Meatball ...

"Meatball" ...

Ian ... Kendall ... Daigen and Nixon's precious dog ...

passed away on January 12, 2017

She was a sweet companion for the family ... and for her buddy "Brutus" ...

May she rest in peace ... she will be missed ...

 

 

Forever in Our Hearts ...

 

I was surprised and touched to see these Rocky Mountain Bluebirds ...

this late in the season ... on October 13, 2016 ...

This was the first time they had stopped ... for a few days ...

at our home on their migration south ...

I felt my sister would have loved this beautiful bird ...

her favourite colour was blue ...

 

Morning on Christmas Eve Day ...

December 24, 2016

The kids couldn't wait to get outside ...

we had a hearty breakfast and then they were out the door around 10:30 am ...

The three of them had a blast jumping in the deep snow ...

they also shovelled the deck and piled up the snow ... making a bigger hill ...

and also burying Ella ...

Finally Grandpa and dad made it outside ...

they kids were raring to go sledding on their GT Racers ...

Nathan fired up all the snowmobiles ... even his brothers sled ...

(Ian ... now residing in Texas ... wanted it to be started)

taking them all for a quick ride ...

Making sure they were in good form for riding ...

Craig ended up driving grandpa's sled ... and Nathan took Ian's ...

When grandpa was finished take the kids on their rides ...

Mike took my snowmobile for a ride ...

 

Cindy & Rob loved being in the snow ...

it has been years since they experienced a winter in the Kootenays ...

We were surprised when Cindy wanted to drive the snowmobile ...

she did take it easy ... only going around the driveway loop ...

Cindy was delighted driving it ...

She was not ready to go out into the field ...

 

Everyone came into the house to have lunch ...

as you can see ... Nathan and the kids really helped out ...

Poor Nathan only wanted to stretch out on the floor ... he should know better ...!!!

It was wonderful to see them all have so much fun ...

Mike and Rob went into town to pick up Oma ...

and bring her out ...

to celebrate Christmas Eve ...

 

Nathan and I met Mike at the highway ...

and Oma transferred into the truck ...

as we were not sure how much snow we would encounter ...

travelling to the cemetery ...

Oma wanted to place a candle on the grave site ... of Susie and dad ...

shedding light for Christmas Eve ...

and throughout the season ...

Nathan also helped locate and clear the snow ...

of Margret and Gus Haase grave site ...

They were dear friends of Oma and Opa ...

In remembrance of them ... candles were also placed ...

Sending them love & light ...

for eternity ...

 

 

Our Secret Adventure ...

May 29, 2016

We were so excited this day ...

Horst had an adventure day planned ... no one knew where we were going ...

He had acquired a van (mini school bus) ... to take all of us on this secret journey ...

Christian and Christine came and picked us up at Klaus's house ...

and Horst went to pick up Oma and Tante Paula ...

We all met at the house ... hopped into the bus ... and we were on our way ...

We traveled out of town ...

and crossed over the Autobahn to an area ... Aurach am Hongar ...where we could see Laakirchen ...

we were able to see the paper mill in the distance ...

then we were on our way again ...

Passing thru and capturing a picture of the Church ...

Now heading towards Shorfling ...

seeing the Kammer-Schorfling Train Station ...

This is the end of the rail tracks ... on the corner across the street ...

there is a restaurant that has a dry-docked boat sitting in the yard ...

Looks like the only way to travel now was by car or bike ...

Not sure why this boat was situated there ... !!!

 

We drove along the shores of the Attersee ... to the end of the lake ...

The area is really wonderful ... loved the colours of the lake.

We then followed a steep , narrow, winding road uphill

and arrived at Druckerhof .

"Druckerhof is a house with a past. It is situated 700 m above sea-level above the town of Unterach am Attersee. The original farmhouse is made of solid wood and is family owned since 1581.

In 1955 the road was built and the Court was expanded and rebuilt in 1962. In 1993 an addition was added to the original house The Druckerhof farm is owned by the 14th generation of the Windhager family."

Everyone out of the bus ... standing in awe ...

enjoying the view and the surroundings of this restaurant ...

Druckerhof is a wonderland area ... there a lots of trails to take a walk or hike in the area ...

One trail that will lead you to Hochmoorgebiet Egelsee ... (Moorland Lake) ...

It is a raised bog Lake from the ice age. There is also a sweet chestnut forest ...

which was planted in the Roman period or the Jubilee tree from the time of Emperor Franz Josef.

Behind the house is an enclosed area for Hirsch (Elk) ...

There is also a Petting Zoo with donkeys ... goats ... rabbits and ponies for the children ...

We enjoyed a variety of dishes ... oh my goodness ... everything was so delicious ... !!!

Thank you Christian for taking all these pictures ... !!!

We sat around having a great time ...

we were blessed to have seen two Eagles ... flying high up in the sky around us ...

for me it was a sign that Dad was near ... after all it was his birthday ...

and the only other time mom was here was with Dad many years ago ...

Oma also remembered that there was a monument on the grounds ...

honouring the mother of the Windhager family ...

 

 

 

Handmade Gift ...

May 27, 2016

Andrea and Maria wanted to come and see us again ...

at their grandparents house ...

I was surprised to have received a small little package from Andrea ...

inside was a handmade iPhone cover ...

Andrea had spent her time knitting it for me ... she did a great job ...

I was so touched ... Thank you Andrea and Maria ...

It was another beautiful day ...

I decided to take the girls for a walk into town ...

We did go to the cemetery ...

for the girls to water the flowers on their Great-grandparents grave ...

We then walked back to town and stopped for some ice-cream ...

before going back home ...

Mike and I were going to have a special afternoon ...

with our cousins Rudi and Christa ...

 

 

On Your Birthday ...

Sitting by the window ... sipping on my coffee ...

my mind drifts to times and thoughts ...

of how much you enjoyed being out in the wilderness ...

your passion for nature ...

and your love of the mountains ...

Memories forever held dear in our hearts ...

 

Remembering Dad ...

Twenty years ago today ...

Mike's father passed away ...

It was heart warming going thru some of the pictures ...

of happy times captured ...

Even though so much time has passed ...

he is always in our thoughts ... sending our love ... !!!

February 15, 1922 - October 20, 1995

 

Heading Home ...

June 14, 15 &16 ...

While visiting Bill ...

these pictures were taken ...

Julie has created a few lovely garden plots ...

We decided to go out for dinner ...

to Wag's Restaurant ... famous for it's Prime Rib ...

for Linda's birthday ...

and to thank Pam & Blair for their hospitality ...

It was a nice way to spend our last evening in Sarnia ...

The day before we left ...

Pat truck had broken down ... he had to replace the water pump ...

before he could travel back home ...

 

It was a beautiful morning ... on the day of our journey home ...

taking a few pictures of the St.Clair River ...

with Stag Island on the other side ...

We hope to take a few more trips back to Sarnia ...

in the future ...

now that Mike is planning to officially retire ...

after this next job ... !!!

Today we remember my sister Susie ...

who passed away ... on this day ... 38 years ago ...

Always in our thoughts ... and dearly missed ...

 

An Angel Among Us ...

 

NICOLE ANN MARLOWE (NEE DOBSON)

Friday, 01 May 1970 - Thursday, 04 June 2015

Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel announcing the passing of Nicole Ann Marlowe (Dobson), age 45, on Thursday, June 4, 2015, at Victoria Hospital, London, surrounded by her loving family. Nikki was the treasured, loving wife of Dan Marlowe and the proud and devoted mother to her two children Kaylea and Justin. She was extremely proud of everything they accomplished and will forever be their guardian angel. Cherished and much loved daughter of David and Linda Dobson and sister and best friend of Lisa (Mike) Rawlings. Special sister-in-law to Cathy Marlowe-Derrough (Tim) and Jamie (Julie) Marlowe. Fun-loving and adored Aunt to Brooke and Amy Rawlings, Christopher and Benjamin Derrough and Eve and Jack Marlowe. To know Nikki was to love her and her kind heart and infectious smile touched everyone she met. Nikki was like a second mom to many of her children's friends and treated them like her own. She leaves behind numerous friends in both the Sarnia and Port Elgin areas and will be dearly missed by all who loved her.

It was a very emotional week ...

with our family in Ontario ...

We are thankful for the love of our family ...

during sad times like this ...

We will miss our beautiful niece, Nicole ...

she will always be in our thoughts ...

and in our hearts ...

 

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 ... !!!

 

In Our Thoughts ...

With my sister, Susie 

January 18, 1956

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, 

the things you are, the things you never want to lose.

The Wonder Years"