Enjoying Summer

Well, we are getting very close to our move to Winnipeg now. One month from today we will move into the Salvation Army cadet residence at Waverley in Winnipeg. There are still several things on the list of to-do's at this point, but that is getting smaller.

I know have only a week and a half until I am finished work, with only 4 days left in the office.

We will be enjoying a week in August down at Pine Lake Camp on faculty for Music Camp. We missed camp last year and are looking forward to being part of this year's fun. The Salvation Army's leaders for Canada and Bermuda will be on hand for the first day of camp, as well as many supporters and donors, for the dedication of 4 new camper lodges. The lodges have been in use since the start of this year's camping season, but the event will give the Salvation Army a chance to thank those who helped to contribute to their construction. Our new divisional leaders will also be officially installed that day.

Susan and I have been enjoying summer this year. It is the first summer that we've known each other when I have not been on-call for work at all times. We enjoyed a new adventure a couple of weekends ago when we went tenting out near Hinton, Alberta. We were supposed to go to Calgary to visit another couple, but when one of them got sick, we looked for something else to do with our weekend, and since we had got a tent and sleeping bag as wedding gifts, we decided it was time to start using them.

We arrived at the camp site around 10pm, and being on the edge of the mountains and in the trees, it was getting quite dark. It was the second time we were setting up our tent and we were a bit worried when we realized that we did not have the instructions...but once we focused on getting the tent up - rather than on finding the instructions - we got it up quickly and without trouble in the dark. The first night brought a brief thunderstorm and continuing rains, but we slept without problem and woke up dry in the morning.

We spent part of the Saturday in Jasper. Neither of us had ever been there, so that was a nice treat. I enjoyed it a lot. It was quietter and more relaxed than Banff always seems to be...much less touristy. We enjoyed a pizza lunch on a roof-top patio surrounded by the mountains and wandered around town for the afternoon. We returned to our campsite for dinner and enjoyed a tex-mex style stew cooked over the open fire and s'mores in the evening.

We headed home Sunday morning after I forgot to put our breakfast food into the cooler and it sat in the trunk of the car all weekend. We packed up our site in a light rain and headed home. We learned a few things about camping - what supplies and equipment we need to invest in if we want to make this a regular activity - but we also learned that we really enjoy tenting and that we want to keep doing it.

The following weekend we got down to Calgary and enjoyed spending time with the Deckers. Susan and I ventured out on Saturday and took in Heritage Park Historical Village. I used to visit the park on a regular basis, but a great deal has changed and I enjoyed going again to share that with my wife.

This past Sunday we were at St. Albert Corps where I had been asked by the corps officers to speak while they are on vacation. I haven't preached now for nearly two years and was glad for the opportunity. In fact, as I shared with the congregation, the last time I spoke was at St. Albert a few months after I had moved to Edmonton. I remember a member of the congregation asking if Susan, who had come with me, was my wife and I answered, "No, we just started dating a couple of months ago." Well, I was very proud as Susan came with me again, this time as my wife, and she joined in with the worship team leading the singing and playing the piano.

This week we will stay in Edmonton and attend our home church. We will only be at Edmonton Temple two or three more times before we leave and move to our new home in Winnipeg.