Well, the labor day weekend is almost upon us. I’m off to do some camping with some friends out a cabin somewhere on a lake just 2 and ½ hours north of here. It should be a fun weekend and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll probably try my hand at golf again and see how that goes. I think there will be a boat there too, so I’ll have to remember to bring some swim trunks with me – just in case. I’ve never taken the time to properly learn how to swim though, so I’ve always kinda shied away from water activities. Hopefully it’s blistering hot – that usually encourages me to get in the water. Lol
The one thing I am worried about for this time around is how cool it will get at night. Even the last time I went camping (at the beginning of Aug) it dipped below 10 C overnight. Now, a month later, I’m expecting about the same or colder temperatures. Only this time, I won’t have a beautiful girl to snuggle up with. *sigh* Alas, my girlfriend will be spending this weekend here in Calgary, stuck on-call. It’s not a bad thing entirely for her mind you… - no snoring to put up with, or for that matter, a stinky camping guy. Plus she’ll get to make a few extra bucks if there are any calls. Extra cash is never a bad thing.
So with no body heat to share (or steal as the case may be), I have to figure out a way to stay warm. I also no longer have an air mattress to lift me off the hard, obstacle strewn ground. I think I have a way to improve the lack of heat situation though. I thought I might try bringing out a hot water bottle (or 2) with me. I’ll boil some water just before going to bed and then fill the hot water bottle and stuff it in my sleeping bag. Hopefully it generates enough heat for me to be able to fall asleep before it dissipates. I’ll let you know how the hot water bottle works out though.
I might have to dig up some sort of foamy for the ground though. Looks like I might have to make a quick trip over to Newfie Speed and Sport tonight (that’s Canadian Tire for those who are a little confused). I think they still have a few items like that kicking around… something that is self inflating perhaps or even just a thick piece of foam. I fear however, that since we are at the end of the summer season, these sort of options will be fairly thin and I’ll have slim pickings. Wish me luck!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Survival Kits - geeky but handy.
I just wanted to make a quick post about this. I was keeping up on my geeky technology posts when I happened accross a link to this website. It was from Field & Stream detailing how to make a survival kit from an altoids container. Wow... just like a page out of my Cub Scout days. We had to make one of these things to earn a badge if I recall. Still... even if you don't care about earning badges these little things are handy if you spend any time in the woods. I myself, like to camp a lot and so this should be something I carry with me. Mind you, I don't do any back woods camping where you hike in with all your stuff. I prefer car camping where I pull up... tip the car on end and dump everthing out onto my campsite. I can't imagine needing a survival kit. Yet... those who end up lost and in the middle of nowhere are probably just as easily from the car camping group as they are the back woods variety. I think carrying one of these things around is a pretty good idea. Not too mention the geek factor is really high, so it resonates really well with me. lol. :)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Holy Cow it's a small world!
So what many people don't realize is that I'm a sentimental kinda guy. I was recently looking at photo's of my first motorbike wondering what it's been up to these days. I really hope it's treating it's new owner well. I kinda miss my first bike - a 1984 Honda Shadow 500. Not that I would trade back for it, but it does hold a lot of emotional value for me. I have lots of good memories on that bike and of course when I think about it, I'm taken back to when I first bought it.
This is where I have to divert a bit.
I was recently at a bbq with my girlfriend and I was introduced to a ton of new people. I was feeling a bit out of place, when she introduced to some folks I had met previously. Immediately I was relieved to see Darryl and his wife again, since now I'd have someone familiar to talk to.
Rhonda and I had arrived at the party on the back of my new Vstar 1100 and naturally the conversation wandered around to bikes. It turns out that a few people that were there, actually ride bikes too, so the topic was quite lively. In any case, Darryl was lamenting how he had wanted to purchase a late 80's 1100 Virago but ended up picking up a shadow instead. When he described this bike, my jaw practically dropped (which I'm sure it did in fact). His little 1984 Honda Shadow 500 was the very same bike that I had bought from him back in 1998/99. I was talking to the previous owner of my first bike without even realizing it! It was awesome! I didn't realize that a new friend introduced to me by my girlfriend Rhonda, was in fact the guy I bought my first bike from. He bought his bike for 2500, I bought it from him for 2500 and I sold it for 2500. What a great little bike! Talk about coming full circle.
All those memories of buying my first bike just came flooding back. I remember my friend Barry coming with me to take a look at it. I remember Darryl (the previous owner) talking about the 1 or 2 imperfections on it. I also remember seeing that it was in showroom condition and I remember how badly I wanted this bike. Barry took it for a ride, gave it the thumbs up, I paid the 2500 bucks cash and then Barry and I took it back to his place. We then proceeded to take it apart - tune it up - and put it all back together again. We spent the day going over that bike and I really learned a lot by doing that. It was a really good first time buying experience for me. I will always remember that day fondly.
Anyway, that is my "Holy Cow It's a Small World" story. If you don't believe in Karma, then what the heck was that!!?? :) More on Karma another day. I hope your experiences with Karma are as good as mine have been.
This is where I have to divert a bit.
I was recently at a bbq with my girlfriend and I was introduced to a ton of new people. I was feeling a bit out of place, when she introduced to some folks I had met previously. Immediately I was relieved to see Darryl and his wife again, since now I'd have someone familiar to talk to.
Rhonda and I had arrived at the party on the back of my new Vstar 1100 and naturally the conversation wandered around to bikes. It turns out that a few people that were there, actually ride bikes too, so the topic was quite lively. In any case, Darryl was lamenting how he had wanted to purchase a late 80's 1100 Virago but ended up picking up a shadow instead. When he described this bike, my jaw practically dropped (which I'm sure it did in fact). His little 1984 Honda Shadow 500 was the very same bike that I had bought from him back in 1998/99. I was talking to the previous owner of my first bike without even realizing it! It was awesome! I didn't realize that a new friend introduced to me by my girlfriend Rhonda, was in fact the guy I bought my first bike from. He bought his bike for 2500, I bought it from him for 2500 and I sold it for 2500. What a great little bike! Talk about coming full circle.All those memories of buying my first bike just came flooding back. I remember my friend Barry coming with me to take a look at it. I remember Darryl (the previous owner) talking about the 1 or 2 imperfections on it. I also remember seeing that it was in showroom condition and I remember how badly I wanted this bike. Barry took it for a ride, gave it the thumbs up, I paid the 2500 bucks cash and then Barry and I took it back to his place. We then proceeded to take it apart - tune it up - and put it all back together again. We spent the day going over that bike and I really learned a lot by doing that. It was a really good first time buying experience for me. I will always remember that day fondly.
Anyway, that is my "Holy Cow It's a Small World" story. If you don't believe in Karma, then what the heck was that!!?? :) More on Karma another day. I hope your experiences with Karma are as good as mine have been.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The "Works" Please - and make them FIRE too!
So, on Tuesday night we went to the fireworks at Elliston Park. What an awesome show!! Those guys sure lit up the night sky. So before I get ahead of myself... a little background here. They are having an event here in Calgary called Global Fest and as part of the event Calgary hosts an International Fireworks competition . On alternate evenings different countries from around the world compete and put on a fireworks show. 
Only one country displays their stuff on their designated evening. At the end of the week after everyone has competed, they have a closing ceremony and announce the winner. Competing countries include, South Africa, Germany, Canada, and Hong Kong (returning champions). They are all given the same budget to work with and are tasked with putting on the best damn fireworks show you can squeeze into a 1/2 hour. 2 countries had competed earlier in the week and left us with Canada to watch on Tuesday night.
Let me tell you they kicked ass! It was a really good show. Of course the evening starts much earlier with a bus trip from a local mall to the park where the fireworks are being held. As nice as the park is, there is very little parking around the area.
Try to cram 25000 people or more into the park and you realize that there are few spaces for a vehicle to be safely stashed.
So they have come up with a solution to the transportation woes. Buses leave from a nearby mall for a nominal 4 dollar charge (3 bucks last 2 years and - free the first year!) and shuttle you to the park. Then at the end of the night you have to fight with 15000 to 20000 other patrons to find an empty seat on the returning shuttles. The first couple of years they offered this service it was a real nightmare getting onto a bus and making it back to the mall. This year however, it seemed to go really smooth and we hardly waited at all for a bus and didn't have to compete with other traffic to get leave the area. I was impressed to say the least, despite my skepticism.
Once you make it into Elliston Park, there are a number of things to see and do while you wait for the show to start. We were at the park at about 7pm when the gates opened and the fireworks didn't light up till about 930-10pm. There was a beer gardens if you felt the need to imbibe, a burger and hotdog venue, and numerous other little snack and treat places. There were also a few special interest groups looking for support, handing out balloons, painting faces and selling tickets on raffles or draws they were having. I think the scouts had a little booth set up too.
If you are planning on attending the fireworks Tonight (Thurs) or on Saturday for the finale, then make your way to the south seating bowl. It is basically the southern most part of the park with a big hill facing the mainstage where all the music and entertainers perform. From there you have a perfect view of the fireworks and the small lake that they shoot them over. It is totally wicked to see these magical streams of light reflected in the water as well as the night sky. The south seating bowl is probably the best place in the park to watch from so don't share this tidbit with just anyone. We'd like to get a seat there again next year!! :)
Only one country displays their stuff on their designated evening. At the end of the week after everyone has competed, they have a closing ceremony and announce the winner. Competing countries include, South Africa, Germany, Canada, and Hong Kong (returning champions). They are all given the same budget to work with and are tasked with putting on the best damn fireworks show you can squeeze into a 1/2 hour. 2 countries had competed earlier in the week and left us with Canada to watch on Tuesday night.Let me tell you they kicked ass! It was a really good show. Of course the evening starts much earlier with a bus trip from a local mall to the park where the fireworks are being held. As nice as the park is, there is very little parking around the area.
Try to cram 25000 people or more into the park and you realize that there are few spaces for a vehicle to be safely stashed.
So they have come up with a solution to the transportation woes. Buses leave from a nearby mall for a nominal 4 dollar charge (3 bucks last 2 years and - free the first year!) and shuttle you to the park. Then at the end of the night you have to fight with 15000 to 20000 other patrons to find an empty seat on the returning shuttles. The first couple of years they offered this service it was a real nightmare getting onto a bus and making it back to the mall. This year however, it seemed to go really smooth and we hardly waited at all for a bus and didn't have to compete with other traffic to get leave the area. I was impressed to say the least, despite my skepticism.Once you make it into Elliston Park, there are a number of things to see and do while you wait for the show to start. We were at the park at about 7pm when the gates opened and the fireworks didn't light up till about 930-10pm. There was a beer gardens if you felt the need to imbibe, a burger and hotdog venue, and numerous other little snack and treat places. There were also a few special interest groups looking for support, handing out balloons, painting faces and selling tickets on raffles or draws they were having. I think the scouts had a little booth set up too.
If you are planning on attending the fireworks Tonight (Thurs) or on Saturday for the finale, then make your way to the south seating bowl. It is basically the southern most part of the park with a big hill facing the mainstage where all the music and entertainers perform. From there you have a perfect view of the fireworks and the small lake that they shoot them over. It is totally wicked to see these magical streams of light reflected in the water as well as the night sky. The south seating bowl is probably the best place in the park to watch from so don't share this tidbit with just anyone. We'd like to get a seat there again next year!! :)
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Weekend Wonders
The long weekend in August has come and gone. I was able to chill out with some friends, enjoy some very beautiful mountain views, eat some great food, do a little trail walking and become even closer with my girlfriend. It was a great weekend despite the fact that we didn't play a single game of bocce ball. :) We did however manage to get in a great game of 10,000 and a good game of Wizard. I also understand that some crib, war, and taboo took place too. lol
The weather was really great too. We had about an hour and a half of rain and wind at the beginning of the weekend, but the rest of the weekend was great. Warm temperatures into the mid to high 20's (celsius). We managed to do a bunch of walking and went on a short hike around a small lake. Unfortunately there were a gaggle of trains running through the park nearby.
Day and Night we could hear them zipping along on the other side of the river, blowing their horns as they cruised over the bridge. Not so annoying during the day, but when you are trying to catch some z's at night, it is definitely a piss off.
The highlight of my weekend was definitely the time I spent with my girlfriend. I've never felt closer to her and I think she is really starting to fall for me too. We are starting to really connect and feel at ease with each other. I look forward to each time we get together and spend time with each other. Plus she is a really good kisser too! She is really special to me and I hope we can enjoy more weekends like these together!
Unfortunately there are not many weekends left in the year to do more camping. I'm looking forward to the September long weekend but I'm hoping there is a weekend here and there in between that I might be able to sneak away for a day or two. There are some really nice places fairly close to Calgary that should be easy to find a campsite in. A few friends from work are talking about picking a weekend and heading out for a couple of days. So I'm going to have to hang on to a vacation day to use for one of these camping trips.
The weather was really great too. We had about an hour and a half of rain and wind at the beginning of the weekend, but the rest of the weekend was great. Warm temperatures into the mid to high 20's (celsius). We managed to do a bunch of walking and went on a short hike around a small lake. Unfortunately there were a gaggle of trains running through the park nearby.
Day and Night we could hear them zipping along on the other side of the river, blowing their horns as they cruised over the bridge. Not so annoying during the day, but when you are trying to catch some z's at night, it is definitely a piss off.
The highlight of my weekend was definitely the time I spent with my girlfriend. I've never felt closer to her and I think she is really starting to fall for me too. We are starting to really connect and feel at ease with each other. I look forward to each time we get together and spend time with each other. Plus she is a really good kisser too! She is really special to me and I hope we can enjoy more weekends like these together!
Unfortunately there are not many weekends left in the year to do more camping. I'm looking forward to the September long weekend but I'm hoping there is a weekend here and there in between that I might be able to sneak away for a day or two. There are some really nice places fairly close to Calgary that should be easy to find a campsite in. A few friends from work are talking about picking a weekend and heading out for a couple of days. So I'm going to have to hang on to a vacation day to use for one of these camping trips.
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