Another day of winter in Calgary.  I don't think there's a Calgarian who isn't fed up with "white"!  My phone rang this morning and it was an old family friend, Izy.  Izy and Peter lived behind my Mom and Dad at the lake for years and they were terrific friends.  Izy and Peter would spend their summers at Windermere and then head to Victoria for the winter months.  A few years back they decided they weren't enjoying the move between places and decided to sell their place here to their kids and make Victoria their permanent residence.  We miss having them here but it is nice that the place has stayed in the family.  Izy called to tell me she loved me this morning!  She also told me she wanted to make a donation to my Ride To Conquer Cancer!  (the timing couldn't be better.....my prediction about my friend Jeff taking the team lead has come true!!  He's on fire with his fundraising. Anyways....Izy's call made my day.  She has been away from home for the last few weeks helping one of her daughters who had a hip replacement.  She told me she arrived home to a spotless house and a dozen roses!  Even at 82 Peter is a romantic!  It is so sweet to see a couple like this who after many years of marriage still appreciate each other!  I was watching a program the other day (I have started watching some daytime TV lately...(.something I have never done in my life!) but in my defence it is always when I am riding the bike!!  The interview was with the actor who plays Patrick Ewing on Dallas.....He's been married for 41 years to the same woman.  The interviewer asked him what his secret was and his answer was that they simply stuck with it.  He said marriage has ebbs and flows and he said the secret was to not bail at the first sign of "low".  I do agree with this to some extent.  I don't suppose many of us married people could honestly claim there haven't been times in our marriages when we have contemplated going our seperate ways!  Having said that......I have several friends who totally made the right decision to leave!  Sometimes there is no chance things will recover and the brave decision to start afresh is the only decision to be made.  Still....I do believe that some people exit too easily without making an honest effort to recharge their marriage.

This pretty much sums it up for me!

OK...enough of that stuff.....Got my car packed up to head out to Windermere for a few days.  Headed west with my CD player blasting and hit just about every kind of weather imaginable between Calgary and Invermere.  Around Lac des Arcs I drove into a huge blizzard with limited visibility.  Fortunately the blizzard only lasted a few kilometres and the sun came out.  Highway 93 is one of my favourite drives.  To drive along this stretch is like a session of therapy for the soul.  I absolutely love it....always have!  I arrived in Windermere around 4 PM to sunshine and guess what....NO SNOW!!!  We have tee times for tomorrow and Thursday and I can hardly wait.  I am sure my game will stink but both Dad and I agreed tonight that the score doesn't seem that important anymore.  At least we said that....we'll see how we fare tomorrow when it takes several shots to exit a sand trap, or if I put one of my favourite balls into the Columbia River!  I'll just have to remember..."Breathe!"

Kelli is on her way home and Geoff and Lindsey are just starting their adventure in Roatan.  I'm at the lake...my happy place.....and Bill is home working!  Someone in the family is getting ripped off!

Update on the Honey Badgers!  We have surpassed the halfway mark for our fundraising.  $52,000!!!!
Only $48,000 to go!  Yikes!


                                                               HONDURAS