it was fun attending the ‘Throne Speech’ and seeing the pomp and ceremony.
SK Parliament building erected 1908-1911
After we finished having ‘tea’ in the Legislative Building with all the members of parliament, we checked into our downtown hotel, went out to the Copper Kettle for dinner and picked up our tickets for a play at the Globe Theatre. We didn’t know much about the play called “Midsummer” and had the option of seeing “Billy Bishop Goes To War” which was playing on the larger of the two Globe theatres. Turns out “Midsummer” was the best play I’ve seen in a long time. It was so funny. We’d highly recommend you get in your car right now and drive to Regina to see it.
Here’s the write up from the brochure
A Midsummer’s weekend in Edinburgh. It’s raining. Bob’s a failing car salesman on the fringes of the city’s underworld. Helena’s a high-powered divorce lawyer with a taste for other people’s husbands. She’s totally out of his league; he’s not her type at all. They absolutely should not sleep together. Which is, of course, why they do.
“The most ambitious play writing on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe” – The New York Times
**** [4 Stars] “With its gently poignant pop songs and honest humour, it’s rough, ready – but still romantic.” – The Globe and Mail
*Warning: this production contains mature content not suitable for persons 18 and under. Please contact the Box Office if you have any questions.
Stairs leading to the rotunda in the parliament buildings
Real Mounties, not Halloween Costumes
It was great for me to see the changing colours on the fields over an entire year. I made a lot of trips to Section 10 and got enough done to close up the house for winter. I wish there was some more nice weather so I could lay the new flooring, finish the drywalling, and build the wrap around deck.
Marg and Marilyn scraping off some old tile flooring
Section 10
Working on the foundation
The new subflooring
I’m sure most of you know about the flocks of geese in SK but you may not know about the cranes. Whole fields along the canal were filled with cranes on a few days on the way to Section 10. One day miles of fields were covered with brown and white Canada geese and I stopped my truck to get some pictures. As soon as I closed the truck door, the first wave of geese took to the air, then the second, then the third until literally tens of thousands were darkening the sky.
Crane in flight
Geese taking flight after being startled
Everyone is really missing Ed but Marilyn and her mom and family are doing well. Marilyn presented the first Ed Peters Memorial Scholarship to a student at the Hanley Composite School on Tuesday October 7th to Mikaela Kilcup who is in first year of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan.
Bob, Marg, Mikaela and Marilyn at the award celebrations
We have made arrangements to go to Greece in January for a few weeks. Marg is coming with us, for some of the time, and other friends are also planning to spend a bit of time with us on Naxos Island. With the cold weather coming early to SK, we are counting the days. We will be spending Christmas this year in SK and visiting Ryan and Sally and Evan in January during a stop-over. We also want to go back to Japan again this year to see Sean and Makiko and Julian. Old age sure is a busy time of life.
Below is our place in Naxos. Rena Valetta is the same place we stayed for 4 months in 2000. If you want to visit us between Jan 24 and March 10 give us a call and we’ll book your room ($25 per night)
