2008

Dear Friends and Family

Déjà vu! Another form letter with another recap of another busy year for the Bolt/Voeller family with another 12 paragraphs about the 12 months of 2008

JANUARY
This year we rang in the New Year at the Conquerville Dance just down the road from the farm. I helped to design the centrepieces and decorate the night before, but wasn’t too much help the morning after, mind you. Still, good fun was had by all. The boys are still on two different hockey teams and Ray’s working away in the cold at Iteration’s Gas Plant, and I am working Tuesday through Saturday at CHAT and embark on being their spokesperson for Herbal Magic. The Union was just voted in. The big fat raise turns out not to be so big or so fat, but I buy a new truck anyways, a black Ford Ranger Edge 4x4.

FEBRUARY
February is heart month of course, and I volunteered at Boston Pizza to serve heart shaped pizzas. Boys are in hockey full swing and February thaw is not really thawing. Reading break is filled with hockey rather than skiing or boarding and saving for our trip to Florida at Easter.

MARCH
Derek's team made it to provincials in Warner and after his final game, Ray and I headed to Grand Forks to Big Sky Harley to pick up his 2007 Road King Classic. He had the bike off the trailer and on the road almost as soon as we got across the border, then a few mini road trips, first to Etzikom and back and then to the Hat with his buddies for supper and to pick up milk - any excuse to ride. Easter was spent in Florida with Ray’s youngest boys, 4 sun and fun filled days in Orlando and 3 in Daytona Beach. My blog http://corona4242.blogspot.com/

APRIL
I was kept busy this month running back and forth to Bow Island as Poll Captain for the Canadian Cancer Society’s door-to-door campaign and Ray joined the S.E.A.R. Bike Club out of Seven Persons. Have I mentioned I lost almost 25 lbs on Herbal Magic? Did I mention Ray lost 20 along side me NOT on Herbal Magic? Short lived success unfortunately.

MAY
Weekends this month were meant for riding, no matter how cold it was - well, it does matter but we rode any ways. It was off to Moose Jaw to visit friends and we were treated to being allowed on the set for country music singer Jason Blaine's video shoot in a junkyard for My First Car. On the way back we stopped in Swift Current to catch Aaron Pritchett in concert and then returned home, only to jump in the caddy and go see Aaron again in Lethbridge! The next weekend we are packing the 5th wheel for a weekend with friends in Cremona. After Ray realized the keys to the Harley we are towing behind us were in his pocket back at the farm, he met his daughter ½ way back and we were able to enjoy a bike ride in the foot hills of the Rockies. The last Friday of the month was the launch party for the newest radio station in Medicine Hat, The New CJCY 102.1 the Lounge! I have the honour of hosting the midday show, Monday to Friday 9 am to 2 pm. You can listen online at http://www.cjcyfm.com

JUNE
It's been so busy since i started the new job and getting used to getting up at 6 am (okay 6:30 after hitting the snooze button 3 times) after getting up at the crack of 10 for the past 5 years is a big adjustment. But having weekends off is awesome. The Harley Owner’s Group poker run was spent socializing with the fellow campers in Centennial Park in Bow Island, then supper at the Bow Theatre and more socializing at the park. Most of the month was spent building planters for the deck Ray and the boys extended around the pool at the farm. Ray and his oldest son Brad installed garden doors from the master bedroom and I built ALL 4 planters and 2 benches ALL by myself! We enjoyed the band Skavenja at the Blue Turtle with my new coworkers, we took the fifth wheel to the Seven Person's “Here comes the sun” dance and the next day it was back on the bike to the Foremost Rodeo. At the end of the month it was off to Penticton to visit Ray’s eldest daughter Lisa and granddaughter Sierra.

JULY
Every weekend in July was busy with something different – after a week of wine tasting, tubing and biking in the Okanogan, and a few close calls of dehydration in 40 degree weather, the next weekend was spent in Seven Person’s for the Dead Hog Boogie. From outhouse races to mattress pulls, rock bands and tattoos, my first bike rally will not be my last. The next weekend was spent with friends taking refuge from the storm of the century and cleaning up torn siding, shingle and toppled grain bins. Then it was stampede week with parade, concerts and another bike trip to Cremona and beating the hailstorm home.

AUGUST
I got my first motorcycle lesson on Ray’s daughter’s 750 Custom Honda one day and the next day we were headed to Burdette. After stalling out, tipping over and nearly giving ray a heart attack when I missed a turn and headed straight to the ditch – but recovered nicely and found my way back to the road without missing a beat… yeah, I need a little more practice before heading to Sturgis in 09!

SEPTEMBER
Ray and I went to Vegas via L.A. to visit Christopher, who hasn’t been back to Canada in almost a year. After touring Chris’s work place on Sunset Boulevard we wandered the Hollywood Walk of Fame we all jumped in the convertible rental and drove to Vegas for a few nights stay at the Sahara and taking in a Magic Show, riding the mono rail, watching the Bellagio Fountain and stopping for a quick one at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill and of course, Lunching at the Harley Davidson Café.

OCTOBER
This month I got my own motorcycle, a Yamaha Maxim X 700 which has been sitting in the shop ever since so i spent most of the month painting and redecorating the spare and master bedrooms at the farm. After all the work was done, I was treated to weekend retreat with a group of girls from Medicine Hat and Airdrie at a cabin in Mountain View. Hat Night, 80’s night, and games night were a blast and soon it was over and back to work and chores.

NOVEMBER
Ray and I saw David Copperfield at the Medicine Hat arena, I was hypnotized at the Conquerville Dance and portrayed Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and a gopher protector. Our company Christmas Party was in Lethbridge along with our sister station 94.1 the Lounge in the midst of Derek’s Midget AA Home Tournament. (Jess is snowboarding instead of hockey this year - Which brings us to

DECEMBER
Which started with celebrating my best friend’s Mother’s 85th birthday party and continues to this day with preparations for the station’s client party at the Esplanade on Friday, Turkey dinner in Chestermere on Saturday, lunch in Calgary on Sunday and hockey game at the Moose Sunday afternoon. Once this weekend is over, I might get a breather to prepare for Christmas Eve dinner with the boys, Ray’s parent’s, brother and family, Chris home from California, Liz and her boyfriend Joel from the Hat. The tree is up and the shopping almost done, just one last thing on my list.. get this in the mail before 2009! Merry Xmas and Happy New Year! - xo Corinne & Crew!

Who I Am

All my life I have been known as somebody else. Paul's daughter. David's wife. Christopher's Mom. Will I ever be known as just Me?

Buried deep below the surface, beneath the layers of all the different people I once was and have now become, is the real me. The realization of self-discovery is a journey that sometimes has no end. It is constantly changing. With different paths ahead and destinations unknown, the decision of who you are and who you become is your choice. Circumstance may control the situation but your reaction will decipher the outcome.

As daughter of not just a school teacher but Vice-Principal, it is difficult to try to fill the shoes of the highly respected and renown man. As youngsters, my sisters and I would walk behind him every day to elementary school, trying to match the footprints of his large stride. He would break a trail in the knee-high snowdrifts for his three scarved ducklings lagging behind. Sheltered from the wind and blowing snow, we followed the echo of the muffled crunch of the crisp mantle that broke beneath his steps. In high school, his constant presence was resented. We were never allowed to be as free as our peers. Classmates were unforgiving of his status and unacccepting of us into their circle.

As wife of a career military man, it is necessary to be supportive yet flexible. The sometimes, confining role of the woman behind the man was dutifully assumed. Sea duty kept him away for lengthy duration and career courses were interspersed throughout the years to accelerate his promotions. We have moved from one end of the country to the other and have accepted the fact that home is where the Air Force sends you. The five moves have been exiting and exhilarating, yet have taken their toll. Every few years our lives are uprooted and must start from square one all over again. Shallow roots are never allowed to fully take hold. The nomadic lifestyle is inconceivable to native towns folk and temporary residents are not usually invited to fully participate in the community.

As mother of two, it is difficult to be many people rolled into one. To be a housekeeper, cook, maid, servant, chauffeur, seamstress, laundress, baker, teacher and nurse all in one day is no easy task. There are endless chores to tend to at home and away. Meanwhile the children have to be nurtured and pushed only as hard as they need to be pushed. They need to be allowed to test their wings safely before they are thrust into the world once they leave the nest.

For the past 15 years, a career has been sacrificed to be a housewife. Dreams and aspirations have been temporarily set aside. With this last move, the focus has been switched to take care of rediscovering me. Going back to school to learn a trade has not become necessary financially but also personally. It has sparked old interests and many new ones too.

As I tucked my daughter into bed last night, she said to me. “I’m sad.” It was because “I never get to hardly ever see you any more.” Our days used to be filled with building castles on sandy beaches and exploring playgrounds, flying kites, building forts, packing picnics and sightseeing. Now there is only the frenzied in-betweens, the clips of conversations in-between driving from here to there. That will soon have to cease to take time for second thoughts about priorities. I will always be Paul’s daughter, David’s wife,* but most importantly I don’t want to hear those two words again. Somebody needs me more than I need to be me. Somebody needs me, more than me. I, am Somebody’s Mother!

Corinne Bolt
English 082
October 19, 1995

(*ex wife now ha ha)

vegas baby!

thursday night
flew into LA and rented a white convertible sebring and went to my son chris' place just off sunset blvd - went to dinner with his boss angelo and girlfriend janina (angelo's - not chris') and coworker andrew at a restaurant called asia de cuba with ultra modern decor - they just kept bringing us plate after plate after plate of food... stuffed!


friday morning
got a tour of where chris works, deviantArt in the hollywood plaza. went out the front doors and walked right onto hollywood blvd. We walked up and down to see the walk of stars, take pictures and even though we didn't make it to hollywood and vine (running out of time) we drove downtown and toured the data centre chris and his roomy matt are in charge of.. impressive!


friday afternoon
headed out of LA to Las Vegas - the freeway was packed (everyone else leaving LA on a friday afternoon) and drove through up the hills (elevation 4,000 ft+) and through the mohave desert with the heat reaching it's highest at 102 degrees fahrenheit (same temp as our hot tub).... the trip took almost 5 hours... good thing we had sunglasses and sunscreen for the convertible....windy!

friday night
after imputing the wrong address into the GPS (ray wants one for xmas if not sooner) and driving past the strip to freemon street rather than fremont - we left the ghetto and found our way back to the strip, checked in at the saraha and gambled the night away... winless!



saturday morning
went to harley davidson shop and checked out all the merch - then to strip to the harley davidson cafe for lunch - toured the cafe and then went back to wake chris...tired!





saturday afternoon
gambled a bit, got tickets to the mono rail, ray went for nap and chris and i booked tickets for the Steve Wyrick magic show - took monorail to planet hollywood for the show at 9... wow!









saturday night
walked the strip to video the bellagio fountain, stopped in at the flamingo to grab a drink and continue to harrahs to check out the dueling piano bar and toby keiths i love this bar and grill.... ray saw a fight (big bald guy beaned with a bottle) and chris and i watched 3 girls get hauled off stage by security... funny!




sunday morning
back to the sahara to gamble - bed at 4:30 and got up at 10, brekky and more gambling - check out of hotel. drive back to LA... slowwww!










sunday night
went to dinner with chris and roomie matt, then watched them play rockstar. to bed before midnight... beat!







monday morning
up at 6 am to fly out of LA to calgary, 4 hour layover between flight to lethbridge - which was cancelled. make that a 5 hour layover... frustrating!






monday night - drove to foremost to ray's boss to pick up new charts for work next day, visited and then got home at midnight.... wiped!


did i mention that i shopped at pretty much every place we stopped!...broke!

another nickname

we found out last week that you don't need a learners licence to drive a motorcycle with another licenced rider, your class 5 licence was good enough, so friday after work, ray gave me my first lessons on his daughter chelsey's honda 750 custom. after a few tours up and down the etzikom highway, yesterday was my first solo trip. i rode her bike the mile of gravel to the paved road, and went to the number 3 highway, pulling over just before the turn off. we stopped to get more pointers, especially about me being scared to give it a little more gas from the get go. after all was said and done, i stalled out and lost balance and the bike went over and my legs were still not strong enough to reset it upright, so over it went, not completely, just on it's extra stand and engine guard, but i still was not able to set it straight, big ol ray on his 1200 lb bike had to lift the 800 lb honda back up. no damage (that's what i worry most about is damaging chelsey's bike). so off we started again, and came to the number 3. my first 90 degree left turn, after waiting for all traffic to pass, i started off, and oops, didn't lean into the corner, and instead of grabbing the break or clutch, i gave it more gas, and went straight into the ditch. ray's going turn turn TURN in his head, and all of a sudden i disappeared, down into the ditch. but you know what? i didn't panic. i just kept going. thank goodness for dirt bike riding over the past 2 summers, i just avoided obstacles (like road signs and rocks) and guided the bike back along the edge of the ditch at an angle that would take my back up to the road. i made it safely and just kept going. we filled up in bow island, rode to the burdett bar and laughed and laughed and laughed. ray had tears running down his cheeks from laughing so hard. then we stopped in at the bow island tavern on the way home, and told the story to the patrons, and they laughed and laughed. they asked what ray was thinking and ray said his heart can't take stuff like that any more. i wondered what the semi driver that had just come over the hill. probably saw it thought - stupid bitch! ray has a hat from daytona beach that just has the initials DB on the front, and we have always joke it was dumb bastard when he wore it, and dumb bitch when i did. now there is a new saying. DITCH BITCH! i don't think i will live this down for a while, but i am proud of myself for not DITCHING the bike, and held my cool the entire experience. can't wait for the next ride. will practice on cornering first!

jumpin' july

all year long i have been waiting to be able to do something. I have been waiting patiently for the opportunity and it finally arrived. i was able to write a huge love note to ray on a big marshmallow bale of hay. finally it was the season, and for a short while, anyone driving down the etzikom highway would be able to see my profession. forget john deer green, forget two names on an overpass. corona loves razor in black marker on a bale. not sure if there's a country song in there some where, but i am sure if i tried hard enough, one will come to me. ray took a picture with his phone and it's now his wallpaper. i never did get an answer back on another bale of hay, but ray said - why, was it a question? lol



so much has happened since cleaning up after the storm. our friends from calgary brought their trailer to our place and after bbq and bonfire, spent the night and were gone. then it was stampede week. i decorated the station (martha stewart on speed another of my nicknames) and it was dress western week. the stampede princesses competing for the queen's crown visited the studio, so i bought dollar store tiaras and crowned christy the queen of news, karen the queen of sales, and i, the queen of google. christy had to work during the stampede parade but karen drove the station vehicle with her daughter shotgun while i walked the entire parade route, taking pictures of people i knew watching the parade. that night we went to the sawyer brown concert at the stampede grandstand and after work on friday, it was back on the bike to visit our friends 80 acres of forest near cremona.










for a change we packed lightly and added tent and 2 sleeping bags, arrived near midnight and set up the tent. on the way we passed an acreage that had a beautiful metal art sign. i missed seeing it the first time we passed, so ray turned the harley around so i could take a picture.

the weekend was spent quadding, swimming and biking, and though back home called for sun sun sun, rain was forecast for the foothills of the rockies, so the next night we pitched the tent in the old cabin. fun fun fun. we weren't planning on leaving til later, but we could hear thunder in the distance and packed quickly and we on the road, racing ahead of the storm. 20 minutes after we left, lana texted to say they had nickel sized hail. it was back to work monday but the fun was about to start again on thursday for mj's surprise 50th birthday party and camping at 40 mile lake. more on that next time. i have to get back to yard work. with my bad back, it's 1/2 hour of work and a 1 hour break. Life is good.

storm of the century

no sooner had we recuperated from the dead hog boogie, our friends from calgary arrived in town and were camping in the gas city campground for the week. last week we came home to find what looked like snow on the front deck, but it was what was left of a hail storm we while in the city. tuesday, we got together at their trailer and i couldn't believe ray rode his harley since there was rain and thunderstorm in the forecast. after dinner the wind came up and we headed out to our other friends for a drink before heading home, always in the plans, but now it was for shelter. we were headed into dark clouds and lightning and no sooner had ray pulled his bike into their garage, the rain started, and the wind, and the severe thunderstorm watch turned into a warning with possible tornadoes.

We called our neighbours to find out how they were faring, and they told us of their shed blowing into our field and tall trees bent so far over their tops were touching the ground. they called us later to tell of the damage to our farm as we had to wait longer for the storm to pass through our area. we didn't get home until after midnight, and the next day say all the damage done. 1 of 5 grain bin toppled, and another tossed and crumpled in the field behind, siding ripped off the old house and shingles torn. strange how some things were left untouched while others were obliterated. no tornado. they were proclaimed 'flat line winds'. seeing the damage to the irrigation pivots, downed trees and 2,000 lb hay bales rolled like bowling balls through fences and moved from field to field on my drive to work. it was astounding. the county declared a natural disaster and thankfully uninsured will see payment for the damage. thankfully no one was hurt since friends were on the road when it hit and had to pull over in their van, one even on a bike. ray was thankful he took the bike into town after all, since the garage it WOULD have been in, was twisted, bent and broken. we were thankful we had safe haven to wait out the storm. if you have to get stranded somewhere, what better place than a basement with a fully stocked wine cellar! and as usual, there is a wonderful rainbow to enjoy after the storm.

Dead Hog Boogie

Since Ray works 9 days on and 5 days off during the summer, his weekends start on wednesdays so i am usually extremely tired at work on thursdays and fridays. so it was because wednesday night we went to ralph's texas bar and steakhouse for karaoke and stayed in town, in the trailer, in the walmart parking lot. yup. there's a first. did you know that all walmarts across north america let you stay in their lots for free. Glad to know this infomation since i made a deal with ray that when we retire and travel i will pay for the campsites and he pays for the rest. sweeeeet! more money for me to shop - at walmart where else? it was a nice change having a 5 minute drive to work rather than 50.

after work thursday we moved the trailer to morgan and dee's farm where the a bike rally would be happening the next day. Ray has joined the south eastern alberta riders (SEAR) bike club in seven persons and it was their 2nd annual dead hog boogie. so we had an awesome dinner at their bar "the boar's nest" in seven persons and then spent the night in the trailer listening to the rain pour - or it could have been the pivot irrigation spraying us in the middle of the night, but either way we woke to sunny sky and drying dirt so the farm wouldn't be a pig sty for the dead hog boogie, as fitting as it might be.

friday night was night one and ray and i had to work or 2 hours selling t-shirts and raffle tickets. i looked through the tattoo artist's books and was this close to getting 3 tattoos that night, but thought it better to wait til the next day and let the man get partying. unfortunately for me, he was thrown in the drunk tank and thrown off the property so i was out of luck, that is until the new crew came in from sleeping dragon tattoo in medicine hat and ow, ow, ow, ow ow. felt like someone sawing me with a steak knife - but only for 3 minutes, thankfully it was a small tattoo and it was only 1. i will save the other two for another day. i want a little butterfly on my hip and a mouse on my ankle to cover a scar and to represent my home town in manitoba. in french, "souris" means mouse and my home town was named after the mouse river which flows through it, and the water is the colour of a field mouse, hence it's name. i would love to get corinthians 13 tattooed somewhere because it's my favourite bible verse - because my name corinne stems from corinthian, and i was born on the 13th.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
but i think i will just wear my bracelet that has it on instead... that would be super OW

Saturday there we bike games and ray didn't want anything to happen to his new bike, so i ended up pair up with a fellow from saskatchewan for 2 events, the mattress pull and the outhouse race. too much fun even though we didn't win, i will have to remember next year not to put sun tan oil on BEFORE being dragged across a dirt field with chunks of dirt flying on me from the bike wheels spinning to get the mattress going from a dead stop. and the outhouse race - we girls had to down a drink, jump into the out house - whip our pants down (don't worry, had my bathing suit underneath) and then hang on for dear life. then it was another night of dancing and no dunk tank, or drunk tank for that matter.


sunday morning we pulled out of seven persons and went to 40 mile lake to camp with ed and monika and visit with her friend wendy - and enjoy eddy's new toy. what a boat! the fun never ends with my forever fiance. ray keeps me forever young... or aging me quickly... it's hard to keep up with ray but i will try til the day i die... might just kill me trying.

okanogan over

the final day in the okanogan was spent biking from one end to another. we rode to kelowna to visit my sister ,debbie and al, who live in the dolphins, a beautiful condo overlooking the canals by the lake. i was not just hot and flushed but thirsty since i only brought one bottle of water for the hour and a half drive - and after a beer (wrong choice) i felt a little better, then we turned around and went back to penticton. by the time we got there i was just exhausted. Grabbing 2 bottles of water this time (and a monkey's lunch - wrong again. ) and after another hour or so drive to osoyoos, i was shaking. heat exhaustion and dehydration. i never realized riding on a motorcyle in jeans and a t-shirt in 40 degree weather is a big no no. but i know know now - after a quick swim in the lake and lots of water, i was back to my old self and was enjoying dave and rosies great company and beautiful view from their deck. the drive home was cool, both temperature wise and view, with the lightning from a distant storm lighting the way. thank goodness we were following it rather driving into it and made it home without a drop - the only water to hit was in my belly on the drive home.

okanogan 08

it's been too long since we went to penticton to visit ray's daughter lisa and grand daughter sierra - so this year - we towed the bike and dragged the boys along for 5 fun filled days in the sun. we spent the first night in sparwood and unloaded the bike the next morning and took turns driving the truck. jesse started on the back of the bike in the coolness of the morning and i drove - then derek drove while i rode, and then it was derek's turn (in shorts and a tank in the pelting rain) while jesse drove until we reached osoyoos - what a treat to ride in the mountains compared to the prairies. from there on in it was sunshine and just a goat or two in the middle of the road to keep us on our toes.

then it was my turn to ride in to penticton, through oliver and okanogan falls and talk about hot - i learned my lesson to never ride uncovered - jeans and a tank top is not protection from the dehydrating effects of the combination of sun and wind. more on that later. the first night was spent relaxing and bbq'ing and getting all caught up and organized.

day 2 ray and i went on a wine tasting tour. i googled (yes, how else does one find information) okanogan wine tours and discovered the red rooster, so off we went and saw free wine tasting along the way, so had to stop - besides, we live on township rd 84, so when i saw township 7, it was a must. after a couple of whites, a rose and a few reds, i picked up a bottle, tucked it in the saddle bags and continued to the red rooster, or so we thought til we met the manager in the parking lot and she informed us of the soaring eagle further down the road which had an amazing view. so we passed the original destination and continued on and enjoyed more wine tasting at the soaring eagle, bought two glasses to enjoy on the patio, and another bottle of red to tuck in the saddle bag.






on the way back we were supposed to have lunch at the red rooster - but being the ADD DJ that i am, 'hillside cellars' caught my eye with a beautiful patio with umbrellas and a lunch menu posted. so we stopped in and had a wonderful salad with strawberries and nuts and vinagrette dressing. ran up and down the stairs to every level to check out the HUGE stainless steel kegs of wine (no ray, you can't do a keg stand) and then found even BIGGER ones after cutting through the kitchen. after another glass of wine and another bottle of red to put in the bike (might be running out of room soon)
and THEN it was off to the red rooster - by that time, we are wine tasted out, believe it or not - and grabbed another bottle of wine, took a quick tour and pictures and were back in penticton getting ready for dinner and a performance by a couple of jazz artists with Lisa and Walter. after wine and port and good food, we were ready to find a couch and it would be sooner than later if we didn't hush during the show... lol. so we left early and went back and played poker til the wee hours of the morning.

i can sleep when i'm dead

yeah - i am still quoting country songs even though i have changed jobs and work in a different format, but the saying is still true. it's been so busy since i started the new job and getting used to getting up at 6 am (okay 6:30 after hitting the snooze button 3 times) after getting up at the crack of 10 for the past 5 years is a big adjustment. And now all my errands need to be done after work rather than before, so i don't get home til around 6 and it's go, go, go.

Last weekend we camped in Bow Island and i drove back and forth to work which is no farther driving from the farm. Contruction work slows me down a bit, but once the passing lanes are done, it will be a sweet drive down highway #3. Friday nite was spent socializing with the fellow campers in centennial park, most from Taber and saturday was the poker run, supper at the bow theatre, aka blues club. We never made it back to the dance with the big pink performing, we were too comfy by the campfire, ours and the neigbours until 2 in the morning. then sunday it was into the hat to pick up ray's parents for father's day dinner at ABC restaurant in redcliff. It's really hard to sit at a buffet and not eat EVERYTHING possible, but it is possible to eat and not gain weight. i have been choosing properly and still hover around my goal weight thanks to herbal magic.

pretty much every evening last week was spent building planters for the deck at the farm. the deck extension has been finished for a while, and ray and his son brad just installed garden doors from the master bedroom. I built ALL 4 ALL by myself and they didn't turn out too bad, now just to find the time to sit back and enjoy the deck.


tuesday night rather than ride to irvine, our friends met us at the boars nest in seven persons for dinner (take note that steak night is cancelled for the next two weeks) but we had a small task before settling down for dinner. Our cat josie is on her third batch of kittens, the first going to wanda's farm, the second just went to deb's farm, minus one... just couldn't catch the skittish 'sprite'. so after 3 weeks, finally got her into the cage and dropped her off, that was monday morning... monday night - ray had to go under the house, and found 4 kittens, and they weren't josies... apparently sprite is no longer a kitten, she's a mommy now, so we loaded the little ones into the suitcase that fits on the back of the harley - and they had their first (and last) bike ride... and are now reunited with mother. and josie's latest batch is still waiting to go to monika's farm. thank goodness most of my friends are in need of mousers



by the end of the week, all i wanted to do was relax on the deck - but no dice... friday we went to the blue turtle with the gang from the lounge (seriously, greg dances like elaine from seinfeld) and saw an awesome band out of regina called skavenjah - check out their site at http://www.skavenjah.com/ and saturday after work, we took the fifth wheel to the seven person's 'here comes the sun' dance (i not only handed out the door prizes but won one as well) and after getting to bed around 4 am, ray towed the trailer back to the farm 3 hours later (with me still sleeping in it - it was kinda like trying to sleep on a train) after he was done work it was on the bike and out to the foremost rodeo and tough trucks. the bull riding may be the most dangerous but the pig race and 12 year old wild pony ride was just as precarious for the youngins. after tough trucks and mud bogging (neither chevies or ford even made it through) it was off to dinner at the golf club (they make the best nachos in south eastern alberta) and home to fall asleep on the couch trying to watch 'at the end of my leash' with christine and duckie and the gang from chat 6 & 3.

so much for studying for my bike learners permit, so much for getting housework done, so much for reading or the suduko city hall reporter harve gave me, time for relaxing later but it's more like ray will sleep when he's dead. i got more sleep this weekend than he got in the past week i'm sure.

Lovely Lounge Lizards

Last friday was the big launch party at Desert Blume Golf and Country Club for the newest radio station in medicine hat where i have the honour of hosting the midday show during their 9 to 5 no repeat workday. I also have the honour of working with my old ... ok, make that dear friend (because i'm older than he is) jeff michaels who keeps us company on the drive home from 2 to 7 before the john tesh show. And then there's Greg Shannon... what can one say about greg shannon in the morning other than you'll never hit the snooze bar. you might hit your alarm clock with a crow bar - just kidding greg. i am thrilled to be privy to your wit, humour and charm, too bad your good looks are wasted on radio - did i mention he's also the program director and ergo my boss so i better butter him up while i still have a job and hope to remain so.

It's the music you know and love with superstars from the 60's, 70's and 80's (and greg shannon who thinks he's one... dang - i just can't stop myself) Christy Mitchell has your CJCY news from 6 to 11 am and stops in to harass greg on the odd occasion - but it's more like the other way around... and joe mcFarland is our news director and on the air with your local news, sports and weather from noon to 6 pm. You can listen online at http://www.loungeradio.ca and sign up to be a lounge lizard to win great prizes - like our 'love in las vegas beatles getaway'.

week one is in the bag and has had it's ups and downs includng dead air during a power outage just before breaking news was set to go on - it was during a lock down at a local high school. We even has a visit from zack warner of canadian idol fame with medicine hat band haymaker who are playing at ralph's texas bar and steak house this weekend. so it's friday afternoon just before my time to sign off the air so i better sign off here too - i have lots of errands to run before going to see the band and taking in spectrum at some point and time in the next 2 days - have a great weekend and tune in sometime to the all new CJCY 102.1 the Lounge!

manyberries acres

It's always an adventure camping with Ray, and always a rush no matter what. This time it was me in the middle of starting a new job, so pulling long days and not much help in preparations, other than pack my suitcase and guitar in the 5th wheel, everything else was up to ray. after i was done work at 9pm, he picked me up and we were off to cremona...and the manyberries acres there, name aptly for all the wild berries and for the wild man who owns the 80 acres off burnt timber road, who is originally from manyberries. we arrived at 2 in the morning, and parked and hit the hay. the next morning was when we rearranged the trailer and unloaded the quad, dirt bikes and the harley - and then i heard a scream - ray forgot the key and fob to turn off the security alarm for the harley back at the farm in his overalls. I should have taken video instead of a picture since that is ray making harley noised - He was ready to drive the 5 hours back just to get it - but no sense wasting the entire day - good thing his daughter was running out to the farm to pick up the cheque for her new motorcycle - so she was willing to jump on her boyfriend's bike and meet ray half way with the key. after a quick ride to the cremona hotel and back, we settled for the night by the fire and the karaoke machine - or 'oakie doakie' as we call it out there.

I've always said things are bigger in alberta, and the bierbachs have double of everything. they built a bigger cook shack, with two beds, two gas stoves, two fridges, two picnic tables... everything is either twice as big or two of them. It's also twice as fun camping with them too. This was the first time we ever took our dog Maggie camping and she was awesome. she has to work for a living - she wasn't our waiter - but there was a bit of a wait if she didn't go straight to the out house out back when sent.

the next day we ventured to sundrie on the bike under billowy clouds and blue skies. i took pictures the entire drive there and tried to capture the mountains in the horizon - we headed north up the highway and then hung a left - and the signs directed us in the right direction - either that or called us names - oh well, i thought it was funny.

my first car

you might wonder what my first car has to do with our motorcycle ride to moose jaw, but i will explain in a minute. it was a matter of choosing to turn left or right at the end of the road, so we turned right and started off with a plan of going to walsh for dinner at the trailside restaurant and then maybe spend the night at the elkwater lodge, but the trailside restaurant was closed (now only open monday to friday) so i said, how about lets go to moose jaw! Roz Church (my ex weekend news gal and now CHAT TV promotions director) was there visiting dustin dion (ex my96er, now morning guy on Moose Jaw's Country 100... our little guy is a big kid now!) so we said what the heck. it is so wonderful on the bike, i feel so close to nature. i could hear the trill of the meadowlark, see the huge red ball of fire setting in the prairie sky, smell of cool dew on freshly turned soil that reminded me of digging for worms in the garden as a kid, and jack frost nipping at your n-n-nose and t-t-toes because after the sun sets, it gets cold on a bike very fast and my chaps won't be in until friday. forget bad to the bone.. more like cold to the bone. we stopped in swift current to find a jacuzzi suite we could warm up in and gave my buddy darwin gooding (ex CJSW morning man etc) a quick call to see if he could come out to the big eye for a round, but his daughter was being baptized the next day so ray and i danced to the live band until the wee hours of the morning.

no need to set alarms for the next morning since my internal body clock is set for the crack of 10, enough time to be checked out by 11 and on our way to the jaw. dustin gave us a quick tour of his newly renovated 1912 home and then we followed him out to a farm with tons of old cars for jason blaine's video shoot! how cool was that. we met jason as they were breaking for lunch, his wife amy was there and his little brother matt (drummer) kept us entertained til the shoot began. we were going to get a picture taken with jason sitting on one of the old rusty cars but he warned us against going into the long grass, it was tick season and they had spent the last two days picking them off themselves... brad paisley's song tick was definitely going thru our heads til jasons new song (which we just added to CHAT today) began playing. can't wait to see the final product when 'My First Car' debuts on CMT and we were even asked about our first cars on camera.. and asked if we would mind if it ended up on CMT in a promo for the song - HECK NO!!!

but then we had to head back home and let them get back to work so we drove past my old place (414 Fairford Ave W) and took a picture for old time sake. ray couldn't believe how small it was, but that was back in 82 when my son was just born. we moved to dartmouth nova scotia 6 months later, but that was our first real house we lived in, but i digress, back to the bike trip, we were planning to head all the way home, but once again, it got cold, and started to rain, and me with no chaps, we decided to stay in swift current again, and aaron pritchett was playing at the pavillion, so we went to the concert, (thank you carmen) bought his last cd (new one is coming out in november) and a shirt and back to the hotel until, yes, 10 am the next day, and headed home. this tim we were able to have lunch at the trailside (missed jeff and carol though, next time we hope to be able to visit) and admired all the ranch brands on the wall (especially dimented acres golf and country club) and then headed home, only to jump in the shower, repack, and jump in the caddy to go to the aaron pritchett concert in lethbridge! lol. we picked up Roz at the end (or would it be beginning) of the etzikom highway and were chauffeured by a hot cowboy to another hotel room and met up with roz's cousin from calgary and my friend andrea from edmonton (ex power92er and now adtel extrordinaire) and then to suede for the concert. Lethbridge's own brianne urban opened the show and WOW! that young girls voice just blew me away. i hope she has another single coming out soon, she made it to #80 with her first one. we had a blast at the concert but ray and i were so tired after so many late nights, we hit the hay early and missed out on hanging with aaron at Boston Pizza (yes, AP goes to BP when he is on tour) and then even to denny's at 4 am.

but it was up and at'em at 10 am, some burger king to get us fed and then drive back to the etzikon to pick up the vehicled, drive to the hat and head to work. so it's been a whirlwind weekend and lots of good memories with ray, roz, dustin, jason and aaron and i haven't been in my own bed for 4 nights and can't wait to crash when i am done my show at midnight. as long as i don't crash ray's caddy on the drive home!