Faster than a speeding bullet...

I am on my new computer - with high speed internet, to boot!
It has been a long and winding road, but here is where I am.

My life has changed - very quickly, too, I might add - and I am desperately seeking a balance.

I know that will happen in time - and maybe not so quickly - but I believe good things are worth waiting for.

...and fighting for.

i had a dream

it was about
myself
if nothing else
its about time
things took a turn
for the better

Oh deer...

I watched these deer in the neighbour's yard the other evening.

Due to the recent deep and unseasonal snowfall, they were somewhat hungry and eating from the bird feeder.

Flocks of migrating birds were flitting about in confusion, as well, knocking puffs of snow from the branches of a nearby Manitoba maple tree.

It seems odd to be listening to the cascade of birdsong while the sun sets late in the evenings - and still having all this snow about.

HAPPY EASTER !

April Fools

Yesterday morning the valley awoke to eight inches of snow on the ground and it was falling so thick and fast that I could not see across the road to the creek.

I had to dig out my van so I could drive to work on the icy and treacherous roads.

On Sunday we were skiing in plus ten degrees C in the sunshine wearing only our shirtsleeves!

Yesterday I wore my heavy jacket and big Sorels to work!

My boss played hooky from work yesterday afternoon in order to hit the slopes.

I had hoped I could go skiing, but she beat me to it!

This morning she called me at home as I was getting the kids ready to go out the door to school.

She said the skiing was awesome yesterday and half the town was up there taking advantage of the freshies - and it would be even better today in the sunshine!

My response was something along the lines of "So you're going skiing again today?"

Her answer to that was "No - you are!"

Apparently everyone on my husband's crew at work is going skiing today, too.

That includes my husband.

So, off we go - April fools that we are!

out from under

I have been sick with the flu.

Not fun.

I had a fever of painful proportions and was out for a couple of days.

Thank goodness life appears to have reasserted itself and I think I am on the mend.

I just watched Gypsy's video and it has helped rescue me from the abyss!

Thanks to all my cyber friends for your get-well wishes!

this business of retirement...

Two weeks ago I received the unexpected - although not entirely surprising - news that the long-time family-owned Ford dealership where I have worked for the past thirteen years will be closing down.
My position is in Administration where I do the accounting, as well as working closely with the service department and processing warranty claims.
It is a tiny dealership in a small community, therefore it has been difficult over the past several years dealing with a large corporation where the stress is on volume of sales and the resulting bottom line.

Presently the business is owned and operated by three siblings, each of whom I consider good friends as well as employers.
Their parents opened the business some forty-odd years ago and the trio took over the dealership during the nineteen eighties.
This family business has contributed to the economy of the valley in a great and unique way - we will All miss them!

As I wish my three friends good luck in wherever their new endeavours take them, I too, have to look at a change in my own career.
Living in a small town does have its advantages and I have already had several offers of employment.
These circumstances did lead to an excellent example of irony - and luck as the case may be - as I was looking to speak with a certain individual regarding work, he approached me asking me to work for him!

In the interim, I have tentatively decided what I want to do, although there are a couple of different options in the wings.
I would like to work at mowing lawns in the summer - and do the books for said lawn maintenance company - and I'd love to teach skiing in the winter.
The ski school at the hill has, over the years, encouraged me to take my Level I Instructor course so I can teach for them, but I was never in a position to be able to commit - now I can!
In the fall I plan to take my Level I and teach all winter, then I would like to continue on to take my Level II course next spring.
Hopefully, I should be able to complete those couple of levels without too much difficulty.
My challenge to myself then will be to attempt the completion of the much tougher Level III Instructor course...

I am very exited about the possiblities!

...working outdoors in the sun, wind and rain.
...and snow.
...getting into decent physical shape.
...I hear a change is as good as a holiday.
...starting my own bookkeeping business.
...the opportunity to earn more money.

A door closes and a window opens!

Maybe I should begin with my own yard...

Windmills?

I chuckled when I read Val's current post about the traditional windmills of Holland, as I had just saved these photos for an upcoming post of my own!

These windmills are located in southern Alberta, where the wind blows and blows...and blows...
A couple of weeks ago, as I was driving through the area, I found myself smitten by these curious structures dancing and spinning their ballet against the skyline.

I was so impressed - and curious - that I approached a lone dancer in order to photograph it.
The shed at the foot of this wind-catcher gives some perspective as to the immense size of these ingenious power-generators.


Windmills - Canadian style?

Crossover Season

Daylight savings time is traditionally the date when we bring out the mountain bikes. It's rather early this year and there is still snow on the tracks and trails. The roads are clear for now, but it could dump again at any time - March is known as the month of large snowfalls around here...

So, for the next six weeks we'll be wheeling in the valleys while still sliding on the slopes.

It's the season of wet trails and corn snow, of pedaling and puffing up steep grades and sitting back in the sun and drinking beer on the resort patio.

It's a mix of two entirely different sports that wind up complimenting each other in the end.

It's time to welcome Spring!

Tree Huggers

This photo gives a decent perspective as to how demanding the terrain is in the back bowl.
It's steep and it's deep!

I took this pic with my skis on - eeeks.

In here, the last place one wants to end up is hugging a tree...

Meatloaf for Dinner

Last night we went to the Meatloaf Concert in Calgary. It was a great show and that man can sing!

It all started approximately thirty years ago when I was living on the prairies of Saskatchewan. The album Bat Out Of Hell was at the top of the charts and my best friend, Colleen, and I settled into the thick of it. Many of our party nights consisted of belting out the words and gyrating to Paradise by the Dashboard Light and swaying to the bittersweet melodies of Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.

Six weeks ago I received a phone call from Colleen and she told me she had tickets to the upcoming Meatloaf concert in Calgary. Needless to say, I jumped on the bandwagon - and dragged George along with me. In reality, I was more excited about a reunion with Colleen than I was about attending the concert...

On Thursday I rose early and moved through my regular routine with a touch more alacrity than usual. I had to plan ahead for the trip to Calgary and the possibility of not making it home by Friday morning to send the kids off to school. Our older daughter, Beth, was looking after her younger siblings, as well as the running of the household, while we were gone.

I had to work, but only for a couple of hours, so that gave me time to get things ready for the three-hour trip through the mountains. I packed a light lunch consisting of a baguette, some bruschetta - from a jar, garlic sausage, cheese, fruit and baby carrots. Finger food is great while on the road. The bottle of wine I packed is now sitting in my fridge - unconsumed.

George and I hit the road shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon. The highway through Kootenay National Park (KNP) had been closed overnight because of black ice and poor driving conditions, but was re-opened by the time we left. Unfortunately, the Trans Canada Highway between Lake Louise and Golden was closed indefinitely due to a dangerous mud slide and all traffic had been rerouted through KNP. The entrance to the highway into the park is through a narrow canyon and the number of semi trailer trucks that were traveling that road was astounding. We had to wait in a scary spot while the huge trucks attempted to negotiate a tight turn, from both directions, between the high rock walls - they were literally getting stuck!! It was nuts, but we made it.

We arrived in Calgary and met Colleen and her partner, Greg, at their hotel. The drive from Saskatchewan is longer than it is from our valley and Colleen's kids are grown, so they spent the night there. We had to be home in order to get our own children off to school and George off to work.

After a beer in the pub and a light dinner, we drove to the concert venue. I was reliving the last concert we saw there, and it was no comparison... The Who vs Meatloaf/second row centre vs semi nose-bleed seats high above the stage?

The show itself was great. Meatloaf has such an amazing voice and he puts his heart and soul into his performance. His band is very good and the two girls who were singing backup were fabulous. The lighting was well done and the audience had fun singing to all his old favourites, as well as to some new material. There is some good music and I would like to get his new album.

I did catch myself yawning through the performance, but only due to the fact it was my own bedtime. The show ended about eleven o'clock and we still had a long drive ahead of us. After dropping Colleen and Greg off at the hotel and joining them for a drink, which consisted of a glass of water, we were on the road again. George drove and he made it as far as Lac des Arcs near Exshaw in the mountains. I could hardly hold my own eyes open, so we had a forty-five minute nap at a roadside pullout. The stars were bright and the wind whistled and rocked about the van as we caught a few winks.

After resting, we continued on with George driving and I still dozing until Castle Junction where George had to stop. I took over the driving and we wended our way back through KNP. I had to stay on my toes, because the main highway was still closed and the park road was overly busy with trucking traffic. We made it to our valley where I had to stop because I simply could not keep my eyes open. George drove the final ten kilometres and we arrived home just after four o'clock in the morning. We literally dropped into bed - entirely exhausted!

The kids woke me up at seven thirty this morning and I saw them out the door - after they had readied themselves on their own. I was quite impressed! I guess there is a good thing about regular routine. Once everyone was gone, I fell back into bed and slept for another four hours.

George is still at work and I expect we'll have an early night this evening!

Over the edge...

I haven't been tagged, but here goes - just in case Gypsy can't make it...

Book: The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights.

Author: John Steinbeck

(Taken from the Winchester Manuscripts of Thomas Malory and re-written in today's English).



Page 123 - 5th Sentence : "Lastly, tell him I can do much more than that and I will prove it to him when the time comes."
She went to her lands in the country of Gore, and she strengthened her castles and towns, and armed and provisioned them, because in spite of her brave message she lived in fear of King Arthur.


I used only two sentences, because it was the end of the chapter...

It was a bit of a stretch when it comes to arms length, because the book nearest to me was my recent print-out of Pete Townshend's "Who He", which has yet to contain more than seven pages!

ghost in my room

Like a wraith
that hovers
ethereal
fragile
twisting as though tendrils caught in a breath
i seep into the space

i watch
i wait

COME HOME, GYPSY !

The kids built this snowman when the snow was just right for sculpting.

I am hoping his open arms will help welcome our friend back to blogland.

We miss you, Gypsy Noir!

Fogbowl

It is as though I've been going about in a fog this past week or so...

George and I celebrated our combined one hundredth birthday together last weekend.
I turned fifty years old on Friday and he caught up with me on Monday.

My weekend began on Thursday afternoon while skiing with Chicks on Sticks.
As it was our last session, we spent more time skiing and less time learning as we laughed and bounced our way through Taynton Bowl.
Nothing like a bit of adrenaline to get a gaggle of girls on the giggle!
The weather was rather odd, with bright sunshine at the summit, a massive fog mid-mountain and cloudy at the base.

That evening we had our windup dinner at a British-style pub in town - bring out the Guiness.
Of course, we had to top it all off at the dance bar across the street with sparkle jeans and feather boas!
Those young chicks amaze me - I had a difficult time keeping up with the never-ending rounds of beer and, at the end of the evening, I was bundled into a taxi and zipped home on the ice across the lake.
George's truck would have to spend the nigh sleeping by the curb instead of me...

It's difficult to believe how wonderful I felt when I greeted my birthday at midnight, and how rotten I felt when I woke up to my screeching alarm the following morning...

I rolled over and croaked at George to call work for me and tell them I would be late.
They'd understand - I hoped.
I knew that I had to be there no later than 10:00, because it's an on-going tradition to have cake and a card at coffee break for the birthday person - especially on such a landmark anniversary.
George came home from work before coffee, picked me up and drove me back across the lake - the quickest route to work.
I was greeted by bear hugs and handshakes - and they did understand!

Come evening, I was still going as we attended our second night of the Starlight Challenge.
The weather was balmy and, instead of doing only our requisite two frozen runs on the race course and fleeing to the warmth of the lodge, we languished on the slopes in above zero temperatures with excellent snow conditions.
We even went so far as to take a sneak run in darkness through the fog on an unlit run.
Better yet, we met the groomer doing it's night shift as it rose up the slope, and we managed to catch some freshies on the way down in its wide track.

The following day we skied at our home resort of Panorama.
George got called in to work that morning but, as his job was to shovel snow from a roof from a house they built at the hill, he was able to get in some turns later in the afternoon.
...I didn't make it the hill much earlier.

The above photo was taken shortly after noon that very day midmountain when the sun was shining brightly at the summit!
The area in which it was taken is called Sunbowl...

I lost my ski buddy in the fog - along with my ski tips...
The clouds were so thick I had to push my way through...
We had to yell in order to be heard...
We could chew it...
It would chew us then spit us out...

Well - you get the idea!

On Saturday evening we met with twelve friends at our favourite Bavarian restaurant to celebrate George's and my birthdays.
I ordered rack of lamb, which superbly satisfied my taste buds, followed by a lovely Black Forest birthday cake - oh how spoiled I felt!
Later, we went to the local pub where George had organised a surprise party for me - it was certainly a surprise!
Our friend's two sons were playing a gig at the pub with their band.
They are all quite young, but they did a great job!
It was very special being able to see my old buddies from over the years, as we don't get out much.

I also received one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever been given.
About thirty years ago I did a sketch of a horse and I gave it to a dear friend of mine for her twentieth birthday.
Just recently, she had a print made of it and gave it to me for my fiftieth birthday proving, without a doubt, that what goes around comes around!
She and I go back quite a few years - we met in Quebec where we worked together with horses.
After many adventures, marriages, children, and homes, we once again live as neighbours in the same valley.

Jenny and I spent Sunday on our skis at the hill, but it was a mellow day.
There was live entertainment at the cosy log Elkhorn Cabin on the mountain, so we whiled away most of the time taking in the sweet sounds of an acousitc guitar accompanied by Mel's lovely New Zealand-accented vocals.
It was very relaxing, resulting in the fact that we found it a challenge to get on our skis to tackle the rest of the slide to the base.

Ultimately, we arrived home happy, late and contentedly sleepy!

NEVER NEVER LAND

One third of the way there - Eugene taking a picture of me... taking a picture of him... taking a picture of me... taking a picture of him...

We finally reached the final outreaches of skiing inbounds - almost out of bounds...

Looking up at Brooke coming down...

Looking down at George, Jan, Eugene and Brooke looking up...

After unloading from the final lift at the summit, a twenty-minute boot-pack along the narrow, rocky rim of Taynton Bowl brought us to the most distant run off the peak - Never Never Land.

On the scramble in, the rugged landscape fell away hundreds of metres on both sides, leaving only a scant rutted track along which to balance, as we ascended higher and higher - done mostly with our skis slung over our shoulders...
This climb always brings butterflies to my stomach and a trickle of sweat down my back, as nervousness and exertion mingle to race through my veins in the form of adrenaline.
I found my hands trembling every time I fumbled to snap a shot with my camera!

All was forgotten as I dropped into the steep snowy bowl and, once engaged in my first several turns, I focused exclusively upon keeping my feet below and my shoulders above.
One wrong move, and that would be it - I would have emerged in a frost-bound heap at the bottom of the pitch, and the tackling of that particular descent would have been all for naught...

From there, we continued over a series of undulating rolls, down steep rocky inclines, around trees, and across traverses knee-deep in powder.
As we descended through the bumps and the trees, the slope gradually diminished, and we ultimately arrived at the bottom of Taynton Bowl.
We then continued our final swoop, via the two-kilometre cattrack, to the base of the mountain.

Granted, it's a lengthly round trip, but it's well worth the cold ride to the summit, as well as the arduous hike into the back bowl, for the opportunity to ski that seemingly endless vertical.

Indeed, if I had my way - I'd never, never land...

SUNDOGS

I have a whole new admiration for the digital camera!

This afternoon we skied through a thin stratum of ice fog and, after descending through the light layer of dancing airborne crystals, we pointed our skis across the hill to do a run on the opposite flank of the mountain.

As I was skiing along the cat track, I looked back and was greeted by this amazing sight.

The sun through the fog was circled and dogged by an ethereal rim of rainbow hues.

This is no trick of the lens - what you see is exactly what I photographed!

Whither I goest my camera will now be sure to go... never knowing what extraordinary tableau might attract my lens!

Cold Chairs and Starlight

We attended the first of four Friday evenings of fun and ski racing last night.

Fairmont Resort is hosting its twenty-fourth annual Starlight Challenge on the slopes of its small ski hill and the usual crowd of skiing rowdies were there in full force.

Our team of four equally rowdy members consisting of myself, George and two other friends, were on top of things last night...mostly.

My ski racing experience is rather limited and my moderate times on the course drove that fact firmly home.

The sky was was singing cold, accented by bright pinpricks of light piercing its dark dome.

As the full moon rose over the eastern peaks it brought the folds of the valleys and bowls into sharp relief.

On the ride up, we did our best to avoid contact with the icy metal of the chairlift and we were forced to leap and jump about at the top in order to revive the circulation to our numb limbs.

Following our two runs through the course, we did a sharp right turn into the lodge where a warm fire in the fireplace and cold beer on the table welcomed us.

* The above photo is of Thursday's sunset over Bell's Landing at PMV.

Only seven more days before I join the elite ranks of those in the second half of their century...