Endless Experiences...

2007-02-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

This post is especially for my ma, who was recently complaining (rather matter of factly) of the -30 degrees C winter chill passing through.

Spring has sprung here!

Here are some daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and lilies (Lilium) going for it along the front.

More of the same along the back.

Reverse angle of the previous shot, with a hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) just getting started in the background.

A selection of 'unknown to me' varieties. Most things growing in the yard fall under that category.

Absolutely zero points for artistic merit on this shot. If you squint just so, you can see the buds on this Sakura aka ornamental cherry tree (Prunus serrulata). In about a week the entire tree will be pink.

Wherever you are, we hope that all is well.

Greg & Ruth

2006-11-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Chillin' out in Yellowknife...

On the last leg of my mini-tour of the northern territories, so I figured I'd post a few photos seeing as it's been soooo very long. My first stop was Whitehorse...I decided to head out to where I hiked around last year, only to find that the road was closed. But that didn't stop me...I had a 4X4!! Here are a couple photos from the lake...

After one day in Whitehorse, I headed to Dawson City...it was -32 degrees. No taxis or rental cars, so you have to walk everywhere you go. Thankfully, Dawson's not that big...

Next stop, Inuvik NWT. This is a shot from the plane - it's unbelievable how many little lakes there are!

And this one's a shot of the Igloo Church...

My last stop...Yellowknife. I got to see some amazing aurora borealis, but unfortunately, I forgot my camera in my hotel room. I also got to see Great Slave Lake and some insanely huge ravens...

I guess that's about it...can't wait to get home!

2006-09-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not the greatest fan of these interweb based web-logs, but here we go...

Many thanks to all who shared some summer sunshine and fresh air with us as part of their recent summer travels. We are fortunate to have shared many laughs and much sweat with family and several old friends and to meet several new friends in the process. Paddling, waterskiing, paddling, bicycles, hiking, paddling, climbing, swimming, music, vans, ferries, food, cars, dogs, whales, stories, busy days and fun-filled nights.

We look forward to seeing you all again soon (and the rest of you as well),

G & R

2006-08-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Okay - so I know it's been a long time since we've updated...what can I say...it's been a busy summer! I will try to get some new photos of the house and some of the work we've done, but in the meantime, here is a shot of me & Danny tubing on the Okanagan the day before the North American Fresh Water Challenge - a 45km outrigger changes race in Vernon, BC last weekend. Not a good idea to go tubing, skiing and wakeboarding the day before, but it was worth it!

2006-05-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

8 burly men
8 excessively tight jerseys
7 grueling legs
4 skis
2 bikes
1 canoe
1 surf ski
16 blisters
82.5 miles (yes, miles...this was held in the States)
ONE AMAZING RACE

This past weekend, Greg and a few other guys participated in the Ski to Sea race in Bellingham...there was over 400 teams competing in this race where each participant completes one leg and a wristband is passed from one participant to the next until the last person rings the final bell to complete the race. Our friend Jeff Coleman raced the x-country ski, then Eric Findlay ran up Mt. Baker and skied down, positioning the team in 15th place at the end of the 2nd leg. Nick Walker ran down the mountain and Graham Cocksedge raced the road bike leg, followed by Greg (yay!) and Josh Henderson, who paddled the marathon canoe leg 18 miles (~29 km) down the Nooksack River. Drew Mackenzie raced the mountain bike leg, and Dion Maxwell paddled his way to the finish in a surf ski - and 82.5 miles after the start line, they finished in 9th place overall...did I mention this was out of over 400 teams??? They placed 6th in their division. Here's the team in their hot little numbers...

And here a few more of Greg & Josh prepping the canoe and their actual leg...

And a couple more photos just for good measure...note the stylin' life jacket...

2006-05-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Gather 'round boys and girls and let me tell you a story about our bathroom...

Notice the wall behind Jim (the guy facing the camera in the shot below)...now you see it...

...now you don't...

Notice the areas that aren't drywalled - this is where we (I use that term very loosely - it was mostly Greg and Denise and Pete and Jim) tore down the dropped ceilings and raised them up to the original ceilings.

And here is a photo of where the ugliest sink and cabinet in the world used to be...I just couldn't bring myself to take a photo of it. Ok...so I forgot...I'd be a terrible scrapbooker...but these are as good as it gets for me and 'before' pics...

...here is a photo of Gman after drywalling those parts...and the junk pile that resulted on the side of our house...

And here is a photo of Denise...our in-house tiler extraordinaire, drywaller (even though she claimed she would never drywall again...what a trooper...what a friend), cleaner, home decor consultant, and provider of showers while we were without one for over a week...her and Greg were finishing up the drywalling

2006-05-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please...

TA DAAAA!!!

2006-04-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the renos...we had a ton of help from friends...but Greg & I also did some work :)

Can't wait to be done! We'll post some photos when everything's done...

2006-04-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of helpers on our renovation adventure...Kim, Josh, Danny, Ben, Pete...and Denise, who we don't have a photo of...

2006-03-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

No new photos...but we did just find out what fruit trees we have!! So we have a cherry tree, two apple trees, a pear tree, a pink fig tree, a white fig tree, a concord grape vine, a brazilian grape vine, a plum tree, a strawberry patch, a raspberry bush, rhubarb...and I think that's it. We can't wait for summer! Yay!

2006-03-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the house...master bedroom, living room, kitchen, the studio/workshop in the backyard, and the dining room...we can't wait to move in (less than 2 weeks!) and make it our own...change some of the colours, take the Winnie the Pooh border down in the second bedroom (I was going to leave it there for you, De, but I just don't think I could handle it), etc. etc...

Here's the location.

I think Kat & Chris will be our first official out of town guests in April - I can't wait!!!

2006-03-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE!!! We take possession on March 31st, and it's in Vic West - we're super-excited and can't wait to have visitors, overnight guests, etc...we will post photos of the inside soon - we are most excited about our yard (complete with fruit trees!) and the hardwood floors...and the fireplace...and the studio in the backyard...and all the closet space...and the little palm tree in the front yard...and...

2006-03-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

A spectacular, sunny and warm day (at least for March). Along with 18 friends and about 80 other mainly-local paddlers, we took part in the Kanuhakit 1500 m Outrigger Canoe sprint race on Victoria's Gorge Waterway during Saturday. This race has proved exciting in each of the last three years that we've taken part; mainly due to the challenge of navigating and powering a 42 foot boat around the buoys of a 500 m course to make up the 1500 m race distance. Seven minutes of pain X 3 heats. g out.

2006-03-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is the intensity that results when you are trailing the first place boat by 5 seconds in the final heat of the day (a second place finish).

2006-03-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

Pulling hard through Victoria's Gorge Waterway. Credit to Paul Squires for the photo and for the use of his camera for the previous paddling shots.

2006-03-05T19:47:00.000-08:00

One of Greg's rockin' buoy turns (Greg's the horizontal one)...this team placed first in the B division (fourth overall). Credit to Paul Squires for the photo.

2006-02-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple photos from the Bamfield Marine Science Centre field trip...did some tidal pool exploring and got to see some amazing scenery, not to mention the amazing traditional stories that our guide, Stella, told us about the Huu-ay-aht people.

2006-02-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

While in Bamfield, I was lucky enough to get to accompany a colleague I was meeting with on a field trip for the Marine Science Centre. We visited traditional lands of the Huu-ay-aht people, and we were able to walk through the still-standing entrance of a former chief's home - an amazing experience.

2006-02-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

West Coast Trail in Ucluelet.

2006-02-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Fun in the sand...and one more sunset shot.

2006-02-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

PUPPY!!!! (No...sadly, it's not Yukon...)

2006-02-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

Sunset on Mackenzie Beach, Tofino...

2006-02-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

Drove out to Tofino today for yet another recruitment trip...and this is what I arrived to at Long Beach when I hopped out for a quick photo before going to my hotel...what a beautiful day it was...

2006-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

And here is just a sample of the best Christmas ever - snowmobiling on James Bay - that's Reb, Howie, and De (aren't they the cutest people you've ever seen?)...that was the experience of a lifetime, wasn't it kids?

2006-02-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

And here is our doggy-nephew, Yukon (isn't he the cutest puppy you've ever seen?)...

2006-02-16T12:20:00.000-08:00

At the request of many friends and family members to update our very out of date website that we didn't update since we first posted it, we've decided to go with a much easier to manage blog...where we will likely be posting tons of photos of Jonathan and Yukon (our two nephews - one human, and one superhuman), as well as many photos of life on the island...and you'll get to see a lot of the island with all my travels through work.

So, let's get this party started with a few Christmas photos - this one is our new pride and joy (isn't he just the most adorable baby you've ever seen?)...

...enjoy!

2006-02-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

So this is a blog?