Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Moving Right Along....


The first quarter of 2018 is just a few sleeps away from being over.... Although with the constant 'snowfall warnings' and sub-zero overnight temperatures that just won't quit, it is hard to fathom that April is here! Yeesh.

'April' is typically synonymous with 'spring', so I have been doing some 'spring cleaning', of everything from my over-full closet to my humongous list of memes cluttering up my phone to my abundance of mismatched cutlery. As a result, I've developed an impressive pile of clothes to deliver to the local thrift store, and the lunchroom at work should never run short of forks and knives ever again after my hefty utensil contribution! I've decided too, that I can google funny jokes on an as-needed basis... my BlackBerry is so much faster now with all of that memory freed up!

I have also been sifting through all of my camera gear, as my good friend is getting married on Friday and I'm going to pretend to be a photographer and capture some of the special moments from her big day for her. And while raiding the plethora of memory cards, I came across some pics from a trip last summer that I realized I never did blog about, and I'm not sure why. It was a fantastic mini-vacay to Seattle, where we travelled to see a Blue Jays triple-header, and along with watching some super-fun major league baseball, we walked and walked and gawked and had a stellar time!

View from the VRBO

Lobby of the VRBO - groovy!


One of the more interesting
establishments we visited....

Mmmm, who doesn't love pie!

Pre-game entertainment.

Mariners vs the Jays

We toured Starbucks head office and tasting room!

Candy shop on Capitol Hill

Punchbuggy BLUE!

THE best record shop in West Seattle!


At the top of the water tower in Volunteer Park.

How's this for a view of the city!


Scrolling through these photos reminded me of how much I heart Seattle - it is a lush, vibrant, inviting city, with such a great variety of activities available. It also reminded me that I have not been on a plane in months, and I think that needs to change, quick! LOL! Stay tuned.... I'm due for a trip real soon..... But in the mean time, everyone have a Happy Easter!

Cheers!







Monday, March 19, 2018

March Madness


Who'd have thunk that all of this late-season snow would be so much fun! With temps hovering in the -5C range and over half a foot of the fresh stuff, it was hard to keep the grin off my face this past Saturday and Sunday!




I don't have much else to say, other than #feeltheburn....LOL.... and I'm looking forward to more of the same this upcoming weekend!

Cheers!





Still one of the most iconic views in the Canadian Rockies....



Monday, March 12, 2018

Fun in the Sun!


Sun, sun, SUN! The sun was more than shining at Sunshine Meadows on Sunday - it was blazing! The sky was clear, the powder was untracked, and there wasn't a breath of wind.... I could not have asked for a more perfect day to be in the back country!







I am really loving the snowshoeing thing. The temps were in the +5C range, so I was without a jacket for most of the afternoon.... But it is a fantastic activity for a cold day also, because you are constantly moving and a fair amount of effort is required to get through deep snow. All exertion aside, you can go wherever you want, as opposed to having to stay on a trail like you do when winter hiking. It rocks!

Over the weekend, I also learned that I have some - not much, but some - mad painting skills.... LOL.... I signed up for a concrete statue paint party with Creating Dharma (check her out on Facebook). The figurines are made with reclaimed concrete (and some fresh stuff, too) that originated from the mountains in the Canmore area, and the molds are handmade in Exshaw. There were a lot of creative people in the house, let me tell you! I was not one of them however....


Watch for these critters on my patio this summer - I managed to eek out a small, basic colored turtle and a boring rendition of a salamander.... but I totally enjoyed the evening and will definitely try it again!

Well, the weekends fly by as it is, and the spring-ahead time change made this past one go even quicker. But alas, another Monday is done, and only a few more sleeps until it is Friday again! Yeah!

Cheers.









Sunday, March 4, 2018

Local Pow


Well, March roared in like a lion.... Late last week, heavy snowfall warnings and windchill advisories were being issued left and right, plus I had to work on Friday, so I didn't stray too far from home this weekend.

In spite of the weather, I did have a lot of fun doing something that I haven't done in ages - I spent a day at Canyon Ski Resort. Now if you are a competent skier or boarder, I highly recommend using your own gear if at all possible. All of my skis are in Canmore, so it took a few trips back to the rental shop to find some boots that fit and sticks that were somewhat tuned up. But in the end, I was able to fully enjoy the surprisingly great conditions!




Powder day in Red Deer!

Overall, it is an awesome little hill - we are super lucky to have it within minutes of the city!

The rest of this (very short) weekend is being utilized for home improvement projects. Not my home however, but I don't mind helping out by prepping walls for painting and by picking glow-in-the-dark stickers off of ceilings.... Oy....


And then it's back to the serious grind tomorrow. *SIGH* I'm afraid I won't be having three-day weekends for the foreseeable future.... we are at that point at work where it is all hands on deck, for the next few months at least. So I am reminding myself to appreciate the simple things and make the best of my days off that I am around Red Deer.

Cheers!