Gone Fishin'

I had a great trip north of Prince Albert at Jan Lake in Saskatchewan.  I was privileged to go with my brother and sister-in-law to stay in their cabin for three days.  It is very close to Jan Lake, which is quite a big lake.  They have a pontoon and fishing gear, so we went fishing every day.  The weather was pretty good and the fishing was good, at least the first day for me.  It was a great respite!  

The cabin at Jan Lake

The dock on Jan Lake by the cabin

A walleye I hooked

That's the walleye off of the hook

Actually Nick and I worked together to catch the fish.  It jumped off the hook and Nick caught it in the net.  See how it bent?  

The walleye we kept the first day.

If you look along the shore, you'll see the black dot, that's the black bear that went into the water by McMillan Point.  

This part of the world is quiet, except for the different bird calls.  I think you can really hear God when he calls in a still, small voice in this country.  It was a great few days with a lot of good conversations and fun fishing!  A great place to relax!  Now, back to responsibilities.  

The Old Stomping Grounds

One of the things I wanted to do while visiting Maryland was to go to The Mall in DC.  I walked into the Wheaton Metro and it all began to feel familiar again.  I had my Smart Trip card from last year with money on it, so I was all set and just needed to check for the balance on the card.  

Wheaton Metro

Red Line to Shady Grove

The weather was a bit warm and humid but otherwise a nice day.  I met Holly outside the Museum, which happens to be right beside the Canadian Embassy.  

Rotunda the Canadian Embassy

Gotta love that Coat of Arms

Freedoms in the US Constitution

Entrance to the Newseum

After you enter, they direct you to the bottom floor where there is an orientation video you can watch.  Here they also have a few sections of the Berlin Wall as well as Checkpoint Charley.  

Sign that was in Berlin at the border.

Check Point Charley

Check Point Charley from the top

Close up of the Berlin Wall

Check Point Charley and Berlin wall exhibit

It was a good visit and I would recommend the Newseum if you are interested in the history of journalism.  There was an exhibit on the the years JF Kennedy was US president.  One of the levels I did enjoy was the newspapers from various events, many of the events happened in the US. 

Hall where all the newspapers were.

One of the exhibits was about the reporters covering the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York, Washington, DC and the plane that landed in Pennsylvania.   

Part of the communications antennae that was on the World Trade Center

 

It is a bit expensive to go to the Newseum, but we did spend about 4+ hours wandering through the various levels.  There was a memorial to the journalists who have lost their lives doing their work.  They had an exhibit of the Pulitzer Prize photos along with a video of what the circumstances were that prompted the photographer to take those pictures.  There are a couple of interactive sections.  It was a good visit, but I have to say, I felt very inundated by US history.  

US Capitol

White House

Lincoln Memorial and WW2 Memorial 

It was good to visit the Mall.  I sure do miss not having that within  30 minute metro ride.  I'm glad I was able to make that visit.   

Up, Up And Away!

Since my last post, I have logged a few kilometers in airplanes.  What is neat about flying out of Abbotsford is that the flight path usually ends up flying past Mt. Baker.  It's really a beautiful view.

Abbotsford International Airport

Mt. Baker from the plane

Endless cloud cover

I landed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with enough time to attend my brother's surprise birthday party.  It was a success!  My brother, Nick, had no idea it was coming up!  Even his daughter had flown in for a weekend about a month prior to help plan and prepare a video, but he never saw her!  It was a fun evening.  The following day, most of us went up to Hague to church and visit at Nick's place.  That evening I stayed at my nephew's place, where he has a couple of turkey barns.  Saskatchewan isn't very hilly at all, but it is a beautiful place.  

Looking right when coming out of the driveway.

Looking left when coming out of the driveway 

Driveway to the house

I have since flown from Saskatoon to Baltimore, Maryland.  I am presently staying at the Bratt's.  I did go to DC SERVE Fairfax 2013.  

I have been busy visiting friends here, this week.  I have another week of visiting and a presentation at the SSCRC and then it's back to Saskatchewan.  I have been blessed with great hosts, great friends to visit and safe travels thus far!  God is good!  

Patriotic Days

I was here in Canada for Canada Day.  I went with some friends to White Rock (beach on the ocean) to listen to the boss of one of my friends play in a band.  Certainly was a nice, warm, sunny day!

The pier at White Rock

The tide was in and there were people sitting on the grass by the board walk.  We picked up some ice cream and listened to the band.  

The pier at White Rock

Friends

The other patriotic day is July 4th.  I celebrated a number of those in the US in the last while.  I did not do anything special, but did go for a decent bicycle ride.  Worst part was bicycling back against the wind.  Scenery was beautiful though. 

Trans Canada Trail taken on July 4th. :)

This is where I came from...

The river and hill on the other side.

Blueberry patch

Grain fields in Sumas? When did this happen?

That's how I spent the patriotic days.  Soon I'll be on a jet plane again.  Thanking God for the safe travels thus far and praying for continued safe travels and great visits with friends.  Oh and I'll continue working on CAJ things too.  :)