RELATIVES, RITES and ROUTES Day 1 - 7 September 9 – 15, 2009 Whitecourt to Edmonton and return.

The past 9 days was all about relatives and started out in Dawson Creek on September 9, 2009. We were getting ready to head to Whitecourt when we were surprised by one of our new friends from Germany. He pulled into the campsite just as we were about to leave so we stayed a few moments and got caught up on his travels. He put Joerg on the bus to Vancouver at 2AM and then headed to Dawson Creek arriving at just after 11AM.

He made pretty good time as it was a 250 mile ride. So once again we said goodbye and headed to Whitecourt. We arrived around 6 PM and went directly to the McLeod River Resort to see Deb and John, my sister and brother-in-law.

There was a little scurrying when we pulled in the yard as the hosts were in the hot tub and we were early. Thankfully there were towels near by and everyone got decent very quickly.

We have plans to see Deb and John next week so tonight was a quick stop to drop off the camper before heading to Edmonton for a few days. Since we were only going to be here one night we decided to go out for dinner. It gave us a change to catch up and find out what had been happening since we were here in May. It was a good night and we look forward to coming back here next week for a couple of days. Well it was a good night except for the broken crown.

The next morning we got lazy and decided to leave the camper on the truck. This meant I had to steal my other brother-in-laws truck. He was out of town. So we did and headed to Edmonton to see Kathy’s family. We were staying at the Chateau Balkan and arrived just in time for supper. (there might be a pattern developing)

We spent a couple of very enjoyable days visiting Phyllis, Brian and Erin (The Balkans) and also enjoying a reprieve from the camper. I don’t think either of us realized how ready we were for a break.

The main reason we came to Edmonton was so that Kathy could attend a dinner that was being held for Jolene Balkan who is getting married on September 20 in Jasper, AB. The women were getting together for a fun evening which included dinner and then a small party back at the Chateau. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

While the women were out partying it gave me a change to catch up with my brother Pat who lives St. Albert which is just outside of Edmonton. I arranged to meet him and we invited Brian and the groom ( Mike ) to have dinner with us. We decided to go to the Cree River Casino for dinner and a little frivolity. The meal was good and it gave me a chance to spend some time with Pat and catch up. It was good to see him again.

While we were in town Kathy got a chance to visit with her brother Ken, his wife Chrestina and their two children. I used the time for one of my dentist appointments to get my crown fixed.

We enjoyed our time at the Chateau and want to thank the Balkans for their hospitality. It was a very relaxing and the week off from traveling was especially appreciated.

The Balkans wished us Bon Voyage and we headed to Whitecourt. It was a pleasant drive and we arrived late in the afternoon. Okay it was right at supper time.

We had a bit to eat and were introduced to a couple of new games that we played for awhile before calling it a night.