October Update

 Update October 24^th

It has been a while since I have updated so I will give you a quick run-down of the last month and a half.

In early September we made the long trip to Red Lake to see Josh Lynne and Ivy.  We decided it was a good opportunity to make the trip with Kate as she had not been to Red Lake yet.  We helped Josh move his stove, change the counter top in the kitchen, install a dishwasher and new faucets.  The highlight of the trip was constructing a swing set for Ivy.  It was Kate's birthday but Josh took the day off work and  we built the structure together while Ivy and Grama kept a watchful eye.  We returned home bringing Gloria as well for a visit.

The Retirees Retreat at ABK, was the next event and we really enjoyed catching up with some old friends and making some new ones.  ABK provided some good activities and excellent food.  Jack Correll gave us some great Bible teaching. 

We are still making the trek to Sudbury Hospital every three weeks.  The Herceptin treatment seems to be going well.  The treatment take about 2-3 hours and we come home the same day.  Mary is tired for a couple of days but tolerates the stuff okay.  She is also taking the clinical drug every day.

On Sept. 24^th we made a surprise visit to Kingsville for John's birthday.  He was turning 60 so we had to make it for that milestone.  We celebrated and finished off the deck we had started in August.  Ruth treated us to some very good meals and we got to try out Michaela"s new car.  We had a nice visit  with Katie and Amy as well.

We returned home and managed to get a few jobs started and done at the cottage and on the farm.  We helped Mary's older brother Harold with baling straw and butchering chickens.  My job was to catch the chickens in the coop and help with plucking and cleaning.  Mary was in the kitchen preparing the chicken for freezing.  We prepared about 25 chickens with more to be done later.

Ruth and Gordon Hanna from Chitokoloki dropped in for a visit on their way to Sault Ste. Marie.  It was wonderful to catch up on all the news from Zambia and just enjoy  the time.    They will be in Canada til mid November then return to Chit for some warmer weather.  They have a lot of projects on the go as well as day to day running of the Mission Station.  They are amazing folks!

Thanksgiving was really nice as the weather was great.  Katie made the trip north with John, Ruth and Michaela.  On the Saturday we put them right to work as the cattle needed to be brought home from the summer pasture.  The OPP came in force to stop the traffic as the cows made their way across the highway.

Over Thanksgiving Katie found out that she had two job offers and after much deliberation she decided to take the job in Kitchener.  We needed to deliver 48 boxes to the south for shipment to Africa and decided to take Katie as well.  We needed to  take Tim's truck as it was a big load.  We dropped the boxes off at Ken Wagler's in Tavistock and had a nice visit with them.  We then travelled to Hanover for a quick visit  with Harold,  Muriel, Johnnie and Betty.  We arrived back home in Thessalon exactly 40 hours from when we left.    

On October 18^th we set out for Red Lake but by a different route than normal.  Josh needed windows so we decided to travel through the States and pick up windows at Menards.  After crossing at Sault Ste. Marie we travelled to Marquette Michigan,  bought two windows then continued on to Duluth MN.  We crossed back into Ontario the next day at International Falls.  We arrived in Red Lake Wednesday night and started work on Josh and Lynn's house the next  day.  A week  later we have installed two windows, strapped the house and installed vinyl siding as well as getting to spend time with Josh, Lynne and Ivy and Gloria, Mike and family. We leave to go home Friday morning and hopefully we will stay close to home for a while.  We have a trip to Sudbury on  November  1^st  for Herceptin treatment number seven.  Thanks for  reading our blog and for your prayers as well.

October Trip to Red Lake

New siding job on Josh and Lynn's house in Red Lake.

birthday surprise for John

Trip to Kingsville for John's birthday, new deck and a Bug for Michaela.  Sudbury Regional hospital for Mary's treatment and a chicken thief.

September trip to Red Lake

Ivy and Katie trying out the new swing and an ABK shot.

Trip to Moosonee Part 2

The visit to Moosonee has been great!  We have had a tour of the town, and now understand the subtle names for different sections of the metropolis. "The other side of the bridge" south east, "The Base"  northwest, "Way Down" south of Moose Factory and "Way Up" is the north of Moose Factory.  Aly and Matt live at "The Base" near the airport and Matt's parents live on "The other side of the Bridge".  We toured the town walking and riding in the Jeep.  Eventful was the tour of Northern, the shopping experience of Moosonee.  The history of the Northern has it's roots in the NorthWest FurTrade Company, which merged with the Hudson's Bay Company.

On Friday, Matt borrowed his father's Nor'west canoe and took us for a ride up the Moose River.  It was interesting as the water was running up stream.  How is that possible you ask?  The tide was coming in.  The tide level of the river fluctuates by over 2m.  The Moose River is quite wide, with many islands and sand bars in the delta area.  We were hoping to see a seal but the only major wildlife we saw was a Bald Eagle.  We stopped on the bank of the river for supper and enjoyed some exploring.  On the way back down the river we went by Moose Factory on the Island.  A storm was brewing and we watched the clouds and lightning in the distance.  Just as we pulled up on shore the storm hit, high wind and rain. We were glad that we had made it safely to land before the storm.

On Saturday we had more exploring in Moosonee in the form of Yard Sailing.  Aly and Matt returned home with two sets of cross country skis, while Katie found a tennis racket and I got a pair of hockey gloves.  That evening we had a great meal of pizza and conversation at Wendell and Sue's home.  On Sunday we had opportunity to go to Church with Matt and Aly and meet some great people from Moosonee.  During the Adult Bible Class, Mary and I shared some of our experiences in Africa and more specifically the work at Chitokoloki.  The afternoon was restful and then we had a birthday party for Matt's brother-in-law Pete. It was another party and a great meal.

Monday, Matt took the afternoon off work and gave us a tour of Moose Factory.  It is about a 10 minute boat ride across the river and we spent some time walking around "Way Down".  We visited some of the old fort buildings and graveyards.  The settlement was established in 1673 as Moose Fort and was the main trading post for the Hudson's Bay Company.   In 1821 The Hudson's Bay Company merged with it's rival, the North West Company, and the name of the settlement was changed from Moose Fort to Moose Factory.  Today Moose Factory is a Cree community of 2700 people.  On the tour we visited the hospital where Aly will begin work in a couple of weeks.  Before heading home we stopped at the EcoLodge for supper of Pickerel, Chicken and Bison Burger.  The food was good.  On the way back to Moosonee, Aly manned the tiller and guided us safely back to the landing.  That night we had another party at the Clark's and a bit of a marriage celebration for Matt and Aly.  The highlight was a wedding slide show and more good food.  Check out the picts below.

Moose Factory

Moose Factory, Ecolodge, and the Hospital where Aly will work.

The Base

Aly and Matt's home and the trip up Moose River.