A pleasant afternoon on Feb. 14, was spent at Action Now in the city, playing Norwegian Whist. Top score went to Joyce Luckey, followed by Linda Ard. Tied for third were Faye Goll and Nestor Fransoo. Tasty treats were set out with coffee for lunch.
The monthly meeting at the Do Drop In was held Feb.14 with 17 members attending. The outside front door has been repaired. The defibrillator needs a new battery and sensor, but will be looked after. A donation from the Lions Club was gratefully accepted. Information regarding a caregivers course and a computer class in Saskatoon is on hand.
The library reported their board meeting coming up Feb. 24 at 11:30 a.m.. Their circulation is down 19 per cent over the same period last year, so we must make better use of our library or hours will be cut.
Snow was removed from the roof and sidewalk at the hall, so thanks to the snow angels who pitch in for us. Borrowing films from Yorkton will be looked into now we have a screen and someone who can operate a projector.
Because regular meeting date is Good Friday, the April meeting will be held April 17, at 10 a.m.
Edam invited our club to their annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon March 17, so pay your $10 dues for the year and come join us. We get lots of free meals through the year.
Ideas for a summer trip were sought. They are always fun and interesting. Maureen will get information regarding hosting the monthly hall dinners. A lunch of various casseroles was enjoyed by all.
Don’t forget the Shrove Tuesday pancake and sausage supper at the Do Drop In Feb. 25 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The hours are changed from other years.
A few from Meota attended the beef on a bun dinner at Edam seniors’ Feb. 12 supporting Telemiracle. Later, games of cribbage and canasta were enjoyed.
The February shuffleboard tournament was held Feb. 15 with 24 players. Top score went to Cora Christiansen and Linda Ard and second were Eric Callbeck and Maureen Campbell. Tied for third were Jack Stewart and Vivianne Lesko with Juliette Blais and Maurice Bru. Three pairs tied for fourth place – Bev McCrimmon and Arlene Walker, Carol Dyck and Rose Delainey and Stella Rendle and Maureen Campbell. The break for lunch was a treat with three kinds of soup, along with salads, meat and veggies and lots of desserts. While shuffleboard games were playing others played Tile Rummy, Chit Chat or Kaiser or just visited.
Eric Callbeck and Gail recently took a trip to Yuma, Ariz. and Palm Springs, Calif., partly for pleasure and partly for medical reasons. Eric had some dental work done and both had optical work done in Mexico. In all they made four trips into Mexico. The lineups at the border through customs averaged 90 minutes. Bartering with the Mexicans became a continual game and they eventually learned they were not the easy targets they were looking for.
In Yuma, Eric and Gail met with six of Eric’s relatives for drinks and supper. Their choice of restaurants provided a good selection of food and a good platform for a family reunion. They spent two days in Flagstaff, Ariz., on the way home. They visited the site where a meteor hit the Earth at a speed of 44,000 mph. A crater big enough to house eight football fields and tall enough to hide the Empire State Building was created.
In South Dakota they saw many herds of antelope, one herd of 100 or more, and a few herds of white-tailed deer. In all, the 8,000-kilometre trip was good. The weatherman co-operated and they had good driving conditions. Most of the people they had contact with were congenial and made the trip worthwhile.
The Westerdam cruise trip, continued-
The cruise ship Westerdam went into port only once after leaving Hong Kong, where they picked up their passengers. At Koohsiung, Taiwan the passengers were allowed off ship one day, but refused the second. All ports in Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines and Japan were closed, and the cruise was aborted. So, they have been drifting slowly around the Pacific Ocean.
There were 1,455 passengers on board, of which 250 were Canadians, and 820 crew members. Once they knew they could not dock at Tokyo, they headed southwest down the South China Sea, and were refused entry at five ports along the way. Monday they were told they could dock in Bangkok, Thailand only to be told Tuesday, “no.” Feb. 13 they were told they could disembark at Sihanoukville, Cambodia the next day, which they did.
The ship stayed in port for several days while travel arrangements were made for everybody. There were charter flights to Phnom Penh, a bigger airport in Cambodia, and the people were unloaded in groups. They were allowed off ship and a bus took them to the beach. They encountered a dirty, dusty city with two miles of torn up streets. Vendors hawked trinkets among panhandlers, beggars, garbage, junk and dirt. All they wanted to do was to get back on the ship.
Holland America is paying for all extra expenses and refunding their cruise cost along with another cruise package offered. Because it cost $30 a day for Wi-Fi, we didn’t hear from them for the first week, but once it was apparent they were “going nowhere,” the cruise line offered the service for free.
This couple made the most of each day enjoying all the amenities the ship offered – food and entertainment. They were treated like royalty and loved every minute of it, but will be happy to return to their destination.
They started out from Auckland, New Zealand, but Tony lives on Vancouver Island and Joyce at Wetaskiwin, Alta.
Joyce and Tony are back in Cambridge, New Zealand. They flew in a small plane to Singapore then on a bigger one to Christchurch and then to Auckland. There they were picked up and driven to Cambridge. Their flight connections were good and they are happy to be back on land. They took every precaution on ship to keep to themselves, wash hands often and avoid unnecessary contacts.
