GM's Northern Trip, September 8 to 11

Day 1, September 8, Thursday, morning to early afternoon: Swan River, MB
This year's GM's Northern Trip started at 7:30 AM on Sept 8, Thursday. This is the annual visit of the Grand Master to the three (3) Lodges in his District, Northern Manitoba. 18 of us boarded the chartered bus at the MMC. Another two (2) passengers joined up with us in Dauphin.
The first stop was Swan River, MB, where we had a lunch hosted by Prince Arthur Lodge No 105. The Lodge Secretary, WB Glen McKenzie, who is also the Mayor of Swan River, joined us for lunch.

After lunch, we visited the Masonic display at the Swan Valley Historical Museum, where there was a lot of very interesting items on display.

Day 1, September 8, Thursday, mid-afternoon: The Pas Lodge No 124, The Pas, MB
We had dinner with the Ladies & Brethren of The Pas Lodge No 124. There were 51 Ladies & Brethren at the dinner so the hotel did not accept other customers at the restaurant that evening.

The Brethren then proceeded to the Masonic Hall for a Lodge Meeting while the Ladies went to have some fellowship at one of the Lodge Ladies' house.









The WM, WB Jim Metcalfe, and one of the Freemason sons of the founder of Lamb Airways presented me a copy of the book about his father, Bro Jack Lamb, and the airline.

We had a light snack after the Meeting and had warm fellowship to end a wonderful visit to The Pas Lodge No 124.





Day 2, September 9, Friday: Flin Flon Lodge No 153, Flin Flon, MB

On the bus from The Pas to Flin Flon, we had a very short special ceremony for the benefit of the bus driver. The "Initiate" was Lady Val Webster.









We then had lunch at the beautiful Rocky View Lodge in Denare Beach, SK, about 5 kms from Flin Flon. The lodge was right beside the lake. The view was fantastic and very serene.






We stayed for a few minutes to take in the very picturesque scenery.





Boarding the bus after lunch.

She's not really our bus driver, right?







This is Mike, our real bus driver, clowning around with the desserts.




We then proceeded to the Flin Flon Museum and got a close-up view of the statue of Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, an adventurer in "The Sunless City", a novel by  E Preston Muddock.

Here is one of the museum exhibits.

 The DGM, RWB Al Hadley, and his Lady, Carol, looking at some of the exhibits.

This will remove the toothache but will surely give you a big headache.

RWB Stano Spina mulling over the sewing machine.

All aboard the Grand Lodge train!

RWB Lyle Borgstrom is the one with the lovely purse.

This is the Lodge building, where we had a very sumptuous dinner before the Lodge Meeting.

A Certicate of Appointment was presented to RWB Craig Graham, PDDGM. RWB Craig is also a recent inductee to the Wall of Fame of Flin Flon, recognizing his service to the city.

Day 3, September 10, Saturday: Mystery Lodge No 174, Thompson, MB
We left Flin Flon early on Saturday. Breakfast was bought at the local McDonald's. It needed Lady Linda Spina to straighten things out so we can place our orders at the drive-thru (the orderers walked thru) and get them in an orderly manner.

In the afternoon, we attended and were received at the Meeting of Mystery Lodge No 174. RWB Walter Perpeluk was presented his Certificate of Life Membership in the Lodge.

Immediately after the Lodge Meeting, we opened Grand Lodge and conducted a rededication ceremony of the Lodge to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Lodge. We presented to WM RWB Jake Mohns with an Altar Cloth commemorating the event.


Here we have the Three Lights of the Lodge with the GM.





L to R: WM RWB Jake Mohns; the GM; and RWB Lyle Borgstrom.
Below are pictures of the Grand Lodge Officers with the Lodge Brethren and visiting Brethren.

While we were in Lodge, the Ladies were shopping (again!). After the Meeting, we went back to the hotel to prepare for the Table Lodge that evening.

 The meal was excellent and the Table Lodge proceeded thereafter.

The fellowship continued at the Hospitality Room set up by JGW RWB Stano Spina.

Day 4, September 11, Sunday: Back to Winnipeg
We were up early on September 11, Sunday, and had breakfast at the only local restaurant open that morning.
After breakfast, we said our goodbyes to our very gracious hosts and boarded the bus back to Winnipeg.
Of course, we had a group picture before leaving Thompson.
Happy to meet; sorry to part; happy to meet again!

I never saw the clam I caught last July. That clam will be a good reason to visit Thompson again in the future.

Here we are on our way home. We had a lot of fun throughout the trip. On the trip from Winnipeg to Swan River and from Thompson to Winnipeg, we played bingo and "Let's make a deal". Our hosts, JGW RWB Stano and Lady Linda Spina, assisted by Ladies Carol Hadley and Val Webster, did an excellent job.

On the trip back, I noticed some interesting hairstyles. Here are the pictures. 

We had a short stopover at Pisew Falls Provincial Park. It was a beautiful spot.

Here is our JGW, RWB Stano Spina, wearing some branches on his head to ward off the mosquitoes at the Pisew Falls.
Thus ended the GM's Northern Trip. There are a lot of wonderful memories. We met old friends and made new ones. Until we meet again ...