Sunday, September 28, 2014

Chasing the Sun


Yesterday, the trend of 'fabulous fall' continued. It was socked-in rain in Canmore when we woke up, so we decided to load our packs and butts into the 4-Runner and head west. Bow Lake was where we finally outran the clouds, and the day turned out to be spectacular!











 

I had an incredibly awesome week off, and now I'm prepping myself for my new job - which starts in less than 24 hours. Aaaaack! I'm nervous and excited and wonder what the heck I've gotten myself into, all at the same time. However, change is good, and I welcome the challenge. Plus I'll get to spend three days every week in my favorite place, enjoying my favorite things! Yeah!

Cheers!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Cougar-ville.....?


The first week of fall has been a fantastic mix of outdoor activities for me. I've visited a couple of beautiful mountain lakes, I spent a fun afternoon touring around Banff, and I played 18 holes of golf. Well, I showed up with my clubs at a most gorgeous course.... not sure I'd actually describe it as 'playing golf'.... LOL!



Rawson Lake reflection.



This chunky chipmunk liked my boot apparently!


Sarrail Falls

Boom Lake



This is where the 'cougar' part comes in.... We followed these
tracks for at least a kilometre.... They looked pretty fresh!



Double rainbow - nice!

Canmore Golf and Curling Club

What a backdrop!

Hopefully this trend will continue throughout the weekend! The weather is forecasted to be fairly decent, and the company I'll be keeping is going to be fabulous... so I have no doubt that more good times are in store!

Cheers!

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Fall is here!


Lakes, ridges, mountain tops.... It doesn't get much better than this!

I am sooooo lucky - summer is now technically over, and I was able to finish the season off with some fantastic outdoor adventures that have been on my hit-list for awhile.

Taylor Lake:

Absolutely gorgeous!




Wasootch Ridge:



 
Last day of summer.... and what was supposed to be my last
day of work.... I'd say this was a much better way to spend the day!!



Yamnuska Traverse:

First day of fall! Woot!






Well-deserved summit beverages!


Chris learns all about skiing the scree....


It's been a great couple of weeks, and hopefully that's not the end of it! The trees are turning color and the weather has continued to cooperate, so I'm looking forward to getting out at least a few more times before the snow flies.

I'm lovin' the mountains!

Cheers!





Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The Lost Art of Conversation


Alright. Let's discuss texting for a minute, shall we? Because that's honestly about all the time it will take for me to give my opinion on the subject.

I despise it. Loathe it. I think it is becoming the bane of many people - teenagers and adults alike.

I mean, I know that you can type "LOL" or "LMAO" or "JK" or some other stupid acronym at the end of a sentence, and hope to gawd that the person is actually laughing at what you typed. But can you really, truly effect the context of what you are saying within a text message? Lots of times I don't think so.

I know that personally, I've gone back and read something that I hastily typed and pushed 'send' - to a very important someone at that - and I was horrified after the re-read at how it might have been interpreted. Initially, when my thumbs were feverishly punching away at my micro-keypad, I had a point I was trying to get across. It sounded great in my head. But once it was recorded in a tiny bubble on my 2"x3" screen and shot off into cyberspace, it became a whole different story. I sent it. And there was no way to get it back. And composing and sending another message, to try and explain my first pile of random garble, would make me look nothing short of ka-razy. And so on. So then I didn't sleep that night, because I didn't get a response, and I was sure that the person thought I was a total crack-head and probably deleted my contact info from their phone. And round and round it goes.

Now, had the interaction been verbal, my statement could have been made, questions could have been asked, and the opportunity to clarify myself would have been a no-brainer. A nice, somewhat humor-filled conversation likely would have ensued, and I would not have been left tossing and turning that night and checking my phone a hundred times the next day for a reply.

In my mind the answer is simple: We need to bring back talking! Good ol' chatting. Whether it be face-to-face or even on the phone.... Actually speaking to someone is a bazillion times better than any cyber interaction will ever be. Especially if you are trying to establish some sort of relationship with another person.

Okay, that was possibly more than a minute's worth of ranting... and I concede that texting definitely has its place - for instance, I like to text jokes to my friends, to lighten up their day, or I will send a quick text when I am leaving my house enroute to pick one of them up, etc.. But for the real important stuff, I will choose meeting for coffee or dinner or even just dialing their phone number so I can hear their voice, over a text message any day.

Cheers.




Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Powder alert??


Today I received (via email - I'm a subscriber) the season's first snow report. Huh?? I know. I could hardly believe it. And it wasn't just a typical 'snow report'..... it was a full-on POWDER ALERT! Sunshine Village received 17cm of snow last night!

Anyway, as excited as I am about getting out on the sticks, I don't know if I'm ready to put away the hiking boots just yet. This last week - prior to all the white stuff - I had some great days outside. I finally made it up to Bow Hut, and I also got to visit Rockbound Lake.



Bow Hut

 


Rockbound Lake




In true Alberta fashion, the grey skies are forecasted to be replaced with sun, sun, sun, starting tomorrow. So I'm crossing my fingers that over the next few weeks I'll get in just a little bit more mountain time. On nice green terra firma that is, not on the snow!!

Cheers!