Friday June 21, 2013

Friday June 21/13 update # 489

Got word last night that Calgary, High River and many Alberta communities are experiencing heavy flooding, worse than in 1975.  It seems that most of High River has been evacuated and lots of damage.  We haven’t had much word about Okotoks though, except for a photo on YouTube showing a city sign almost under water.   We have many friends and relatives in the area so we sincerely hope everyone is safe.

Last night I took a quick walk to Wal-Mart to get snacks to last me until departure.  This place is sure pretty at night.

The show was marginally better today, starting off very well then tailing off in the afternoon.   We have no idea what to expect tomorrow but sincerely hope it is wall-to-wall with buyers.

I got a chance to take a few photos of some of the quilts on display here.  I know some of our quilting friends can appreciate the beauty and intricacy of these works of art.

The great ladies across the way, Nancy and Shelley, gave me an option to use their credit card capabilities which we had to use twice today.  Poor Nancy had so much trouble with the Front Desk charging her 4 times for her hotel stay and tying up all her cash so they apologized by giving them a suite with the muckety-mucks upstairs so they now have a great view, fridge, microwave and coffeemaker…. They also get access to the a free lounge with snacks and drinks so we got to experience that for one hour.

Anxious to get home already.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Thursday June 20/13

Thursday June 20/13 update # 488

Strangely I awoke early but was determined to stay in bed until 8am.   I lasted until about 7:20 before some ridiculous pounding began to drive me crazy.   So I got up and tried to check emails but the Internet didn’t want to work.   I called the front desk and they referred me to another firm that handles ‘airport wifi’ but they were no help either.

The room doesn’t have a coffee maker so I was a little cranky already.   I went downstairs and picked up a coffee, a chicken wrap for lunch and a juice to last me through the day at the booth.

I decided to wait a bit to see which way the crowd would come in through the front doors and was quite pleased to see that they were turning right and going right past my booth and would be back when they navigated each aisle.  I t started off very slow, with a lot of “be-back” folks  so I made a decision to ask the show folks to get me a short half wall for the front side of my booth so I could install the one banner on the side which had the most traffic.  They showed up within about 20 minutes and the changes had an immediate effect.

Today was not a great day for sales and that is not a good sign because usually the first day is the best day, but starting on a Thursday is unusual so maybe Friday and/or Saturday will hopefully be a lot better.  It always helps when you have some good neighbouring booths and we do have that advantage.

After today’s work I just did a quick tour of the casino area and was tempted to try even just $5 but I decided against it.   It was better to just get a quick supper and relax in the room.   My legs are really exhausted tonight.

I finally found the Johnny Rockets out at the pool area.  They are apparently there on a temporary basis while the hotel finds them new digs.  After a forgettable $8 single burger I bought a Sprite at another booth and made it to the room.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Wednesday June 19/13

Wednesday June 19/13 update # 487

I had emptied the humidifier in the morning so I had no white noise to sleep with and it was much too quiet.  I had maybe 2 hours sleep when the alarm went off at 3:30am to get ready.  Gord again kindly drove me to the airport and everything went very easily through United’s counters, then customs, so I had loads of time to have a leisurely breakfast.  It was very foggy in Calgary but we got away early, had to skirt some bad weather, and flew over mountains in Montana and Wyoming before arriving early in Denver.   My original seat assignment was the absolute farthest seat in the jet so I had been worried about only having one hour to make my next plane.  I knew that the plane wasn’t full from my pre-board attempt so I asked the stewardess to lease move me up if at all possible.   All the empty seats were the premium economy ones that very few people paid the extra $33 to fill.  The stew moved about 6 of us up from the back rows so we were happy campers.   If you don’t ask, you don’t get….  Because a plane was late departing from our anticipated gate allocation we ended up sitting on the tarmac and lost all our advantage, so it was great that we had gotten moved up.

The gate for the next flight was a very long walk so I was doubly thankful about the prior seat change..

The flight to Reno was uneventful and we landed right on schedule.   I wasn’t too happy when I saw my big suitcase though.   It was obvious that it had been opened and the back of it has a 5-inch gash.  I think baggage handlers get a stipend from luggage manufacturers.

The Grand Sierra Resort hotel is only a 5 minute drive from the airport and they have a free shuttle.   Too bad it only starts at 5am because I will need to be at the airport at 4am on Sunday.  It is funny to see the local cabs with advertising on their roofs for the houses of ill repute, which are legal in Nevada.

The hotel is huge and has all sorts of gambling, theatres, restaurants, pool, etc.   Lots of distractions for anyone who would be interested but I am not.

When I checked in I confirmed that our Benson Box with out Eleggant Hooks had arrived and were being kept in the Business Center.   After I dumped my luggage in the room on the 12^th floor I headed down there.   It only cost $15 to retrieve the box so I took it to the booth.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that our booth was completely empty, no table, no chair…  The show director claimed that we had not ordered anything.   I dug and dug in my emails back in the room until I found the order which I emailed down to her.  I couldn’t reach Bella because she would have been playing bridge.   Bella later let me know that they never did charge us for it, but in the meantime everyone was gracious and helpful to get us a table and chair.

Set-up did not take long but we are located on an odd corner and not very visible.  The folks will visit every booth at least once so I am not overly concerned but, if tomorrow is bad, I am going to ask for a full side wall so I can make our banners more visible from both directions.

Then I went for a very different pizza supper then did a quick wander around the casino/theater/restaurant floor.  The smell of smoke is pervasive and drove me from the premises in short order.

The hotel room is large and always sleep well in hotels.   I can create enough white noise and cool air with the air-conditioners for a good sleep.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Monday-Tuesday June 17-18, 2013

Tuesday June 18, 2013  update #486

Two blogs today, for Monday and Tuesday.

I awoke much too early but my brain was working overtime with a few last minute things I would have to do so I just got up and got started.  My cousin Maurice Jalbert came to visit this morning, having flown in from Regina the night before.  Maurice is coming back with me to Ecuador after we do our show in Houston to spend 2 weeks and tour the country.  2 weeks isn’t very long, especially when a trip to Mindo is a necessity. 

We went to Mr Spud for a brunch of fish ‘n chips and I was quite surprised that the lady proprietor remembered me, and my usual order!  She was quite proud that they had just been notified that they had been voted in the top 3 in the Foothills in 3 categories, getting 2 Gold and one Silver awards.  This is nothing new for them as they are one of the best food places in town.

Maurice and I discussed some of the things that would be good to bring to Ecuador, etc, and shot the breeze over many issues.

Maurice had to be away by noon so we made it back in time and he was nice enough to grab a couple of items that I could not take with me on this trip because of weight restrictions.  We will have to wait until November for good peanut butter, etc.

I began the final processes of packing, etc., doing my last laundry load and getting caught up on my Internet chores.  I tried to pre-board online, but because I am going on United, with a Canadian passport, I will have to dick around at a kiosk in the airport in the morning.

I then caught an hour’s nap before heading into Calgary to get Mom.  She was quite happy to come out to have Wings in Okotoks again, this time at Original Joe’s.    We met the usual bunch, Gord, Em, and Paul (everyone else is away until later this month), and we were joined by my sister Leonie, husband Brian, and Debbie who is our house-sitter.  A good time was had by all.

The return trip to Calgary was a little sad because it would be the last few moments I would have with my Mom until I return in February.

On return to Okotoks I had to put another $60 of gas in the Buick and pump up the tires, especially the right front which seems to have a chronic slow leak.  I may be a flaw in the aluminum rims, I’m not sure.  I then parked it carefully, backing it into the garage, and disconnecting the battery.   Hopefully that will help the battery survive until Bella gets here in November.  The last order of business tonight will be to drop the insurance coverage than maybe I can get a couple of hours sleep before getting up at 3:45 to head to the airport and to Reno.

Sorry that I just wasn’t in a picture-taking mood today, although we did see a nice deer along the highway but couldn’t stop.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  Please see all old photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Monday June 17, 2013  update #485 

I prepared more for my departure, washed clothes and bedding, etc.  I am crossing my fingers that everything left is going to fit in the suitcase or carry-on.   I didn’t get out of my grubbies because those will be last load of washing for tomorrow.

I didn’t venture away from the house at all and we only had one mild spell of rain here but they had tornado warnings to the east.

Deb came home from her trip to Hawaii and says she enjoyed snorkeling and swimming and their stay in a fabulous home.

No photos and not much news so I won’t even bother posting this today.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.

Sunday June 16, 2013

Sunday June 16, 2013  update #484

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.

I haven’t managed to get a real gorgeous Alberta sunset yet, but I did get pretty nice sky and silhouette last night.

I made the mistake of stepping on the scale today.  ‘Nuf said… this boy is losing weight on his return to Ecuador!

I told Mom I would be in at 2:30 today and I barely made it on time because of construction and car accidents.  I installed Mom’s new thermometer on her bedroom window so she was very happy about that.  She had mentioned a couple of times that she wanted to go see the flowers at Sacred Heart church so I looked up the address and ugh… it was almost downtown.  I asked her if she wanted to go there and her eyes lit up so off we went.  It is a nice enough brick church on the outside  but I didn’t see one flower, which I thought was surprising.   I asked Mom if she wanted to go in, and she didn’t, so I just made a quick run inside, took a couple of shots and came back out.  Mom asked if they had a bathroom in there and I said yes, so I walked her inside.  There was some sort of ceremony going on with the Filipino priest, and what appeared to be a mostly Filipino congregation, but it wasn’t a mass.

As Mom was coming out she made a point of grasping the hand of the statue at the door and then said something to the effect of “Well I sure didn’t think I was ever going to get to see this church, much less pee in it, and shake hands with Jesus.  Maybe this will help me with my pee problems.”  I couldn’t help laughing over that one.

I drove Mom back and then came back to almost the same area near downtown to help my friend Keith with his groceries.   He had invited me for a barbeque but his muscle problems make it really difficult for him to manage many of the simplest tasks.  His landlord, Bill, came down to join us and then we were joined by Keith’s friend Gerda who is a long-distance walker and a saxophone player.

After a nice glass of wine Bill offered for us to dine upstairs where there would be more room, etc.  Keith had bought 6 lovely sirloin steaks ($53!) and we got Bill to grill them perfectly.  I made the salad and the dessert and we were away to the races.  I was savouring every mouthful of that delicious Alberta beef and didn’t want the meal to end.  Bill’s other half, LeeAnne, joined us after supper and we all shot the breeze for a while.

Then Bill disappears for a moment and comes back and puts a box in front of me that looks just like the lens on my camera, and tells me I can have it.  I am shaking my head at my good fortune then realize that this is a coffee cup that looks like a lens!   It is so realistic it had me fooled completely.

Bill and LeeAnne have constructed this gorgeous house and their kitchen is any cook’s dream.  Bella would fall in love with it instantly for sure.   They also have 3 rescue female dogs that are protective and smart as whips.  Would you believe these dogs can read?  They show the dogs pieces of paper with either of the words ‘down’ or ‘sit’, and the dogs obey and get a treat!!! 

I finally got home after 10pm but I am determined to get this Blog off tonight.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/