A Penny for my thoughts

Penny... a great gal

Believe it or not, it is snowing in Edmonton at this very moment. Honest!! I have to say that for me, this place is dreary. It was nice however, that a gal named Penny who took the time to organize a sort of welcome home/retirement party. It was nice to see some of my ex co-workers who dropped by for a drink and to chat. There were some that said they were going to come by and never did, and some who I never expected to see again. Thank you all for attending, and thank you Penny… 

Yesterday I mentioned a bit about West Edmonton Mall and it being the largest mall in the world. It looks like I am mistaken. I have since learned that there are three malls in the world that are now larger. All of them are in China and the largest is almost twice the size of WEM…. I cannot imagine. It must take a week to see everything there. Edmonton has some other attractions worth mentioning.

The old Fort Edmonton used to be located in the flats of the river valley here. There remnants of it have been relocated to another river flat area and some original building as well as a replica of the original trading fort has been rebuilt. It is an interesting tour to the past and worth visiting if you find yourself this way. After exiting the fort you are confronted by a riverside forest that runs through the city for 25 km or so. If you have a bicycle, just take the many paths that wind their way the length of the city. You will spot

Rose and Ken

very few buildings, and will feel as if in the middle of a forest.

As you travel along this trail; you will come upon 3 glass pyramids. These are greenhouses with controlled environments where a person can experience the flora of regions far away. If you are lucky, a butterfly hatch might happen…. Or the cactuses are in bloom.

If you ever plan a holiday to this City, I would suggest the following; 

Arrive in Vancouver international airport and have a vehicle waiting for you. Travel on highway one to a town called Banff in the Rocky Mountains.

Nicole and her Bo

 Turn north and enjoy the spectacular sights of the Canadian Rockies. A little over half way to Jasper you will arrive at the Columbia ice fields where you can take a giant ice cruiser to the top of a glacier. After the chilly afternoon, continue on your way to Jasper National Park where you will be overwhelmed by the natural beauty and the abundance of wild life. There are many places to camp and enjoy hikes. When driving, expect to see many animals such as

Brad, Don and Arlene

black bears, Elk, and mountain goats. If you are lucky you may get a glimpse of some of the many other creatures that inhabit the forest. After an overnight in the splendor of the Rockies, you may wish to head off to Edmonton to check out the things I have talked about earlier. The trip back to The Vancouver airport can be driven by a couple of different routes with one of them taking you through Calgary which is another tourist destination in itself that I will leave for others to speak on. 

Now a bit of a personal note to those who know us personally…. About 3 weeks ago, Mai developed a very bad cough that was on the edge of choking. I had her on anti biotics as prescribed by a pharmacist in Vietnam and the coughing stopped. Since then she has complained about a bit of an ear ache.

Gary and Marlene

 

It is snowing

We were heading back to Canada and had doctors appointments lined up so we hoped for the best and was riding the time out. The airplane ride seemed to aggravate whatever was going on and she started to get secretions and blood. Oh Oh…. If the changing air pressure in the aircraft was not enough to cause trouble, the drive through the mountains was the final straw. She is now bleeding out of one ear. It is an ear that received surgery in the past and I am concerned. We drove to a Medicentre last night and a doctor after a brief look without clearing the blood and wax from her ear declared that some antibiotics were what were needed. Uh… OK…. We were already there. Today the bleeding out her ear is worse and we have 2 days before her big appointment with our trusted and knowledgeable doctor. After that, another trip through multiple atmospheres as we travel back through the mountains…. Hopefully everything will be OK….. Mai is truly the most important thing in my life and her well being is number one on the agenda.

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2 thoughts on “A Penny for my thoughts

  1. Sorry to hear about your wifes health problems Owen.Will pray for her mate,thats all i feel i can do.Cheers.

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