Going to the Parade ...

March 12, 2017

Today we were going to the St. Patrick's Day parade ...

Oma and I were able to get ahold of Daigen ...

to get a picture to show how big he was getting ...

We also brought mittens from Canada for the boys ...

and we were going to need them today ...

It was a chilly day in Houston ...

Kendall drove us to the parade ... her friends were waiting for us ...

A spot was saved for the boys ...

to enjoy the parade and catch the goodies ...

Lots of candy and beads were being tossed towards them ...

Thank goodness we were dressed warm enough ...

to watch this parade ...

Nixon loved the horses ...

 

 

There were some interesting floats ... cars ... 

and trucks in the parade ...

The boys loved seeing the balloon procession ...

We were all laughing and clapping when they walked by us ...

It wasn't long before the Firetruck came along ...

to end the parade ...

The sun had appeared and it was starting to warm up outside ...

just perfect to go back to the house for the boys to go swimming ...

 

Last Day in Mesa ...

March 9, 2017

Our last day in Mesa was going to be ...

a day of packing and relaxing ...

We attended the line dancing class ... and hanging out at the pool ...

in the afternoon ... then met the guys for happy hour ...

There was a band playing at centre court ...

Mike and I danced a few dances ... 

and when the band began to play a Polka ...

Mike asked Oma to dance ... they had a great time ...

All our friends joined in throughout the happy hour ...

We were having so much fun ... that the band played for an extra hour ...

We decided that we were going to have an easy dinner ...

Oma was springing for pizza ... 

All of us went to go pick up a few things at the grocery store ...

and of course ... the Pizza ... !!! 

 We returned to the trailer ... and enjoyed our delicious dinner ...

 

After dinner we walked over to Bob & Carols' trailer ...

to spend our last evening together with our family and friends ...

We had such a wonderful time ...

You never know we may all get together again next year ...!!!

 

 

 

 

 

   

Music Break ...

February 8, 2017

Yes it had snowed again this morning ...

and yes it was cleared again ...

No pictures of this activities ... it was the same ...

I had decided to go to the next on the list ...

"Home Routes" ... concert series ...

  The concert series consists of bands from all over ... they have a scheduled circuit (Red Square, AB) ... traveling from town to town performing and staying in host homes.  The group from last night were from Nashville.  It is quite enjoyable being in a small group setting with friends.  You can get info on the website ... HERE

Mike had gone to a meeting ...

so I decided to call our neighbour to see if they were going to the concert ...

as I wasn't sure my car would make it down the host family's driveway ...

And boy ... was I glad to have gotten a ride ...

our road had not been plowed thru all this snowfall ...

And ... the driveway to the concert was treacherous as well ... People were having to leave their vehicles at the clearing ... and hitch a ride with others ...

We made it to the house ... enjoyed a lovely evening of music ...

When we left the concert ... 

Don decided to put the chains on to get out ... 

it was still snowing and blowing ...

Thank you Don for bringing us back home safely ...

A Home Concert ...

October 25, 2016

We enjoyed a lovely evening at the Creelman's ...

they were hosting the band "Blue Moon Marquee" ...

They are part of "Home Routes" circuit ...

touring in Western Canada's Fall tour ... they will be entertaining in small towns ...

in homes ... town halls ... Senior Centres etc ...making it a more personal setting ...

These 2 artists are amazing ... so talented ...

and have quite a history ...

The groups that tours this area are known as "Red Square" ...

There are six groups in total travelling to Mayook ...

Visit the website to get more information on all the groups coming thru our area ...

and other groups throughout the country ...

 

 

 

We enjoyed listening to this band so much ... we bought their CD ...

Click here to watch them perform ...

A Note from the Band ...

"Greeting from Blue Moon Marquee. Stemming from the Badlands of the Rocky Mountain prairies, we are a self-styled gypsy blues band. An authentic duo who write and perform original compositions influenced by early blues, swing, and ragtime. A.W. Cardinal, a Metis of Cree heritage, howls with a distinctive thick and smoky vocal while playing a jazz tinged blues guitar. Jasmine Colette, aka Badlands Jass, (has toured and recorded with Bill Bourne, Paul Pigat, Wykham Porteous)is the rhythm section who not only commands the upright bass but also keeps the swing with both feet while singing harmonies. This is a feat many of our world travelling musician friends say they have never seen anywhere else. Now West-Coast based, we have been living all over the world & steadily touring for the last 4 years. We are happy and humbled to say we were the most requested Canadian band for the 2016 International Jazz festivals across Canada,invited to play 9 Jazz festivals across Canada ( Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Regina, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Ottawa, Saskatoon, and Montreal). In June 2016 we started a 40 date CAN tour encompassing 15 festivals and promoting our new full length album "Gypsy Blues".

Some words people have said about our shows and sound:

"Blue Moon Marquee's passionate performances and smouldering onstage chemistry is their trademark, and the way Colette's angelic tones lift A.W.'s beaten down "bukowski-esque" mystique is something that enthralls audiences from the back room bar to the public square." Canadian Music"

 

Harmonica Concert ...

May 17, 2016

We had a lovely evening planned ... with Klaus and Resi's harmonica group ...

arriving to perform a little concert ... playing beautiful music for us ...

Klaus played tenor and Resi played bass ...

Their group performs at other functions throughout the year ...

all over town ...

After awhile of them playing music ...

we stopped to have a light dinner ...

that Resi had prepared while we were on our walk ...

A delicious "Bradl" (Austrian slow-roast pork shoulder) ...

then sliced and

served with fresh breads and an assortment of condiments ...

When we had finished with our meal ... visiting and chatting ...

the group started to play music again ...

It was an amazing, most enjoyable evening ... !!!

 

 

Ella's Concert ...

May 9, 2016

The timing was perfect to head to Alberta ... to pick up a few things ...

and take in an evening of song at Ella's Spring Choir Concert ...

She has a beautiful voice ... Hope she continues to sing ...

After the concert ...

we went out for dinner at a new restaurant in Okotokes ...

Bradley's Grill House ...

The food and atmosphere were fabulous ...

we will go back when we head that way again ...

 

 

Our Concert in Golden ...

February 27, 2016

We arrived in Golden, BC ... for a two hour rehearsal for our concert ...

A few of us made our way to the Greek Restaurant ...

just down the road from the Civic Centre ...

for a break to relax and enjoy a delicious Greek dinner ...

Friends from Sarnia, Ontario ... moved out West around the same time we did ...

met us at the Civic Centre for the concert ...

The Bisset Singers had a great time ... performing for the audience ...

After the concert we headed back to Brenda and John's ...

enjoying an afterglow get together ...

with wine ... nachos and other snacks ...

Reminiscing about old times spent together during our time in Sarnia ...

Brenda was Mike's next door neighbour thru their childhood ...

until Mike moved away from home ... in 1972 ...

they have been friends for over 60 years ...

We were grateful to be able to spend the night with them ...

Tammy ... Barb ... and myself decided that we would supply breakfast ...

Barb making a "Wife Saver French Toasts" dish ...

Tammy cooking up sausages and I brought an assortment of fruit ...

Brenda also cooked up some scrambled eggs to add to the feast ...

We had a beautiful mountain view all around us ...

sitting at the table ...

enjoying our delicious breakfast ...

Once we had finished breakfast ... we packed up and headed for home ...

It was wonderful that Brenda was joining us for this trip ...

as she was going to travel to the coast ... to visit her daughter ...

getting a fight from the Cranbrook airport ...

 

So Many Memories ...

Photos were taken between 1997 - 2003

Going thru a few of the pictures that were taken with the old film cameras ...

before the age of digital ...

Mom & dad enjoying a picnic up on their favourite spot ...

Dressing up for Mike's 50th birthday party ... had the 50's theme ... a Sock Hop ... !!1

Also enjoying an afternoon ... Huckleberry picking at White Boar Lake ...

Just having family time was special ...

Dad loved playing music and singing ...

I also enjoyed many moments singing with dad ...

Performing at the Studio Stage Door and volunteering our time at the door ...

Many hours were spent working ... down at the Mayook Schoolhouse ...

or at our home ... helping the boys out with their trucks ...

Dad's specialty ... Auto Body Remove & Repair ...

Always willing to lend a hand at whatever project we were doing ...

as well as tinkering around their house ...

Of course their was always time to socialize after the work was done ... !!!

Good times were had wherever we went ...

Always in our thoughts especially this day and everyday ...!!!

Memories held dear in our hearts ... !!!

May 29, 1926 - October 18, 2008

 

Fun Continued After Lunch ...

August 8, 2015

Everyone out of the pool ...

it was time to have some lunch ...

Ian took Daigen out to the shop ...

for him to ride James quad ...

Ian started it up ... gave Daigen a few pointers again on driving a quad ...

With Ian by his side ... he started to drive the quad ...

He had it mastered ... !!!

James was on Ella's quad following Daigen around the property ...

Ian had picked these plums from the Slocan Valley area ...

while visiting Kendall's sister ...

He was hungry for Plum Dumplings ...

so ... in my spare time ... haha ...

I made a batch of dumplings for him ...

took advantage of a few minutes while all the kids were busy playing ...

Kendall had some girl time with Ella ...

they were out on the lawn ... painting their nails ...

Craig and Nixon were working on a puzzle ...

oops ... no now Nixon was at the piano making music with James ...

and then Daigen joined them ...

Beautiful music played while I was busy in the kitchen ... !!!

Kendall and I later snuck off into the garden ...

to pick a few raspberries and vegetables for dinner ...

Kendal made a delicious garden salad ... and garnished it with nasturtiums ...

Tonight we were having BBQ'd hamburgers ... corn on the cob ... salad ...

then J E L L O and whipped cream for dessert ...

The kids went off to play ... and we enjoyed our visit ...

sitting around the table ... on this lovely evening ... !!!

A Beautiful Wedding ...

Aug 1, 2015

Craig, James and Ella ...

came down to the garden to see how the baby Robin was doing ...

before they left for their holiday ...

Mike and I were invited to attend the celebration of marriage ...

of our friends ...

Ramona and Glenn ...

which took place at their home ...

It was a beautiful outdoor country ceremony ...

We were delighted to meet the rest of their families and friends ...

We had a delicious home cooked meal ...

The BBQ pork was absolutely delicious ...

along with all the other dishes ...

After dinner ... we enjoyed goodies from the dessert table ...

the wedding cake was cut ... toasts were made ...

speeches and stories told ...

and a lot of laughter was in the air ...

Once this part of the celebration was finished ...

it was time to get out on the grounds ...

and do some dancing ...

to the music provided by a fun DJ ...

who really got the party hopping ... !!!

We had a wonderful time at this celebration ... !!!

 

 

Music on the Mountain ...

July 4, 2015

What a wonderful experience ... to take part in this beautiful event ...

riding on the quad chair lift to the top ...

Hay bales were brought up to the performance area ...

for people to sit down ...

the symphony orchestra played a number of pieces ...

the music was heavenly ...

The ride down was breath taking ... even with the haze from all the forest fires ...

seeing the terrain and the village below ...

I took a picture of the sun setting behind us ...

a perfect ending to a perfect evening with music ...!!!

 

 

Love of Music ...

 

Remembering Dad on his Birthday ...

and his love of music ...

Some of the happiest times ... were watching dad play ...

his guitar or accordion ... and sing ... !!!

Sometimes when we were all together ...

it was a real treat when dad ...

began to yodel ... !!!

Everyone loved to listen to him.

Grateful to have all these special memories ... !!!