Can you believe that the American League pennant race has come down to the Cleveland Indians vs the Toronto Blue Jays? Major League Baseball sure heats up in October, that's for sure! I can tell you, first hand, the differences between September baseball and October baseball are pretty astounding. On September 17th, 2016 I sat in section 181 of Progressive Field, in Cleveland to watch a game between the Indians and the Tigers. I paid $9 for that ticket. Fast forward to the second round of the MLB playoffs, and that very same single seat is now advertised for sale at $220. So, my pair of tickets, with agency fees and currency exchange cost me roughly $30. Now, if I were to buy tickets to this next game it would literally cost a mortgage payment! I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. It's right across the street from Progressive Field. Literally, it's so close you could forget your baseball glove, run back to the hotel and return in 5 minutes or less. I paid $103 per night. Of course, it's sold out already for this weekend's games, but I can bet you're not paying $103 either. Lastly, the souvenirs. I picked up a couple of game used balls, league coded and authenticated, for $25. It was a 2 for 1 deal. End of season blow out! Some of the game used bats were going for $50 a piece. I enjoyed the game. Great park. Great hotel. Great atmosphere. If you decide that this is the hottest game in town, and you HAVE to go, I'll give you a couple tips. 1) Wear good shoes for the airport. The connecting gate is at the furthest end of the airport in a long annex-style hallway. Gate 90 in Toronto, was pretty much in Burlington. 2) When you arrive in Cleveland, go downstairs at the airport and buy a ticket on the Red Line train. It's $2.75 per one way. (You need the ticket from the machine dispenser) The train is literally at the airport. It's so easy. It will take you 20-30 minutes and you will get off at the main terminal at Tower City. You are now a mere 5 minute walk to the stadium. $50 if you take a cab. 3) If you want a hotel at Tower City (train station) you can stay at The Ritz Carlton or the Renaissance. Expect to pay $400 a night or so, but, extremely convenient. 4) Eat out before or after the game. The on-site concession lines were long and the food was very basic and "factory" food. Progressive Field did not have the variety or gourmet options like I found at Roger's (Blue Jays) or Chase Field (Diamondbacks).  

Throughout my travels as being a hockey agent I have been fortunate to visit dozens of countries. And the question I get asked over and over is HOW IS RUSSIA? Generalization of the former CCCP would be the Sexiest Women, Vokda, Guns, and Oil. But that doesn’t at all cover Russia one bit. It would be like saying Canada is all about bacon, maple syrup, hockey and Anne Murray. To start off, and this is only my opinion and observation, Russia is kind of like the Wild Wild West in some way but still with lots of Military everywhere you look. Train stations – Airports – Hockey rinks, you will always see a military presence, and don’t get me wrong I do not mind it however some people are worried about the military being just about anywhere a large area of population is. Oh, and getting a Visa to travel to Russia is not an easy task so hire a professional company in Ottawa or Toronto to handle the details. Now to start with some real small issues that you would find different about being back home. Finding ice for your drink is difficult. Local people tell me it is because they feel the ice will water down their beverage of choice. When at the airport I approached a blonde woman for a taxi and she just looked at me like an idiot and basically said WHAT DO YOU WANT? So I scrambled to my pocket to pull out 1500 rubles (30 dollars) for my one hour cab ride. Plus there are very few,if any stop signs, you just don’t see them anywhere. Unless you are in a major city such at St. Petersburg you will not find English being spoken in many places, except nicer hotels and perhaps some restaurants. Then again if a Russian comes to Canada how many places will have Russian speaking staff? Having a Mexican lunch in a city called Vladivostok with some American and Canadian hockey players they summed it up really well. People don’t smile often and overall you get the impression that most people are gloomy or morose. Women of all ages really dress to impress with the latest fashion trends and the men are perhaps not really as interested in being on the cutting edge of fashion. You do get the impression that Russian people are far more educated than North Americans and they are very informed for example on the US Election. Most people are anti government and mostly say Democrats overall as the division in income is so different with really no middle income families. Interesting point University is free in Russia. Therefore most people do have a degree of some sort. And they will have a very defined degree not a general degree. Perhaps a bit of a shock is most people are not very religious as say American’s are. However they have more solid old school family values that we have. And for the US Election most Russians that I have spoken to find it very funny and overall sad as well. Putin has a current 88 percent approval rating so that speaks volumes. To close this one common comment you will get when asking a question about the country or a situation the local people will always say to me "THIS IS RUSSIA".    

The Brandon Public Library will host a public reading with award-winning author Craig Russell on Monday, October 17th, 2016, 7:30 pm. Craig will read from his newest novel, Fragment, published by Thistledown Press, and will discuss the art and craft of writing. For more information about the event please contact Shelley at the Brandon Public Library at shelley@wmrl.ca. Fragment | $19.95 | 9781771871112 | paperback Prominent Canadian science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer describes Fragment as “A wonderfully thoughtful eco-thriller from one of Canada’s best writers.” Praise for Craig's previous novel, Black Bottle Man (Great Plains Publications, 2010): “An extraordinary book. A story of profound love, of commitment to family, of humility, of grace under pressure; so rich with metaphor and allegory, depth, complexity.” — Nikki Tate, CBC Radio: All Points West Black Bottle Man won the 2011 American Moonbeam Award gold medal for Young Adult Fantasy and was a finalist for the Prix Aurora Award for Best Canadian English Novel, as well as for two Manitoba Book Awards in the same year. CRAIG RUSSELL, award-winning author of Black Bottle Man (2011), has directed a variety of theatre productions and his short play, The Unintended Consequences of Love, was performed at the 2006 Carol Shields Festival of New Works. Craig is a lawyer, and lives in Brandon with his wife. If you would like more information on Fragment, would like to request a review copy, or set up an interview/event with Craig Russell, please contact: marketing@thistledownpress.com Phone: (306) 244-1722 Fax: (306) 244-1762 www.thistledownpress.com

As in any industry, there are terms and buzzwords that are unique to residential real estate. When you put your home on the market, you should know what those terms mean. Here are definitions for the most common ones: Fair market value: This is an estimate of how much a specific home will sell for in today’s market, taking into account what similar properties in the area have sold for recently. Seller’s Agent: That would be me, the REALTOR® who is helping you sell your property. I would also assist you in finding and buying your next home. Buyer’s Agent: This is the REALTOR® who is representing the buyer of the property you want to sell. Pre-approved Mortgage: This is a statement (often in the form of a certificate) from your bank or other lender that states that you qualify for a mortgage for a particular amount of money. A pre-approved mortgage adds credibility to any offer you make on a new home. Staging: This is a strategy where a home is purposely prepared so that it appeals to potential buyers. Staging may involve cleaning, de-cluttering, rearranging furniture, redecorating, and more. Survey: This is a document that defines the boundaries and measurements of your property and any structures on it. Offer: This is an offer of purchase, in writing, for a particular property. Conditional Offer: This is an offer to purchase, but with conditions – such as “conditional on a satisfactory home inspection” or “conditional on arranging suitable financing”.

Now that the sting of the Brandon to Toronto flight cancellation is starting to subside, I've decided to put on my rose coloured glasses and try to make the best of what we do have left (for Westjet flights). I have done the research and compiled a list of non-stop flights from Calgary to potential vacation destinations. By doing this, I am highlighting just the most convenient destinations as you will only have one stop (in Calgary) from Brandon to your chosen destination outside of Canada. Some of these connecting flights will be with Westjet's codeshare partners, Delta and Alaska airlines, but you buy your ticket through Westjet and it's pretty seamless. The list is as follows, and in no particular order: Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Portland, Houston and Seattle. There are also non-stop flights from Calgary to 5 resort destinations in Mexico, including Ixtapa and Huatulco. There have been times that Westjet had non-stop flights to Maui or Honolulu, but I'm not seeing direct flights right now. Everything connects through Vancouver or LAX, thus making it a two connection flight and at least a 13 hour travel day, from Brandon. To further explore the possibilities on the one-stop routes, I've selected Seattle Washington as a destination. You can purchase a round trip, tax included flight from Brandon (YBR) to Seattle (SEA) for $500. Your connecting flight Calgary to Seattle will be through Alaska Airlines. The flight times are actually quite convenient. Leaving Brandon at 1:20pm and arriving in Seattle the same day at 7:25pm local time.   To add a hotel to this flight and make it a package through Expedia.ca you can stay for 3 nights and pay between $700 and $800 Canadian funds, per person (2 people traveling.) Now it certainly doesn't rate high on my bargain meter, but it's definitely and interesting option. (See sample screen-shot.)   If money isn't an issue, then why not add an NFL game to your itinerary? But since the Seahawks are a very popular team, and one of the best supported and loudest stadiums in the league, you should expect to pay $300US funds or more, per ticket. This is one of the most expensive tickets in the league. The other end of the scale would be a team like Cleveland or San Diego. You can pick up a ticket in their home stadiums for $50. Westjet will take you to San Diego, but not Cleveland. In the weeks to come we'll take a closer look at some of the other cities and highlight bargain trips to the west, when things become available.