Ducks not Turkeys - here's the turkeys

Jim edited my blog and remarked that I attached his duck picture instead of the turkey pictures  Here is his Turkey picture.   So the weird thing on the ducks is the babies.  I don't think the ducks in Canada have babies in the winter or if they do would they survive the cold...  These were all taken in November at Cedar Creek Golf Course.  The ducks were at Brackenridge Golf Course.

12/18/16 Walk to the pool and around the golf course

What a difference one day makes.  Yesterday we were comfortable with teeshirt and shorts.  Today I have a touque, scarf, mitts, winter coat, sweats and winter boots for a walk.  It is hovering around 32F 0 C today with a huge wind chill factor.  You really notice it going up the open fairways while we were walking around a few holes and then back to the house.  I told Jim that if I had been xcountry skiing instead of walking I probably would have been warmer since I wouldn't have as much of a wind chill.

Walking up towards our Pool, they even have lines on the parking lot now

Front corner of the building

front door

Back door at the important part

Me and my pool ; )

Jim facing me where I am standing in front of the pool.  See behind him all the houses now between the pool and our house.  That used to be an open field

This is the top of hole two - you can see the pool on the left and our house on the right - if you know where to look ; )

This is the new street that keeps having mud slides onto the roads.  Now they have little fences to try to block the mud which works a little - better than nothing

These flood the most all over the street

In front of our house looking down to the pool

12/17/16 at the beach

It was breezy on the beach yesterday but were ok with shorts and a tshirt.  Saw one girl in a bikini but I kept my shirt on.  We walked a long way and saw lots of surfers with wet suits enjoying the big waves.  There was one brave guy with a surf board with a sail.  He was flying low from wave to wave.  It will probably be our last day there for awhile since the cold front just came in.

Coca cola appreciation day

Coke came to the office on friday to show us appreciation for all the coke that we sell for them.  They brought a cool Nascar game that you could sit in and drive the laps, and xbox one, the nascar pace car, the bear and a booth to take our picture and put it in a costume next to a car as if you were a real driver.  Kinda fun all of it and a good break from the computer screen at work.

Trip to a clinic where they actually give the chemo

I had a few hats with me when I went to my GP's office here to find out that I was no longer contagious.  I asked her where she sends her patients for chemo so that I could drop the hats off there.  Well I went there - in the parking lot under cover which means they are the doctors cars was an Astin Martin and a Ferrari.  The cancer dr's must make a lot here.  So I went in and found the place and asked the guy behind the desk if they could use some hats... remember hot here so scarves are a better sell.  He said they could use them but what they really needed was blankets since all they had were sheets so hard to keep the patients warm in the middle of the treatment.  Like heat the sheets or turn up the heat or heaven for bid those rich dr's could supply blankets in their clinics.  I was mad so went out to the store and bought five blankets and took them back in.  He asked if I wanted to meet the nurses and go back to the back to the treatment area but I refused telling him that it would bring back too many memories.  I hate to know what else I would see back there so then I just left.  I bought queen so they could double them over if they were still too cold.  I hope that they use them.

November Trip Home for Annual Cancer Clinic check up at American Thanksgiving

1st things first - had my check up on the Tuesday and still cancer free.  Will go back next year and then my doctor said that I can graduate.
It had a nice snow storm for me to see snow again which was nice.  I had a baby car that I rented so driving in the snow wasn't so great but I survived so all good.
Now for the rest of the excitement.  I woke up early to catch the plane to go home and was in a lot of pain.  I had to take three planes to get home so that did not help at all.  James and I were having supper and he convinced me that he was going to take me to the hospital.  We thought that I was having a heart attack.  So did emergency.  They did all the appropriate tests but found nothing.  Gave me pain killers that made me nautious so then I was sick to my stomach on top of the pain.  Finally had a break in the action and James drove me home.  Woke up Sat morning stick woozy from pain killers, went for a walk down the path with Ruth which helped clear my head a little.  I was then ok to drive to Cornwall to see Mom.  Played cribbage with her and took her to the restaurant across the street for supper.  Started to feel the pain again so drove home.
Sunday woke up in pain again so drove to Cornwall and then took advil which did nothing.  Deb came over so the three of us played crib in the game room at the end of the hall looking out over the canal from the St Lawrence.  We had fun.  It then started to Snow so I took off to go back up to Greely before it got too bad.  Mon to Wed worked from home except for going to the Cancer clinic.  They said I should go to my family dr about the pain.  Wed night went to see VDT's and had to leave when the pain was too bad to sit up any more.  FINALLY Thursday, I broke out in a rash so went back to Emergency and told them that I thought that I had shingles.  I jumped ahead of everyone else in the line ( I guess since I had already been there on the friday)  They confirmed my shingles and gave me pain killers and the drug that you have to take for 7 days within 72 hours of the break out.  Unfortunately I was contagious to old people, young people and pregnant ladies so I couldn't curl that night and cancelled the fondue with friends for Friday and Thanksgiving for Saturday with the family.  I couldn't visit Mom any more and didn't get to see Deb's new grandson.  Oh well maybe next trip.  Saturday Kelsey and James were nice to me and made me our little version of a nice thanksgiving dinner since I missed out on the big one.  I went to work when I got back here and they kicked me out since a girl who sits near me is pregnant and lots of the people I work with have never had chicken pox.  I guess it is not very common in India.  Thurs Dec 15th, I was allowed back in the office so worked from home up until then.  Some days were nice so it was nice to sit in a comfy lawn chair outside and key on the computer.  Again you will see lots of hats for the patients - none of the other trip hats were left.  The ones on my head were ones I made for James for Christmas.  The outfit I made for Joaquin which apparently is still too big.  Hopefully some day I will meet him so will have an idea of size to make it for him.  The picture of the wild turkeys was Jim sending that picture to me from the golf course while I was up north wondering if we had the turkey yet for thanksgiving.  Good contrast in pictures from two cities the same week.  Just a few degrees difference         

Nov 3, 2016 Bored so put in another bed in other corner

Jim was bored and found a hibiscus tree that he really liked at the golf course so he went and bought one, dug up the other corner in the back yard and filled in the ground around the little tree.  Only one corner left in the back yard but the gate is there to go to the front so he might be done unless he decides to join the new one to the others and go right across the back.  Less grass to cut but a lot of weeding...The flowers above bloomed on it in December

October 27, 2016 Meanwhile back at the homestead

While we are going to Seaworld and the beach etc.  James sends us a picture of the back yard with snow.  That has to be the earliest snow that we have had in a long time.  I really miss my swing.

Beach when even at low tide, the water was high

We had an interesting day at the Beach one day in October.  When we got to our normal spot there was no beach to be found - all under water so we drove further to the National Seashore to go to the other side of the island.  We watched the surf sailors while we ate our lunch and then drove back over to the Ranger center etc where I go to see the turtles hatch.  You can park in their lot and carry chairs to the beach and it is a lot wider there so we hoped that it was open since at the gate going into the park they told us that the beach there was closed to driving as well.  Well there was beach right at the wide part right in front of the pavilion but most of the rest of it was gone... Again this was low tide, the tide was still coming in.  We stayed there the rest of the day and backed up until we were almost on the path up to the pavilion.

Nice and dry and we are beside the table

Waves were the biggest we have ever seen there.

Water coming in little by little

You can almost see the power of the current coming in

We had moved back and put our stuff on the tables.  Jim thought that he was safe back there but shortly after this picture one big wave came in and went right over his chair and drenched him and his book.  At least it was a real book not an ereader

And now no more beach

October 29 2016 Whataburger family picnic at SeaWorld

The last two years the family picnic was at Six Flags Fiesta.  They had used to go to Seaworld but after the bad press they switched.  This year we went to SeaWorld since Seaworld is really trying to redeem themselves.  Just that week they announced that they will no longer be breeding killer whales.  They are not getting rid of the ones that they have since they can't go into the wild now... they just won't breed any more.  The trainers still touch the killer whales - they just do not go in the water with them any more.  Basically most of what they used to do with the killer whales they now are trying to do with the Beluga whales.  The Seaworld here is miniature compared to the one in Florida but still has lots for a full day.  In Florida, Seaworld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica are all separate parks.  Here it is all one.  Where James and I spent a whole day at Discovery Cove in Florida to have a day with the trainer, you can pay for an hour or so here.  It just opened here this year.  If you had never been to Orlando then you would be impressed with the park here.  What you have to be impressed with is the food that they serve here for the 'Picnic'  We went to one area of Seaworld just for us.  It was just head office so only around 1,000 people.  I don't normally take pictures of food but had to this time.  It was a buffet so you could go back as many times as you want for ribs, brisket, chicken, buns and all the trimmings.