Sorry to report some hail damage in the Meota and Metinota area last week. The loss of some crops are reported. The weather has been so spotty, one minute you see combines working and a few miles down the road there's water on the road, so no harvesting. It is surely a trying time getting the crops off.
Bridge games at the Do Drop Sept. 5, had top score by Linda Ard and second high by Bernard Gregoire.
Duplicate bridge in Meota the next evening found top score by Bernard and Lucille Gregoire. Second high were Mary Greenwald and Gerry Craig and third high were Eric Callbeck and Maureen Campbell. Thursday evening in the city the top score was by Vern Iverson and Gerry Fernandes. Second high was a tie between Jette and Terrence Dasilva and Jean Lawes and Fraser Glen and in third place were Lucille and Bernard Gregoire.
My friend Laura Cave of Calgary has spent two weeks travelling in Europe accompanied by her granddaughter, Kali Arndt. One of her emails said, "dinner tonite in Paris - can you believe it - neither can I!" The first time she felt unsafe was when they were in Paris and found themselves in the company of many policemen everywhere. The police arrested a suspected female terrorist and her male companion with six cans of gasoline in their vehicle! She felt it was a close call.
The Do Drop In held their regular meeting Sept. 9 with a good turnout of members. Some items of interest were the report on the nice boat rides we enjoyed with Albert Huys on June 29, the trimming of the hedge in front by Eric Callbeck and the lilac trees trimmed on the west side by Eric and Lawrie Ward. Everyone enjoyed the potluck lunch that followed the meeting. The next meeting date is set for Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. Again, a potluck will follow.
Sept. 9 found the canasta players gathered at the Do Drop In with four tables in play. Top score was by Pat Chapman and Gwen Lacerte, second high were Bev McCrimmon and Ginny Craig (welcome to a new player) and third were David Ottas and Muriel Chapman. The social time that followed with lunch was lovely.
Descendants of the late Cappie (Parker) and Eli Marin, former Spiritwood residents, gathered at the summer home of Leanne and Chuck Arneson on Lake Manitoba near The Narrows. All eight children attended: Joanne and Mike O'hyrn from The Pas, Man. and their family; Leanne and Chuck and their two children; David and Barbara Marin, from The Pas; Linda and Darcy Davidson from Cranberry Portage, Man. and one son; Anita Wilson of Crossfield, Alta. and family from Grand Prairie, Alta.; Ronald and Anne Marin from Cranberry Portage and all their family; Allan and Thea Marin and one son from Winnipeg, Man.; and Greg Marin of Vancouver, B.C. This gathering of family members was started by Cappie and Eli many years ago and is being carried on. During this time birthdays are also celebrated. Chuck's mother of Ashern, Man. turned 100, Michael O'hyrn was 75, Uncle Ken Parker of Olds, Alta. is 80 and Chuck is 65. Only 11 out of a total of nearly 50 were not able to attend and those who did, had a blast.
The monthly noon luncheons start up again in the Meota Community Complex on Sept. 16. See you there!
I accompanied my daughter Sal Bouvier and her daughter Sonya to Spruce Meadows’ 41st masters event in southwest Calgary on Sept. 9. The day was perfect with sun and a light breeze. We parked in lot No. 2, so it was not a far walk to the Canada arena where the horse jumping was in progress from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. These were all North American horses.
We were able to walk around this arena and find chairs at the end of the restaurant, with our backs to the sun, where we watched with pleasure. From there we went to the arena called "Prairie Dogs" where people were putting their pet dogs through jumps, hoops and so on. This was a fun event to watch, with a wide variety of dogs. We stopped for supper before heading off to the International arena, where we had reserved seats, to watch more Friends of the Meadows jumping at 5 p.m. While we were eating at tables in front of the shops of Sweden, Poland, Germany, Greece and Spain, the Calgary Fiddlers entertained us.
There were 30 horses from all over the world, and the top horse was from Brazil, an animal that would not stand still for a minute he was so high strung. I don't know how one could have the patience to train him, but he sure liked to jump.
Following this competition they brought out the winners of the Name the Colt contest that they run every year. One winner was from British Columbia with the name No Limits. Second and third winners were from Ontario with the names Vintage and Counterpoint. The prize for each was a trip to the masters in 2017 with accommodation and fares paid and a chance to meet the colt. They had 100,000 names submitted.
Then came the big competition, Spruce Meadows Masters, with horses from 12 countries. The six jumps were set up in a line, with each one a bit higher than the last. After each horse had its first jump Russia was eliminated with a rail down. The second jump found two more gone. For the third run they took away two of the first jump stands, so they had only four jumps to make. This time all were gone but two that made clear runs. This left Canada and Great Britain and Great Britain knocked down one rail so Canada was the winner. This time the last jump was set at six feet three inches. The crowd really showed their appreciation with their reaction, so it was exciting.
Next for entertainment was the Lord Strathcona Musical Ride. Sixteen light bay horses performed the drills and exercises precisely. This was nice to watch. It recalled the fact that the Lord Strathcona Infantry was the unit that Sam Parker, of Spiritwood and Chitek Lake, was a member of back in the 1930s.
Lastly were the fireworks and they were pretty terrific, accompanied by the band, which cut down the banging noise of the fireworks to some extent, but it was all very loud.
England has a pavilion where they offer English foods and teas and groceries and Scotland offers their produce.
The grounds are so well developed and there's a section just for children's entertainment featuring a petting zoo and rides. Many families spend the day there. None of their offerings seem over priced which means it's more affordable for all.
One of the things brought to mind with this event was the jet built for the transportation of horses all over the world, to events like the Olympics, and from one country to another for competitions. We didn't get information on how these planes are built inside, but they are built to accommodate horses and transport them safely from country to country.
The final item was the display of their Christmas lights on the many spruce trees as we walked to our parking lot to leave.
