Why Raymond????

First of all, I apologize that the paragraphs are always askew. When I do the post, it looks normal and then they fall apart, when it publishes.

We are constantly being asked how is Raymond? Usually the question is asked rather coyly with a bit of a knowing smile and a sideways glance at whoever is around. Actually it is a great question, one which we answer equally coyly and a sideways glance at each other. While we are not yet ready to declare "Eureka, we have found Utopia", we are very satisfied with the past 7 months (flood notwithstanding).

Raymond offers:

1. 
   
   Raymond Rush Hour. That is an Oxymoron. The only complaint we have about traffic is that there seems to be an abundance of stop signs and SWAM is quick to point out that I don't seem to come to a full and complete stop all the time. One morning, I heard a Semi start up somewhere in the distance.


2. 
   
   Everybody waves at everybody else. The other day I was working out in the front yard and an elderly gentleman on a 3 wheeled scooter, pulled into the driveway for a visit. By the time he left, I had a new friend.


3. 
   
   Kids run free. When I was a boy in Nanton, we were free to roam the town. We were usually expected to show up at meal times but as long as we were home in time for bed, Mom was fine with that. Children ride their bikes in the streets, they feel welcome to go to friends houses or to check out what we are doing, either in the house or garage. M., our 3 year old neighbor treats me a little like Mr. Wilson and I am afraid that I treat him a little like Dennis. I do love his calling across the street, "Hi Neighbor".


4. 
   
   The Mercantile. The local food store is adored by the residents. Once you get past the somewhat grumpy girls in the front of the store, there is almost anything you need to survive. Saturday last week I needed bacon as we had an influx of company and I went to the Merk at 8:00 a.m. In spite of the sign indicating the hours to be from 9:00 to 6:00 and the lights off, I tried the door. It opened and I went right in, calling out for any signs of life. The proprietor, Rusty, came down from his office and indicated that of course it was open. I liked that!!!! The Raymond Pro Hardware is operated by a new friend. He has assisted us in all our hard good needs and offers fair pricing and a helping hand. The Town Pump, the local gas station, has great Snow Bobs and the fastest clerk I've ever seen.


5. 
   
   Friends. We have good friends who live across the street. While they are hardly ever home in AB., we have a life-long cherished relationship. Gerry shared tears with one of the other neighbors the other day as they reminisced about a recent tragedy. We cannot be accused of being aggressive at making new friends as our lives have been BUSY this past few months but we enjoy the people we meet at church, we see friends from long ago and look forward to a little more social networking in the future.


6. 
   
   July 1st. We. SWAM and I, were instantly converted to the community on July 1 as we witnessed families and friends fill this town for the annual parade, rodeo and reunion. Raymond is a community of approximately 4,000 residents but for the 3 day weekend around July 1, it swelled to 10,000. SWAM and I drove around on the 1st, after the parade and were proud of all the families who were gathered in their backyards, picnicking and partying.


7. 
   
   Many trips have been made into the country to see what's out there. We have stopped by Hutterite Colonies and have been welcomed by all, are surprised at the number of lakes in the area where people boat, swim and fish, have been awed by the beauty and have renewed our love of Waterton.


8. 
   
   We are 2 hours and a bit from Calgary and the same from Great Falls. Airfare from Great Falls is about 1/2 what it is from Calgary to almost anywhere. (Anywhere fun that is)


9. 
   
   We miss our children and grandchildren that are in the Calgary area and regret not having our regular meals together but love the fact that number one daughter and her five beautiful little maidens are 4 minutes away. The other day, as I picked up my mail at the post office, 2 little girls came in and gave their grandpa a squeeze then invited me to lunch. Of course our options were EXTREMELY limited but fortunately we all like Subway.

I like mowing the lawn on a lawn tractor, the golf course is 12 minutes away and it is superb, our new home is all we hoped it would be. We love having people stop by and stay the night. There have been hiccups but we grow through them and learn and develop.

Please come visit.

Thongs and Why My Kids Think I'm Getting Old

Anybody who is my age knows that thongs are those things that have a little thin strip on them. No, not a strip that goes up the back of your backside, but a strip that goes between your big toe and the next one to it. Thongs are the footwear that you used to wear in the shower at college so as not to get athlete's foot.

Recently one of my kids (2nd daughter) indicated that my perfectly fine THONGS that I had purchased a mere 20 or perhaps 25 years ago, needed to be disposed of. Hardly likely!!! That is like saying that my 25 year old jeans are out of date. How can that be? They are jeans after all. Of course my propensity to wear button down shirts is one learned in the late 60's when my ankle tight canary pants were the rage.

It is likely that my 45's and albums may not make a comeback but certainly one would never dispose of cassettes, VHS movies or those wonderful slides that Dad took back in the 50's. Every once in a while I find that pocket comb that you used to slip your hand through and then it would perform as a brush. It is safely kept in my bureau drawer right next to my pinkie rings. Dad wouldn't have bequethed me that jaguar ring if it wasn't absolutely perfect. I'll likely pass it to my eldest son and then he, too, can be the envy of his posse. It is bitchin'.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I bought some new thongs. They cost me $.89 at JC Penneys but don't tell anyone, I put those blue ones away for safekeeping. After all, I saw a kid in bright yellow, skin tight pants just 2 years ago. Most of my current wardrobe is skin tight too, but it features other parts of my anatomy than did those ones from the mid 60's.

A Little More Information

The fact of the matter is the picture in the previous post was what our house looked like before SWAM had the opportunity to apply a little love to it. These 3 pics show a front and back view. We have friends that have purchased the lot next door and the one 3 doors down. It will be fun.

Our back yard is HUGE and we have attempted to meet all criteria in order to get it landscaped properly. SWAM spent all day yesterday going from engineering company to Home Owner's Association trying to get approval for what we want to do. (Mostly front yard stuff.) There is a neighborhood swimming pool that is sparklingly new. In fact, it will open next week. We are minutes from shopping, close to the Mesa Market, Superstition Springs Shopping Center, close to the where the new Gilbert temple will be built and 15 minutes from the Mesa airport. We look forward to spending some time down there and hope to have a means to pay for it figured out soon.

Later

Ironwood Crossing

We are exhausted. The past week has been a marathon of Ginormous proportions, however, we have acquired a little home in AZ and tomorrow the trucks start to arrive with the STUFF that will furnish said residence. Living with SWAM has its moments, mostly good. Having to go to every furniture store in Phoenix and surrounding burbs might not be counted among the good ones. Some people (insert my name here) could buy everything by looking at pictures, reading a few reviews and moving onward. Not her!!! We had to touch, sit on, in and over all the STUFF.

Late yesterday in what I consider to be a coup d'etat, we agreed on almost everything. Of course by then I had long realized that my opinion meant as much as it has regarding the various wedding plans we have made for our children. My role was to drive, feed and soothe my mate. Her asking me my opinion was really only courtesy or perhaps the opportunity to bounce ideas of an inanimate object. We found most of our STUFF at funky places and it will be interesting to see it pull together tomorrow.

When we did the walk through with the builder the other day there were a number of issues still to be resolved, most paint related but they made it and today, when we picked up the keys, the place was spotlessly clean, holes had been filled, lines caulked and ready for the next stage of its existence.

Negotiation with landscapers, window covering experts (I decided I wouldn't say blind people in that I didn't want any misunderstandings to take place) are well underway. Desert landscaping is the common theme and we will gladly submit to maintenance free rocks and cacti. My opinion on blinds, don't ask, just get the check book.

More later.

Some More Ravings of a Loonietic

It was perhaps the shortest summer ever and I am tired of lousy weather. We are fighting monsoon winds, cold temperatures and snow every day. WHY???? There is a lake out in front of our house that isn't supposed to be there. It is el cinco de Mayo and I still have to clear snow off the truck before I go out. WHY????

I suppose I could clear out the garage and make room for the truck but all those boxes look so comfortable, particularly because there is so much room between each box. As we wean our way through the stuff, we slowly eliminate the need for some of it and find some new places for much of it. Our new home is roomy and comfortable, we are very happy with the functionality of it and pat ourselves on the back for the good job. (Somebody has to do it.)

HOW'S THIS FOR A FISH STORY?

Our son-in-law has eclectic tastes in athletic pursuits. What that really means is that he does different kinds of stuff. He proposed to Kristy and then jumped out of an airplane, he considers a 25 km. walk on a Saturday to be a stroll, in spite of bogs, muskeg and mountainous terrain. Those who follow the blog will remember his experience with the monk seal in Hawaii. Anyway...

His great passion outside of medicine is the sport of "Free Diving". He has thankfully gotten past the need to test his endurance by swimming straight down a rope until he knows that he has past his ability to return to the surface, then doing so. He practices holding his breath in the house, in the car, while reading. You get the picture. He can hold his breath for close to 5 minutes and will sit at the bottom of a pool just to prove it.

For the past 2 or 3 years he has partnered up with a group of like-minded (read that loose minded) guys and they have ventured off to Baja, Mexico to spear fish. The spears are lethal in their appearance and, if I were a fish, they would simply scare me to death. The adventure is only complete if, as they camp on the rocky beach, a hellish thunder storm rains down, turning the beach into a light show as lightning and thunder arrive simultaneously to hammer the whole area. Of course, he sleeps in a tent, enjoying nature's beauty.

This past week was the 2010 edition and it was exciting to say the least. Lee is a principled individual and doesn't fish on Sundays. His mates respect that and let him take that day for meditation and enjoyment as well as doing a little of the preparation for the next days. On the Monday of the trip, the group decided that it was only fair that Lee have the first dive as he had kept to his principles of the previous day.

As he made his way to the bottom, approximately 80 feet away as this is the best place to hunt from, he spied a fish checking him out. The fish was a number of feet away and it was not easy to determine size but he could tell it was BIG. As the fish came close, obviously hunting Lee, he turned sideways giving Lee a shot, which he took.

These spears are huge, they are lethal in the look and could easily pierce big game. The spear went into the target and the fish took off; down and into a cave. Only after going down to the cave did Lee determine the size of the quarry. HUGE!!

The fish was big enough to be a threat to great harm with the wave of a muscular tail. It took 3 spears, 2 hours and every ounce of ability and energy, to land the Grouper. Now the world record for this type of fish, taken by a spear is 148 pounds. Lee's weighed in at 205 pounds, unfortunately only weighed on the boat as an official scale was not nearby. A world record and by Lee's admission, no need to repeat. Well done Lee. Now back to radiology.

No need to mention the shark that caused a flurry of

activity to get this monster on board.

Where in the World is Stanley San Diego?

Or some such nonsense.

We are delighted to report that we are happily located in Raymond, AB. The community boasts a population of 4,000 and is located just south of Lethbridge. Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, the all important McDonalds for the elixir of life and the movie theaters are just 20 minutes away. Raymond has the Merc. (its well-stocked little grocery store), the hardware, a pharmacy, Subway and a couple of convenience stores. There is a Burger Baron hamburger stand that appears to have been standing in the same location since dirt was created.

Raymond is remarkably quiet, the few stores have short hours and rush hour lasts 2 minutes at 5:05 p.m. Sometimes there is one other person in front of you at the grocery checkout. Kids play on the street, walk in the mud, knock on our door to find out if I am, indeed, the Candy Man. I assure them that I am not but delight in having them fearlessly knock, anyway. I am filled with memories of my own childhood when mother used to open the door for us in the summer, urge us outside to play with all the kids in town, and they all were our friends. She used to remind us to be home at dark and if we wanted something to eat, there was peanut butter in the cupboard. One summer I discovered that a quick and tasty sandwich was a very large squirt of ketchup and 2 pieces of bread. I digress.

Our house stood ready for us for almost a year as we vacilated on our decision to move, worried about our dear little, needy family in Calgary. In December we listed our house and thanks to wonderful realtor and dear friend, Jill Rea, we sold in a short while. Moving day was all the month of February. Good Friends, moving is very difficult. We still have a garage full of STUFF and have great plans to go through and dispose of much more.

We continue to have a life in Calgary. There is work, friends and family there and we make the trip willingly, almost weekly. SWAM still takes art classes from her good friend Paula and likes being in class at least 4 times a month, usually going Monday, Tuesday, every other week.

Our children have been incredibly supportive and have been in our home regularly. The little children have christened the play area under the stairs as; "The Tiny Room". They have little tables, chairs, dishes and miscellany scattered throughout. They have been vigilant to see that it is kept tidy, that the light is turned out and everybody gets to play.

Now, as to the BLOGGING thing. I am a dolt, lazy and discontent. I will do better. I use much of the content of this to add to my own journal, which is about 400 pages of this and that.

Grandpa successfully arranges for all the grandkids and the future grandkids to happily pose for a family photo.

If you want to thrill 4 year olds, take them out to the golf course and give them the wheel. As all our children know, I am blessed with incredible patience when it comes to teaching the skill of driving. I used to tell the kids when they had the wheel, that I wasn't yelling because I was angry, but because I was scared to death.

Cooper trying to ensure that all vestiges of chocolate are successfully extracted.

Family Reunion!!!

Each year we have a Family Reunion. The tradition started 7 years ago when we opted to dedicate a whole weekend to hanging out with one another. Over the years, we have rented swimming pools, rented movie theaters, played laser tag, golfed a whole bunch and feasted together. One year we even had a wedding right in the middle of our family reunion. What fun it has been!!!

At the same time, we have banked excellent memories for ourselves and our children to be called upon in future times. Sometimes it requires a bit of sacrifice and compromise to pull it off. Everybody gets an opportunity to participate in the planning and playing. Anybody that doesn't have fun, can only look in the mirror because fun is what it is all about.

We will look forward to a family reunion later this summer. At this time, there are still some sensitive diplomatic negotiations taking place but, just to remember;

HooHaw its the weekend!!! (Remember)