Back to Act 1 (Weeks 1 - 5) ,
Week 10 | Week 11
| Week 12 | Week 13
| Week 14 | Week 15
| Week 16
But first, the Intermission:
After arriving at Rob & Shirley's, I began to slow
down and reflect a little on the last few weeks (O.K., I slept-in alot).
I quickly became the newest toy for my 2 1/2 year old niece, Leeanne. I never
thought I could 'play tent' more often than actually sleeping in one.
I also got a chance to get involved in the local congregation
my hosts are part of. Three whole days after I arrived, I was involved in
the Praise Team and as a driver for the youth group. That Sunday (8 Days
after arriving) I was up front helping to lead the service with singing.
Although I had visions of touring the local provincial
park, I ended up just driving through it. I also did some biking, although
just around the neighbourhood.
Once things had become a bit routine, my sister went
and threw the schedule to the wind by going into labour. Joseph Robert Gearns
arrived on Mon, Nov 2, 1998 at 8:30pm. My mother arrived that Wed and
Mom & Baby came home on Friday. By Monday things were organized
enough that I could take off to Edmonton (3 hr drive) to look for some ski
equipment for my forthcoming "Ski Trek".
Upon arrival in Edmonton, I was greeted by a enthusiastic
group of new computer owners with lots of questions about their systems and
the internet. At least I got to do some surfing without using up my own hours
(Thanks!). Being in Edmonton also allowed me to do some daytime surfing
since I could call locally instead of needing to wait 'til after 6pm to call
long distance (don't you love those $20 flat rate plans!).
My trip was successful, since I ended up getting a great
deal on some Elan SCX Monoblock RP skis, Tyrolia bindings and Nordica Trend
4.7 boots. I also picked up some ski pants, poles and goggles, just to round
out the package. Since I did my purchases at Sport Chek, I was able
to get Air Miles as well as use my Amex Air Miles card. I also received
a coupon book to use at a few of the ski hills I'm heading to in the
coming month. Don't you love reward programs!
Day 63:
I guess I can pick things up here. I left Cold
Lake on Nov. 15 to continue my journey west. I soon encountered snow flurries
on the highway, but things didn't deteriorate until after I had made a wrong
turn and decided to take the back way into St. Albert, home of my aunt and
uncle. At least I was able to try out my Outback in the snow. As an aside
(there will probably be a few of these...), I also picked up an Australian
Outback-style hat at West Edmonton Mall.
Awaiting me in St.Albert was a long awaited item - a
scanner. With this piece of technology at my disposal, I was finally
able to start the process of uploading some of the nice pictures that I've
been taking along the way. For those of you that have been keeping
up to date, you can now go back and see some of the pics from Weeks
1 thru 3, since the rest are still in my camera.
Act 1 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16