This month, we're planning on getting someone to come in and do the floors in our front landing, upstairs hallway, finish the stairs, and finally, Sadie's room. Under the linoleum and particle-board sub-floors at the front landing, I found some very old linoleum. Our house was built in 1882, and I don't know that it would be that old, but by the look of it, I would say it was put in before 1920...


We're not sure whether we want to clean it up and show it, or put new hardwood over top of it, but in any case, it was a very neat discovery.

And just to avoid angry emails and comments from grandparents, here's a picture of Sadie. No new ones in the past few days, so here is one from her birthday... how much she has grown already.

We went up to Clear Lake National Park to enjoy times with Erin's side of the family, the soaring pines trees, the very clear lake, and strolls along the arcadian main street of the resort town Wasagaming...


Erin prepares for the stage in our lives when she'll have to shop for me...

Good times in the pool...

More pleasently quaint signage...

The Martens Family at the campground...

Sadie teeths as Grandma Martens look on...


Erin passes the driving time by taking pictures of herself...

On Sunday, we attended the wedding of Erin's cousin Trever, and his new bride Susan. Congratulations to you both!
At the reception, Sadie's second cousin Jacob enjoys a quiet moment with his dad...

My most favorite ladies in the whole world...

Toro! Toro! After getting back to Mom and Dad Marten's place, I take on a bull that had gotten into the farm yard...

The Galstons go to St. Boniface...

The ladies cross the street in front of the old Hotel de Ville (City Hall). Before St. Boniface amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972, it was the second largest city in the province... take that, Brandon!

We stopped in at a gallery to check out a show from a couple of the members of the two-six collective. (Some of their work has been shown on this blog before)...


Sadie loved it...



On the way home, we saw some more works of art...


And this sign...
Spirited Energy? Not in our public spaces...

Walked around some more this week...

Outside the Grafitti Gallery...

A residential unit on Waterfront Drive...


Sadie really gets into her books...

To escape the heat one afternoon, we headed up to Manitoba's "deep south": The interlake, to the cool town of Winnipeg Beach...

I tend to act my age in the water...

Later, we drove up to my old home town of Gimli, and saw that the house on First Street that I grew up in is well cared for...

Sadie, on a short family vacation to Hillside Beach...

Pictures from today...

We went to the wading pool this afternoon. Sadie stares down the kids who called her "carrot top"...

Later, I went on a bike ride through the art gallery that is downtown Winnipeg...


Love thy neighbor...



"Nice bike!"


Re-elect Sam Katz in '06...


Winnipeg icon and head of the North End's Kern Hill Furniture for almost 50 years, the late Nick Hill. This sits on the closed up storefront of Clifford's department store on Portage Avenue...

Shortly after their father died, Nick's sons moved the business off North Main and to the suburbs...

Kelly House, built in 1882, is one of two houses that remain in Winnipeg's warehouse district...

Before companies relied on flash and technology to advertise, they relied on craft and beauty...

Bring back the Jets...

On the left, at the corner of Princess St and Alexander Ave, one of the last remaining buildings designed by Barber and Barber, an early Winnipeg architecture firm. This one goes back to the early 1880's. In the foreground, one of several spur line remnants still laying in the Exchange District


Mitchell Copp Jeweller's display window, showcasing the creations of famed Point Douglas artist Jordan Van Sewell

Our garage...