Nov 16-22

Monday to Thursday
Sunny but cool. We have spent most of our time rearranging things in our house. Rain Friday evening. Worked for several hours on the census references for my Canadian Kipp family genealogy. Walked 12.3, 10.8, 5.5, 12.2km. Biked 10.1 km. This was probably the last bike ride before winter.

Friday
Headed off about 7:30 am from Ottawa driving west towards Milwaukee, Wisconsin to visit our daughter. We took the 416 then the 401 and finally 402 to arrive at the Sarnia/Port Huron boarder crossing about 5 pm. The rest of the drive to Lansing, Michigan for the evening took about 2 and a half hours. Had a nice dinner at Denny's. Walked 5.9 km.

Saturday
The day started off foggy in Lansing, Michigan. As we travelled west and south towards Indiana the weather improved. We travelled around the end of Lake Michigan and took the Chicago Skyway through Chicago. We saw the "old" Sears tower pass by and then headed north to Milwaukee. Chicago was very smoggy, you could smell the air! Arrived in Milwaukee about 2:30 pm CT. Milwaukee has very unusual street parking regulations. Have a look at their web site. Went grocery shopping and took a late afternoon walk along Lake Michigan before retiring for the evening. Worked for several hours on the census references for my Canadian Kipp family genealogy. Walked 7.7 km.

Sunday
The day started off Sunny over Lake Michigan. Just before noon we took off on a drive into the north sections of Milwaukee and then out into the north country. Some of the "big" houses in Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and Fox Point are fantastic huge houses. They almost look like castles and must be worth several million each. We stopped for a Subway lunch at Saukyville and then headed further north to Sheboygen where we stopped at the water front for a break. The wind was blowing from the east and the waves were up. By this time it was mid afternoon so we headed back to Milwaukee. After a stop at the apartment we drove over to Lake Park which was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed Central Park in New York City and Eisenhower Park in Nassau County Long Island. We have visited all three parks. Central Park is still the best.
We walked for about an hour in Lake Park and viewed a statue of Brig Gen Erastus B Wolcott, Surgeon General of Wisconsin during the Civil War. We then saw the North Point Lighthouse built about 1855. Further along on our walk we saw the very ornate North Point Watertower built in 1873. We then returned to the car to go home for dinner. Worked for several hours on the census references for my Canadian Kipp family genealogy. Walked 6.0 km.

Nov 9-15

Monday
Sunny and warm today. Did a bit more on final yard cleanup. Next week I plan to put up my two short lengths of snow fence. We practiced our dance steps today. Our final dance lesson is on Wednesday. We think we might go on to level two of ballroom dancing. Did some more work on the Census references for my Canadian Kipp family genealogy. This is a slow but rewarding process. I do plan to update my Kip Family in America file but need to do a bit more work. Because of the new information I have added over the past year I will have to reduce the number of generations I put up because I am adding data on living people. Walked 11.3 km.

Tuesday
Sunny again today and warm. Worked for several hours on the census references for my Canadian Kipp family genealogy. Had the dogs over for a few hours in the evening while their masters were out. Biked 10.7 km. Walked 6.9 km.

Wednesday
Sunny again but a bit cooler. We went down to the cenotaph in Ottawa for the Remembrance Day Service. We usually watch on TV but the Prince of Wales and Dutchess of Cornwall were there today. A very large crowd attended. The weather was great and the service excellent. My two uncles served in WW I and returned. One of my cousins was almost set to go overseas when WW II ended. We went to our last dance class for Ballroom Dancing 1. I feel that we accomplished something. I can now do the basics for three dances (rumba, fox trot and waltz) and need a lot of practice on two more triple swing and cha-cha). Walked 8.7

Thursday & Friday
Sunny both days but cool. Thursday we spent the day shopping and running errands. Friday was taken up with yard work, putting you my two short lengths of snow fence, cleaning eves trough, and unpacking a couple of purchases that need to be put together. We also rearranged some of our curtains and put up one new curtain rod. Biked 10 km. Walked 11 km and 8.6 km.

Saturday
Cloudy with some rain today. Practiced our dancing today. The classes are over but we will practice a couple of times a week to ingrain the basic steps. Worked for several hours on the census references for my Canadian Kipp family genealogy. Walked 7.4

Sunday
The day started wet and foggy. Rained a bit. The day went too fast. I did get to an afternoon tea for members of the Friends of the Library and Archives Canada. Had a chat with a few people and munched some great snacks. At home we had our daughter and fiancee and their two dogs over for supper. Cranberry brie to start, salad, spaghetti and meatballs, and garlic bread. We were full after! Walked 5.1 km.

Nov 2 to 8

Monday

Sun and cloud today. Worked part of the day getting ready for our research trip to the State Library and Archives in Albany, New York. Watched some Lovejoy and Waiting for God. We went to a Monday dance session to make up for missing our Wednesday session. Different instructor and different techniques. Walked 13.2 km

Tuesday

Headed off to Albany, New York, today to attend a New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYGBS) Research session, three days searching in the NY State Library and Archives. We prepared a spreadsheet of items to look at from their online catalogue. We had about 100 items. Plus there should be consultations with the NYGBS staff experts. We took the Hill Island bridge from the 401 and I-81 to Syracuse and then I-90 to Albany. Took about 7 hours with several stops. We stopped at Cicero, New York (Exit 30) for a buffet turkey dinner at the Plainville Farms Restaurant. A great meal if you are ever travelling that way. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel about two blocks from the Capitol Building and about the same from the Empire State Plaza where the NY State Library and Archives are located. There was some rain in the morning but it cleared for a while and then sort of clouded in later. We arrived in Albany just before dark. Walked about 5 km.

Wednesday

A clear day, partly sunny in Albany, NY. Spent from about 8:30 am to 5:00 pm in the State Library and Archives. Took a break about 1 pm for lunch and had a walk in the concourse under the Empire State Plaza. We took about 427 pictures of document pages today which we transferred to our computers. Cleared off the Memory cards and recharged the Camera batteries. At the reference desk today I met someone I know from the Palatines to America, New York Chapter. A bit of a surprise for both of us. We attended the NYGBS research group banquet this evening. We had Stuffed chicken breasts with apple pie for desert. The speaker was Bernard Margolis the new NY State Librarian. Previously he was the president of the Boston Public Library. We had seen and met him before when we were researching at the NEHGS in Boston. His talk title was "Born April 21, 1818". The date refers to the NY legislature and the date it approved the setting up of a state library. Walked 7.7 km.

Thursday

The day started off with some light cloud. The precipitation started about 5:30 in the afternoon after we got back to our hotel. Lunch was at Subway today. We had a very busy day at the NY State Library. Elizabeth and I took about 1189 images of document pages. The camera batteries really needed charging! Went to a wine and cheese for the research group. If we had any snow in Albany we didn't see it! Walked 6.8 km.

Friday

A day with alternating sun and cloud. We headed off to the State Library for 9 am opening. The two of us took over 900 page images today. It is good we are not staying longer or we would attempt to photograph the whole library collection! . Lunch at Subway again. Had dinner at Kelsey's in the hotel. Walked 6.2 km.

Saturday

The day started off sunny in Albany, NY. We had a short walk in downtown Albany and out to the Hudson River before leaving for home. The drive home was uneventful and we arrived home about 4:50 in the afternoon, just before dark. We stopped at Plainville Farms restaurant for a turkey dinner at lunch time. Good meal as usual. Walked 6.9 km.

Sunday

Sunny today and warmer. A good to do the final yard cleanup. Went to Christ Church Cathedral this morning for their Remembrance Day Service. Went for a bike ride this afternoon. Biked 9.7 km. Walked 6.2 km.

Oct 26 to Nov 1

Monday

A little sun but mostly cloud. Cool. Worked on the Canadian Census to update sources on my Canadian Kipp file. Went and got my regular flue shot, only for those over 65 at the moment. Watched some MASH and Lovejoy. Biked 9.7 km. Walked 6.3 km.

Tuesday

Cloudy cool. Took one of the cars in for a checkup. Brought in the solar garden lights and turned off the last outside water tap. Worked on the Canadian Census to update sources on my Canadian Kipp file. Watched a DVD I purchased at the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. It was about 4 hours long, but it gave an excellent overview of the Kennedys. Walked 7 km.

Wednesday

Cloudy today. A bit of rain in the afternoon. Went shopping at the Bulk Barn today. Did some more yard work to clean up leaves and dead plants. Practiced dancing and then went to our dancing lesson. We reviewed the Waltz and did some practicing with music. We did well! We then had an introduction to the Cha-Cha. A bit confusing but we did well on this also. We are noticing that other couples are not picking things up very quickly. No one ever taught me to dance until now! To bad! Besides doing things as a couple it is also good exercise. Did some work on my Kip family files tonight, with the purpose of updating my web pages. Walked 7.9 km.

Thursday & Friday

Mostly cloudy with a touch of sun. Did some more work on my Kip family files tonight. Cut up and cooked a whole pumpkin. This gave us a very nice pumpkin pie and five bags of pumpkin to freeze for use during the winter. Watched some MASH, Lovejoy and Waiting for God. Walked 7.5 and 7.6 km.

Saturday

Rain today with clearing in the late afternoon. Spent a couple of hours taking down some old blinds in the living room and installing a new curtain rod and curtains. It looks very nice. Practiced our dancing: rumba, fox trot, waltz, triple swing and cha-cha. This is a good work out. I like ABBA for their music but we are finding their music is good for dancing. The rain and wind today has taken down most of the leaves, so tomorrow is a raking day. Watched some MASH and LovejoyWalked 7.8 km.

Sunday

Sunny with cloud today. Spent a couple of hours in the morning raking leaves. This is the last major cleanup for the fall season. Biked 9.7 km. Walked 6.9 km.