Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Category: Life

  • The Mt Temple Hike

    We’re safe and sound back at the hotel packing up for the trip back to Winnipeg but the hike yesterday was an adventure of a life time. While I didn’t make it to the summit by choice, it was still an amazing day as I climbed to about 10,000 vertical feet from a start in about 5,000. We experienced a great climb up the trail, some very scary scrambling up some very steep loose rock, a 20′ vertical climb without ropes, touched snow in August, watched a helicopter rescuce, sat out a rain and hail storm at 10,000, belayed down a 40′ vertical face assisted by Brian, a mountain rescue worker, and the group who made the summit were walking around in an electrically charged cloud getting shocked and dumping all their metal gear like ice axes and trekking poles and everybody hiked out for several hours in a very close thunderstorm getting quite soaked. Other that that it was a rather uneventful day.

    It was quite a crazy experience with a lot of exciting memories and lessons learned. More later with photos of the rescue and some great scenic shots of the mountains and our group.

  • Reflecting

    It’s the day after the wedding and we’re taking it easy around the house. Gail and Gord are staying with us and we’re reflecting on yesterdays activities and catching up on family news over a couple of cups of coffee. After breakfast we head out to the lake. Gail and Gord are returning a rental car and heading out with the Bonniville so they can return on Wednesday.

    We’re packing for vacation, so that takes the rest of the afternoon and we’re on the road at about 5:30pm. After unloading and a late evening snack at the cottage everyone is zapped and it’s early to bed. Looking forward to a relaxing couple of weeks.

  • Wedding day for Scott & Mandi

    Friday July 11th, 2008 Scott and Mandi are married. The day was quite wonderful, the bride was radiant, lovely and always smiling and the groom was beaming with love for his bride. The weather cooperated and while it rained in the morning, it was dry for the photos and the sun came out just as Mandi came down the isle on top of the Winnipeg Art Gallery for the outdoor ceremony.

    The reception and dinner downstairs was excellent and the live band rocked the house with something for everyone and really made for a great party atmosphere. I hope everyone had as much fun as I had, it was a great time and of course extra special for a parent.

    After getting home we were too jazzed up to go to sleep so we stayed up and talked about the day. We are so proud of Scott and Mandi and love them so very much and it’s so wonderful to have another daughter in the family.

    This day marks another stage in our life as well as theirs. Once again time seems to have flown by and the wedding that was a long way off has come and gone so quickly. Now it’s very official, it’s just Shirley and I at home now. Things are quieter, there is not early morning alarm going off or any late night arrivals, it’s just us. And we’re enjoying this phase of our journey on life’s highway as well.

  • Weekend at the lake with the guys


    Snowbirds over Kenora
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo
    Photo by: Scott (s2photo)

    I had a great weekend at the lake with Eric & Scott, just us guys. We had some good food, lots of R&R, some kayaking, some fireworks, more R&R (sleeping) and a quick look at the Snowbirds on the way home.

  • Flying home

    I’m at the Toronto airport enjoying a little free wi-fi courtesy of Cisco, unlike the Toronto Sheraton who is charging outrageous daily rates for internet access. They should really get with the program. Many lower end hotels all over North America have free wi-fi and yet many of the upscale hotels think they can still gouge the consumer. If it wasn’t the conference hotel, I’d have stayed elsewhere.

    Speaking of the conference, this years IBM blueHorizon’s 2 day educational event was one of the best I’ve attended in some time. THere were better sessions and more choices that ever. I hears someone say that there were 21 simultaneous presentations going on over the last two days across multiple streams. It was a great learning event.

    I’ve almost recovered from the sunburn gained while walking along the harbour front for all day on Sunday, and my calves have almost recovered as well. The true test will be on the next bike ride to see how well the legs hold up. The long walk had an alternate purpose as the beginning of training for a couple of days of mountain hiking in Banff this summer. The main hike will start at an elevation of 5,000 feet and climb to a mountain summit at 11,000 feet. Hey, don’t you need oxygen at over 10,000? While I will have had a solid 2+ months of cycling by that time I think I’ll throw in some extending walking to get the rest of the muscle groups ready to go. I hear they leave the injured and stragglers behind, and it is grizzly country.

    I’m looking forward to being home, see you soon.

  • Bears like going to church…


    Bears like going to church
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo

    This Polar Bear caught my attention on the drive home from the new work site a couple of days ago. Today, when I was out walking at lunch, I snapped this shot. Who knew that Polar Bears had an interest in Church!

    This guy is one of the bears form the Bears on Broadway exhibition that has 50-60 bear figures up and down Broadway Avenue for the summer. At the end of the exhibit, the bears were moved to various locations around the city. Do you know where this on is? It’s in front of a travel agency.

  • The power of nothing

    Some profound thoughts over on my friend Adam’s blog. Worth the read.

    Adam’s World: Nothing matters

    I thought of times in my life when there has been nothing to do and how important it was to have someone do nothing with me. To have someone to just sit and wait – so I didn’t have to do nothing alone. Sometimes I wonder if what I do even matters, but for at least a moment today I was convinced that it does.

  • Things you Grandparents never told you

    My Grandparents were Icelandic but his was something I was never told. In fact I just heard about the Yule Lads on CBC Radio a couple of days ago. Perhaps it’s a good thing, these guys sound pretty scary, and a little wierd with names like Pot Scraper, Sausage Swiper and Peeping Tom! My Goodness!

    Christmas Lads at the National Museum of Iceland

    The Icelandic jólasveinar (Yuletide Lads) have absolutely nothing to do with the international red-clothed Santa Claus, who is a version of St. Nicholas. The Yuletide Lads are descended from trolls, and orginally they were bogeymen who were used to scare children. During this century they have mellowed, and they sometimes wear their best, red, suits. But they still tend to pilfer and play tricks.

  • Birthday

    Today is my Birthday and I’m very grateful to be celebrating it with my family and friends. It’s early in the day and I’m taking the day off from work and enjoying each moment. I’ve received thoughtful cards, and a phone call from good friends, and in this wired world I’ve received and e-card as well with a very thoughtful and touching note.

    The main part of the day will be spent traveling to the Alerus Center to see the TSO. Shirley, Eric & Dez and Scott will be with us. Unfortunately, Mandi is out of town on business and we’ll miss her today. I’m looking forward to the time together and our conversations in the car on the drive there and back. We’ve heard that the TSO will be awesome and that will be great as well.

    We were our with friends last night and part of the discussion was around the importance of relationships and how much of life is wrapped up in those relationships. In fact, relationships are what life is all about.

    Enjoy each relationship in your life, and make it the best it can be. I know I’m going to try.

    Card for Garry Stewart

    I hope you have a great day celebrating the life and times of Garry Stewart. He is a pretty cool dude and I’m lucky to know the guy. Wishing you many more birthdays and a life that is full – filled with all abundance.

  • On the Road – Day 3

    So much for the intention of blogging something every day. What happened to Day 2?

    Not much to report from TO., except a warning about taxi drivers. Since we don’t have a car on this trip we’ve been cabbing it the short trip from the hotel to the Agfa office. The trip can be anywhere from $7.25 to $10.00. Why the discrepancy? It’s cell phones. The guy with the high price ride was so busy talking on the radio and the cell phone and oh yeah, and spending a few brain cycles on driving in heavy rush hour traffic, that he forgot where we were going and had to be reminded several timers, especially after he made a couple of wrong turns. Hey there are only 3 turns between the office and hotel.