Fiddleheads

OK, so I don't like to eat a lot of fiddleheads, but it is one of the few green vegetables that I will try. And you gotta love something that is free, grows in the flooded banks of the Saint John River and might be good for you . We had a great day at Davidson Lake getting everything ready for the summer. Everything survived the winter OK, but there are lots of little jobs to make the place look good.  It really makes me appreciate all the work that Dad used to do so we could just enjoy it. 

Catch Up

• I'm a bit behind so I thought I better give you a quick update.  We spent another day at Green Hill Lake Camp on Tuesday. Doris did some of the financial work while I put the plastic vapor barrier on the walls in cabin #2.  There really is a lot of work to do before camp starts this summer. I left a half dozen walking sticks to use any way  they wanted again this year. I'm really happy that they have room for over 1000 kids each summer. 
  
• I talked to a panhandler at the Market again last Saturday. Joe has a few stories that he will reluctantly reveal if you ask him. He seems to really appreciate a few dollars, but I think he really just like to be treated like a human being and not a panhandler.
• There was a benefit convert for DebMac last week. It was a wonderful night and people were generous to help make up for the lost wages since she started Chemo. That's all done now, so there's something else to be thankful for.
• I really getting into the iPod Touch now. It is very useful to know what appointments are coming up on my auxilliary brain.
• I was happy that Brenda asked me for a  few walking sticks to give away at the Kilarney Lake Walkathon to raise money for Fredericton Hospice. I gave her a half dozen for door prizes this year and one just for her.   
• Finally we had a great time at the retirement part of xwave and Aliant folks who left the company when I did. They gave us flowers and chocolates as well as a book with everyones comments.  It really was a great 15 years of fun . People seemed to like the Dilbert cartoons I provided too!

Rainy Day

So what am I grateful for today ? I finally got my taxes done, so that's not hanging over my head any more. If I did them right, I should get a small refund.  Since it was raining all day, I didn't feel much like doing anything, so I got caught up a bit on some reading and played with my new iPod Touch. I'm grateful to find many free applications that make it much more useful than just an MP3 player. 

Yesterday , Doris gave me a CD with a single on it - "Lean on Me"  by Sheldon Gordon and the Downtown Blues Band. It was produced for the IWK hospital in Halifax.  Very nice rendition. 

15 Years at NBTel/Aliant

• Today is 15 years since I officially joined NBTel. I worked there as a consultant for a few months, but this was the day they officially hired me in 1994. I am grateful for all those years as well as the 20 I had at IBM.
• We went to the lake for the first time this year. The air was about 75 F degrees , the lake was 45 degrees and we watched almost all of the ice melt. The day ended with a beautiful sunset as it so often does.

A couple of things.

I'm grateful that I don't have to do the crack filling to fix the entryway. It is in pretty bad shape with cracks and holes. Roger seems to know what he is doing. I'm hoping I will still be grateful when I get his bill.

I went to the doctor today to get a few things checked out. I'm really grateful that in Canada, this didn't cost me a cent.

Easter Plays

The last couple of weeks I got to attend a couple of Easter Productions. The first was at the International Church of Las Vegas at http://www.iclv.com . It was a big church (800+ movable seats), with basketball nets on each end. The play was right up there with Las Vegas quality acting, singing, sound and lighting. The basic story was that Jesus came back in 2009 to New York City rather than 2000 years ago. It was a great professional quality production and absolutely free.

The second play was the traditional Easter story that we do every year at Smythe Street Cathedral in Fredericton. I was helping out with the ushering at a couple of the performances. It was great too with all the Las Vegas production quality and special effects, costumes and live animals. The wabsite is http://www.smythestreetcathedral.com/

Las Vegas

First chance to blog since I got back from Las Vegas. Yes, I am thankful that I went and I am thankful that I am back home. We saw a lot of unique things that you can only see in this part of the world. There were so many things to be grateful for on this trip:

• Rock this Way - An Easter Pagant Rock Opera by the International Church of Las Vegas
• Red Rock Canyon
• Valley of Fire State Park
• The Shows - especially Cirque du Soleil "O"
• All the interesting and unusual sights in the hotels, especially Caesars Palace and Bellagio
• Fremont Street Experience
• Lake Meade
• Hoover Dam
• Grand Canyon
• I-Max Theatre
• The Monorail

Of course it was all topped off by spending the time with a wonderful wife and good friends.