New Dining Room Light Fixture

We are an Aluminum wired condo so special connecters needed to be purchased. We debated how high to hang it over the table and eventually settled on lower with the ability to hook it up higher.

 

My Book Group’s reading list for 2009-10

This year I will be reading and discussing these books.

Have you read any? Any comments?

 

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

First Day of School

 

Emma -- Grade 11

 

Andrew – Grade 8

Traditional “Last Supper” before school starts

For years we have been going out for a great dinner in a restaurant the night before school starts. This year, as in many before, we went to The Keg Steakhouse.

We had a gift certificate this year, so it was a real blowout. Everyone was allowed to order whatever they wanted. Money was no object.

Andrew: 10oz steak

Emma: rack of ribs

Carolyne: 10oz steak

Albert: 10oz steak

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Mini Vacation – Day 5 (last)

Headed home today. Drove from Corning NY to Lewiston NY via Arcade.

Best lunch today on way home at Delightfull’s (496 W. Main Street Arcade NY 14009)

Good ice cream too!

There was a lineup at the border, but we passed through with no problems. Home by 3:30, tired but glad to be back.

Mini Vacation – Day 4

This was to be a three day vacation, but with all we wanted to do in Corning, it would have been too rushed to go home when we originally planned. So we stayed one more night.

In the morning we went to the Rockwell Gallery of Western Art.

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We spent the afternoon back at the Corning Museum of Glass.

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On the way back to the hotel we took a long detour and went to Watkins Glen. I had overheard a woman saying there were great waterfalls there. I thought it was just a race track.

 

And it still is a race track.

Dinner at Bob Evans. Too salty. A bit odd. When they said my stew came with a biscuit, it never occurred to me that the biscuit would go on the plate first, the mashed potatoes on top of that and the stew ladled on top of it all. Soggy. Albert had Turkey Dinner. Andrew had French Toast and Emma had Spaghetti.

The hotel had a DVD player in each room and we watched movies (obtained from the front desk free of charge) before sleeping. They also had popcorn, cookies, etc. This hotel included free breakfast.

Mini Vacation – Day 3

From Niagara Falls NY, we headed south east to Corning NY. We stopped at “Pit Road Pizza” for lunch. Lots of food. Car racing theme. Good prices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued on to the Corning Museum of Glass. Emma signed up to make her own blown glass Christmas ornament. We watched a few demonstrations, wandered around a little then went to the glass blowing studio for the ornament. 

We checked into the Hampton Inn, ate dinner at Applebee’s and fell asleep.

Mini Vacation – Day 2

Day 2 started out by visiting the water park again.

Then we packed up and headed of to the U S of A. We checked into a hotel in Niagara Falls NY near the outlet mall. While Albert slept, the rest of us went shopping. We got a few new things for school, I got a new wallet, and that was that. Nothing too exciting. Prices were OK, but not great.

Then we took the kids to Ponderosa for dinner. Corn on the cob was cold, dried out and not good looking. Potato was ok. Steak was edible.  Same as always :)

Mini Vacation – Day 1

Today we went to Niagara Falls ON. We stayed at the Skyline Inn so we could get a package deal for the Fallsview Water Park. The room was ok --  clean, old.

We paid extra to have a window that opened to outside instead of inside to a atrium area. The room was a little larger as well. Good thing because it was none too large as it was.

We went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. Probably the most expensive lunch I have ever eaten.

We did the tourist things for a while including riding the “Pile Driver” – well, Emma and Carolyne did. Albert and Andrew watched from the ground. Albert and Andrew went into a “Haunted House” thing.

 

We met Sponge Bob.

 

Then we went to the water park. It was loud, wet, loud, and fun.

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After all that we did the Maid of the Mist.

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Exhausted, we ordered dinner in and fell asleep to the snores of all.

Soccer Champions

Emma’s team won the league regular season.

Andrew’s team won the league regular season as well as the Playoffs.

Congratulations to all the soccer champs.

Winner!!

I won two tickets to anywhere Air Canada flies (including Mexico, Caribbean,and Hawaii) from Dog Guides. Everyone who raised over $1000 in the walks across Canada was entered into the draw.

The photo and story were in the Oakville Beaver.

AMJ Campbell Van Lines

We hired AMJ Campbell Van Lines to move us 2.9 KM down the road from our house into a condo last week (July 30)

Guess what??

They did not complete the move. They left a bunch of stuff back at the house because the truck was too small. At 1 pm they said they would make a second trip. At 6 pm they said they were not going back.

This after sitting in the truck doing nothing for a goodly while.

Albert and I had to go and move the rest of the stuff ourselves. In the car. In the van. In friend’s van. And still had to leave some in the garage for the next day.

All this while the new owners were sitting in front of the house, keys in hand, waiting.

What a FIASCO!!!!

Interesting research shows we are not the only ones http://www.torontodelivers.com/2007/02/balikbayan_box_who_are_you_gon.html

AJ goes back for training

On July 25, Ajax (AJ) went back to the Dog Guides for his real training.

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3on3 Hockey

Not since 1981 has there been such a coach. Carolyne coached again after a 28 year absence behind the bench. This team listened better!!

Organic Produce Box

This summer I signed up for a box of organic produce delivered each week.

We are getting a half share. So far our box has contained asparagus, lettuce, salad greens, strawberries, mushrooms, baby bok choy, onions, and potatoes. Tomorrow we will be getting garlic scapes as well.

This farm, near Flamborough, is a first step towards living local.

So far we have been very pleased with the variety and quality of the produce.

www.planborganicfarms.ca

Carolyne in D.C.

 

The annual Special Libraries Association (SLA) conference is in Washington DC this year. I am here now.

Arrived yesterday, went to a meeting and a tour of the city by bus. We walked quite a bit. Here are brief first impressions of what I saw.

• Lincoln memorial was very crowded and loud. Bathroom were disgusting!!
• Washington Monument is bigger than I thought it would be
• White House is smaller than you think it is
• Iwo Jima statue is. Just is.
• WWII Memorial is big and filled with water.
• Einstein has a cute statue
• Monuments and statues of old dead presidents everywhere
• Smithsonian is huge
• Capitol building is beautiful
• Most of the buildings are so clean and restored that they look like new reproductions instead of historic buildings
• the Vietnam Memorial was surprisingly moving. I have no connection to that war at all, and the WWII and Iwo Jima meant nothing, but the Vietnam Memorial really makes you think and I actually got a little choked up. It means so much on so many levels. The thing that really got to me was the notes, photos, flags, and other items (including someone’s dog tags) left in front of the names.

 

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Guide Dogs Walk

We walked again this year in the Purina Walk for Dog Guides. Raised $1300 for the cause. We borrowed Laura’s dog Dudley. Dudley is half golden retriever and half afghan. In other words, big and hairy. There is still hair all over the back seat of my car.

Victoria Day Weekend

 

Busy Busy

Getting the house ready to sell so we rearranged the family room furniture, hung some pictures, “staged” the dining room and front entrance, pulled dandelions, swept the walk, hired a cleaning lady, and in between, went to a concert, entertained for dinner on Sunday and lunch on Monday.

The concert was nephew Zack’s Ottawa Junior Jazz Band at the Musicfest Nationals. They were held this year in Markham.

Emma’s High School Soccer

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I took the day off yesterday and went in the afternoon to see Emma play high school soccer. She played most of the game. WOSS won 5-1

 

Purina Walk for Dog Guides

 

My family, including our Dog Guide Foster Puppy AJ, will be participating in the Purina Walk for Dog Guides on May 31, 2009 to help raise funds for the training and placement of Dog Guides.

AJ is our second foster puppy.

All Dog Guides are provided to eligible candidates at no cost. Funding for Dog Guide training is 100 per cent obtained from donations and no government funding is received. Dog Guides Canada has already provided their specially trained Dog Guides to more than 1300 men, women and children from ages eight to 88. With your help, more people can experience the mobility, safety and independence a devoted Dog Guide partner brings.

You can help by giving an online gift by credit card by clicking 'Donate Now'.

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My Fundraising Goal

$1,000.00

Raised so far $825.00