Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Author: Garry

  • Tattoo Day

    Tattoo Day

    After several temporary tattoos and some procrastinating, today was the day for the real thing.

    After a brief recommendation and a quick look at his web site I book with Jay at Twenty Twenty Tattoo Studio in Niverville. Upon arrival the very easy going Jay welcomes me and I feel relaxed already. After all this is my first real tattoo and I’m a bit nervous but Jay and his studio vibe put me at ease, this is going to be OK. The studio is very clean and well decorated and there is some heavy metal music playing.

    I sign a big disclaimer statement which releases them from anything and everything that may or may not go wrong. While I’m doing this he’s prepping the gear, getting the ink and miscellaneous stuff ready for the process. We talk about my design and it’s placement for a few minutes. Then he inputs my design into his iPad and prints it off on some special transfer paper. This gets positioned on my arm and some fluid is applied that transfers the design to my skin.

    Last chance – this is the transferred design, real ink is next!

    We talk about all kinds of stuff, mainly tattoos of course, and he’s been at it since he was 18. Jay’s tattoos as you might imagine are very extensive and sophisticated. My simple line art is done in about 1/2 hour, and it barely hurt at all.

    Here I am with the finished product!

    The Anchor Holds

    Why a tattoo and why this tattoo? I’m blaming Instagram as the source of the tattoo idea in general. I started seeing ads for Inkbox, and I thought it would be fun to put a tattoo in a fairly visible spot to have some fun and possibly shock friends and family. So without any pre-announcement I showed up with this nautical rope work on the back of my hand.

    The Persian & my tattoo

    One thing lead to another and I tried out a few different possibilities.

    However, the winner was the one that was done today. I really relate strongly to the symbolism of the three components, the anchor, the heart and the cross.

    The Cross representing Jesus Christ and what he did for all mankind by dying on the cross, being buried and the resurrection on the third day. God’s salvation, the Living Word, Jesus.

    The Heart representing the love, mercy, hope and grace of Christ as well as my heart and my soul.

    The Anchor representing the notion that I’m anchored to His amazing love.

    Over the last few years there certainly have been some storms in our lives and when I put together these three symbols it reminds me that I’m firmly anchored to the love of God by Jesus Christ’s redeeming work on the cross in my life.

    He is the anchor for my soul

    The anchor holds in spite of the storm.

    “We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold”

    Hebrews 6:19 TPT

    On the way out the door Jay says to me “Welcome to the dark side” ?

  • Snake Bite

    Snake Bite

    A story from the Cottage Build.

    So, one day after my dad and I had finished working for the day we were relaxing in the RV and participating in what was commonly known in our family circles as “the cocktail hour”.

    Generally, the “hour” was quite loosely defined. All it really meant was pre-dinner drinking.

    I had brought some Yukon Jack which my dad had never had and there is this recipe on the back called a “Snake Bite”. It’s pretty simple, some ice, a squeeze of lime juice and of course some Yukon Jack.

    I find them pretty tasty and I think my dad did too as we imbibed quite liberally. I think dinner did get made but I’m not too sure and by the end of the evening “Jack” was no more.

    We had some interesting and wide ranging conversations about some quite deep and personal stuff. It was quite a special time for me, just the two of us, man to man. I don’t remember much about the conversation details but the one thing that sticks out was I told my dad I loved him. Might of been the first time I’d said it out loud, just the two of us. A good memory.

    The next morning was pretty rough but we didn’t talk about our hangovers we just had some breakfast, maybe just a coffee, and got to work.

  • Tempus Fugit

    Tempus Fugit

    You may have noticed that Tempus Fugit, generally translated into English as “Time Flies” is the name I’ve given this blog. Wonder why?

    Tempus Fugit, time flies

    In the beginning… back in 2004/2005 when we were on a family camping trip I suddenly realized that the boys were growing up and it felt like they didn’t “need me” as much as they once did. This came as a bit of a rude shock as I realized how fast things were moving along in all our lives, hence Tempus Fugit.

    The blog started off as a fun tech project to experience what WordPress and blogging were all about. Over the years I’ve randomly posted about things that interest me or various life events. My audience is pretty limited. I think only my wife reads these posts. So, in the end it’s really for me to capture some thoughts and have fun with the tech. But, perhaps it’s a bit more that that.

    I know several people who have written memoirs about their life and I’ve never been to clear on why someone would do that. However, perhaps it is a form of leaving a legacy, something that might endure on this earth once we are gone. I think we all want to be able to tell our story, to be heard, to share what we are thinking about even if it’s not of an earth-shattering significance . I know I’ve often wondered how my parent handled certain situations or how they got through some of the rough spots in life and now they are not around to ask and there are very limited records. Some photographs, pieces of furniture, some hand written notes, bits and pieces from their lives and of course the cottage, all precious treasures at this stage in my life.

    I know for me it’s fun to look back on the old blog post to see what I was doing or thinking about back in the day. Perhaps in the future others will look back on these random thoughts with fondness too.

  • The Piano

    The Piano

    This is The Piano. It’s been in our home for over 20 years now and yesterday it gave me a very bitter sweet surprise.

    The Piano

    When I first met The Piano it was in the home of family friends, the McKenzies, who lived on Niakwa Road. Our families would visit back and forth over the years and my memories of The Piano was that it was used by many people who played it during parties. Usually, there were several people gathered round and singing various songs lead by the pianist.

    As time went on the McKenzies moved to Toronto and my parents bought their house on Niakwa Road and The Piano came with the house. My mom played and I tried to learn how off and on with very little commitment and a corresponding amount of success.

    More time passes and as my parents downsized out of their home, The Piano had to find a new home, and it came to stay with us. I’d always hoped to learn to play. At one point Shirley gave me in-home piano lessons and I made a bit of progress. However, I was a less than diligent student and my lack of commitment to practicing meant that I still can’t play the piano. But, I have very fond memories of all the times my mom played The Piano over the years.

    Yesterday, I’m laying on the floor near The Piano doing some stretching. I’ve been on the floor in this area many times but this time I see a yellow post-it note up under The Piano, something I’d never noticed before.

    The Note

    That’s my mom’s handwriting. She passed away over 22 years ago but in an instant it was like she was there with me. Seeing her handwriting confirming the generous gift of The Piano was very overwhelming and emotional. Thanks mom, I miss you.

  • The Wake

    The Wake

    It’s a calm clear morning. The lake is calm. It’s just as the sun is coming over the horizon. A boat goes by towards Smith Camps. The wake of the boat sends waves out in both directions.

    The wake

    Shortly, the boat is gone but the waves still travel outward. Because I’ve passed by this way my life, my presences has an impact. It sends out “waves” that have an impact long after I’m gone. Waves hit the shore and then reverberate back out again. Not as strong but still making “waves” like the impact on a second generation.

    I want my “waves” to have the best possible impact on those around me as I pass by. 2021/9/9

  • Ride to Conquer Cancer

    Ride to Conquer Cancer

    This weekend, August 28-29, is the 14th annual Princess Margaret Cancer Research Foundation’s Ride to Conquer Cancer and it will be my first.

    I became aware of this ride while I was in Toronto at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMH) receiving CAR-T treatment for lymphoma. Today, thanks to this cutting edge treatment, I’m cancer free. Every time I was in the PMH elevator I’d see this picture on the door and as an avid cyclist, I knew this was for me.

    Ride to Conquer Cancer

    So I signed up for the ride and did some fundraising.

    Thank-you to all who supported me on the ride and this cause. Together we raised $2,696.10 and the ride in total raised an amazing $9,910,000 for life-saving cancer research.

    Being optimistic and liking to set a challenging goal for myself I announced that I’d ride 100 miles or 160 km, the classic cyclist century ride. So, several months ago I started a formal training plan riding indoors or outdoors three times a week following a Trainerroad plan. For a couple of months this worked quite well and I stuck with the plan. Then, somewhere along the line the plan fell off the rails. I was still riding a fair bit but it was more sporadic and solo and group outdoor rides replaced the formal training efforts.

    Over the last while I put in some 70, 80 and 100km rides but no 160km rides. All the over 70km rides turned out to be pretty challenging so I was not so sure about the 160km goal.

    In sharing this goal with Shirley and my doctors they were supportive about the ride but cautious about my distance goal. It was suggested that something shorter might be appropriate or at least splitting the ride over two days.

    As the weekend rolled around I was still undecided about the distance and was really going to approach it by “feel”. We found ourselves at the lake on the August weekend and some of the family was out as well. I really wanted to spend maximum time with the family so I skipped the two group rides that I could have hooked up with on Saturday and Sunday. As it turned out the family had to leave early on Sunday afternoon, so it was time to ride!

    In the driveway with my new “Ambassador” jersey

    Normally at the lake I ride right from the cottage. However, there has been quite a bit of fresh gravel road work done recently which is really unpleasant to ride on so Shirley gave me a lift to the Fire Hall at the start of Storm Bay road so I could launch right onto the paved highway. I’m underway at about 1:30pm.

    Ready to Ride
    Off we go!

    Given the wind direction I opted to ride basically south on Hwy 71. I’d take 17A from the Fire Hall for a few kms and then turn south onto Hwy 71. As I’m riding I still hadn’t committed myself to a distance. After about 1/2 hr I’m thinking 50km out and 50km back for a respectable metric century. Not the originally conceived 160km but still a respectable goal.

    As I approached the 50km mark there was a sign on the side of the road, “Souix Narrows – 16km”. Hmmm, I’ve never ridden to Souix Narrows on the bike and it’s just 16km more than I was planning or really 32km more than planned but what the heck. A new goal was in place and I wanted that picture of me at the iconic Souix Narrow bridge.

    Being in Winnipeg means that almost all my riding is on the flat prairies. This is not the case when riding at the lake in Northwestern Ontario. There are a lot of hills. As I’m working my way to Souix Narrows I start reflecting on just how many hills there are and that I’ll need to do them all again in the reverse direction.

    Finally, after what seems like a very long time, I arrive in Souix Narrows and stop for the “bridge shot”.

    Souix Narrows Bridge & Me

    Once in town I take a break for mid-ride refuelling and eat my bagel & cream cheese with a very hungry fish looking on.

    After the snack it’s back on the road. Things seem to fly by for the first while and then around the 70-80km mark things are seemingly a lot harder. I’m getting tired and the solo boredom is setting in but as a friend often says spin, spin, spin. The weather is a mix of sun and cloud with a little more cloud than I’d like including a few brief rain showers. One was hard enough to get me to stop and put the phone in a baggie. Mentally in my mind I’m ticking off the major markers, Luther Village then Rushing River, then 17 & 71 intersection, then Reddens, then The Fire Hall where Shirley will be waiting to drive me back to the cottage. I’m very thankful I don’t have to do the hills on our Branch Road #3 which has one that is a short but steep 9-10% grade.

    Like all good rides it really didn’t happen unless you’ve recorded it on Strava. Due to a bit of bad planning on my part the bike computer ran out of battery at 43km so the ride got recorded in two parts.

    Total distance of 124.9 km in 5 hrs and 10 min moving and 5 hrs and 38 min elapsed time. All in all a good day and I’m satisfied with the effort.

  • Symington Symphony

    Symington Symphony

    It’s been a warm dry spring ahead of the May long weekend and if things had been more normal we’d be sipping our morning coffee on the deck at the lake.

    But things are not normal

    So, here we are, sipping coffee in the back yard.

    The view is not quite the same and neither are the sounds. In fact, the sounds are probably the most annoying and something I’m trying to adjust to so I’m calling them the “Symington Symphony” just to put a positive spin on it.

    We live close to Symington Yards and when they are busy there is a lot of piercing high frequency squealing from the brakes on the rail cars which is quite something. Mix that in with the pretty much non-stop hum/roar of the traffic on Lagimodiere Blvd, a few sirens for good measure, and you have your symphony.

    With the Ontario border being closed until at least June 2nd, this will be the first time ever that we have not opened the cottage on or before the May long weekend. I get the idea about limiting travel and unfortunately we’re being controlled down to the lowest common denominator because some people just can’t follow some common sense guidelines.

    For us, we can load up, take the bypass around Kenora, never have to go into town, and come home the same way and most likely see less people that we do now here in Winnipeg, which is almost nobody anyway.

    However, with the OPP successfully blocking access on Hwy #1 at the border there is really no workaround. Some people we know have been permitted the one 24hr visit to your property to check on winter damage or make repairs. Some, on the 2nd trip have been turned back so it seems they are taking names and checking a list. 🙁

    Hopefully, on June 2nd they will relax the border issue and lake season at the cottage will resume in somewhat of a normal fashion. Looking forward to trying out my new Oarboard with the help of Des’s SUP!

  • Tour of Sufferlandria 2021

    Tour of Sufferlandria 2021

    There are may days when I go to bed and I’m thanking God for his goodness and faithfulness in my life that I thank Him for cycling. I often pull into the garage and look at the bikes on the rack and think “Who knew that at my age I’d have 5 bicycles and ride indoors and outdoors all year round, including several years of daily year-round computing to work.”

    Especially with what’s going on these days I’m so thankful that I’m able to ride the bike, able to take on a challenge like the Tour of Sufferlandri, able to ride outside with my friends Dave & Rene and out at the lake with the Kenora crew. Thankful that I still have the will, desire and physical capability to do these things and I think do them fairly well given the circumstances.

    But this is not about me, it’s about giving God the glory that He enables me to live and do these things.

    Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

  • Shalom, Shalom

    Shalom, Shalom

    When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

    Origin: Hard to say…

    It’s likely you’ve heard that saying and this morning it came to mind as I was listening to a podcast and riding the bike in the basement on the trainer.

    So, who is “the student”? Well, that’s likely to be you and me. And, who is “the teacher”? Initially, I thought the teacher would be a person. This is probably because of my school experiences with teachers and classrooms, the traditional learning environment I’m used to. However, these days I think “the teacher” can be more that a traditional school/college/university teacher person. Perhaps the teacher can be:

    • a book
    • a podcast
    • a YouTube video
    • a friend
    • a spouse
    • the Holy Spirit, Jesus, & God for sure

    I’m finding the more open and teachable I am, the more I’m looking, the more available I am, the more often “the teacher” appears.

    In these challenging days, what are people looking for? Is it peace? I think so.

    “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord GOD is the eternal Rock.”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    What is this “perfect peace”? It’s the English translation for Shalom, Shalom a double portion of peace, the peace of God.

    This guy explains it better that I ever could. Worth a watch for sure, if the student is ready.

  • Where does my help come from?

    Where does my help come from?

    Many years ago my mom shared some of her experiences as she returned home from Montreal in September of 1961 after attending the funeral of her brother Ken, age 37.

    Mom recounted how on the drive home this verse helped her deal with the tragedy of Ken dying at such a young age.


    I lift up my eyes to the mountains
        where does my help come from?
    My help comes from the Lord,
        the Maker of heaven and earth.

    Psalm 121:1-2

    Over the years this verse has come to have a special place in my heart. Most mornings as I sit in my downstairs office I get to look at this picture while doing devotions and reading the bible.

    This is a painting my mom did and is one of many works of art that we’re blessed to have in almost every room of our house. If you look closely on the road there is a boy and he’s playing with his dog. I like to think that boy is me. I never had a dog growing up due to allergies and I think mom was not too thrilled with the possibility of looking after a pet. Instead, I got turtles and fish. Less work and less attachment, easier to “let go”.

    Anyway, recently one of the devotions was all about Psalm 121 entitled “I will lift up mine eyes“. Every time I look at this picture I’m reminded of this Psalm by the mountains in the background. Interestingly enough there is some bible commentary about looking up to the mountains for help from the gods as people believed way back in the day that “the gods” dwelled in the mountains. For me the forceful comeback to this idea is NO, My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

    Another take on lifting up you eyes is to get you focus off your problems and up onto God. From Day 1 of the devotion:

    When chaos surrounds you and the waves of life seem to crash against your ship, choose to lift up your eyes beyond life’s challenges and circumstances. Choose to lift up your eyes and focus on Him. Remove your gaze off of the problem and center your focus on Him. 

    What are your eyes focused on? Who are your eyes fixed on? Are you meditating on the problem or are you trusting in the One who can shift the situation in an instant? When you meditate on the problem you’re amplifying its weight on the throne of your heart. 

    What are you feeding the ground of your heart? You can either feed your faith by meditating on God’s Word or you can feed your problem by worrying on the cares of the world. Fix your eyes on Christ. Lift up your eyes from your narrow problem and shift your eyes onto a bigger God. God is bigger than your problem. Worship God.

    Lifting is a choice. When you choose to lift up your eyes, you’re making a conscious decision to worship God instead of worshipping your problem. 

    My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.