Cleaning Up the Grounds ...

April 13, 2014

We had a community Work Bee ...

down at the schoolhouse ... clearing out trees ... 

there were quite a few that had fallen on the ground ...

from the strong winds ...

also picked up branches and other debris and tossing them ...

into a few of the bonfires that were started ...

Don hauling a section of the tree ...

over to the other side of the schoolhouse ...

to be bucked up ... split ... and stacked ...

All of us doing our share of hard work ...

as you can see I was a big help to Don ... 

wanting to go for a log ride ....

 After our work was completed ...

we had a BBQ ... 

hot dogs and hamburgers were provided ...

and a variety of salads and desserts were brought for the potluck ...

nothing tastes better than eating burgers and hot dogs after a hard days work ...

mmmmmmmmmm

It seemed as if ... Don had had enough of me taking pictures ...

after I had asked kindly for everyone to gather for a picture ... it took awhile to be heard ... 

so I stood up on the picnic table ...

whistled to get their attention ... snapped the picture ... 

said thank you ... and before I knew it I was grabbed and flung over Don's shoulder ...

He said,  "that is enough little one" ...

of course everyone howled with laughter ...

It was a great day ...

the grounds look fabulous ... now 

ready for activities and the picnic season ....

Happy Easter Everyone ...

Wishing all our family and friends ...

a wonderful day ...

Sending our Love ...

Spring has Sprung ...

Some pictures of the crocuses and buttercups ...

flowering down at the school house ...

Finding them hidden in the tall grass ...

during a Work Bee on Sunday ...

cleaning up the grounds ...

Road Block ...

After enjoying a lovely afternoon ... visiting Tammy ...
making my way home ...
I was brought to a complete stop on the road ...
by a herd of sheep ...
they had taken over the whole road ...
and then kept meandering from side to side ...
deciding which side of the road had more to eat ...
Finally after a bit of time had passed ...
I was able to continue driving home ...
It was great watching them ...!!!

Travelling Gifts ...

My dear friend Dagmar  ... gave these gifts to her sister Evelyn ...

to bring back home from their visit ...

from Arizona ...

I was delighted to go and pick up my gifts ... 

from my "across the river neighbour" ...

excited to try out the new cookie cutters  ... this year for a new Christmas display ...

as well as brewing up a pot of coffee ...

 using the coffee grounds that Dagmar had brought back ...

while vacationing in Panama ...

and then ... 

new crafting material to make ...

new friendship bracelets for and with the grandchildren ...

Thank you so much my friend ...

hope we can spend some time together ...

this year crafting once again ...

First Ride of the Season ...

 April 8, 2014

We decided to haul out our bikes ...

and go for a ride ...

thru the valley ...

It was a beautiful day to be touring ...

 although we had a few glitches along the way ...

both of our chains had fallen off ...

no big deal  ... just stopped to put them back on ...

then I had an issue with the gears not shifting ...

so we made our way back home ...

stopped at the neighbours  ... for a quick visit ...

then continued on ...

Happy Mike was home ...

so that he could have a look at my bike ...

and get it fixed before our next adventure ...

Counting Down the Days ...

A few more days until our Festival ...

the choir is so excited to host this event ...

all the preparations are near completion ...

The other five choirs will be arriving on Friday ...

 then ...

the fun will begin ... !!!

Another Glorious Day ...

April 1, 2014

It was a beautiful day to go on a hike ...

Mother Nature was not playing a joke on us this day ...

the road had a few large ice patches and puddles ... 

that we had to work our way thru ... or go around ...

we started at about the 2km mark on Ha Ha road ... 

hiked thru the bush on trails to the 4km mark ...

continuing back to the truck on the main road ... 

It was so nice to see all the young trees sprouting and growing ...

where they had logged the area years ago ...

Our trekking record ...

Happy to spend my Tuesday afternoons with the ladies ...

going on mini adventures ...

we hope to start biking in the next couple weeks ...

A Wonderful Event ...

Bisset Singers bring choral festival to Cranbrook

By Cranbrook Daily Townsman

Cranbrook will play host to a gathering of seven choirs from western Canada and the United States in April.  The International Choral Festival will be held in Cranbrook at the Alliance Church on Saturday, April 12.  Cranbrook's Bisset Singers, who have been members of the festival for six years, were invited to host the festival in 2014.

"Each year, a choir that is a member hosts. In the concert, each choir does a set of three pieces,"explained Chuck Bisset, vocal coach and founder of the local choir.The Bisset Singers are rehearsing Eric Whitacre's "Sleep", a performance of "O Magnum Mysterium" and a unique version of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love".  

The local choir will be joined by choirs from throughout B.C. and Washington: the Appleaires women's choir and Apollo Club men's choir from Wenatchee, Washington;  the Washington Camerata Club from Yakima,
Washington; the Washington Village Voices from Leavenworth, Washington; the Naramata Community Choir from Naramata, B.C. and the Trail Harmony Choir.  

"The great crescendo is the last three pieces which are performed by the mass choir," said Bisset Choir member Jim Abbott said that when the 380-odd voices of the combined choirs come together, it's a special experience. "I didn't realize how much of a bucket list moment it would be for me to be a part of a mass choir. It's an emotional thing when you have all these voices around you."

As the event's hosts, the Bisset Singers were able to invite another choir to join the festival. They choose the Cranbrook Elementary Schools Mass Choir.  "At the Christmas event, Chuck said, 'Why couldn't we have them as our voices for it?'  So we approached the teachers and in all sincerity said, 'We would like to give the elementary school students an opportunity not only to perform in front of a big audience, but also to be part of a mass choir,'" said Abbott.

The school choir will perform three songs, and then join with the entire choral festival for one piece: a majestic Pie Jesu.  "That is the core showpiece of our performance," said Abbott. The Bisset Singers, which has about 30 members, came together as a choir 14 years ago. "We started off as a group voice lesson. I started the choir so people could learn to sing," said Bisset.  Abbott added: "Bisset Singers is virtually an extension of Chuck's teaching. It gives Chuck's students a chance to take part in performance."  Bisset said that the participation of the school students has caused a buzz in Cranbrook.  "The thing that really excites me is how Cranbrook as a city seems to be really getting excited and embracing it. You have all these parents of the kids taking time out on a Saturday to get their kids to rehearsals."

The festival weekend will kick off on Friday, April 11 from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a welcoming reception at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. The public is invited to the reception, which will feature wine tasting from Wynnwood Cellars, beer tasting from Fisher Peak Brewing Company, and tours of the rail cars.

The festival will feature two performances on Saturday, April 12 at the Cranbrook Alliance Church, a matinee at 2:30 p.m. And an evening performance at 7 p.m.

I am so excited to be part of and singing with this wonderful choir ...  !!!

 the Bisset Singers since 1996.

Nice Catch ...

The family went out on a camping trip ...

with some friends ...

the boys were excited to be catching fish ...

this is a type of Grouper fish ...

Good for you Daigen ...

Nixon was interested in touching it ...

Glad you had a fun time ... !!!

Can't Just Eat One ...

Love this recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies ...

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ brown sugar 

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 

Combine peanut butter and butter ... mix until smooth

add sugars ... egg ... vanilla ... mix

then add ...

dry ingredients ... mix

shape into 1-inch balls ... place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake @ 375 degrees F

10-12 minutes

Remove from baking sheet immediately ...

cool on wire racks ...

ENJOY .... !!!

Conditions Were Awesome ...

March 23, 2014

We took advantage of this beautiful day ...

to go back country skiing ... perhaps for the last time ...

 this season ...

The snow conditions were great ...

for this venture ...

We ended the gathering at the local ...

"Elk Horn Cafe" ...

where we enjoyed a wonderful meal ...

and 

conversation about our day ...

and planning our next outing ...

Wishing Katie and Vern a Happy Birthday ...

Hope you have a wonderful day ... !!!

Cabin In The Woods ...

March 9, 2014

This was quite the adventure ...

out in the pouring rain ... hiking on the Pickering Hills ...

heading for a little cabin in the woods ...

all of us needing help crossing the raging creek to get there ...

Finally reaching our secret destination ...

and celebrating Barb's 60th birthday ...

we went on this venture to keep Barb busy and distracted ...

as her family was preparing a surprise party for her ...

Huddled under a tree to get out of the rain ... for a quick break ...

there was lots of water heading back down ...

as it warmed up and the ice and snow were melting ...

The picture of the road is actually someones driveway ...

More pictures from the gang ....

Map of our tracks ... to the cabin ...

then heading back for the Bull River Inn ...

before partying at Barb's place ...

We had a great time ... !!!

More Pictures at the Pools …

Wow … I am impressed with these kids jumping off ….

 into the pool below …

That is a little to high for me …

Pictures of the gorge …

and beautiful waterfalls …

Looks like a beautiful place to visit …

I am sure all of you …

slept really well that night …

Thank you for sending all these lovely photos …

To The Hot Pools ….

March 2, 2014

Knight family trip to Tolantongo in Mexico …

it appears to be a long … slow way down to the pools …

travelling on those roads …

Lots of pools and caves for them to go thru …

These pools look like a lot of fun …

sliding down then climbing up on the bank …

to go and do it all over again …

for more information on Tolantongo 

click

here

more pictures to follow on their trip …