Kenora

Next we stayed in Kenora. I quite like Kenora, although it's in the middle of nowhere. It's a pretty little place, and they seem to make a real effort to keep it looking good. There was a triathlon on the Sunday. We didn't get to see it, but there were a number of people at our hotel who were racing.

I got a kick out of this sign, that was posted in our hotel. Naturally, Molly had to go out for a pee at 2:30am, so I had to go out first to make sure there were no bears about.

Looong Trip!

Well, now that several weeks have passed since we got home, it's about time I updated the blog.

Wow, that was a long trip to Ontario. A month is a really long time to be away. It was good to see everyone though, and that's all that matters.

The trip home (to Lethbridge) was enjoyable, so that was good. We actually took some pictures along the way, which we didn't on the way to Ontario. There was nothing to take pictures of! The Canadian route is much more scenic than the US, although the extra day makes it long. At one point we had Molly out for a pee, and she would not head back to the car. I think she was just fed up with the whole thing! Fortunately, we had only 2 hours of driving left at that point.

Since getting home, we've both been out riding a lot, and I've finally started painting the house. It took a while for me to get up the energy to do it, that's for sure. So far the mudroom,laundry room, kitchen and guest bathroom are done. I just started painting the main part of the house today. That will take a while. It's a pretty big house once you start painting! There is a ton of trim too, and it's an accent colour. Between taping it to paint the walls, then taping the walls to paint the trim, I may still be at it at Christmas.

Wawa

We stayed at the Wawa Motor Inn. Everyone was really nice, and they had a great feature of a boxed lunch. You put your order in the night before, and before you leave in the morning, you pick it up to take with you. I think it's usually the hunters & fishermen that use the service, but it was great for us. We got 2 big sandwiches, 2 drinks, and a muffin for $10. It was nice to have fresh, homemade sandwiches for lunch, rather than fast food.

The room left a little to be desired though. You couldn't walk on the carpet without shoes, it was so old and dirty (see picture below). It was hot too, as there was no a/c. However, it was quiet, and Molly thought she was at a cottage, so she enjoyed it. Although we didn't see any, we could hear chipmunks in the woods behind the cabin. She was on high alert, just in case one ran out and needed to be chased.

How Light It Is

We've been really surprised at how light it stays at night. If we go to bed between 9:30 and 10pm, it's almost as light as during the middle of the day. I was driving home last night from dinner with some friends, and the streetlights were just popping on. It was 10:10pm! It's a bit disconcerting, but kind of nice in a way. I'll take a picture one day soon to post, so you can see what I mean.

Longest Ride So Far

While John at the school working today, I went out for a ride. I made it to Picture Butte and back. It was 62km in total. It was great on the way there, the wind was at my back and it was generally downhill. Coming back though-big surprise-not so fun. I was riding mostly uphill, directly into the wind. The wind wasn't too bad, but after riding 30km, it felt pretty strong on occasion! I only managed an average speed of 24km/hr. Hopefully with more riding that will improve. It's not fast enough to keep up with John & Jay. I'll need to bring it up over 30km.hr to keep with them. They both have about 4 years more riding in than I do.

I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs, and they are burned. I'm not used to my legs getting any sun. I have a real tan going though, which is really unusual for me.

Here are a couple of pictures, just to prove I actually made it! The view is of Lethbridge from a distance. The cutest thing I saw was two little foals playing. They were really small, and absolutely adorable. Unfortunately there was no safe place to stop for a picture.

Bike Ride

John & I went out for a 32km bike ride this afternoon. Unfortunately the wind was up a bit, so it was 28km/hr with gusts to 37km. It wasn't too bad for the most part, but every now and again it would be hard to ride against. I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few. I was trying to get a picture of the sky off to the north west of us. It was really, really dark. They must have been having a storm.

Hopefully I'll be out again tomorrow and Sunday. John is going to the school to work tomorrow, so he won't be out. On Sunday I think he's going to go for a long ride on his own. Unfortunately, I am so far behind him in terms of cycling fitness that I tend to hold him up.

Poor Poodle

Poor Molly isn't feeling great these days. Her hips have really started to give her trouble, and with her stomach she can't take any of the oral medications well. We're going to try the injections again, to see if that gives her some relief. She still wants to walk, especially down by the coulees, and tries to pull us that way whenever we go out, but she can barely manage to get around the block. It's so sad when doggies get old.

Coulees, part 2

Here are a few more pictures. The wooden building is Fort Whoop-Up. Not really sure what that is, but we'll go one day to check it out.

The Coulees, part 1

Wow, it's been almost a month since I posted anything! I guess that goes to show nothing's been happening here.

The weather today is amazing, so I took the opportunity to ride into town. I took some pictures along the way, so you can see how much greener everything is right now. The coulees are at their greenest in May & June, the "rainy season" in Lethbridge. Come July, everything will be brown again from the heat & sun.

The pictures are taken along Whoop-Up, some going east into town, and some going west, back home. I can't remember if I mention it in a previous post, but I've been able to ride up both sides of Whoop-Up for a few months now. That was an accomplishment for me, as I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to.

Bike Ride

We went for a bike ride this morning with a friend, Jay. We went north, towards Picture Butte. We turned around just past Diamond City. The scenery was amazing, although John & Jay weren't paying as much attention to that as I was. I would have stopped to take more pictures, but I didn't want to hold them up more than I already was. We did stop to take pictures of the bison though. There were babies (calves?) as well, although I wasn't able to get pictures of them, unfortunately. We could really see the mountains so clearly. It was just a gorgeous view of them.

The ride was just over 45km. I think John & Jay will likely go out again soon, they seem to ride well together. They were their own little peloton, with each one taking turns pulling at the front. The wind wasn't too bad, but we could definitely feel it on the way home.

This Morning's Walk

We were going for a bike ride with a friend this morning, so we took Molly out for a longer walk at the end of the street. We took a different path, and ended seeing some new coulees. They are quite different from the ones on the other side, as they are rippled. There was a herd of deer hanging around as well, so if you enlarge some of the pictures, you should be able to see them.

Stuff from Students

There is a fine art program at the College, and one of the things they had to do was make wire sculptures. I liked this little boat so much, I bought it from the student.

I also did some sewing for one the students, and he gave me this flower arrangement as a thank you. I was pretty surprised!

Sleeping Beauties!

Tuesday Maurice & Molly decided an afternoon nap sounded like a good idea. Maurice went to sleep on the couch, and Molly napped on her cushion on the floor next to him. Molly wasn't feeling well so Pauline had wrapped her up in her blanket to keep her cosy. They slept for ages!

Trip to Calgary

Pauline & I went to Calgary on Monday. We visited a couple of malls, and a cheese shop. We got lots of cheese! Unfortunately both Pauline & I are having trouble eating it; it's upsetting our stomachs. I've never really had trouble with cheese before, but I sure seem to be now.

We didn't do too much, just a little shopping. Pauline bought 4 pairs of pants, to take to England in Sept.

The rest of the week the weather was awful, so we didn't do too much. Pauline & I went to the gym a few days. Pauline swam and I worked with my trainer. Maurice has been watching sports, mostly soccer and hockey, reading books, and doing crosswords. It's been a pretty quiet vacation for him.

Second Walk of the Day

Apparently we didn't get enough walking in this morning, so we went down to the coulee at the end of the street. We thought the Sheriffs might enjoy it, and it's been weeks since the pup has been able to have any sort of interesting walk. We didn't go down to the river because we didn't think that either Molly or Maurice could make it back up the hill. We probably went too far for Molly as it was. I took more pictures, although they are probably pretty similar to ones I've taken on this walk before.