after settling in I got the guided tour of my new surroundings.... first the farm.... the various machines including motorbike ... snowmobiles and barns..... I was introduced to the Alice dog.... this dog is only 4 months old and is still learning where to pee..... while I was staying there the dog peed twice on the carpet.... it also chases the car when we are leaving.... it also (like most dogs) makes short work of bones.... we gave Alice dog some of the remnants of the deer carcass we mutilated while cutting deer meat.... after the surroundings we visited the locals.... I was introduced to greg.... he makes an awful shine.... they wanted me to drink it straight.... course they also said I would be buzzing off the small amount they gave me.... I didn't... perhaps the buzz they got was from the burning throat from drinking it straight.... I was also introduced to Jerry and the other fella... I can't remember his name.... they are mechanics and are responsible for the incredible work on my lovely car.... and soon to be new car when I get back out there in april... not sure if it is a mustang or some other sports car yet.... (they are surprising me)..... I was also introduced to Tony.... this guy is in construction... his current project is building Windmills for the air farms..... that would be a cool job...

now this is actually something I would like to talk about.... the windmills are located all over the place in the area.... I actually marvel at them .... it is one of the best creations for power that has been invented ever.... when I go back out there I plan to visit one of the farms.... the farms is a collection of the Windmills in one area... more than at least 6.... I've heard that if you stand near them you can hear the whooosh as the blades turn... I'd like to sit and listen to that for a bit... it would be very relaxing...

other random things that happened while I was out west:

- one day we were driving around and noticed a transport truck was going through an intersection really slowly.... he was halfway through when the railroad gate things were coming down..... the gate got wedged inbetween the two trailers the truck was pulling and ended up being ripped off..... it couldn't have been that bad ... the gate was back in place a few hours later.... but it was quite funny to see at the time.....

- Spitz..... it's a name brand of sunflower and pumpkin seeds... the interesting thing about this would be the flavors they have.... yes I said flavors.... ordinarily there is salted and nothing else... well they have seasoned.... pizza.... dill pickled .... BBQ.... and of course salted..... yes I purchased some of each... I have yet to try them though.... it's a bit difficult to eat sunflower seeds while driving.... especially in snow storms....

- Rules of the road.... it seems that alberta .. ontario.. manitoba and saskatchawan all have a law that you must slow down to at least 60 kmph when passing construction... and any emergency vehicles (police, ambulance, tow trucks) it is a good rule to have I think...

- for some reason I have Killer Garbage on my notes of things that happened... unfortunately I have no idea what it reffers to or means... it certainly sounds funny though.....

- one of the most fantastic sites that I wish I could have enjoyed more was seeing aurora borealis (commonly known as the Northern Lights) I had just gone to bed and was peacefully snoring (I'm guessing at the snoring) when all of a sudden I the door was opened and the light turned on.... "Joe get up... come see this" ... well I somehow crawl out of bed and was turned towards the sky... in my foggy blinking eyes trying to focus on the sky... I see the cloud cover dancing before my eyes... it was fantastic but since I had to be up at 6am to drive to calgary in order to pick up Jessica... I really was in no condition to enjoy the site.... I'm certain I will get to enjoy it more when I go back

- I had a few outings to the bars... sadly it's southern Alberta so it's all country folk.... I didn't really feel at home... but there were some nice sights.... I shall look forward to interacting with them some more when I go back lol....

next up I shall begin the story of the ski trip.... this by far was my most favorite part of my trip....