The first year

When I was 12, Mum and Dad packed up the family station wagon and headed west to visit our McDowell cousins in North Vancouver. Unlike many events of my childhood, I have many memories associated with this trip (maybe not many as others would define many), including the day trip to the beach (the name of which escapes me) with Fraser and Stevie & Uncle Terry, who came equipped with a very fancy camera. All day long he snapped photos of us as we played, blissfully unaware of the lens. A few months later we received a slide show (those were the days of a simpler technology, sigh!) and an accompanying script, putting all of our antics in context. I wish the slideshow were embedded right here in this post, but although I have scanned all the slides and attempted to make a movie of it, I encountered some tech problems and have not found the time to resolve them. Yet. I have vowed to Fraser & Stevie that it will get done. The last photo of the series is this one of Dad. The angular profile, the stance, the camera slung around his neck... iconic. February 5th marked the one year anniversary of what would be Dad's last trip to the hospital. I think now how we went along thinking that this was just another hic in his illness. Not so. I will spend February reliving the markers that line the road to February 26th when he took his last breath. It will be cathartic.

We Burns children were lucky to have such a Dad & Mum.

For this I am grateful, every single day, I am grateful.

H a p p y

N e w

Y e a r

This photo was taken by either my friend Nicole Coulson or her husband, Lorne Coulson (who is also my friend). I'll have to ask their permission to post it here.

It has been quite some time since my last post (seems I begin each one with the same line...), and today, while David-Louis, Liam and Norm are at the Bodies exhibit, I am taking the time to update. I know, I know, I let the most obvious moment for a post pass me by, Christmas and New Year's day, but life's circumstances were such that it just wasn't convenient.

I'm debating whether or not I should publicly announce my New Year's resolutions. There are not many, and one in particular stands out in that it is annually featured on my list; I need to muster all of my self-confidence, put myself out there and set myself up for a bitter morsel of Humble Pie in the event that I do not succeed. I'll continue to ponder the idea while I write.

The weeks leading to Christmas were tough... As I did my shopping, I would come across a sweater, a CD or a gadget that would have been the perfect gift for Dad. On December 19th the Campbell side of the family gathered at Sonya and Scott's for dessert and carols. As we belted out the seasonal favourites, Dad's absence was greatly felt when his beautiful tenor voice was not among those of the Three Kings. Lord of the Dance was the hardest to get through... it's sort of the family anthem, and, as at Campbell and David's services, we sang it at Dad's too. On Christmas morn, Lindsay and Mom came to our home to open gifts. Typically Dad would have wrapped his carefully selected, very pratical gifts in the Saturday funnies and signed the tags with names of long-gone family pets (Cleo, Xerxes, Flopsy...) and former neighbours... A family joke. We miss Dad terribly.

The big news item is that Lindsay has returned to Bangkok, Thailand where she has accepted a term contract teaching eleven year 5 students in a British school. She will return on July 3rd.

Here she is posing for a good bye photo with Aunt Sonya and Uncle Scott following her "last supper" before leaving.

Prior to her departure, Lindsay was teaching English as an additional language and substitute teaching, mostly for her brother-in-law, or her sister. She is looking forward to having her own classroom, her own students and, the tropical weather will be a welcome change. Leaving the 'Peg in January means leaving three more months of sub-zero weather, snow and square tires, not really a sacrifice some would say.

Mum is doing well, but is still unaccustomed to being a widow. She too has chosen to leave the frigid climate and is going first to Perth, Australia with a friend, then to Thailand to visit Linds, from where they will both travel to Vietnam. Mum has been a loyal customer of a Vietnamese tailor, Tam, who, since immigrating to Canada, has raised thousands of dollars to do some rebuilding in his home town. The Burns ladies will meet Tam there and tour the country that has been the subject or backdrop to countless movies and tv dramas. Upon the completion of their South Pacific sojourn, Mum will return to Perth and will eventually head north to the 'Peg and reunite with us. FINALLY!

Her they are looking WAY TOO EAGER!

I doubt that either of them was smiling too broadly at FIVE AM today, the time at which they had to leave to get to the airport.

And so, life here will carry on... Liam and David-Louis will play basketball and refuse to pick up their clothes they have so carefully abandoned on the floor. We will continue to go to bed before they are done with the current day. I will continue to prepare what I hope to be inspiring lessons knowing I am up against stiff competition for my students' attention, and Norm will continue to encourage reluctant students to stay engaged at least for the duration of a particular assignment. We are fortunate to have wonderful perfect-in-their-imperfections boys. But then, we do spend a lot of time with them, imparting our "wisdom" and our values every single day of their life.

On a more troublesome not, I cannot give you and update on Sandy as he is AWOL. We have discovered, by accident, that he is in Winnipeg, but know nothing beyond that. I'm hoping this absence is part of his own grieving.

As a parting remark, after much deliberating, I will share with you that my New Year's resolution, is the infamous goal shared by millions; losing weight and getting into shape. I've parked the exercice bike in the living room, joined the CBC "Live Right Now" web site, and am emptying the pantry and refrigerator of the foods that serve only to sabotage my efforts.

http://www.cbc.ca/liverightnow/

If I am successful, the next family photo like this one,

I will not be as round and will be fitter. My first aqua fit class is Wednesday, followed by a yoga class on Monday. There comes a time when my health has to take priority over planning lessons. I have chosen classes that take place at venues close to home, and so the too-far-to-go excuse just won't fly.

I also resolve to read, write and draw more - oh, and play more games with my teenage children. Losing weight or playing parlour games with teens; which is more of a challenge?

So long for now. I will be back, so please stay patiently tuned to this blog.

Be well.

Shannon

So long Aunt Enid.

On Saturday, November 6th, Friends and family gathered in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba to say farewell to Aunt Enid. I was there with the three Manitoba aunts, Dawn, Sonya and Dilly and Uncle Scott. It was a beautiful service, officiatied masterfully by her own son, our cousin, Scott Campbell, and at which all four of her sons spoke lovingly of their mother. Aunt Enid was pre-deceased by her only sibling, Betty, and several of Betty's children travelled north from Grand Forks, North Dakota (or the environs of GF) to attend the service. Cindy, Aunt Enid's niece and god-daughter, spoke fondly of her Aunt reffering specifically to an album of correspondeance that Aunt Enid has left behind - letters exchanged between the two sisters.

Following the service and the interment, I felt I knew Aunt Enid much better than when she was alive. Perhaps that is too often the case. From all accounts, she loved to cook, and to eat - that is what each of the speakers highlighted in their comments. Nancy (Scott's wife) told how her m-i-l shared some of her recipes so that Scott would not be too homesick in their first years of marriage. She too professed much love and admiration for Aunt Enid. The surprise of the day, however, was that in the end, she was diagnosed with ALS. The devastating effects of that illness are well-documented. She and Uncle Craig certainly had late-in-life curveballs thrown at them (Uncle Craig was diagnosed with amyloidosis at the end of his life, the same dreadful illness Campbell Wrighte had).

The beautiful white rose pictured below was taken (with not only permission, but encouragment) from the bouquet that adorned Aunt Enid's coffin. The rose captures the simple beauty that defined our aunt.

Marjorie Enid (Née McLachlan) Campbell

"Aunt Enid"

(flanked on the left by her grandson , holding her great-grand-son, and on the right by Clive and Scott Campbell)

CAMPBELL, Marjorie Enid (Née McLachlan) -
In Ottawa, peacefully passed to her Heavenly
Home, Monday, October 25, 2010, age 85 years.
Daughter of Gordon & Olga (Lynds) McLachlan,
MacGregor, MB. 1948 married W.H. Craig Campbell
of Portage/Winnipeg. During 30 years with Caterpillar
Tractor Co. in Canada, USA, Colombia & Switzerland,
they raised four sons: Dean (Maria) El Paso, Texas;
Clive (Terry) Ottawa, ON; Scott (Nancy) Laval, QC;
Lee (Debra) Riverview, Florida. Cherished “Nana” of
Carlo & Christina; Ross, Ben & Phil; Stephanie & David;
Jacob, Emma, Albert & Abigail. Great grandmother of
Angelica, Jack & Nochi. Predeceased in 2007 by Craig,
Peoria, Illinois & by her sister/best friend, Elizabeth
(McLachlan) Folson, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Especially remembered for her strong Christian life
& service in her family, in her church & beyond; also
for her welcoming smile, her generous spirit, her
perseverance & faithfulness.

at OMEGA FUNERAL HOME, 83 Royal Rd. South,
Portage la Prairie from 11 AM until the service at 1 PM.
Internment at Hillside Cemetery, Portage. Instead of
flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army,
180 Henry Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0J8
or 220 Duke Avenue, Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 0S6 On a personal note, when I look back on the too infrequent occasions I spent time with Aunt Enid, I remember her vibrant voice, the twinkle in her eye, and her genuine interest in what was going on in my life and in Winnipeg life in general. She was truly a lovely soul. She and Dad will now be able to reunite the “Campbell Outlaw” team.

God speed on this your last journey, Aunt Enid

Meet David-Louis Burns Châtel

Mother: Shannon Burns

Father: Normand Châtel

Born: October 8, 1996

In full adolescence.

Interests include: spending time with friends, spending time with friends on X-Box live, spending time with friends at school, spending time with friends at basketball (either on the court or on the bench), spending time with friends on Facebook, spending time with friends at the mall, spending time with friends in our basement eating us out of house and home, spending time text messaging the friends that are not currently with him, spending time with his big brother but not admitting that he loves every minute of it, spending time with his big brother's friends, and spending time with his parents if all of his friends are otherwise occupied.

Pet peeve: not being allowed to spend ANY time with his friends, not enough food in the house, having to earn his keep, and lastly, a pet peeve he doesn't know about yet, when his mother writes about him on a blog post.

Photo courtesy of his Aunt Lindsay who was playing with her new iPhone and he happened to be in the way.

Back to school!

Hello cousins and other followers,

School resumed this week in our household - "back to school" means so much more now than it did when I was the student heading back, and even as a young, childless beginning teacher I did not appreciate the behind the scenes shake-up that it brings about; the sorting through last year's supplies, the trip to the store for the missing items, replacing the jeans that are now two inches too short (I know, they do have to grow), the centuries-old lunch imbroglio - what to pack, who will make, enough not enough, forgotten, etc...; the soon-to-be Olympic event that is "running-for-the-bus-while-eating- breakfast" and the inevitable "what do we do now that we've missed it?". I was oblivious to ALL of this (and perhaps, dare I admit, even a bit insensitive)until I had children of my own. Throw in a return to full-time teaching, and I consider myself truly enlightened. After only two days with my new group of students, I am optimistic that the year will be a rewarding one for all of us. Stay tuned, we'll see how long the honeymoon lasts.

Aunt Dawn, Aunt Sharon, Mom (Dilly)and Lindsay, are cruising along the Rhine, landing in various ports, and testing beer in every single one of them. Perhaps the locals will write a sea shanty about them.

I don't get many details, but Lindsay does send the occasional photo. Here's one of the most recent (it might help explain any loopy behaviour that rears its goofy head in either you or your offspring - genetics).

Dawn and Dilly "eating" giant pretzels in a tavern.

I wish they would lighten up and have some fun!

That's it for today's post.

Your photos are ALWAYS WELCOME!!!

Cousin,

Shannon

William George Burns

August 25, 1932 - February 26, 2010

"Seventy-eight years young" That is what Dad would have said when receiving birthday wishes today. I miss you every single day Dad, especially when life throws us curve balls. That's when the warmth and strength of your hugs would quell whatever was causing the preoccupation. We all miss you. Happy birthday Dad, there were far too few in my mind.

Mid-summer check in.

Hello cousins and friends,

Please forgive the prolonged absence... I wish I could offer up some brilliant reason justifying the inactivity, but unfortunately, it's really just laziness. Furthermore, I must make this entry brief as we are expecting hired help this morning and there is still preparation to do for his arrival.

So, in the interest of brevity, here's what has been going on under my nose, and I hasten to throw out an invitation to one and all to add newsy bits from their corner of the world.

• Alex Wright has moved from The 'Peg to the nation's capital to once again live with Peter, her husband after a two-year long distance marriage. It is our loss and the Eastern cousins' gain. I will miss Alex and Peter and Fraser, but especially Alex. It's kind of like watching my little sister move away AGAIN.
• Dad's ashes were interred at Brookside cemetary, right alongside David, on Friday, July 16th. Tears were shed, and rose petals strewn, but in the end, the family assembled for a pic-nic and the second generation cousins were able to spend sometime together, maybe enough to remember each other's name for the next time. As is often the case, we all agreed that the person for whom we were meeting - Dad, would have enjoyed the gathering more than any of us.
• Scoot Rees, Kelly Mckeag's eldest son, celebrated his marriage at the idyllic Granite Lake. Quite a few Winnipeg cousins were present. It was a gorgeous day!
• Sandy Burns is now stationed in Rankin Inlet and appears to be ding well. He works 12 hour days with one day off a week.
• Sonya Burns and her family spent two weeks in and around The 'Peg, but was happy to return home to Georgetown so that construction on their backyard pool might begin. HOW EXCITING!
• Lindsay and Dilly have spent COUNTLESS HOURS in the garden and are preparing for their European cruise. They will be accompanied by Aunt Dawn, Aunt Sharon and Aunt Pat.

• Lindsay is continuing her studies in the area of English as an Additional Language by taking a course on benchmarking.
• In previous posts I spoke of my job search and pretty much left you all hanging (I'm absolutely sure no one was losing ANY sleep over the unanswered question!) with regards to the outcome of the interview process. I was offered a PERMANENT contract with the Louis Riel School Division. I secured the job I held from October 2009 to June 2010, which means I will be teaching a 5/6 split. Few permanent contracts are offered in this economic climate, and so I consider myself very fortunate. I will be working with a wonderful team at an elementary school in my neighbourhood.
• Because of my new job security, Norm has been able to do many home improvements that have been piling up over the past ten years. He built an impressive patio in the backyard (with the help of Liam), is currently laying cork flooring in all three bedrooms, and built a couple of backyard sheds. Some days his walking is slightly tortured!
• Lastly, the Burns-Châtel summer has been dedicated to my post-ACL reconstruction surgery. We have not travelled at all because I am still on crutches and my exercise routine requires about two hours a day to complete. I'm keeping my eye on the prize: a "crutch-free" return to the classroom.

That's it for the update. Pretty mundane, i know, but sometimes a person needs a little bit of ordinariness in order to get ready for the next wave of activity.

Take care one and all.

Love,

Shannon Burns

Good morning everybody!

I am making an exceptional post (a weeday morning when I should be on my way to school!) because I saw this wonderful video on Canada AM. I am curious as to how people make their blogs so diverse, so here's my attempt to embed the You Tube video that captured my fancy. It appears as though Toyota is reaching out to consumers by tickling their sense of humour... have a look. (Once you've watched this, don't forget to read yesterday's post. There is VERY IMPORTANT info included in that one too.)

The job quest continues...

A few weeks ago I blogged/vented about my unsuccessful application as a high school Basic French teacher. Well, yesterday I interviewed for a position as a Middle Years French Immersion teacher with the Louis Riel School Division where I am currently employed. The Division is trying a new hiring strategy for the first time, and that meant that all teachers presently holding a term contract were invited to throw their CV into the ring and the successful candidates would be placed following the interview process. My turn was yesterday at 3 pm, and for the first time in my life, adult or otherwise, I prepared for it. I had notes, a mnemonic device to help me remember everything I had to say about the climat in my classroom, I consulted colleagues and practiced my delivery while riding my bike home. In other words, I managed to get myself in quite a lather! AND, it was thirty degrees yesterday afternoon, which made putting on form fitting underpinnings a real honest to goodness struggle and during which I may have pulled a muscle. I'll do anything to look good in a suit. I was in and out of the interview in thirty minutes, and managed not to commit any blunders, serious or otherwise. I've done my part, and it is now my turn to practice what I preach to my students, the art of being patient.

In the spirit of hockey playoffs (Go Habs !) I am posting a photo of Scott Rees who is Kelly McKeag's eldest son. Scott is assisstant manager at Winnipeg's brand-new Apple store. When Norm and I were in there, the place was hopping; Scott was deeply entrenched in an intense tutorial session with a kid who had brought his laptop in for a look-see. It was pretty cool to see Scott take such good care of this little customer. Here he is, long past the (NHL) drafting age, but in his beer-league prime. THANKS FOR THE PHOTO SCOTT! (That means one more post without a photo of the Châtel boys or my dog.)

Charaty's (Scott's finacée) brother Derrick, Scott & Charaty's other-brother Darren

celebrating the Buzzard's league championship victory.

Before concluding this post, I must correct some of the info I posted about our cousin Dean Campbell. He and his partners are accountants, not lawyers; but Dean, were you ever a lawyer? Our cousin Doug Campbell in Calgary once was a lawyer and he switched teams and became an architect, so you can understand why a person might slip up periodically... This is how Dean so diplomatically let me off the hook when I mistakenly identified him as lawyer

"...although after Enron and Worldcom in the mind of the general public that may be a distinction without a difference".

Who said accountants don't have a sense of humour? I posted a photo of Angelica, who would have been Grandma and Grandpa's first great-great grandchild. I haven't asked Dean his permission to post this next part, but it is a perfect illustration of how when some place is truly home one tends to overlook its shortcomings...

Regarding May in Winnipeg (my last post was mostly about Winnipeg weather), the last time I was there was May 1st 2002(?), I was at a large family gathering at the former home of Uncle Scott and Aunt Sonya on Wellington Crescent, and it was snowing in the afternoon! Roy Drewitt asked me just how hot it could get in El Paso in the summer, and I replied the highs could exceed 100 degrees F. Roy exclaimed that a person would have to be crazy to live there. I mumbled something or other in response and glanced out the window as the snow flakes fell ever faster, all the while wondering how many El Pasoans would regard living in Winnipeg as crazy. To each his own, but I prefer hot and dry to cold and damp. Dean Campbell, El Paso Texas

Happy long weekend everybody,
wherever you may be,
I hope the sun shines brightly.

Good Sunday Morning !

This is the exact moment in time when 'Peggers are lulled into a false sense of meteorological comfort. It is mid-May (even better than midway) and yesterday Mother Nature granted us a beautiful day. We've had a lot of rain & grey skies of late. I know, I know, the rain was badly needed, and the explosion of green is refreshing and desperately needed after weeks of the dust and grime that melting snow leaves behind, but rain to a teacher means indoor recess and mobs of children who's delicate sensors react STRONGLY to changes in barometric pressure (I am nothing if not adept in euphemistic prose). BUT 'Peggers should know better...Mother Nature has duped us before. THEREFORE I have vowed not to gather up the winter gear for the spring-wash-and-store process until July 1. And to those who will goadingly say, "sure sure, it is just procrastination dressed up in scepticism", I say "You try and sit through 3 hours of baseball on a chilly May-June evening." I will not be snookered and the fleece blanket, toques and gloves will remain close at hand.

This weeks photos are courtesy of the eldest Campbell cousin, Dean Campbell, number one son of Uncle Craig (#3 son of Gladys and Douglas) and Aunt Enid. When I was a little girl I thought Dean was extremely tall and, like his brothers, exotic because they were American. Our meetings were years apart, and at some point I realized that maybe he wasn't so tall after all (sorry Dean, but the Campbells aren't really towering giants!) but he does remain exotic because he is still and American, his wife is Mexican, they both have two degrees each and they have the first great-grand-children.

Thanks for the photos Dean. Stay in touch.

Eleven year old Angelica Campbell in a field of East Texas wildflowers

Our cousin, Dean Campbell in his office, looking respectable.

Dean and his partners, looking rather informal.

(I'm sure if you need a lawyer in Texas they would serve you well)

Dean with his wife Maria and friends.

PHOTOS WANTED!

Don't be shy or modest,

send me photos of your vacations,

children, pets, home renos,

I will happily post them for our

collective viewing pleasure.

Alex turns 45 in Venice

Wrights and Drewetts fêtent in Venice

Alex Wright turned 45 this past April - the 18th I believe, and to celebrate she planned a family vacation to Venice. She, Peter and Fraser were accompanied by Liz & Rob, Ashley and jeff, Lynne and Aunt Pat & Roy. What fun. Of course the less fu part was that their trip coincided with the volcano blowing its top thus putting a full stop to air traffic in the 'hood. Once again Mother Nature was reminding us just who is boss. Lynne kindly provided the following photos, but I happened to steal a quick look at Roy's library of photos, and I must say, there are blog worthy indeed.

I experienced some difficulty in uploading the photos Lynne had forwarded to me, but this file uploaded while the others refused to. I am an expert blogger until operations go wrong - I am so quick to jump ship it is truly shameful! I am a fair weather blogger. The end result is that only one of Lynne's photos would upload, but I promise to post more someday... I think we all get the "picture" though - it was a fabulous trip. Happy Birthday Alex.

Aunt Dawn in Anguilla

To round things off, I thought I would post the photos Janis McKeag sent me. Aunt Dawn was in Anguilla over spring break. They are wearing their Easter bonnets; Grnadma would be so proud!

Pip, Janis's husband is seen here giving Aunt Dawn a hand with his luggage. Pip will be back in Canada in July when Scott Reece needs a BBQ chef for his lakeside wedding.

I will sign off now so that I can tune into the last period and a half of the Montreal - Pittsburgh game. Go Habs!

Happy Mother's Day

Cheers Mums!

Aunt Pat, Aunt Sonya, Dilly,

Aunt Sharon and Aunt Dawn

on the occasion of the official opening

of Grandpa & Grandma's

farm house at the

Fort la Reine Museum in P la P, July 2009

And a special tribute to my own mother who has

always valued a good sense of humour!

Here are just some of the great

mums that make up our family.

Dilly and Sonya Burns Christmas 2009

Dilly and Sonya, summer 2009

Janis & Dawn McKeag, fall 2009

Sonya Wright & Lynne Arnason mum to Kirk & Thomas Wright

Summer 2009

Alex Wright with her son Fraser Marco Lyon, summer 2009

Ashley Wright and her cousin, Margot (Tallin) Bigelow

July 2009, Neepawa

Lynne Arnason & Thomas Wright, summer 2009

Kelly McKeag, Alex Wright and Colin Rees (Kelly's son)

Sonya & her daughter Livy doing a time-honoured

Mother - daughter activity; the rite of passage that is ear-piercing

Step 1: Signing the waiver. This is for REAL Liv!

Step 2: Sterilizing the lobe:

So far so good, right Liv?

Step 3: WHAT?!? THERE'S PAIN INVOLVED!

And always remember Liv, your Mum signed the

paper that gave the technician the permission to

inflict the pain upon you.

Step 4: Not so bad eh Liv?

And Mom was there by your side all along.

A Christmas (2009) gift you will have forever,

along with the knowledge that Mum's are there to protect you, always.

irony

iro·ny Pronunciation: \ˈī-rə-nē also ˈī(-ə)r-nē\

Date: 1502

3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play —called also dramatic irony, tragic irony

Curious as to why I would open with the definition of irony? I applied for a position as a high school French teacher, but was unsuccessful mostly because I do not coach a sport - it would be truer to say that the successful candidate will bring a lot to the extra-curricular table, whereas my sports experience is pretty limited. In fact, the past thirteen years have been dedicated exclusively to the spectators' side of the gym, and even at that I spend most of my time "connecting" with other parents (some might call it socializing, but I prefer the former). Hey! I've made important friendships with the parents of my sons' team-mates. That would be one example of irony - all that time spent in a gym and no coaching skills to speak of.

The other shortfall mentioned in the brief post-mortem I had with one of the interviewers was that the successful candidate uses "21st century teaching practices". I actually had to ask for an example of a 21st century teaching practice. Not a good sign. The answer? Using Blogs, Wikis, and Twitter (among other things) as teaching tools. Isn't that ironic? Here I am spilling my thoughts on this particular shortcoming on to what? A blog! I'm pretty sure I lost points for my lack of techno savvy. The truth is, using blogs in the classroom was not on my radar screen. Will I run out and sign up for a course on just that? Good question. I am curious as to how they are used to enhance teaching, especially the teaching of a living language, so I will do a little research into the matter. Perhaps then I will be able to make a more informed decision as to its value as a teaching tool.

The most valuable lesson I learned from this latest foray into the job market is that you can't leave the world of teaching for 13 years and expect things to remain the same. Now I hear some of you saying "Duh! Captain Obvious", but on many levels teaching does remain the same. One still has to connect with the students, one still has curriculum to deliver, assessing, evaluating, reporting all still in integral part of the job. It's the approaches that change. And parents are changing. I may one day come back and report something completely different, but that's what growing in one's profession is all about.

What is going in the world of Campbell/Burns cousins?

I received an email form my Dad's first cousin, Susan Smith from Edmonton, Alberta, notifying us of the loss of another of their first cousins.

Hello to my Crowe family -

A note to let everyone know that our cousin, Randy Strause (George Randall), Elsie's son, passed away quietly before midnight last night from a brain tumor.

Elsie would be Grandma Burns's sister.

A whole gang of Campbell cousins travelled to Venice to celebrate Alex Wright's 45th birthday (April 18th). They were of course grounded in the travel bottleneck that Europe became while the volcano spewed ash into the air. Hopefully one of the members of that travel party will share photos.

Norm (my husband) is in San Diego attending a Math conference, and was planning to hook up with our cousin Mary Naimish. We'll see how well they follow directions as they are supposed to take photos as well.

How many of you took the time to click on the link to Benjamin Zander's talk on classical music? I promise you will not be disappointed. In fact, www.ted.com is a great web site to find all sorts of speakers on all sorts of topics.

I will leave you today with a photo of our my boys (David-Louis in the very fashionable blaze orange tuque & Liam) and me with Dad in his last week at Riverview. Some might think it odd to be snapping photos of their father as he lay on his deathbed, but to me he was still very much alive and the moment was right.

Be well!

Love,

Shannon