Category: Uncategorized

Liquid gold
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

This weekend we went down to the lake for the weekend. The temperatures were quite nice at about -5C, and when we arrived the cottage was only 0C. Some years we’ve arrived to -20C and it really doesn’t warm up until the next morning.

Upon arrival we put on our snowshoes and unloaded the supplies. The snowshoes made it easy to walk up the deep snow covering the driveway and deck. After unpacking and getting set up we baked som e pizza and thought we’d watch a little TV. Well, it was still quite cold in the cottage and the TV would not turn on. So, we hooked the laptop into the stereo, put it on the hearth, built a roaring fire, pulled the loveseat right up to the fireplace an watched 4 back to back episodes of House with our pizza. Very nice and cozy!

The next morning it was bright and sunny and I started chopping a hole in the ice for water. About an hour later I struck pay dirt, well, water anyway. Somehow it seemed a little harder carrying those two 5 gallon pails up the path to the cottage. It’s surprising how little water you really need when you have to work hard for it. The reward was a nice cup of coffee while basking in the warm sun coming in the patio doors.

After breakfast we snowshoed around the point on the lake. I took some pictures on the shoreline, a neighbors cottage, trees, and the navigation aid at the tip of the point.

Yes, I am cute
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

This morning we were having a late breakfast brunch when we noticed some activity on the deck outside the dining room window. This little guy was also having some “breakfast”. Last night we BBQ’d steak and I left the tongs out on the BBQ shelf. Well, this very enthusiastic squirrel was cleaning up. Have a look here.

Glass in Snow
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

I was out braving the crowds doing some Christmas shopping today and I stopped at a store on Academy Avenue to check out the Glitz store. As I was returning to the car I noticed a vandalized bus shelter where the glass had been shattered. I had the camera in the van so I came back to take a few shots. Check out the rest of the pictures here.

Geocaching Friends
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

I’ve got these guy sitting on the corner of my desk at the “home office” in the basement. The yellow guy, whom I’ve named “Medora Man” started off the collection when I picked him up from a geocache in Medora ND, while I was there on a mountain biking trip to the Maah Daah Hey trail.

Since then I’ve been keeping an eye out for small, bendable plastic figures to add to the collection. I haven’t been out geocaching for quite a while and it snowed last night so that will make it a little more challenging. Time to get out there and do a little hunting. Maybe Eric will let me have some time off from the renovation project. 🙂

Anyway, they remind me of some good times when work is not so good.

Locating the break
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

Well, it looks like the driveway may be at risk during the repair of the break. This crew drilled several holes, three across the driveway, and then inserts those long metal rods. The water is then temporarily turned on and with a stethoscope like device they listen to the noise transmitted by the rod to locate the closest point to the break.

The next phase involves a different crew which will have a backhoe, tandem & crew truck with several guys to dig the hole, insert a cage and effect the repair. It’s possible that they will need to cut out the driveway curb and remove some of the driveway. The ETA is unknown for the next phase, but they said they try to get the water back on with in one day or less. The crews are working until midnight most days and these guys have left to find the next one. apparently, it’s been a very busy summer for breaks. Normally, we here in Winnipeg associate these things more with extreme cold in the middle of winter, or as the frost is coming out in early spring. (Eric, I think some driveway repair might be required)

Crawdaddies for Dinner
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

Dez & Eric worked hard at catching 17 crayfish on the weekend and they almost ended up like this, but instead it was catch and release.

We had a great September long weekend, heading out Thursday night to spend some time with my sister Gail and her family before they headed back to Saskatoon. Then on Saturday night Eric, Dez, Scott & Mandi were able to come down and we had a great time together.

I am doing 43 things.

This is the second time my photo from a visit to the Kennedy Space Center has been used in a NowPublic article. Who knew that posting photos to flickr would get used in this way.

Just to give you a sense of scale, the NASA logo is 6 stories tall. Also, the panel discolorations are a result of repairs after the 2005 hurricanes damaged the building.

NASA approves August 27 Atlantis launch | The News is NowPublic.com

NASA managers unanimously picked August 27 for the first attempt to launch the space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to resume construction of the international space station – but two precariously attached bolts securing a crucial antenna could delay those plans.

Technorati Tags: NowPublic, flickr, NASA, Kennedy Space Center

210
Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

This is the goal that I have posted on the wall in front of my desk in my home office. Somewhere back in March I decided to make a change and this series of numbers came to me. I wanted to weigh 210 lbs., have a 34 inch waist, in 10 weeks, which meant I needed to lose 3 lbs a week to make it all happen by June 1, 2006.

Well, today it was achieved! It took a little longer that expected, but then perhaps 3lbs a week was a little too aggressive. Still, it feels great and the changes have been worth it. I appear to have motivated a few other folks as well, so that’s good too.

Now for the next goal, maintain and oh yeah…

all I want for Christmas is a six-pack. 🙂