50 With Wonderful Friends

June18
This is a Magical day. I didn't know I would enjoy it so much. Birthdays don't really mean that much to me but this one was very special because of the company who joined me today.

A week ago I got a surprise phone call from one of my dearest friends; Joyce. I lost track of her about three years ago. We used to get in all sorts of trouble when we were in the same spiritual group back in the late Seventies. I was a quiet respectful person before she came along. Don't let that oxygen tank fool you. She just needs it because she lives life faster than the rest of us. Joyce is a Gemini like me, with her birthday just two days before mine.

Ted is also a Gemini, with his birthday on May 26th. He's a loyal friend and I'm lucky to know him. He has been working with me on several construction projects here in Calgary.
The lovely woman beside him is Lilian. She is an energetic woman with a lust for life. She is a retired Art teacher and still does a lot of painting herself. She taught in Africa for 3 years. Lilian has lately become an expert 'Squirrel Catcher'. She's my landlady, and a great friend. The more I know Lilian, the more respect I have for her. It was really fun to see her and Joyce meet. Right from the get go the two began talking. It turns out that they have two friends in common. They carried on like long lost friends even though they only met today for the first time.

Around the table you can see my very dear friend and fellow conspirator; Malcome, on the far right. Next to him is my 'contiguous' friend, Geeta. You may remember Geeta from a couple of Blogs I did last year when Ted and I renovated her basement. She has made my reconnection with Calgary a wonderful experience. She got a call while we were having the party. She had a prospect for her house. It sold that same night for a great price. Now she's moving to Winnipeg to be closer to her family.

This is Belen. She just arrived a month ago from Hong Kong to work as Geeta's nanny. She's a warm gentle woman who has a great way with children. I'm sorry you're moving again so soon, before I have a chance to get to know you better. Be sure to email me. Remember you promised to show me around Manila when I visit the Philippines in the near future.

This is Scott. He's Kathy's daughter's partner. It's great to meet you Scott, but mostly I just wanted to show everyone your tattoos. Wow. I told Scott we have to do a Seminar on his tattoos one day soon. He has twenty-two of them. I'm only prepared to look at nineteen. Some things should be left to the imagination.

And here is my new son, Braden. He belongs to Christine and Scott (Sorry I don't have a photo of you here Christine.) Braden latched onto me when I arrived and stuck like glue.

I got everyone to sing Happy Birthday to me before I did the Japanese Cake ceremony with this very delicious Cake.

And this is the hostess behind the party. I have shown you Kathy before. She is 'Nanna' to her grandson Braden. He adores her. Kathy suddenly went blind last year. In fact she has experienced an amazing series of mind boggling events in the last couple of years. Two years ago her father died. Her daughter had life-threatening surgery. Her estranged husband died a few months ago, and her mother was diagnosed with Cancer on Christmas Eve and died 10 days later. The doctors didn't even know she was sick.
And yet, Kathy decided she wanted to throw me a party for my fiftieth birthday. She made all the arrangements, prepared the food, bought a barbecue and made sure everyone was taken care of. She's blind. She still works full time. She's cheerful. I'm honored to have you as a true friend Kathy. You made this day Magical. You're my hero.

Ayako Shares Thanksgiving

On Sunday, I asked Ayako what she would like to see in Calgary; The Calgary Zoo? or perhaps Heritage Park? Her answer was:
"I want go Grocery Store!" So I took her to 'Canada Superstore'.

We did the low tech version of an amusement park. I know this is no Calgary Stampede, but she still had her chance to ride a horse.

Halloween is a special celebration we have in Canada. We carve faces in pumpkins like this one and put them in our windows to attract children dressed up in costumes.

Ayako san was delighted to find this costume. Pickachu is a very popular cartoon in Canada and in Japan.

After our Supermarket adventure, we headed to Geeta's for a Thanksgiving celebration. Geeta put on a wonderful feast of Curries, Chicken breasts and Lamb, with lots of vegetables and sauces. Everyone contributed something. Her children even made the place settings for the table.

What really made it so magical on this night though, was the company. The women in the front row are: Judy, Judy's mother; Margaret, and Marjory. Margaret is a War Bride from London. She told us amazing stories of her trek across Canada to arrive at her new home. Marjory is Geeta's next door neighbor. She is from Scotland and has also travelled extensively.

Geeta's family has Hindu roots in India but she is from Kenya. This is what I call a proper Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration. So many cultures sharing the best of Ourselves with each
other.

This morning, Ted and I got up at 5am to take Ayako san to the Bus Depot.

She will travel today, through the mountains of Alberta and British Columbia. Then she will she the Okanogan Valley, where some of our best Wines come from. Finally, at the end of her 15 hour journey, she will be met by my niece; Millie; who is the same age as Ayako. They will hang out together in Vancouver until Thursday, when Ayako san will fly back to Calgary for a final night in Canada before returning to Japan.

I got a very nice email from Ayako's father, last night. He said: "Dear steeeve. Today I see your Blog. I find Ayako enjoying travel. Pig cake , Nice friend ,and BIg Turtle , Every Picture Ayako show amusing face. I see her amusing fece after a long time. She looks like in junior school child. Thank you your kindness. cheers; Yosihiro."
It is our pleasure to have Ayako san here in Canada. You and your wife must be very special people to have raised such a yasashii daughter. Arigotto, Yashihiro san.

Ayako Meets The Dinos

On Saturday, Ayako started her Canadian adventure with a good Canadian breakfast at Ricky's Restaurant,

where she met her new friend, Jessica.

Jessica is a student who has studied and travelled in Japan.

Then my Carpentry partner; Ted; joined us for a trip to the Royal Terril Museum in Drumheller. We stopped at Horseshoe Canyon to see the badlands, where the Dinosaur bones have been found.

The Museum itself is fascinating and beautiful to see.

But as Ted and Ayako found out; it can be a dangerous place.

It seems that everything wants to eat you here!

Fortunately, Ayako made a new friend here.

When we left the Museum, we went back to Calgary for some Vietnamese Soup with Geeta. Then I took Ayako to an Irish Pub for desert. I said: "If you think those dinosaurs were big, wait til you see the Mud Pie they serve here!"

Ayako has lots of spirit and she is a joy to have here in Canada. She kind of reminds me of a puppy. she is full of energy but when she needs to sleep, she sleeps.

Ayako Visits Canada

Last February, when I arrived in Thailand, I took a trip to The Bridge on the River Kwai, in Kanchanaburi. It was there that I met Ayako.

She was only on our tour for three hours before we split up, but we kept in touch a bit by email. She asked me a couple of months ago if I would show her around Calgary if she came to Canada.

Today I met her at the airport and drove her to my friend, Geeta's, so she would have a place to stay while she visits.

I have only known Geeta a short time, but we hit it off like old friends, so when I mentioned Ayako san was coming, Geeta generously offered her a place to sleep.

Ayako san surprised us by bringing many gifts for me and for Geeta and her children. She brought me a very expensive Saki from her father. Thank you yoshihiro san for your generous gift. You are too kind.
The next thing we knew, she was creating origami swans and flowers for the children. Ayako had not slept in two days but all she could think of was how to show her gratitude for helping her with her stay in Canada.

After she had a chance to have a shower and settle in, I took Ayako san to meet my Construction partner, Ted. They became fast friends.

We introduced her to Canadian food by taking her to Ricky's Restaurant where she enjoyed the novelty of a knife and fork. The Manager even came over and introduced herself. Anna is Chinese but her daughter speaks Japanese so Anna and Ayako exchanged email addresses.
Finally at about 10pm I drove Ayako back to Geeta's so she could get some well earned sleep. Tomorrow we will do a walking tour of the City centre.

The Saga Of Geeta

It is such a joy to work on Geeta's Basement. She is more enthusiastic every day.

She set out several paint samples on the wall to help her make up her mind.

Once the colors were chosen, my partner in crime, Mr Ted Heller, set about making Geeta's vision a reality. Ted likes to play classical music while he paints and he keeps time with the roller.

By this afternoon we were all getting pretty excited about the progress.

As for me, I got to sample some of Geeta's chicken curie. The flavor was great and it was just hot enough to be enjoyable without making my tongue dial the fire department.

Geeta's such a sweetie pie. She told us that with all the changes happening in her life right now she doesn't think she could have had anyone else but us working on her place. All three of us agree with the philosophy that people meet at exactly the right time and place. I could not have asked for a better environment in which to work. Thank you very much Geeta.

The Package Has Landed

Thanks to my dear friends, Vivyan and Dorian in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, I now have my tools with me in Calgary.

Yesterday I showed this picture of me lugging my bags to the Airport and I commented that the picture made me look as if I was 4 months pregnant. My dear friend, Jookie, in Thailand, wrote in the suble Asian style: "Today I have read your blog...... Very funny your picture... look similar 6 month. Not 4 month.......... tooo beeeeeeeek."

So I had a picture taken tonight to set the record straight. So now what do you have to say for yourself Jookie jing jing???
Ted and I have teamed up to do Home renovations together for a few months here in Calgary.

This is Geeta. She hired us to rebuilt her basement after she had some flooding from the recent Calgary rain. She is pleasure to work for. She makes us tea every morning as we discuss our plan of attack for the day. Geeta is also a fan of the Movie: 'What the Bleep Do We Know', and we have had some very interesting discussions about the meaning of the Universe, Synchronicity and the value of Orange Cake with Tea. Thanks very much Geeta, for making my new start in Calgary such a beautiful experience.