October 1 - 3: Alberta Bound

Alberta bound . . . Alberta bound . . . Well, I finally made it out to Edmonton, Alberta. I was there to speak on behalf of one of my clients, the Canadian Alternative Investment Cooperative (www.caic.ca) at the Association of Treasurers of Religious Institutes conference. I also had the opportunity to speak at a luncheon workshop on cooperative social enterprises sponsored in part by the City of Edmonton, Community Innovations. It wasn't all work though - I got to check out the West Edmonton Mall. It was pretty amazing with a skating rink, a wave pool, midway with one of the coolest roller coasters that I have ever seen - all in a shopping mall! I almost talked Beth, (my partner in crime at CAIC) into riding it with me...but alas no go. Maybe next time.

October 8 -11: Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. So it was back to Kincardine to cook a turkey dinner for my Mum & Jerry (step-father). Joe and I also celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. That's right - Thanksgiving weekend, 1982 we tied the knot. For the most part it has held together pretty well. Here's to the next 23!

Some highlights of the weekend were getting to listen to the Breakwater Blues Band. Feet Macleod and the boys really know how to get the crowd going. Feet's Dad and mine were best friends. Both are now gone - but not forgotten. I think Feet's band was one of the first live bands I heard at the Windsor Hotel (long gone) in Kincardine. I used to sneak in with my friends (underage) to hear them play. I still love hearing Feet sing Caledonia.

Another highlight was checking out Catherine Macleod's new art gallery - Harbour Street Gallery (www.harbourstreetgallery.ca). Catherine has returned to her roots and is planning on showcasing artists that have a connection with Kincardine. The gallery's first exhibit features the work of Dana Boettger (www.danaboettger.com) a mixed media artist. Dana's life and work is the subject of a book by author/photographer, Liza Linklater (www.lizalinklater.com) another Kincardine native.

Work Work Work

After all that play came work, work, work as I had to meet a number of deadlines for clients. I had an enjoyable day at the Royal Botanical Gardens (www.rbg.ca) in Burlington, Ontario when I attended the Co-op Funders Forum (www.ontario.coop) - an informal forum of funders & lenders interested in supporting the development of cooperative enterprises.

October 18: My Birthday

A bright spot - my birthday on October 18th! I was treated to a wonderful dinner at a local Greek restaurant and finished the day off with chocolate mousse cake! Yum...

October 31: Halloween

The month ended with Halloween. This year we had new neighbours across the street who were really into the 'spirit' of Halloween. Lots of smoke, cadavers & mad scientists with a cackling, cauldron-stirring witch thrown in for good measure.