Christmas 04

"Show me the light", "SHOW ME THE LIGHT!!!" a memorable quote from Mikkie.  Christmas eve after "Draiddle" the Christmas elf came, Mikkie had gathered the children to see if Rudolf was outside and that they better hurry to bed.  Rudolf and the reindeer were played by Brett and Chet with the appropriate red flashlight.  They however, got their signals mixed up resulting in Mikkie yelling out the window while the kids watched for Rudolf.  The light finally came on resulting in much disorganized hurrying to get to bed.  Young Dadye in the excitement asked where Brett was so he could see Rudolf.  Mikkie with the quick response indicated that he was currently indisposed in the Bathroom.

  Much to Collin’s dismay we had so much fun we look forward to going back this year.

Mexico Vacation - February

Cathy and I went to Mexico in Feb and what a great trip. The diving was crystal clear in both the caverns and the reef.  Our first dive was in Gran Cenote with Abyss Dive charters in Tulum. Our guide was the "Swede"  who took us out in the ramshackle van. The Cenote was not far but the van had a number of quirks and it did breakdown once. The Swede stated "just keep your eyes to the front" as he quickly engineered repairs and we were off again.  We did a total of five dives three in the cenotes and two on the reef.  I was only able to get pictures of three of the dives before the camera broke.

   The resort we stayed at was excellent.  It was perfect for the type of vacation we wanted. An all inclusive but with only 100 or so rooms it was not crowded.  There were always lounge chairs available on the beach or at one of the four pools and always a  bar nearby.  Cathy and I also frequented the nearby Casa Cenote to do a little snorkelling.  We also toured the ruins in Tulum however, the diving and the hotel services were the highlights of the trip.

April

   Gord gets dressed up for our shooting day in April.  Rob PB and I brought out the guns at Gords place and did a little shooting.  It turned out to be a beautiful warm day.  Always a fun time at Gord’s and even better to put some rounds down range.  I was also able to demonstrate to Rob that I still know how to shoot a pistol.

June

   The deed is finally done. The MBA is complete. I finished in April with a 91% average and the big graduation and convocation was in June.  What a party but I am glad that is done.  The big question everyone asks is now what do you do with all your free time.  I would like to say nothing but the honey do jar is full with years of projects to catch up on.

   Brett cracks a painful smile as he had all four of his wisdom teeth out at the end of the school year.  I can see everyone is squirming in their chair with the sound of the high speed drill.  Brett nevertheless persevered and you could hardly tell he had them out after a week.  He was also back to work at the Golf and curling club in about three days.

August – Trip to Toronto

   WHY??? It finally happened the army moved me to Toronto but not without promoting me first.  I am now a Major for those that know what this means.  Cathy took some time off and we made a holiday of the trip out at the end of July.  The trip out included visiting a few friends as well as stopping at some of the more notable tourist stops along the way.

   I can now say I have been to Kandahar but not Kandahar Afghanistan where we have a contingent of soldiers but Kandahar Saskatchewan .  There are amazing similarities both appear flat, dry, bombed and abandoned.  Kandahar Sask obviously being a victim of urbanization rather than warfare. 

   Once again pictures of crossing provincial borders.  My first drive across the country was 25 years ago.

   Along the way Cathy and I spent a little time in Kenora.  Here we are enjoying a scenic dinner cruise on the Lake of the Woods .  It is a large lake with numerous islands.  It is also only a few hours from Winnipeg making it great cottage country for the Manitobans. 

   On arrival in Toronto we quickly checked in to my apartment and then visited the in-laws in Glencoe Ontario near London .  As it turned out we enjoyed a rare day of comfortable weather around the pool.  Previously it had been so hot that it was uncomfortable to even go outside. 

Bob enjoys a well earned beer. As a semi rural doctor he rarely gets a chance to relax by his pool.

September

   Toronto is an extremely busy place with 24/7 traffic reports.  There are only three things in the news here; traffic, weather and shootings.  I was able however, to secure a two bedroom apartment not far from work or the subway.  Rob PB and Ron Teschl have taken advantage of the extra room and dropped by for a visit.  PB came out for the Edmonton vs Hamilton game and of course we had to go to Hamilton with Edmonton colours.  Edmonton happened to be blown away that game.  The Hamiltonians sympathetic to such an event treated us very well.  A marked difference of human warmth compared to those generally in Toronto .

   I do try to get out a fair bit.  Karen and Garnet are not far and neither is Hans.  The Athabasca University alumni have a number of events as well, that I try to attend.

   One of the few highlights of being in Ontario is the opportunity to get out of Toronto and go to the lake.  Hans Teschl (Ron’s brother) has a cabin on an island in Georgian Bay lake Huron.  It is an excellent time to get out in the country and get a little diving in on some of the numerous wrecks in the area.  The water was so clear at about 40’ (Great for diving) and warm at 72 degrees down to 50’.  In the evenings we had a great game of cards and of course the midnight smokies. 

October Reunions

   At thanksgiving I flew out to the annual Saskatoon family reunion.  Here Ron, the kids, Gord and I took in a university football game.  Apparently we the Winkelmans are hosting this coming year.  There was talk of moving the venue to Alberta where most of the family lives however, many of the aunts and uncles are getting on and travel a little more difficult for them.  We will be back in Saskatoon thanksgiving 2006.

    I take any opportunity to get out of the apartment.  In October Opa and Oma (I hope I got that right) Teschl celebrated their 50^th anniversary.  Ron came out for the festivities and stayed a night at my place to help polish off a bottle of rye.  Hans also demonstrated that he can golf well and that I have off days. Any day on the golf course however, is better than a day in the office.  The pic on the right is of Hans and Rena while at Sonia’s house where the family gathered for a dinner.

November

   If you didn’t know by now Bryn joined the navy as a marine electrician and he has been touring the seven seas.  In October and Nov his ship the HMCS Calgary sailed to San Diego and Mexico .  This picture is taken with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.  Bryn is stationed in Victoria BC and enjoying being in the navy.  He has a new girlfriend Sadie whom I have yet to meet although the rest of the family has including my parents.  In fact I have not even seen Bryn since last Christmas but we have emailed on occasion on the internal military email system.

   Cathy has recently taken up the bagpipes so at future family events we may piped in for dinner which will certainly add a unique flavour to the activity. 

   Cathy gets ready to march on to the Remembrance Day parade in the town of Millet .  I was fortunate to come home for the weekend as well.