Haloranch

Driving around and through Winnipeg, what struck me first were how many churches I saw. Churches with steeples,and bells, which is something I haven't seen much outside of Quebec. And other than churches, the most plentiful item we saw were parks. Gorgeous green parks everywhere. Down Portage there's an incredibly wide boulevard flanked by rows of huge, mature trees marching in a straight line down both sides, facing the streets. The center of the boulevard is lush greenery with park benches and looked very inviting. I bet on a nice day it's full of people. Today it was empty. Ergo, not a nice day. Also Sunday, so maybe the people were in some of the many churches. Lots of the little buildings and older shops downtown are brightly painted with flowers and other pictures. Looks cheerful and cute, and much better than being graffitied with tags from the local gangs. On the outskirts of the city, heading east on TC #1, the road was a patchwork of repairs and hideousl...

We're off to the Rotary International Convention. First stop, Mike's place in Calgary where we enjoyed a beautiful evening but short night. Barely 5 hours of sleep and off we were on a long drive to Winnipeg. In the end, it took us *only* 12 hours of concerted driving to get there. Hans, as always, did the lion's share while I suffered through 2 hours of driving. SASKATCHEWAN Saskatchewan: an old Indian saying meaning, "No hill high enough to jump from and hurt yourself." Saying the road in Saskatchewan is boring is an understatement. It could have been the minimal sleep, or the straight but bumpy road, but soon the silver tanker truck in front of me was shimmering. It was unclear whether my eyes were out of focus or the sun was to blame but luckily, it was time to fill up the car and then Hans took over again. HILTON HOTEL SUITES Well, this turned out to be everything we hoped for! We have a one bedroom suite. You walk into the living room with desk, sofa,...