John with his boyhood toys

This Fall we leisurely meandered through to Central/West Canada, that'd be up to Winnipeg via the US route.

We spent time with my almost sister and brother, cousins Don & Arlene. Spent more time with the friends at Leisure Travel, including Bill and Helen in Winkler and then headed down through the Dakota's, Crazy Horse Monument and Mt. Rushmore and on to KS. Our first stop was Lyons where we renewed ties with John & Lola and then on to Goessel and Hillsboro the towns where I learned how to teach and acquired a bit of formal education.

Over the next while, and in no special order, I'm going to record a bit of each hi-lite. Will to get back to Manitoba shortly and then on to the rest of the trip. But today I'm relishing the memories of our day with John & Lola. Two teachers who I believe were extraordinary. The testimonials of students enforce that belief.

John rivals Elsie's sisters as a story teller and we re-lived the story of a minister at the church where John choir conducted. The minister graphically described how sin can ensnare you with the analogy of the octopus and it's 'testicles' of sin. And what was so funny is that no one in the congregation seemed to catch the slip. Lola described that as John attempted to stifle his laughter by squeezing his hands on the seat of the pew, the whole pew shook.

We had a blast visiting the past! Lola and I shared many of the same classes at Tabor. That was good for a story or more! And over wonderful Chinese cuisine talk drifted to family and with it some somber moments as we each were updated on the health and well-being of those precious to us. We heard about a daughter's struggle with MS and the challenges she and her family face. This re-enforced what it is that is so great about our healthcare system and social safety net in Canada.

We regaled them with stories of our night at a New Christy Minstrels show http://www.thenewchristyminstrels.com/ last winter. And to our delight, they informed us that Dave Deutschendorf, an uncle of John Denver and alum of Tabor as well has joined the group. That got me going and I was successful in renewing ties with him and will get to meet up with him as they tour AZ this winter.

I have my peccadillo's, as Elsie would say, with my Santa collection, John's 'thing' is his delight with discovering the toys of his boyhood. Perhaps I can inspire him to blog the story of his quest and the outcomes of that little saga. If he sends me the link to the catalog of the toy maker, I'll include it on this page. You'll love it!