Life in the Fox Den

Time to Get My Shit Together

Wow a year and 2 months...........that's it.

Seems like a hell of a lot more than that.

A fresh start............ok a bit of a rant first.  Seems I have let a few things fall by the wayside....this blog would be one of them.  Don't know why I stopped doing it, I was having fun - time to get back at it.

Also managed to gain about 27lbs.......and not good pounds either.  3 more days and I am going to get that back in gear too.

Back to work and back to my same old habits........have already started getting that lined up we will see how it goes.

Have been ignoring (well ok not really ignoring more like long term hiatus from responding or contacting) my friends.  I am working on that too.

Let my CPD get backed up to the point were I have had to cram a 20hr course into 4 days.....that's enough of that too.

Brought my stress home and managed to let the kids get some too.......thats enough of that.

Haven't had the trailer out since August........that's enough of that too.

Now......don't get me wrong........things are good in a lot of ways too.

I still have the greatest wife in the world, my best friend and confidant and she has my back no matter what.  What more can I ask for, well I have the three best brightest kids in the world too and from me all they want is my love and time, and even that scraggly mutt Marley is a great little critter to have around.

Oh and back to work also meant new Jeep ( I will catch you up on that...........pretty sure I can bore you almost to death :) )

I still cook and have a great update for the Cookshack............you will have to wait and see.

Then there is the Hooligans...........Tennis, Basketball, Ballet, Piano, Guitar, Snowboarding.........its awesome to see them doing things (and enjoying them) more on that later too :)

Ahh then there is work..........what a series of craziness that has been, but I also kind of like it.......more on that later too.

Ohhhh, my brother had twins since I last posted. Too bad they are so far away, miss my family but at least they are always there.

I am going back to school.............imagine that.  Ok so I am going to take night classes for photography.......I really like it and I am mad I got away from it, time to give it another go. (More on that later too)

Then there was Jamaica.......wow did we need that..........wow did I love it there.........more on that too.

Its almost Christmas and the house is brimming with Christmas spirit........going to be a good one I can feel it............more on that later too.

Then there are all the other little intricacies that combine to make life what it is.........more on that too.

So I am going to leave you with this.............its a quote I read just the other day...........funnily enough it fits in what I am going to do with my life....or at least I am going to give it one hell of a try.

 

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.

- John Lennon

A Whirlwind of a Summer, Sudbury, AussieQ, QuadH

Wow.

 

Whirlwind for sure, seems that this summer was filled to the brim with trips and socializing. So much so that it has whipped right past our eyes and as I look out the window of my home office as I am typing this the tree across the street is showing signs of fall......that can't be right it is too early yet isn't it? The kids are back to school and life will once again take a turn for us out here, back to school means back to swimming, tennis, ballet, piano and quite possibly back to work for me. Yup seems like my vacation is over, 18 months ago I took a little sojourn to take care of the kids...........now with Piper in school half days it seems my respite is up. We will see how it goes in my mind it is somewhat bittersweet, I have had an opportunity that not many people (let alone men) get to have, I have been able to enjoy being at home with my children and interacting with them every day in all ways. While it was not always days of sunshine in roses, I don't regret a minute of it and will cherish the memories well into my old age.

But as usual I have sidetracked myself......those things have yet to come so we will await another post to reminisce. For now it's about what happened in the month and a half since the last time I climbed into my chair and informed you of what is, or rather has, happened.

There was BBQ's with friends, the Clarks joined us for a day of Hillbilly Slip'N'Slide and just general enjoyment of one of the few great days in Calgary's rather lacklustre summer.

 

 

Of course no summer is complete without a project or two.........not too many of those got done around our house this summer, much to Tammy's chagrin I am sure, but I did spend a day helping a good friend tear down his old rotting deck and replace it with a new one. Lou and Alex and I spent the day working away at the deck and also just generally enjoying each other's company.

Ahh and then there was our trip to Sudbury. It was 3,200 km in the truck and 3 days to get there. The kids and dog travel extremely well and the driving weather was pretty much perfect so the actually travel part was relatively painless other than a certain someone who felt the need to ensure I was awake but asking me if I was.............well about 1 time ever 5 minutes. Which if you work it out over approximately 30hrs at the wheel and there and back as well as 6 hrs to Wonderland and back makes for 66 hrs or 792 "Are you tired?".

The trip was full as trips to Sudbury always are. We spent a week with Tammy's Parents and a week with my Parents and it was a whirlwind of activity the whole time from Plane rides, to Quad Rides, Fishing to Fireworks, Steam Baths to Swimming Pools and of course Tubing, Waterskiing and Kneeboarding, A day with Steve, Christina, Brendon, and Anika at Canada's Wonderland. Oh and of course just general hanging with family. While the trips are exhausting it is always great to get to see family that we miss very much and don't get nearly enough time with. After almost 5 years we finally got to meet Tyler and Simon (Nephew and Cousin) and they all got to meet Piper.............being far away can suck sometimes.

Some memories from our trip.

 

Bass fishing

 

The fireworks we let off at Fairbanks (I am such pyro)

 

Just hanging by the lake

 

My Favorite Building at Fairbank Lake (The Steambath)

 

A ride in Uncle Steve's Airplane

 

 

 

Me carving the waves

 

Maybe I got a little cocky J

 

The boys having a blast on the Tube

Just hanging in the pool

 

When we got back I hosted the a Herf in the back yard. For those that don't know what a Herf is it is a gather of Cigar Enthusiasts to enjoy a good cigar and each others company. I belong to a group that has members across Canada and they came from all over to attend the event in Calgary which was two days, one at my place and the other at Lou's. We had over 30 guys from across Canada.........Calgary, Red Deer, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Richmond, etc. It was a great day and night here. We started around 2pm and finished in the wee hours of the morning. The BBQ was awesome if I do say so myself and it took 80lbs of charcoal and 15 kilos of Pork Shoulders (Pulled Pork), 6 Full Racks of Beef Ribs, 18 kilos of Chicken Wings (BuffaQue Wings), 14 Rack of Pork Ribs (SweetNSmokey St Louis Style) and about 4 gallons of baked beans to feed them all.

Then a few cocktails and sitting around the fire just enjoying each other's company and swapping stories. It was a great weekend and an event we are hoping to have annually.

That somewhat winds up the summer's events. Now it's on to the job hunt. Hopefully a few more timely posts as well. I am also back at my fitness with a focus more on weight training than biking.....hoping to put a little more muscle on my frame so that I can up my metabolic rate. The plan is to be on a maintenance plan by Christmas..........which would effectively make an entire year of getting me in the shape I want to and should be in.

Hope your summer was as good as ours.

Why how time goes by – Long Long Post

Seems like forever since I last posted on this blog......my hat off to Tammy, she kept it regular far longer than I have. I will do my best to catch you up. But I will warn you that this will then have to be a somewhat lengthy post as a fair amount of stuff has happened since June 16^th. Wow really it's been only a month???? Damn no wonder I am so tired these days all that happened in a month...........apparently my life can be summed up in a line from a Toby Keith Song "My body says oh you can't do that boy.....but my pride says oh yes you can". Well maybe to all of you it isn't much but for this young man it has been a full couple of weeks.

We have been here and away, I have biked and biked, the kids are out of school, I have loaded and unloaded the trailer, I have mowed the lawn, I have done the laundry, I have cooked food (oh I have cooked lots of food) we have had more kids here than an amusement park, this playdate and that one all the kids have had friends over at various points in time or all of them at once. We have entertained friends and planning on entertaining more, I have gone fishing, we have planned trips to the east to see family (can you say 3,204km of driving with 3 kids in the vehicle, a dog, and a somewhat nervous co-pilot?) Oh and then there are the 15 guests I will have here tomorrow night, then there is the family of 5 (The Aussies) that will come to spend the night on Saturday and then of course I also have about 30 friends coming on the 22^nd of August after we get back from Ontario. You know what.........I love it, Tammy thinks I am insane but it is fun for me.

I know the excitement is killing you but all in due time after all the book doesn't begin with the climax does it? Ok so my life is not really that crazy thrilling but this summer is going to go by in a flash if this past 4 weeks is any indication at all.

But lets not worry about what's to come, let's have a little recap of where we have been so far.

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Bow Valley Pkwy – Bike Ride

So Daz (Darren – Cheif Patriarch of the Aussies) has mentioned to me a few times about wanting to ride the Bow Valley Parkway. It is a tourist highway between Banff and Lake Louise that parallels the main highway but is restricted to 60km/h and is only used by people that are out viewing scenery........which of course makes it the perfect bike route. Full of amazing scenery on a well maintained highway that we don't have to worry about the sleepy semi driver doing mach 1 up the shoulder. Nope just need to worry about the distracted old blue hairs driving behemoth RV's while entering the early stages of dementia.

It is about 54km each way if you go right into Lake Louise which we did. There is plenty of elevation changes along the way but nothing that really jumps up and kills you, just enough to keep the ride entertaining and mildly challenging.

It was a great ride the weather cooperated with us, even though the weather network claimed it would rain. Wild life is well known to be along the highway and we were not disappointed in the least. Hell before we even got the bikes off the truck we had to wait till a couple of Mountain Goats decided that they would get their butts off the road. They were in no hurry at all either, clearly we were interfering in their space not the other way around.

After we had a look at the goats we jumped on the bikes and headed off down the highway. It was about 18 degrees and barely any wind, pretty much perfect biking weather. Daz and I maintained a pretty good pace on the way out but not really overdoing it either as there was the need to have enough energy for the ride back. Also I didn't want to risk overdoing it given that I was doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer 3 days later (I know glutten for punishment aren't I) as soon as we crested the first hill we were greeted by our next visitor. Seems Mr Elk was having a stroll up the side of the highway and we had disturbed him. This was a beautiful looking beast, the pic is a wee blurry as I took it on the fly, my apologies. He had a pretty good rack on him (never mind that look at his head).

Back to the ride. It is possibly one of the most beautiful stretches of road I have ever had the pleasure of riding. There is not one inch of the highway that doesn't have some breathtaking scenery at every angle.

And no I don't mean Daz's ass, that is Castle Mountain in the distance ahead of us, and that is about how busy the road was. We saw maybe 25 other bikers and no more than a couple of dozen vehicles, for most of the ride we were able to ride side by side and shoot the breeze. At about the 25km pt on the ride there were a couple of cars parked on the side of the road which of course means that there are likely animals about. Sure enough we had a look and in a meadow on the side of the road was what I would guess to be a 2 year old bear searching out food in the meadow.

 

We would have got a better picture but Daz didn't want to run into the meadow with my camera while I guarded the bikes against theft (you can never be too careful). Anyway back on the bikes we went, about 10km down the road we saw another (Daz spotted it) bear on the side of the hill. She was a bit bigger than the junior we had seen earlier, this was a big damn bear if I was to guess I would say she was upward of 350lbs.......definitely one of the bigger bears I have seen in my life.

We saw a few more Elk along the way as well as plenty of eagles cruising the thermals looking for food. Really a spectacular ride.

Combine a great ride with great company and you have the makings of a perfect day. We hit Lake Louise in about 2 hrs and stopped at the bakery for a Gatorade and a pastry then did the return ride. We hit one little shower that wasn't even enough to get us wet on the ride back and it was as nice as the ride out. We pushed it a little harder on the way back and had a bit of a tailwind that put us back at the truck in under 2 hours. After a couple of cold beers it was back to the city for the both of us. A great little bit of exercise and a fantastic way to spend a day.

Some ride facts.

• Avg speed – 26kph
• Top speed – 76kph
• Avg HR – 135 bpm
• Top HR – 168 bpm
• Total Energy Burned – 3,601kcal
• Total Ride Time – 3 hrs 48min
• Distance covered – 108km (map shows less but my odometer said 108 as well as Daz's GPS)

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The Ride for Cancer

How does one follow up a ride like Bow Valley? Simple, get on your bike with 1,850 of your closest friends and do a 220km ride through southern Alberta. It was a spectacle for sure and one that I was very proud to be involved in. Earlier in the year I was looking for something to do that would give me a goal for my fitness regimen and I stumbled (literally) on the Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer on facebook and signed up right away. After raising $3,500 for Cancer research (thank you so much to all who donated in my name, which was a pretty impressive total) I was set up to do the ride on June 26^th and 27^th. All these rides you have been reading about have been leading up to this one.

The ride started out at Spruce Meadows in Southern Calgary and went out to Chain Lakes Provincial Park in southern Alberta where we overnighted and then returned the following day. 118km on day one and 102km on day 2 in 25 degree weather without a cloud in the sky...........it was really quite awesome.

I got up at 5 that morning to be at Spruce Meadows for 7am and it was insane. It took almost an hour just to get the truck parked and my gear on the gear truck then off to the opening ceremonies. I spent the morning with Kirsty and her friend Jacquie. It was Kirsty's initial Facebook post that pointed me in the direction of the ride. And I have to thank Kristy and Jacquie for letting me hang out with them at camp, it would have been a bit boring otherwise given that I rode by myself and really didn't know anyone else at the camp. The opening ceremonies were actually pretty moving as they brought up a riderless bike to represent all the people that lost their fight with cancer. After the national anthem and some motivational speeches it was time to get underway.

This was at the start line, it really doesn't do it justice as there are 1,850 riders waiting to get going. Was pretty cool really.

This is my self portrait.........apparently I was grumpy J

No I wasn't grumpy but I was a bit nervous......dunno probably just the spectacle of the whole thing after all not every day you ride 110 km with 1,850 people.

Here is a shot of the first stretch. Again the picture doesn't do it justice; it was a sea of bikes heading up the first hill. I had decided early on to start near the back of the pack just to avoid being in the crush of all those bikes. I figured it was a safer bet to let things stretch out and settle down then I could set my pace so I rode with Kirsty and Jacquie for the first 3 or 4 km.

My first 20km were pretty exciting. After saying goodbye to Kirsty and Jacquie (they were both on Mountain bikes and not quite as fast as I was) I found my pace and took off down the road. Around the 10km pt we were passing a horse paddock (that is the right word I think) and the bikes must have spooked the horses as they burst through the gate and started across the road (about 7 or 8 horses) and they could give a damn about us bikers. I almost ended up crashing into a horse and a guy beside me they were that close........after letting them by and gaining my composure off we went.......2 km later I had the joy of watching some poor guy crapping in the ditch......nice sight first thing in the morning.

After that it was pretty much a straight shot to the lunch stop.......I think I underestimated my preparation level as I pretty much was passing everything on the road (part of that was I started in the back of the pack too so I had plenty of more casual riders in front of me). I was very happy with my progress and was enjoying the hell out of the whole day.........throughout the day I enjoyed talking to various people as we met up along the ride.

Lunch was at the 80km pt in Nanton...I stopped for a quick bite and lathered on some sunscreen and took on plenty of liquids. This was the lunchstop.

The whole event was actually very well put together and great care was taken to ensure the comfort and safety of the riders, I tip my hat to the coordinators and the crew that volunteered along the way. Here is a view from the road as I road along just outside of Nanton.

The sky was that blue all weekend and the temperature was actually a wee hot but manageable. I didn't have any issues at all in the first 85 km and felt great throughout the full ride. At the 85km pt of the ride was a brutal hill, 12km of up with two false tops and a couple of 8% grades. This hill was the doom of many of the casual riders and more walked it than rode it. It was a tough hall but I climbed the whole thing on the bike and passed quite a few people in the process, I think I am better suited to hill climbing than some of the smaller riders. This was proven out along the ride as many of the more seasoned smaller riders that I passed on hills would soon pass me on the other side once the terrain flattened out. After the big hill it was somewhat rolling hills and a little headwind for the remainder of day 1 heading into camp.

I hit camp at about the 4 hr mark and based on the number of bikes in the racks I figure I finished in the top 100 riders (it wasn't a race by any means but it was nice to be in the top of the pack) after racking my bike and getting some much needed water, a cold beer and a hot shower (in that order) I headed off to find my tent in tent city.

This was to be my home for the night............oh and apparently I was to have a random tent mate assigned by the coordinators.

Now where do you suppose someone else is going to sleep in there? Fortunately for me (more for whoever was to be my roomy) they didn't show and I had the tent to myself........not that it mattered I bet I didn't sleep more than 2 or 3 hours. Man what a horrible way to spend a night listening to 1,800 people fart and snore.........next year I will park the trailer at the campground and sleep in my own bed nice and comfy with my own cold beer waiting in the fridge (yes I know I am spoiled but hey creature comforts are important).

After setting up I went back to the finish line to wait for Kirsty and Jacquie to come in. It was pretty cool watching all the people cross the line. Here is Kirsty as she crossed the line.................good for her it was a gruelling hill climb and a long day (Jacquie ended up dehydrated and had to get a ride in by one of the sweep vehicles)

Here is a picture of the bike racks at camp to give you an idea of how many riders were out there.

The yellow flags you see are people that are riding that either have beaten cancer or are currently fighting cancer, it was pretty cool to see them along the ride I have to say I pretty moved.

After dinner it was time to grab some sleep (or what passed for it that night)

After a bad night it was time for breakfast and to get my ass back in the saddle. I pushed it a little more on the ride back as I was in a hurry to get home and have a nap (I was heading out to the Iron Maiden concert that night with my friend Alex and didn't want to be too tired) so after riding out with Kirsty for about 10km I put my legs to it and took off. I didn't stop at the rest stops or lunch except to take on more fluids for my water bottles and to drain my bladder. It was a good ride on the way back, there were more hills than on the way out but they were much more manageable than the beast of day one (give me many small hills over one big one anyday).

It was a pretty uneventful ride back but a good one none the less. After crossing the finish line I grabbed my gear and tossed it and the bike in the truck and headed home. The end was a bit anticlimactic but the ride itself was awesome and I have to say I am pretty proud to have been a part of raising over $7.3 million for cancer research in Alberta. It is the single largest fundraiser in Alberta history. Also I am proud of riding hard and finishing in the top 100 out of 1,850 riders over 2 days and 220km. Not bad for a guy that weighed 300lbs at Christmas time.

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Still a Metalhead at Heart

It was December 12, 1984 I was 16 years old and my leg was in a cast and I was at the Sudbury Arena watching Iron Maiden perform as part of their Powerslave Album Tour. Fast forward around 95,000 days (crazy I know) and there I am at the Calgary Saddledome and there is Iron Maiden rocking away. Apparently something you never out grow..........they were awesome, they played a mixture of old tunes and new ones and of course Eddy made an appearance.

I went to the concert with a good friend of mine Alex and his two buddies (turns out I knew one of them from ball) it was a great time (even if Heav slept through the show)

A couple of old Metal Heads enjoying the show J

Somehow I doubt that Maiden will be playing in another 25 years but if they do I will be there.

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Back To My Favourite Place on Earth

Yup it still is. Shuswap Lake Provincial Park just has that magic for me (and for the family too I think) it was just another great trip. The weather may have been a wee cool and rainy for the first couple of days but when the skies cleared it was 30 and sunny for the remainder of the trip. A trip filled with ice cream, smores by the fire, bike rides with the family, rollerblading, playing rummy, lounging in hammocks, swimming, sunbathing, and just all around good family time. 11 days shot by like a cruise missile and I am already looking ahead to our next trip out there. Rather than regale you with the details here are a few pics to give you the gist of our trip.

 

Our home away from home for 2 weeks

 

Braiding the Princess' hair (otherwise it would be a tangled knotted mess)

 

Drew just chillin

 

Enjoying the beach

We needed this on

My boy learned how to chop wood this trip, I have to say I was a pretty proud father watching him hack away. He did pretty good to for a first timer.

Some miscellaneous images around the park

 

Ok I am spent........hopefully that catches you up. Check Tammy's blog for a better description of our trip to Shuswap.

Now I am off to mow the lawn, get ready for the Herf tomorrow night and the Aussies on Saturday...........but that is for another post.

Hope you are all as well and your family is at least as happy as we are.

 

Thanks for hanging with me.

 

 

 

 

A Few More Miles, Amazing Children, My Favourite Place on Earth et al

No we haven't been hiding. Well I haven't been hiding anyway. Life just gets busy and between the food blog and trying to put together a website to link to it and trying to keep my training and exercise up and trying to get the kids where they need to go when they need to get there and spend some time with family and friends it seems that I have gotten a wee behind in my blog.

And if that seemed like a run on sentence good it was supposed to be that is what life is like J running on and on. But to be sure, I am not complaining things are pretty good around this neck of the woods. Well really good actually – while Tammy is still busy with work she is not as busy. We have had a little more time with family and friends which is also great. The kids activities are winding down for the summer so the evenings are a bit more ours these days.

The weather this spring in Calgary has been......well....shitty. Simple as that, really it has been. After 12 years I am well aware that spring has its ups and downs with regard to the weather but this spring has been unseasonal cool. We had a few winter storms (which is normal) but no hot days after to melt the snow and warm our spirits. In fact even now it is rainy and cool (although we did have a warm weekend). For a while the weather was really doing a number on people's spirits, it's amazing what a lack of warmth and sun will do to people.

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If you follow Tammy's blog (and you should) you will by now know that we recently had a bunch of (ok well three) recitals out here; the boys had their Piano recital and Piper had her first ballet recital.

With the boys I have to say I am completely impressed, gone are the days when piano practice was relentless plinking grinding out from the loft...........now when they practice it is music and often times it is amazing music.....I love piano music and it is amazingly cool that both my boys can make it. (If I sound jealous I am just a little – I would love to play – but one or two obsessions at a time are my limit). It is the end of another year and with that comes their big year end recital. It was awesome.......funny how I dread going to them yet when it comes time to sit and listen to them play in front of 50 or so people that I sit straighter and taller and listen with great passion. Those are my boys up there and I couldn't be more proud of them, they play with great pride and poise.

Last year Alex was recognized for being the most improved overall student in the studio. This year it was Drew's turn. He put together a composition (meaning he wrote a piece of music then laid down the various tracks to compose it) it was called "Rainforest" and it was actually a very cool well thought out composition, I was very very impressed. Apparently so was his teacher as Drew one the award for overall achievement and best composition, it is hard to tell he was proud of himself.............but I have to admit I was pretty damn proud myself.

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Then there is Piper, it was her yearend Ballet Recital. After enduring countless hours of her daily home practice, no really I mean countless hours almost every day she will set up the music player and whirl around the main floor to various pieces of music from Sleeping Beauty to Swan Lake from Chopin to Mozart, Disney Ballet, Nutcracker, Aladdin, Cinderella for endless hours. Don't get me wrong what I am trying to convey is my amazement to her commitment, trust me I would much rather here the music than listen to the TV and hear another episode of Johnny Test. Ok back to the point at hand, Tammy has been taking Piper to ballet every Saturday for a year now and this was the culmination of all that. Now I didn't know what to expect.......but what I got was a hall filled with oh say 700 people and a very professional dance recital was put on. Piper was second to last of a 3 hour (maybe a little less) show so we had to endure many dances before that, the boys and I sat respectfully through them all (Tammy was backstage) which is more than I can say for a lot of the kids and some of the adults, I wonder were respect and common decency has gone (I actually had to ask one couple to stop talking during the performances). All was forgotten when my Princess took the stage though.......even as I type this I am getting a little choked up.....this whole daughter thing never ceases to amaze me. She was breathtaking, she was in her element, and even an accidental bump from one of her classmates couldn't distract her from the task at hand. It was a pretty cool moment. The top for me was being able to take her hand as she came down the stage stairs and present her with a dozen roses for her performance – she was beaming ahhhhhhhh if only all the moments in their lives will be like these. I hope to keep moments like these etched in my memory........my Princess.

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My favourite place on earth (so far)

I might not be that well travelled but I do know what I like and for me my little slice of Heaven is Shuswap Lake Provincial Park in BC. It is a large (250 plus sites) campground that is chalk full of families and other like minded weekend warriors. The set up is such that each site is somewhat private (large trees separate each site from view) yet the road ways in the park are paved and well maintained (perfect for the kids to bike, scooter, rollerblade – whatever) the weather is somewhat predictable and the amenities are just right.......not too much to take away from that camping feel but not really roughing it. Add to that 3 hammocks, 5 bikes, one 35 ft rolling cottage, 4 pairs of rollerblades, 3 scooters, one overly possessive dog, 3 great kids, one beautiful wife and you have a recipe for the perfect get away.

I love taking out the trailer, set up and tear down is never work to me, it's part of the journey. Picking the spot for the hammocks, clothes line, woodpile, where to put the bikes, tucking the trailer in as best spot as it can go, setting the chairs around the fire pit all of it tell me of great relaxing days ahead with the people I love to spend my time with. That is pretty much the case wherever we go but Shuswap has that extra special part. Part of it is that it reminds me of the place I grew up camping (Grundy Lake Provincial Park) the sites have the same feel to me, just private enough to be enjoyable but not really roughing it and a place that is conducive to families, the kind of place where your kids can venture out on their own for a couple of hours and you don't immediately start an all out search for them. Now wrap that in a lake that is nestled in-between 3 mountains in the interior of BC, that seems to have great weather, a wonderful stretch of beach that the kids can fully enjoy, an ice-cream stand within a 15 minute walk (or 5 minute bike ride), plenty of trails to ride, walk, rollerblade or whatever on. We have been going to Shuswap for 12 years almost every year lately we have been going twice a year (ok well lately as in this year and last year). This trip some friends of ours joined us for part of the trip and it was great to have them. Louis, Alice and Cole joined us for the weekend and we had a great weekend of biking, smores, fireside chats, games etc. Here are a couple of images of the weekend.

Piper and Cole enjoying some hammock time.

 

Lou and Alice by the fire (oh and Marley enjoying some attention)

 

The entrance to the beach area (enticing isn't it?)

 

Piper and Drew Enjoying the Sun and Sand (its May by the way)

 

Oh and Alex Enjoying? (the water was frigid) a Swim

 

We had a pretty big (or at least loud) Thunderstorm one night........guess who is afraid of them.

Enjoying the park

What camping trip would be complete without Hot Dogs on the Fire

 

Fire at night

 

Can't wait for June 30^th when we get to go for 12 nights.

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A Few More Miles

With the Ride to Conquer Cancer coming up I am trying to squeeze in as many rides as I can but between the Camping Trip and the crappy weather here in Calgary it has been tough but I did manage to get in 3 half decent rides this past 2 weeks.

Out at Shuswap I brought my road bike hoping for an opportunity to get out for a couple of hours. That opportunity presented itself and off I went. I took a right turn and headed down the lake to see if I could find the end of the road. It was quite a bit more hilly than I expected given that it was a lakeside road.......I guess given that the lake is surrounded by mountains I should not have been that surprised. The weather was perfect (around 20 degrees) and the view was even better, the lake was on my right hand side and mountains and mountain meadows on my right. I passed through small villas (not even really towns) Celista and Anglemont. A lot of the lakeshore has summer homes on it but there are still good stretches of just nice lakefront too. I pushed it hard on the ride both not wanting to be gone from the family too long and also wanting to get as much out of the ride as possible.

 

Ride Facts

• Total Distance 68.7km
• Avg speed 30.5 kph
• Top speed 65.3 kph
• Energy burned 2,350 kcal
• Total ride time 2hr 50min
• Avg heart rate 138 bpm
• Max heart rate 165 bpm

This was a pretty good ride, mind you I had lots of down time before and my eating was different so my energy load was very high. I think the elevation is significantly lower than Calgary (1,100ft vs 4,000ft) as well which would increase oxygen levels.

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Quick 50 on July 12

We were having friends over so I didn't want to be gone too long but I also wanted to get in a ride so I jumped on the bike and hit the road. Somewhat different route in an area I have covered lots of. I did the jaunt out to Bearpaw rd and took it out to 567 and then back up Lochend. So similar to the Big Hill Springs route that I do but I cut about 30km off of it. This was completely a purpose ride so just blasting down the highway and working the hills (this route is pretty much all hills) it was a nice quick ride that did its job and got my legs and heart working.

 

Ride Facts

• Total distance 51.8km
• Total ride time 1 hr 50 minutes
• Top speed 77.3 kph
• Avg speed 26.2 kph
• Total energy consumed 2,049 kcal
• Avg heart rate 143 BPM (man I was working hard)
• Max heart rate 162 BPM

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Dead Legs and 70km

So my intent on this day was to hit 100km............so much for intent. I knew I was in trouble before I hit the 30km point. My legs were dead and I didn't have any energy. Couldn't figure it out.......I did however spend the entire next day down with some sort of stomach virus.........seems I figured it out. I did however muscle my way through 70km and after doing the 50 the day before I figured all in all that wasn't horrible. The route was similar to the Big Hill Springs Cochrane hill climb other than I chickened out on the Cochrane hill and added some BearsPaw road estates areas. I stopped at my normal stopping point which is a little road side turnout that is semi private from the road, had a drink and a power bar. Well I think that the smell of the power bar attracted the cows as a bunch of them moseyed on over to the fence and were watching me intently. When I went over to take the picture they kind of spooked and took off.

When I finished my bar and turned back to get on the road they were all standing by the fence again looking at me, it was kind of funny (guess you had to be there) anyway I said good by to the BBQ and headed back on the road.

This ride was all will I had little energy and I was not having fun. The weather was gorgeous 27 and sunny (pretty good wind but oh well I am getting used to it) but I had a hard time, the stomach virus explains a lot.

Anyway here is the 70km I did and it was good to do 2 days back to back......that added an interesting dynamic. I still think I am ready to go, in fact I am doing a 120km pleasure ride the Tuesday before the 210km ride for cancer so I guess I am good to go. The 120 is Banff to Lake Louise on the old Bow Valley Pkwy, I will bring Alex's camera and try to get lots of pictures. Daz will be joining me for the ride, should be a blast.

Ride Facts

• Total distance 70.3km
• Ride time 2:50
• Avg speed 23.8 kph
• Max speed 68.9 kph
• Avg heartrate 135 BPM
• Max heartrate 161 BPM
• Total Energy consumed 2,531 Kcal

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What else is going on.

Well we had some friends over for a great BBQ on the 12^th check the CookShack blog for an update on that feast..........it was a little insane (Just the way I like it)

Went to a great Scotch tasting even at Kensington Wine Market and adjourned for some camaraderie and a cigar at Lou's place (more affectionately known as Casa Chewy) it was part in celebration of Daz's (Darren) 40^th Bday seeing as I was out of town for his party. Here is Daz enjoying a cigar, sorry about the dark, no flash on the Iphone.

 

 

Other than that it is business as usual, that should get me caught up for now, hope you enjoyed.

Take care.

 

Somewhere Over The Rainbow – 80km Away

I know I know it's tacky...........but it's true. I spent most of the evening last night outrunning a storm, but I am getting ahead of myself. Let's see what has been going on. Oh yah well it was May long recently and we had a rather busy one. First off seems Uncle Fur (my brother Christopher to the normal population) paid us a short notice visit. It was great to see him and he spent the afternoon and night with the boys and I celebrating Alex's Birthday with Boys Night............what is Boys Night? Well I am glad you asked; it is an evening of gluttony really and staying up late watching movies and playing video games while downing pop, milkshake floats, salt & pepper chicken wings, Buffalo Creole Wings, and about 5 different kinds of chips. In fact we even started it off by heading off to the movie theatre to catch Iron Man II and had some popcorn and slushies there as well. All in all it was a great way to kick off the long weekend, the boys had a blast seeing their Uncle again and I have to admit I miss the big lug.

 

On to Saturday, another busy day as we were invited over to friends' house for a BBQ with the kids, we headed out around 4pm and didn't get back till after 10pm. The food and hospitality were great we had a wonderful smoked roast of beef with all the trimmings. Seems my nutrition plan has taken a bit of a beating the last few days, but I can adjust it just means more miles in the saddle.

Sunday, ahh the day of rest.........well no not really. Sunday was put up the dog fence (Marley has had his last days of burning up the lawn) oh and of course there was the small matter of another BBQ to attend to. Yup seems we were spoiled this weekend by great friends, packed up the kids and it was off to have Steak and Lobster as well as more superb company and hospitality. Hell we even convinced them to join us up in Shuswap next weekend.............can't wait seems I might have some fireside company besides Marley for this trip.

Monday was a little slower around here, well at least food wise. Wait wait no no it wasn't. Seems it was Alex's postponed Birthday Dinner. We have a tradition that on your birthday you can have any meal that you want, Alex decided on Burger & Fries (Papa's homemade Burgers & Fries) sure makes me feel good that they would rather have something that I cook rather than go out. So Monday was a day spent making food, Burgers, Fries, Ice Cream Cake and then on to the eating of it all. It is a wonder that I don't weigh 10 lbs more than I did at the beginning of the weekend. If you want the specifics on what and how I made em head over to the CookShack they are (or will be soon) posted up there.

Tuesday saw the return of normalcy, back to school for the kids, back to work for Tammy and back to trying to keeping the peace and being of good behaviour for me oh and some exercise.

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SATURDAY's RIDE – 76km

I managed to get out Saturday morning for a quick ride to Cochrane and back. It was actually a pretty good ride, that damn hill is just crazy though; I still managed the climb without stopping and from my perspective that is pretty amazing. It was a pretty uneventful ride and rather cool. I did see a moose though at about the 60km point he was eating in a marsh beside the road. If I had to guess I would say that it was last year's calf, looked in pretty good shape, buy the time I got my Iphone out he decided he had had enough of me watching him so you can barely make him out in the picture but for your viewing pleasure I put it up anyway.

Ride facts

• Total distance 76.4km
• Ride time 3:32
• Avg Speed 21 kph
• Top Speed 70 kph
• Total Energy 2,467 kcal
• Avg HR 135 bpm
• Max HR 155 bpm

 

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TUESDAY'S RIDE - Airdrie to Big Hill Springs

 

Well I was tiring of the route through Big Hill Springs so I decided to head north instead of west for a change of pace. This route took me out past Balzac to Airdrie which is just north of Calgary. The total ride was 75.2 km and was pretty challenging, longer hills than a killer short one. I pushed it a little harder as well, mostly because there was a rain storm that was trying to catch me and I was barely staying ahead of it. In fact when I headed back west it was just to the south of me and with the sun shining it caused a what........yup a rainbow.......was pretty cool to see.

 

 

There was no pot of gold at the end that I could see but it was a nice interlude on my ride. Other than that it was a good ride if not a little tougher, I was pushing my pace a bit to see if I could get 100km before it got too dark to ride, no such luck..........between the dark and the cold I headed in at the 75 km mark.........thats ok was a good ride, and hell I did 2 hours on the elliptical on Monday so between Saturday and Tuesday I have burned just over 7,200kcal in exercise (2 lbs of mass)

 

 

Ride facts

• Total distance 75.4km
• Ride time 3:09
• Avg Speed 23.5kph
• Top Speed 69.5 kph
• Total Energy 2,751 kcal
• Avg HR 146 bpm
• Max HR 167 bpm

 

That about covers the last few days...............weather is supposed to be crappy here for the remainder of the week through the weekend (I even heard snow again) so probably no outside rides L

 

See you on the other side

 

 

A Decade Already? – Battery Powered – Miscellaneous Fit Stuff

 

It is incredible when I think about it. A decade ago

• Y2K is nothing more than another New Years
• Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft
• Charles Shultz (Creator of Charlie Brown) dies
• The Dot Com bubble burst and Dot Boom was born
• Israel removed its troops from Lebanon after 22 years of occupation
• The first human crew arrives at the International Space Station
• The French Concorde crashed signalling the end of Super Sonic passenger flights

 

Funny I don't remember much of any of those; the event that strikes me is the birth of a little boy. My little boy (well technically ours – Tammy and I) but for now I will say my. 10 years........I can't believe it, I don't even know where to begin I remember so many many things.

 

• Trucks in the window
• That first ride without training wheels
• Monster Jam at 2 years old absolutely amazed (we have gone every year since – probably more for my nostalgia than the boys wanting to)
• Fishing with Papa
• Flying home with Mom
• Uncle Fur's big "Gruck"
• A certain "Zipper Incident"
• Sleeping on my chest for hours (wish this could still happen once in a while)
• Our first camping trip together

 

I could go on for pages............what scares me is what I have forgotten, because I don't want to forget one second because I am afraid that I will close my eyes and you will be a grown man that doesn't need his meddling Papa anymore. For now though you are my tussle headed boy, with an enquiring delightful mind, a charming sense of humour, a voracious appetite, a truly empathetic soul and that spark in your eye. I will lock every minute I can into my memory. Happy Birthday Alex.............10 years wow.

 

It's funny because when I look at him I see so much of myself, yet he is his own person to compare him to myself is a discredit to the wonderful human being he is and that he will continually become.

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Battery Powered??

What is the world coming to these days. I know this may not seem as a big deal to many of you but to me it was colossal (ok maybe I need to get out more). Last year my mower really started to go downhill; compression was so bad that it would stall if it hit a leaf, a sheer pin was gone on the blade shaft that I replaced with a McGivered Alan Wrench, it needed a spring clamp to keep the grass catcher on, I carried a standard screw driver to reset the throttle as it vibrated so bad it would back out and slowly decelerate, I carried a 15mm wrench to tighten the handles as they came apart under vibration, the side chute was duct taped as there was a large hole that grass would shoot out of..............other than that it was good.

So when HomeDepot had its trade in program this year I knew that the old girls days were numbered. What I didn't know was that the trade in program was for "EcoFriendly" mowers only................my immediate thought was....."I wonder what gas mowers they have that are EcoFriendly?" The answer is simple, None.

Now for those that know me you will know that I am somewhat partial to the power provided by fuel engines, my mower is gas, my leaf blower is gas, my trimmer is gas..............are we sensing a trend? I mean seriously and electric mower..........I had flashbacks of the old Avacodo green and white lawnmower that my Uncle had and me running over the cord (ok maybe a few times) maybe I am smarter than that now (doubtful) but electric. By city standards I have a very large lawn, how would this work.........then I found out they had cordless ones...........great battery powered I can just imagine, three passes then nothing..........time to go to the charger. But $150 off a new mower is nothing to walk away from so I did a little research and guess what................

 

Yup there it is a 24volt cordless lawnmower. I have to say I was pretty paranoid because after all if it doesn't handle my yard I am hooped. I suppose I could have returned it. After charging it overnight (15 hr charge) I pulled it out of the garage and went at it.

I'll be damned if it didn't work like a charm. It is a fair bit heavier than my gas mower (which is fine with me more exercise) but other than that it is quieter (ok well most anything would have been quieter than my old mower. But it is seriously quiet, as in you could have a conversation while it was running. It cuts great, it bags wayyyy better than my old mower did even when it was new. Power?, not an issue the whole lawn and front with 75% charge still showing on the gauge, now the lawn isn't as thick as it will be but still I think it will easily handle it. Technology sure has come far from the old flip handled extension dragging unit of days gone by. And hey it's a little better for the environment too, I won't pretend that I am green yet, but a little bit can't hurt.

It was only the first tour but I have to say I am impressed.

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I Am Still Riding

I know I know, you were hoping I would stop regaling you with the exciting tales of my fitness exploits. Nope, no such luck. I just had some other things to say, but I am still at it.

May 12 – Ride

As the weather has improved a bit in Calgary and the Ride is looming closer I decided to hit a bit of a longer ride. My largest ride (non stop) had been 63 km and I figure it was time to amp it up. So I picked out an 83 km loop and was off.

In general this was a pretty great ride for the first half my avg speed was way up and the weather was awesome. I did the first 30km without even really noticing. I was concentrating on hydration as well being sure to take in water about every 15 minutes (more to get in the habit for the Ride) and I also chowed down a power bar at the 42km point. Speaking of the 42km point that is where things turned. I was riding in the evening and when I left it was 18 degrees and sunny. So naturally I was in shorts and a bike shirt.......well in Calgary when the sun goes down so does the mercury and the temperature plunged down to about 7 or 8 and the wind picked up a bit. If that wasn't enough I probably have forgotten to mention the Cochrane Hill. I mean this is a killer, 6km of 6 degree grade. A juggernaut of a hill in my mind. Well I made it, I didn't stop and I made it to the top, a great accomplishment in my mind especially with 52km already on my legs. The rest of the ride was good but a little cold. Some details as per normal.

• Avg Speed 24.2 kph
• Top Speed 65.4 kph
• Total distance 84.3 km
• Elevation change 581 metres (1,906 ft)
• Total Energy 2,736 kcal
• Total Ride Time 3:18 (looks like I can do 100k in sub 4 hours)

May 14 – Run

Went on a road trip to Vancouver and we overnighted in Revelstoke to break up the trip. Seeing as I didn't bring my bike I figured a little run couldn't hurt to keep things in motion.

So I got up early geared up and did a little 5km through Revelstoke (not much of a town)

No real stats other than about 600kcal burned

 

May 15 – Run

Day two of the weekend. This run is probably a little more interesting only from a sheer stupidity aspect. We went out to meet some friends and I had a few drinks........well ok a few too many to be fair..........well ok to be fair more than a few too many. Suffice it to say that when I got back to the hotel at 12:30 that I was impaired. As we had a big day planned the next day I was remiss to go to sleep and wake up very hung over, so in my infinite wisdom I decided to go for a little run. Get on all the gear and off I go running into the Richmond, BC night......not a clue where I am going....good thing the iphone new where the hotel was. The first 4 to 5 km were pretty tough to keep going in a straight line but then I hit a groove and was ambling happily through the suburbs. In all it was just over 16km and in hindsight it was a great idea (because I got home safe and sound and sober). It accomplished what I hoped, I felt great the next day (ok well my legs were tired).

16.3km and 1,363 kcal burned up. I wouldn't recommend it as hangover prevention but it worked for me. Funny thing was is that based on the information from my heart rate monitor the alcohol didn't affect my cardio vascular performance at all.

May 18 – 54km

As it is Tuesday it is Piper's school day and given that the weather was amazing I brought her to school in the Chariot (bike trailer) and went for a ride for the 2 hrs she spends in school. Nowhere really exciting as I like to stay within a reasonable walking distance of her school or home in case of mechanical failure on the bike that I can get back to her in time. So It is a loop, about 12km with some good hill work. The weather was almost perfect at 18 to 23 with little to no wind. Other than the idiot in the white pickup that ran the stop sign it was a great ride.

Then back to pick up Piper and bike her home. She prefers to go in the trailer these days compared to the truck, I have no idea why but I am glad she enjoys it.

The facts

• 54.1 km
• 26.4 kph avg speed
• 63.6 kph max speed
• 314 m in elevation change (per loop)
• 4 laps of 13 km (plus to and from home with Piper)
• 2:33 total ride time (including stops at the school)
• Total energy 1,746 kcal

Well that should catch you up for the past few days............aren't you glad you read till the end............things are non stop excitement. Ok well to me it's exciting and if you read this far you either can't sleep or you have the same twisted sense of excitement that I do.

Thanks for reading.

 

Road Trip 2010 – West Coast Tour

So how does one go about making a trip out to see some amazing friends better..............simple you bring along some more amazing friends.

Left to right Ralph, Alex, Me, Louis.

Packed up the Expedition on Thursday night pointed her west and set off. It was a boys weekend just to get out and have a couple of gatherings with some great friends. 850km (give or take) each way. The leg out we did in two stints stopping overnight in Revelstoke to break up the ride. After dinner and a snooze in Revelstoke we were on our way (ok well maybe I got up a little early and got in a quick 5km run) Spring gave way to summer for the weekend and we had blazing sunshine and beautiful warm weather damn near the whole weekend only rain we saw was around Golden to Lake Louise on the way back. The drive itself was a blast, just good friends shooting the shit and watching some of Canada's most beautiful scenery roll by.

The picture above is a little stop we made up on the side of the mountain overlooking the valleys just west of Merrit. The view was unbelievable and the weather again perfect. So we stopped for a cold beer and a quick cigar (don't worry I only had one after all I was pointing the machine) after that it was a straight shot into Vancouver. A quick stop at the hotel to freshen up and pick up another of the Calgary boys that had spent the week in Victoria (Shaun) then jump in some cabs to head off to the Cedar Cottage jointly owned by one of the members of our little group that we were heading out to see. It was amazing 20 or so guys from Van (some of whom we have never met in person) came out to welcome us to their fair city. Met up with another of the Calgary Crew (Dale) and that filled out the dirty half dozen. We enjoyed a few pints, a few cigars and a ton of camaraderie and laughter. It was simple an awesome time.

 

 

Guys from all walks of life. Retired folks, stay at home dads (me) IT contractors, Designers, Doctors, Sales you name it. What is amazing is that a simple thing like a common enjoyment of a good cigar brought us together yet we all thoroughly enjoy each other's company and respect each other for who we are. A more generous compassionate group you will not find and I am proud to call each one of them my friend.

After maybe one too many pints for me it was back to the hotel for some much needed sleep (that is after I went out for a 16km run to burn off the alcohol in my system). The next morning some of us headed out to Granville Island to do the tourist thing for a while before regrouping and heading out to one of the Vancouver guys house for a BBQ. Again the weather was gorgeous and a couple hours walking around Granville was wound up in the local brew pub sampling the local Micro Brew. Once more back to the hotel and then off to the BBQ. Even more folks than the night before, more than 20 of the guys and some of their spouses out to greet us once again. Some more drinks, great conversations and stories and food. Man talk about food, we had Tandoori Chicken, Cedar Plank Salmon, Lamb, Butter Chicken and everything in between. I have to admit I was a little happier I had done the 21km the day before but it was worth it.

Our host

Can't say enough thank yous to our host he opened his house to all the crew and fed and watered us until we couldn't take anymore. We even wound up the evening with a friendly little game of Texas Hold'em.

The weekend was winding down but we had one more stop to make, one of the guys lives just off the highway about an hour and a half back so we got up early from the hotel packed up and headed off to breakfast. Again we were fed and treated like royalty and after a great breakfast and a couple cups of gourmet coffee it was time to get heading back. More thanks to our hosts for a huge gourmet breakfast (Bacon, Eggs, Pancakes, French Toast, Fruit Compote, Fresh Whipped Cream, Hashbrown, and on and on)

After breakfast it was wheels up for a straight shot back to Calgary. Enjoyed the ride thoroughly and there was not a misstep to be seen. Arrived back in Calgary at 11:15pm on Sunday night and unpacked and sent the lads on their way home.

Yup that is right we drove 1700 km in 4 days to go and share a meal a drink and a cigar with some great friends.............some may think its crazy but me..........I would get back in the truck and go back tomorrow. Life is an amazing journey and being able to share it with the calibre of people that I went to see (and those who joined me on the journey) is one of those little stops in the journey that makes it all worth it. Did I mention this was the second year (I guess that makes it an annual thing) oh and I also forgot to mention some of those great folk are going to pack up their lives for a weekend and come out this way and enjoy our hospitality? I only hope that I can even live up to a margin of the standard that they set, probably not all that important though I am assuming that they are coming for the same reason that we went.............to share some good times with some great people.

I am already counting the days till we return.

Thanks to all my co-pilots for making it a great journey, and thanks to our hosts for making it a great destination.

 

Interesting Day in the Den - Live and Let Live

It started the same as most do. 

• Get up
• Get the kids up
• Make a good hearty breakfast
• Make lunches
• Do Pipers hair
• Make myself a cup of coffee

Pretty much in that exact order too.  I got Piper dressed and the boys off to their respective bus stops.  Jump in the shower quickly and then down to take Piper off to school.

Piper goes to play school for a couple of hours so I figured I had time for a haircut and a look around Home Depot.  The look around Home Depot is to scope out some materials for an outside kitchen that I am planning on building in my spare time (I dunno when that is but I will be building  then) anyway as I am writing down the prices on metal studs and backer board (exciting stuff) I get a call from the School, Drew's school.

Nothing sets your heart in motion like a call from your childs school, especially when the caller asks if Drew is absent today.........I damn near freaked.  Fortunately the secretary informed me that Drew's buddy was also not there............somewhat relieved as it is less likely that something happened to both of them.  Out of Home Depot I dash and off down the path most likely followed, and sure enough there were a couple of rather sheepish looking boys trudging along the sidewalk to school.  Seems they missed their bus somehow being distracted.

Now there is obviously more to it......but in the interest of protecting the innocent I will refrain from the full story.  Simply put it called our (Tammy and I) but mostly I, me, my parenting into question. See Drew goes to the bus stop with his friend and has for pretty much the whole year by himself (well by by himself I mean with his friend) and they walk home together.  This is the trust that we have instilled in Drew (and I firmly believe he is deserving of it) but given that he didn't make it this day it is of concern.  Now tomorrow Drew will be taking the bus again and he will walk up with his friend, I will not follow him..........I will trust him. I believe what we are doing is right but there are many that would say otherwise............not too many to my face I would hazard to guess but they are out there none the less.

What really bothers me is this......Drew would rather have walked to school and be very late than to do what is our protocol and come back to the house and let me know they missed the bus.  I wonder why, is he that afraid of my reaction?  Have I given him reason to be?  Uggh, I need a manual.

Over the weekend in Kananaskis I had a chat with Alex about life..............no no no not that chat......man give me a year or two will ya.  No I mean about living it and making mistakes, you see Alex is very very much like me, so I know what he is thinking, I often know exactly what he will do and how he will respond............it is very uncanny.  So that leads me to believe that I know exactly what will happen in his life, the mistakes he will make, how he will get hurt, and what it will take to survive and succeed.  So what should I  do............I know exactly what I will do.............Nothing. Ok not nothing per se but not interfere and meddle and try to prevent there is only one way to learn about life and that is to live it.  I will be there for guidance, support and gentle nudging here and there (ok and the odd full blown freak out) but I need to trust that my kids will get where they are going on there own to a certain extent and more so as they grow...............guess what.............it scares the shit out of me.  But as with Drew I trust Alex too and I trust Piper...........they all need different degrees of guidance and direction but they also need to live it.

What they will always have from me is unconditional love and support..............and I will always be there to help them get back up when they fall down..............sometimes I will try to prevent the fall from being to serious but if I always try to stop them from falling...............well then I will prevent them from ever flying...........that I cannot do.

The Fox Den Goes Mobile - Forever Young (at least in my mind) - Running Sucks

Well it was finally time. 

We hooked up our trailer and headed out for the first trip of the year.  It was out to Mt. Kidd in Kananaskis.  No water in the trailer which is kind of a pain but we had power and for 4 days you could pretty much run the furnace non stop and not have any issues. (Which is a good thing as that is pretty much what we did.

Seems folks were still plenty cozy though.

 

The weather didn't really cooperate it continued to be unseasonably cool and it snowed every day.  We didn't let that dampen our spirits though we still did the camping thing. Went for some nice walks played outside, had a hot tub (ok well that may not be camping but hey its there it would be a shame not to use it)

It is a time honoured tradition for us to have Smores by the campfire (well not just our tradition but still) The kids love to roast up their marshmallow and squish em between two graham crackers with chocolate.  We took advantage of a break in the snow and got the smores rolling.

Seems Drew thinks they are ok :)

 

Even Piper enjoyed her weekend despite the fact that she had a bit of a cold and was forever looking for Kleenex to clean up her boogers. 

It was good to get the trailer out and see what was needed for the next trip.  I can't clean the water lines out as yet given that we still have sub zero temps in the evenings so that will have to wait, but other than that it was good to go.

Even though the trip was somewhat weather depressed it was still just us hanging together away from all the other worries of the world, it made me look forward to more camping trips coming our way this summer.  We are pretty busy this year but we will still be able to get around 20 to 30 more days of camping in before this season passes us by.

                                                                                                                                                         

Guess Who is 40

Yup thats right.

And they don't look a bit different.

Someone else is 40 as well.

I think she skinned Elmo alive and used his pelt for that hat...................don't tell the kids :)

What to say..........40 hmmmmmmm well how about this.  My birthday wish for you.

Since I have turned 40 (not too long ago) my life has only gotten better.  The years since then have been some of if not the best of my life.  Plus as you have mentioned to me it seems that the great things in your life have happened on the 10's so seems to me this should be a great year.  I know that the number doesn't change how I feel so I hope it doesn't change how you feel.  Have a great Birthday Tammy.  May your 40 and after be as good or better than mine has.

                                                                                                                                                    

Oh and why does running suck...................hell could it be that it was snowing big wet snow flakes? 

Could it be that I am still over 200lbs and nowhere near built for running? 

Could it be that it is slow and tedious? 

Could it be that my quads have been screaming blue murder since I did it?

Could it be that I over did it and ran 15km when I normally only run...........well 0?

Could it be the 750ml of Rum that I consumed throughout the day?  (I doubt this one)

Anyway, with no bike and the weather nowhere near conducive to riding I did the next best thing, I blasted off for a good run to get the ole heart rate up and running.  14km and change through the Mt. Kidd RV Park then out about 8km up hwy 40 towards Highwood pass.  Very very picturesque but that doesn't help the running at all.........I have to say that it was like punishment, every step I was ready to turn around.  But I didn't, I thumped one foot in front of the other for about 2 hours and managed to lumber my way through it.  I think that is my biggest gripe about this weather...........it hinders some great riding.

Some of the finer points of the run.

Total Distance GPS said - 14.6km (felt like 146)

Avg HR 135 bpm

Max HR 165 bpm

Total Energy 1765 kcal burned

Avg Speed 7.2 kph

Total time 2:07

With any luck the weather will at least stay seasonal and I won't have to run again.

I did hit the elliptical when we returned and churned of 1.5 hrs there too so not too bad at keeping the exercise going even if the nutrition plan got derailed a bit in K Country.

See you on the other side.

Rainy Day Comfort Food

I don't know about you but in our house typically grey cold windy rainy snowy weather means its time for some comfort food.  You know, beef stew, turkey soup, chili, spaghetti and chicken that sort of thing.  Something warm and wholesome.

This morning I got up and figured it would be one of those days.  It has been thoroughly lousy here in Calgary for the last week or so..........below seasonal temperature and damp and snowy.  So time for some comfort food.  But dammit I am not losing my grip on grilling............so I combined it.  Figured meatloaf would be perfect.

This is meatloaf with a twist.  I like to make meatloaf out of ground sirloin, I grind it up myself in the food processor so that it is quite a bit coarser than regular ground beef, plus I can and do trim all the fat off. 

What better to have with meatloaf than some garlic mashed Parmesan taters.

Now how do you grill meatloaf?

Well as far as I know you can't really, I could have tossed it in a pan and cooked it on the BBQ but might as well do it in the oven.

Here was the meatloaf (gotta have pictures right)

 

Ok now for the BBQ part

Yup that is what you think.............I cedar planked it.  And you thought cedar planked cooking was only for fish............nay nay I say  (well ok I may have seen the idea somewhere else to use cedar for more than just fish)

What about the garlic mashed taters?  Well I am glad you asked (ok I know you didn't ask but it is tough to have a dramatic lead in for meatloaf)

Here they are

Yup thats them, on the cedar plank too.  Only wrapped around the meatloaf and back onto the grill it goes for another 45 min or so. Time to make a salad and some dressing for the salad, get some peas for the kids and set the table and poof there we go 45 minutes have come and gone.

And let it rest for 5 minutes then cut and serve

It was very very tasty.  The cedar was subtle, the garlic parm mashed were subtle as well, the meatloaf was moist and tasty.  Tammy liked it enough she suggested it go into the regular rotation.  Drew paid it the best compliment by asking for seconds.  Piper......well she loved the meat part but as for potatoes if they are not french fried she doesn't eat them.  Me I had one more piece than I should have and since the rain and snow is keeping me from my bike I guess its time to head down stairs and work up a sweat on the eliptical.

Tomorrow we are heading out for a weekend of early spring camping, the campground got 5cm of fresh snow today.............thats ok, I packed up the coffee and some "special coffee milk" and some games and some books and the kids snow gear, we will have a great family weekend regardless of the weather.  And I packed up my warm weather gear to go for a run..........much as I hate running.