Al Zylstra

My travels in the air never seem to subside much. I have just gotten back from my trip to Europe with Alex, only to turn around and hop on a plane to Edmonton.

This weekend was even quicker than usual. I arrived Saturday morning at 11 am and am heading home on Sunday at 4:30 pm.

It was still a trip that was packed. I delivered some items to the IRIS location in South Edmonton, drove out to the east end to pick up my niece and then drove to the West End of Edmonton to go and see my mom in her new residence.

It is about five minutes south from her previous nursing home and a world away in regards to amenities and care. This place is definitely designed to make the residents’ lives somewhat easier.

Mom seems to have settled into her new room reasonably well. She is still struggling with the world but, I can rest easier knowing that she is getting quality care.

I was able to visit with her again at lunchtime and we were even able to have a video call with my cousins Nan and Tjalline in the Netherlands. They haven’t seen or spoken with Mom in almost 12 years, so it was very sweet to have mom connect with her Dutch roots and converse in her native tongue.

So, you have 4 more chances to check out this fun, funny and wildly entertaining play. I am so proud to be part of this project . Tickets are available at the door. $20 for a fun night out. The show is at the Bernie Legge Theatre in New Westminster. The show runs until July 27. Hope to see you there.

The show is going well. We have an amazing cast and crew. It is in a great space and I encourage all my followers (yes, all 5 of you) to come and see this show.

The show has 8 more performances at the Bernie Legge theatre in New Westminster. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com or you can purchase them at the door.

I am very proud of this show and want everyone to see why I love live theatre.

So, Alex is FINALLY getting his second cataract surgery today.

And he looks happy. Doesn’t he look happy? Please tell me he looks happy. It could also be that it is 6:00 am…

And after waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes, here is the end result:

So, been a crazy busy couple of weeks with all the things going on. Today marks the beginning of a small slowdown in my schedule.

I have been the Green Room Manager for Granville Island Canada Day celebrations for a number of years now.

It is always great fun. I get to hang out with a very diverse group of street performers, stilt walkers, face painters, musicians and dancers.

So, Alex and I were honoured to attend the wedding of Scott and Sarah Berg. Scott was one of my bosses when I worked in the Barter Industry. He was also one of my crushes (grin).

He met Sarah a few years back and the magic was there for both of them. Alex and I were thrilled when we received the invitation.

It was a magical evening. We got to hang out with Scott and Sarah. We also got to see Shelly, a former colleague and Des, the owner of the Barter Company in the interior. I had forgotten how much fun these people were. I truly miss them.

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So, the 31st Annual Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival was a smashing success. I had a riot at this event. It was three days of absolute pandemonium but worth every second of it. If you have never had a chance to attend, mark the dates on your Calendar for next year – June 19 -21, 2020.

Over 5,500 people on 200 teams spent the weekend paddling their asses off around False Creek trying to be the best they can.

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This is the last race of the whole weekend. It is called the “Guts and Glory” race. There are 16 of the top teams (mixed) and they do a 2 km race. It is one of the most exciting of the races.

It was also the only race I got to see.

I am the Stage Manager for the Peak Performer’s stage. We had an amazing lineup of music for this weekend:

Before Jill Barber’s performance, we had out opening ceremonies – Dignitaries from all levels of government, corporate sponsors and representatives from First Nations and the Chinese Community all were present to pay homage and tribute to all the racers.

We had performers from the Chinese Community – gotta love the costumes. My boss was jonesing to have a picture with these amazing ladies.

The rest of the weekend was spent listening to music:

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The only downside was a slight mishap. In my zeal to try and get everything done, I tripped and went down on the bike path. Skinned myself reasonably well, too.

On another plus note, I walked my ass off…

No wonder my feet hurt.

My home for the next three days