It is raining

Laura Olson, Andrea and Andrew MacLeod, Mano and Scot Young, Nancy Taylor

 It is raining so I thought that I should post a few pictures. Ruth and I attended Kristie and Joe Pradzynski's wedding and a few people showed up in traditional dress.




Ruth's relative (a first cousin once removed) came to visit so we took her to a few places. We went for a walk along the S. Sk. River in downtown Saskatoon. I took a picture of her holding the hand of the statue of John Lake with Chief Whitecap which is on the Mewasin Trail. We went to the Royal SK Provincial Museum and we went to see the tunnels in Moose Jaw.

First day of Spring!

Yesterday almost all the snow was melted and most of the ground was bare. Then we got rain, sleet, and snow and a terrific wind. When I got up and looked outside, the snow was glistening, the deciduous trees had sparkling icicles and a blanket of fresh white snow covered the ground and the bright sun and clear blue sky made this a special first day of spring.

March report

Imogen and Isaac are becoming more and more adventurous as they get older. Isaac is showing his independence and Imogen's artistic talent is becoming more obvious.
Imogen (completely on her own) found stones and a dried maple leaf to decorate the snowman that we built. She used the maple leaf for the nose.

The fan in the door is how Harold Orr and his two friends created a negative pressure in our house to test for air leakage as they were doing a test on how well the house was sealed for energy conservation.

Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacan De Ocampo, Mexico and "Memaw's" manor in Guerrero, Mexico

Ruth and I spent an unforgettable two weeks with Bernard, Alicia, and Logan Krogsgaard in Mexico near the Pacific Coast. They were wonderful hosts and fun to be with. It was a joy to see the way that they have been able to encourage and touch the lives of the people that they are involved with.



































(Second last picture) Bernard and Alicia Krogsgaard
Francisco Solis Serrano, Rosy Radilla Reyes, Ian and Ruth MacLeod, Juan Rernandez Sierra

The Wallace family in Mexico

Jenn and John and Imogen and Isaac would have loved to go to Amber's wedding in Cancun but were not able to go in person.
So Jenn made some cutouts and they managed to participate in many activities and celebrations. They were able to go to the beach, see the dolphins, observe the wedding, and even attend the reception. Everywhere they went people commented on them being a part of things. After Cancun they flew with us to the Pacific Coast and got a few pictures at Miramar near Bernard and Alicia's beach house. (Those are the pictures at the top.)
Great idea Jenn.

The begining and the end of the trip to India and Myanmar.

Mexico

Ruth and I spent a week in Cancun and went to my niece's wedding. We went on a couple of historical tours of Mayan ruins also. Then we went to Bernard and Alicia's place in Lazaro Cardenas which is in the Michoacan state on the Pacific coast. We stayed last night at their beach house which has a wonderful view of the ocean. I will try to upload pictures later.

India and Myanmar

Here is a picture of the alphabet script (with English pronunciation) that is used in Myanmar.




We took a trip up the side of some mountainous hills outside of Kalay (the "myo" ending of the city just means "town") and from this height we could see the whole city plus the surrounding valley.
Many of the classrooms that we visited had quite rudimentary equipment: benches to sit or write on, a teacher's desk, bamboo walls, and a worn out blackboard that was often merely framed boards painted black. This classroom had a cement floor.




When we were in Chennai we took a trip out to the Bay of Bengal. This beach is the second longest in the world (Brazil has the longest). Unfortunately the water that I touched didn't stay at this level and it washed up and came half way to my knees!





In Myanmar the license plates are permanent and stay with the vehicle for the life of the vehicle. When they get worn out people repaint the lettering themselves. On this plate the first two symbols indicate the district (the first symbol is the number "7" followed by a letter of their alphabet. The slash divides the district from the license number which is "8450."







At the Taung Za Lat Hotel in Kalay we met a British couple who offered to teach English classes for free. They were finally able to enter under a business class visa because someone was able to contact a Senator in the Myanmar government. However, the government claimed that the program was their idea and put up official government advertising posters to trumpet the free English classes. As you can see they didn't check for accuracy since their names were Mr. Clive Scott and Mrs. Ann Scott.

Everywhere we went the people wanted to honour us with a gift of some kind so often it was with a shawl or something to put around one's neck. (This one happened before Wilf's arrival.)





In both India and Myanmar, I did not see one stroller or baby carriage. Babies and toddlers and even young children under three were carried by moms, grandmothers or girls. Men seemed to be exempt from this chore.




In India the contrast between century old traditions like transporting goods by oxcart and basket weaving, and the building of a sky-train is striking.




In Kolkata I discovered a street sign that said "MCLEOD STREET" but I have no idea who it was named after. The eastern style toilets were interesting. Leaving Yangon we saw a couple of stewardesses who were from Turkey who were accompanied by an Australian pilot. While we were in Kolkata we visited the tomb of Mother Theresa and we also visited the orphanage that she made famous which was about a block away. The next pictures is a lineup of pilgrims returning from Mecca. And the last picture is part of the welcoming party in the Saskatoon airport.