December 12th, 2010:
Bit of a cold snap going through, with some wind and blowing snow, but we've seen a lot worse.
What a weekend! Yesterday morning, we went to breakfast with our Sunseeker friends, and that is always a blast.
Home for a quick nap before lunch, then after lunch we went to Natasha's Bar & Grill for Doreen's 80th birthday party. It was a come-and-go from two until four, and the place was jumping! Over eighty friends and relations signed the guest book and had coffee and snacks. Natasha's was just the right size for our group – never crowded but it didn't look empty, either.
The only person in our immediate family group missing was grandson Dave Grimson, who lives in Rapid City, SD. Some of the grand children came many miles to celebrate with us. The five great-grandchildren were in great form, running around, playing hockey and generally having fun. Never a whimper!
My sister, Cathy Hardman, was there with her three daughters and three of her grand-daughters.
Practically the whole Sunseeker gang were there at one time or another, plus several of our neighbours here in Berini Court.
Doreen's sister, Lucille, was there, of course, with two of her friends, Gerry Moshurchak and Florence Malone, as well as Florence's daughter. Lila. Gerry and Florence, nee Lambert, are former Wynyard girls, now living in Saskatoon.
Shirley (Sunshine) Lemieux lived with us for a couple of years in 1963 and 1964 while going to school, and has kept in touch ever since. She currently lives in Alameda and White City and came up to renew acquaintances with our family.
Louise and Ron Butterfield, formerly of Somme but now living close to us in Saskatoon, came around and we had a good visit. Before their move to Saskatoon, Louise was a long-time member of Parkland Photography Club.
The family stayed after the rest had gone, and we took some group photos courtesy of our granddaughter Sara's friend Shannon. Natasha's provided a wonderful supper of ham and fixin's.
We are very impressed with Natasha's – nothing fancy but roomy and comfortable and lots of parking. The food and service was great, and we had the whole place to ourselves, so we didn't have to worry about annoying other customers. Our Sunseeker group is going there Wednesday for a Christmas supper.
Some family visited today, then this evening we went to Market Mall for a Christmas party of the Wynyard/Foam Lake coffee crowd. Actually, anyone who has lived in the Wynyard/'Foam Lake area is invited, not just those who go for coffee. We had a great meal at Mulberry's with excellent service, and a good time visiting with old friends, like Flo Healy, Walter and Doreen Goodyear, and Jack and Pat Haver. A wonderful evening.
Richard and Trudy Bloski phoned from Greenwater to say Happy Birthday. I quizzed him on the condition of the lake. It's covered over, but is very fragile around the edges due to the snow cover. I don't know if we could put a date on when it froze over. The snowmobile trails may be a little risky, as low spots may not be frozen under the snow.
I have been inundated with e-mails (one) and phone calls (one) urging me to keep on writing the Greenwater Report. On the assumption that the other three people were just too lazy to speak up, maybe I'll carry on for awhile, but only when the urge strikes me to say something. |
