Almost like being there.....

When you can't be on Isla, then good amigos bring Isla to you!  At first they thought it might be like 'rubbing salt in the wound' and didn't want to report the fun they were having.  And yes, it stings not to be there and enjoying fun times with good friends, but seeing and hearing a little bit about the latest happenings on la Isla is better than nothing!

I was happy and grateful to hear that Deene managed to meet up with Marianne, aka 'The Button Lady'.  For many years now Marianne has made Isla buttons and given them away to many many happy Isla visitors.  Every year the button has a new picture and design and we have numerous ones attached to our backpacks.  This year Marianne has said that this is the last year that she is doing the buttons.  We are sad to see the tradition end, but very grateful for the memories that each button holds.  Thank you Marianne for all the buttons, and thank you to Deene for getting ours.

We're happy to see Jan, Bruce, Jean and Rich enjoying the beach and keeping our spot warm for us!

And our good friends Keith and Elisa sent this sweet thought.......

"I heard a whisper in the wind and looked at the sand and this is what I saw... ;)

It says 'Bince Doreese Isla Misses You!

And on that note, we wish Keith and Elisa a very Happy Anniversary!!!!  Wishing you a wonderful day of love and laughter in our favourite Isladise!

Thanks for all the updates amigos....keep 'em comin'!  

Josh's Alberta Adventure Begins!

Son #3, Josh, graduated from Gr.12 this past June.  He wasn't exactly sure what was next for him but he's well on his way to a new adventure!  He hasn't been able to access the internet at camp yet, so I said I would do a little update for him.  He did send a few photos via text message.

Grad 2012

It was a very quick decision....a friend of Vince's is a contractor that works with Flint Energy Services Ltd.  He was in need of a worker and Josh had already thought about 'going north' for work.  We had about 36 hours to get gear ready to go.  A one-way flight from Kelowna to Grande Prairie at 6am on Tuesday.  We said goodbye and 'be safe' as our youngest headed off to work on gas pipelines in the frosty winter of Rainbow Lake in north-western Alberta.

It has been quite the adventurous week!  Once he and his boss landed in Grande Prairie, they picked up a work truck that had been undergoing repairs and then began the drive to High Level where Josh would take his H2S course the next day. before going on to Rainbow Lake.  The truck died about 200km out of Grande Prairie...no heat in the truck and it was about -38C that night.  Took the first hotel they could find in Grimshaw and slept there that night.  Josh's course was rescheduled for Friday so they picked up a different truck and made it to Rainbow Lake on Wednesday night.  Yesterday Josh underwent his orientation, got 100% on various safety quizzes and received his work gear....insulated coveralls, fire-retardent vest, gloves, hardhat, safety glasses.  All set to go!

Today he was driven back to High Level where he took the H2S course and got a perfect 100%.  Safety is number one for these types of jobs so that's a good thing!  Real work starts tomorrow....most days will be 7am to 7pm, for about 21 days straight.  Then he'll come home for a week, and then back again for another 3 weeks.  Repeat until April.  This is such a great experience and opportunity for him.  It's a bit of a shock for him....I don't think he's ever been away from home before, but he's doing great so far!


Today was a balmy -20C.  Tomorrow should be -19C with some snow.  A little warmer with sunshine next week.  At least the -40C temps are gone for a while!

On the flight to Calgary Alberta....Rocky Mountains

Somewhere near Grimshaw.....yes, it looks COLD!

Watching TV in his camp room....

Good luck tomorrow Josh!  Work hard and be safe....and warm!