Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
by CK May is the month of flowers not just in the Philippines but also here in Calgary. A lot of my neighbors have done their spring cleaning and unfortunately I cannot cope up with them. I remember that during this time of the year my husband, Hank gets busier day by day. He takes care [...]
Read full post »

Visitors to Pinoytimes

Start of StatCounter Code

End of StatCounter Code

Page added on July 20, 2016

Email This Post Printable version

Print This Post

The Other Side

by Steve Tarzwell

Our beautiful summer marches on, a good mix of rain and sunshine – a gardeners dream! My company has temporarily decided they only want to use me a few days a week, which is awesome in that I can both enjoy the long days of summer more as well as get a few yard and home projects taken care of.

My wife and I are able to enjoy the summer weekdays as well as weekends, which we never work. We avoid staring at a TV for 30 hours a week like some, and we don’t sit on our butts sending meaningless text Messages. We both also sleep 2-3 hours less per day than most people – and that all adds up to much more leisure time. If your 40 hour work week consists of a noisy, chaotic environment, with no quiet leisure time, you are likely stressed and have high blood pressure.

Other than a couple selected neighborhood Stampede Breakfasts and BBQs, we avoided the Stampede grounds. After 30 years of the same overcrowded and costly scene, we found other activities to enjoy. I am also not interested in Globalfest again this year as there is no Philippine, Canada or US involvement. I notice that in less than 5 years, the admission price has doubled but our wages have not. Perhaps that is why many vendors, especially the tasty Filipino foods, have stopped appearing too.

Although we will have returned by the time you read this, I am just finishing the planning and preparations for our 3rd USA trip of 2016. It is another 5 day voyage with visits to Park Lake Provincial Park, Picture Butte and Fort Macleod on the first day down to the Sweetgrass border crossing. Day 2 we will be heading to Great Falls, with stops in beautiful Shelby, Montana and a side trip for a hike in the Sluice Boxes State Park and finishing the day in Great Falls. The 3rd day we will visit First People’s Buffalo Jump State Park and then we will attend the exciting Fil-Am Fiesta in Great Falls. Every year the Filipinos of Montana get together to party in a different city and last year we attended in Kalispell. It is fun to meet our new friends from around the State, with great food, excellent entertainment by Filipino performers, followed by dance, dance, dance!

Early the next morning we will continue on south and make our way to the State Capitol of Helena, Montana. Scheduled stops along the way will include Pipestone Hot Springs and the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. Eventually we will get back to Helena for a dip in the pool and a few hours rest.

Monday will see us pack up, take a ride on the Last Chance Tour Train around the city and Capitol Buildings, check out the Great Northern Carousel, give my wife a couple hours shopping, and make the short 6 hour drive home. Life is good and we praise God for the chance to see and do so much over a few days!

Back home, my wife and I have spent less time this year attending Filipino events and have explored other interests including activities such as darts, bowling leagues, horseshoe pitching and table tennis, or ping pong. We skip a lot of routine Birthday parties but still miss the new and “old” Filipino singers and dancers around Calgary and life needs to be kept interesting. So if you don’t see us around town a lot, especially in the summer months, we are probably enjoying our time elsewhere. We still have a couple camping trips on our schedule, 3 more Horseshoe Tournaments for me, a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Cranbrook and a visit with friends and relatives in Winnipeg. Summer lasts until the end of October, the best months being August and September, and we intend to get the most out of them!

Have a great summer!

Steve

The Other Side

pinoytimes.ca © 2009