Marco Paulo

A Good Geocaching Day at the Park

2012-02-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we hit the road with Isabelle and one of here friends, Jean-Christophe, to do some geocaching. I had found a neat park about a half hour away with a few caches that looked like fun. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out.

The park is called: Cedar Falls Park and is part of the Greenville County Recreation system. It is a relatively new park and the playground, volleyball court, and other amenities are in excellent shape. I was there last spring and most of it wasn't even in place yet. It was nice to see the paths complete as well as the interpretive panels up. it is a little in the middle of nowhere but I'm sure it will draw people in from Simpsonville and other nearby areas.

Sunday was pretty nice down here in the south. We had some rain overnight and everything was wet but by the time we got to the park I was glad to have worn shorts. Short! in February, early February at that. In the end we saw 21C and had a great day (I hear it was -15C back in Nova Scotia, Canada, and in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where some of you are ready this).

The geocaches were pretty cool too. Two were normal/traditional caches and weren't too hard to find. The the third was a puzzle cache for the Geokids (a.k.a. Isabelle and J.-C.). They had to run around and answer questions about the park before we got the final coordinates. In the end we found an ammo box full of cool treats for them. We also left a "Travel Bug" that will hopefully find its way back to Canada and beyond. Have a look here for more on the Geocache and the type of questions Isabelle and Jean-Christophe had to deal with.

For those who don't know what geocahing is at all here is a video that helps to explain it.

Here are a few pictures of our day...

First, here is the "Travel Bug" we put in the cache. Hopefully someone else will pick it up and move it along. I will be tracking it online as it visits different geocaches along its journey.

The pictures above are of Cedar Falls. There used to be a mill here along with a penstock that directed water to an electric generator.

The Geokids playing on the old supports for the penstock.

Here we are on our way to the playground through the woods on the trail along the Reedy River. If any of you have been to visit us or live in the area you'll know the Reedy River runs right through town. The park is on the river and downstream of Greenville.

Swimming

2012-02-02T19:36:00.001-05:00

Isabelle has taken to swimming, in a pretty big way. She goes up to three times a week for practice at the Sportsclub here in Five Forks and really seems to enjoy it. She has improved lots since last summer and her best stroke still seems to be the backstroke. Last weekend she took part in a meet nearby in Duncan as part of the State Championship Qualifiers and finished first in her age group for backstroke and eighth for freestyle. She can't wait for the summer and the swim team here in the subdivision. I think her swim coach is looking forward to it too.

Here is video of her race in the backstroke. She is in lane 1 on the far left.

Now a shot of her time on the board. Lane 1 finished in first, not too bad for a meet she was pretty nervous about.

Her freestyle race was pretty good too but she blew the turn. She needs more work on the spin turns but is working at it. The video wasn't so good so I didn't post it.

The next big meet is in March here in town and should be fun. She's signed up for six races altogether. She'll be doing 25 freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, as well as 50s in all three. I hope to be at all the races but I have to leave on a business trip around that time.

Another Art Show

2012-01-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

Isabelle has finished another session at CAT Studio (Creating Artists for Tomorrow) and has produced some great works. Before we went to Florida we took in another art show and saw the results with all the other students/artists. Of course there was punch, crackers and finger food, like any good art show.

This is some of what the show looked like, starting with the artist herself.

Here is a self portrait on an interesting background.

A sculpture of a rose in a vase.

She seems to enjoy it and she'll be at it again for the next session starting next week.

Florida in December

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last year before Christmas we headed north to North Carolina to see the Outer Banks. This year we sort of teamed up with another family and headed south to Florida. Orlando is only about eight hours by car and has lots to do. No, we didn't go see the big mouse, not this time, but we did go to Seaworld and the newest theme park in Florida, Legoland.

We left early and managed to pack light for a change. I could even see out the back window for once! The trip down was uneventful until we got to I-95. Literally the first 10 cars we passed on the highway headed south were from Ontario or Quebec. I had heard of this mass migration of snowbirds to Florida in the winter but it was amazing to see. There were hundreds of cars from Canada and the northeastern states all headed for the sunny south. At the condo where we stayed we even saw Alaska and Newfoundland and Labrador!

We drove near Savannah, GA, through Jacksonville, FL, not far from Daytona Beach, and finally arrived on the other side of Orlando at about 4:00 or so. There was one close call as we passed an exit and spotted smoke, a pill-up, and some emergency vehicles ahead of us. I took the exit and Jane found a toll road that likely saved us some time standing still.

Day one was at Seaworld. This was our second time at a Seaworld park having visited the one in San Diego last year while in California. I think this one was bigger but they were both very nice. Given the weather and all the sun it was hard to imagine Christmas was around the corner, but the park simply would not let us forget it. There was fake snow, Christmas trees, elves, toy soldiers, the big red elf himself, and lots of Christmas themed shows and rides.

We saw the orca show, the dolphin and whale show, the sea lions and walruses, a Cirque du Soleil-esque production, and a Christmas pageant complete with real sheep, llamas, donkeys, and even camels. The rides were also pretty cool. On the second day we were there I did the Kraken and the Manta several times. Those were some serious G-forces. If you want to see what the Kraken was like click here. To see the Manta click here.

There were lots of rides for the little ones too. Isabelle took in some of those as well as the Polar Express virtual roller-coaster. Both days we stayed late, well after 9:00 and enjoyed the Lake of Trees and some outdoor figure skating on some questionable ice.

All in all a very good time was had by all. I must say it was nice to go with another family. Isabelle had someone to play with, which took some of the pressure of Papa and Mummy, and we didn't have to go on all the teacup spinny rides. It also meant we could watch some of the other little kids who were there while the other parents did stuff with the older kids. The Otto family have a daughter in Isabelle's class and two more little ones, one is four and the other is less than a year (he's also ridiculously happy, always smiling and goofing around). I think it worked out for everyone.

Here are some pictures of some of the things we did.

Legoland was a little different. We had two days there but really only needed the one. The park only opened at 10:00 and closed by 6:00 in the evening, maybe in part due to the family nature of it, maybe to make you go two days, I'm not sure. It was clearly targeted at the 4 to 14 crowd, and was not nearly as easy for me since the rides were difficult to get into. There was lots to do but my favorite things were Miniland USA and the Lego City. The village had boats, planes (sort of), and a driving school (Isabelle's favorite) for both kids and little kids. The Safari was also cool with the life sized Lego elephants, giraffes, and lions.

Legoland may be new but the park itself is actually an old theme park called Cypress Gardens. As the pictures show we had lots of fun on the rides and seeing the sights.

The safari was pretty cool with all the animals, including an elephant that sprayed water from his truck.

Isabelle went to driving school and got her driver's license in Lego City. It was neat to see what she had learned from our driving habits. She seemed to really like the traffic circle and nailed it every time.

I got to play with a Duplo giraffe...

...and so did Isabelle.

I think if I had to choose my favorite part it would be Miniland USA, where everything is made from Lego. There were little villages, pirates, the space shuttle, the races at Daytona, and lots of landmarks from all over. Have a look below.

In the little people area Jane fell in love with a giraffe.

We also took in some of the rides and roller coasters, but there aren't many pictures of those.

There were Lego people and animals everywhere. My favorite Lego construction was this huge octopus.

Isabelle took Jane on a ride in an old klunker.

There was also a Christmas tree they made a big deal of lighting every night.

On the trip back to Greenville left early and drove near Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the Space Center but it will be on my list for another time. We did drive through the Canaveral National Seashore, very near where the space shuttle lands, and saw a natural part of Florida with lots of wildlife. There were many birds and a few alligators just sitting by sunning themselves. At one point I think we saw a huge wild boar cross the road in front of the Jeep.

Two of the five gators we saw on our drive through the swamps.

We also stopped at a beach at Fort Matanzas national Monument. The water was cold but still manageable. We didn't swim but it was nice to be at the ocean again.

Below is a turtle (maybe a box turtle?) we watched at Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Our last stop was St. Augustine. It promised to be a neat little city but was sort of a disappointment. The city was nice enough but it seemed a little over commercialized for the oldest city in the Americas. There was entirely too much tourist trap type shopping for my liking. We did walk around town a little and saw of the city but the family was getting a little tired and we soon headed home.

A Week at the Beach... in October

2011-10-30T17:48:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we spent a nice six days at the beach. One of my favorite spots in all of SC is a beach side town that some friends introduced us to a few years ago. It's called Folly Beach and it's only a few miles from historic Charleston.

We rented a house this time. We weren't right on the water but we could certainly hear it. We were just across the street and a short walk to one of the many public beach access points. We went with the LeBlanc/Vachon clan and definitely had a great time.

On the first few days we got rain and the leftovers of a hurricane, but that just meant big waves. I took the boats, of course, and did a little surfing. The new boat was pretty good in the big water and I even surfed my first tube. For those of you who don't know, that's the tube of air that gets formed when a wave breaks on itself. It was cool to be inside a pretty big wave if just for a few seconds.

The week got better as it went on with warmer temperatures and more sun. The rain didn't stop us though and we were among a small number of people on the beach on Monday and Tuesday despite the wind, some rain, and relatively cool temperatures.

On Wednesday (or maybe it was Tuesday?) we headed into town as the weather cleared and did something I had wanted to do for a long time. The displays at Patriots Point have been on my list for a while and I finally had someone who wanted to go with me. Yohann, Jean-Christophe, Isabelle, and I toured the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and saw everything from the kitchen to the post office. In between there was sick bay, the brig, the machinist's shop, the flight deck, the control tower, the bridge, and the dentist's office. The best for me was the aircraft display on the main flight deck. I saw a F-4 Phantom, an F-14 Tomcat, an A-6 Intruder and all sorts of other cool aircraft. (Meanwhile, the girls went shopping and explored Charleston.)

Here is the view of Cooper River Bridge, also called the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, from the lower deck of the Yorktown.

The kids playing under the A-6.

In front of the submarine USS Glamagore. That was a tight fit for me, walking through its passageways.

Isabelle in front of the Yorktown.

The beach time was excellent and much appreciated by all. I really do miss the beach. There were lots of sand castles and sculptures. Some had long walks and hunted for seashells. We all swam and played in the waves too.

The construction was serious at times.

Here is the diva herself on the beach taking a break from boogie boarding.

Mummy and the girl smiling for the camera.

The last few days we put lots of time in the beach. We did get out for a short bicycle ride but some technical difficulties cut that short. We did a few geocaches too and discovered a neat little park called Sunrise Park with a great view of the the harbour and Charleston. We watched some crab fisherman as they used poles and lines to catch crab. Some were using a throw net to catch shrimp for bait. When we got back to the house I also introduced Yohann to kayak surfing.

The rental was very nice and it was sad to leave. It was decorated the way I think i would decorate a beach house. It also had lots of space but was cozy too. Maybe we'll get to go back someday.

On the trip home we stopped at Congaree National Park near Columbia. It was neat to see some of the only old growth forest left on the east coast right in the middle of the state. The trails were neat and very kid friendly. We did one that was very easy and had a lower and upper boardwalk. There were lots of cypress trees and loblolly pines. I never knew that there was so much to the midland swamps in South Carolina. We all learned lots about the swamp and how it works, including the knees you see here at the bottom of the tree. No one is really sure what they do but you can look here for more explanation on the cypress trees and their knees.

Trees with knees.

The two little ones under a huge loblolly pine.

Alaskan Adventure Part 1 - Getting There

2011-09-24T22:53:00.001-04:00

My big kayaking trip to Alaska started a few years ago when my cousin Rena mentioned that we never get to paddle together. We grew up on different sides of the same huge country, never really got to know each other except through the odd visit but both managed to have found a love for the water. She always seems to visit the East Coast when I am away and we never got to kayak together. At one point she suggested we needed to do something about it and I just said: when and where?

Two years later and we are planning a trip to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. It was supposed to be in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of British Columbia, but an opportunity to go further north presented itself so we went for it. I suppose she simply told me and I went along with it. I really didn't have much say in the matter since most of the logistics were being taken care of from her end anyway.

I booked my flight and started making lists.

Now I'll cut to the chase (for a bit) and start getting to the trip itself. I left Greenville on a beautiful Sunday morning and flew Continental Airlines to Seattle. The trip was uneventful except for the first class upgrade. All that travelling I did for work finally payed off. I met the rest of the team at the Seattle airport and we started getting to know each other. There was a little mix up figuring out which gate we needed to be at and some issues for some of the guys who were flying from Kamloops, BC, but we got passed that. As the date of the trip neared there had been a few Skype calls with everyone but those were really all about itineraries, kayak rentals, food, and gear. This was the first time we got to talk about other things.

The team for this trip was made up of an interesting bunch. We had (and correct me if I am wrong) Susan, a marine biology professor, Duncan, a retired fire chief, Paul (not me) a former member of the Canadian armed forces who is a nurse and an EMT, Jake, another engineer with a whole bunch of outdoor experience, Rob, a (former, I think) employee of BC Forest Services, Rena, my cousin the kayak guide, and me. A good friend from Nova Scotia, Paul P. (yet another Paul), was supposed to come along too but a last minute issue forced him to postpone. I say postpone because I know he will be back on the water soon and itching to sign up for a big trip when the opportunity comes up. He's the one came up with the trip name. He called it Operation Ice Cube and even came up with a great little logo for us.

He and I tweaked the logo and now I need to get it put on t-shirts, along with some of the quotes from the trip. I think it's clever.

The last few days before the trip were a little harried as I had a lot of packing to do and Jane and Isabelle prepared for their annual pilgrimage to Nova Scotia. The gear and food situation pretty much looked like the image below (and no that isn't a gun in the black case, that's my paddle bag):

The blue duffel in the back left is full of food and was my heaviest bag. I also put all the other stuff, except for the paddle, into two other large duffels: one for kayaking gear, and one for paddling gear. The food was all non-perishable. There was lots of nuts and chocolate, noodles, hot and cold drink mix, dried apples and pears, salami and jerky, more chocolate, oatmeal, smoked salmon (in case we didn't catch any), some canned tomatoes, granola bars, Clif bars, a ready to back desert, a few spices and other bits, and of course several bottles of dark rum. The three bags weighed in at 50 lbs, 40 lbs, and 35 lbs. I also carried a small carry on with my electronics: GPS, camera, iPod, and so on.

The flight to Alaska was cool as we crossed the mountains and the plains of the desserts of the western United States but it was nothing like the flight from Juneau to Gustavus (pronounced Gus-TAY-vus). When we arrived in Juneau the plane was full and all but 20 of us got off. We then flew the last 50 miles to our final destination. This is not a long flight for a twin engine jet and it only took about 14 minutes, but it was a great 14 minutes. Imagine a Boeing 737 with a capacity of over 100 passengers flying practically empty at about two thousand feet up the fjord, weaving between the mountains. It was pretty cool. The view was great and the at the end when I walked by the the pilot he admitted it was the best part of the flight. He enjoyed it as much as we did. He flew that thing like a bush plane.

After arriving in Gustavus we collected our things at the outdoor baggage claim and loaded up the 15 passenger van that was there to pick us up. The seven of us and all the gear barely fit. We drove through town to get to the Glacier Bay National Park campground to register, get our bear barrels, do the park induction, and settle in for the night. The park has a free campground for people like us headed out on adventures in the park. I like to think it's free because if you've spent your money to get that far north you deserve a little break.

Next installment: Gearing Up and Heading Out on the Water

A Few Waterfalls and a New Kayak

2011-09-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

Well the waterfalls were a few weeks ago, and the new kayak isn't mine (unfortunately).

A few weeks ago I hit the road with a couple of friends to do some hiking. I haven't done as much here in SC as I would have liked but it is getting better. Jane likes it (some) and Isabelle I think tolerates it (are we there yet? when are we going to be there? can we go home?), sort of. The Geocaching helps since it makes it more like treasure hunt but it's still hard sometimes. So with the girls in Nova Scotia and a few weekends alone I went north to the mountains. Fabrice and Mylene came along, or maybe I went with them, I can't remember. Either way we were all without kids so the only complaining came from ourselves. We had no one else to blame.

We went to Jones Gap State Park. It was pretty a pretty cool spot. There is some great hiking there with lots of trails and several really good waterfalls. The campsites seem very nice too. They're right along the creek. The two waterfalls we visited were Rainbow Falls and Jones Gap Falls. There were both amazing, but the hike up to Rainbow Falls made it the best by far. We took a dip under the pounding water to cool of and truly enjoyed the hike.

On the way down we could hear the thunder coming our way but managed to get our lunch in before the clouds opened up. At the higher altitudes it feels like the thunder is right next to you. As we finished up with lunch it started to rain so we sat under the veranda at the visitors center and all had a nap until the storm passed.

On the way back to Greenville I introduced the other two to Geocaching with a short hike in the rain. It was a good walk but I think we all slept well that night.

Here are some shots of the falls and the trail.

You should be able to click the pictures for a larger view.

Now for the boat. I think Pascal has been waiting to buy a boat since I took him to the Sunrift Adventures fall sale last year. This is the big sale where they put out all their rental gear and have a huge yard sale. This year there was food and music too, and they raffled off some really cool gear. I think there was a boat, a tent, a bike, and some sort of adventure up for grabs. (There was also a fire truck and an ambulance, before the sale even began, but I think the fellow who fell off the mountain bike course in the front parking lot will be OK in the end).

They usually have about 200 kayaks and canoes, 50 or more tents, and about a 100 of so bikes for sale. In addition all the accessories are marked down and everything in the store is on sale too. The whole thing is just a great time for anyone looking to get some new or used gear.

I always tend to go too late so this time I was up before the sun rose and picked up Pascal by 7:00. We we got there about 7:30 and were not the first by long shot. Some had been there since 5:00 or earlier. It was quiet for a while but by the time the doors opened at 9:00 the place was very busy. In the end I got the spare whitewater paddle I wanted (to go with my other boat) and Pascal got a 12 foot Native Watercraft kayak, complete with paddle, PFD, and spray skirt. I think he's happy, at least he looked happy on Lake Robinson earlier today. He wouldn't stop smiling, but then again that's how I get when I buy new toys.

For the record I did not buy a boat to add to the armada I already have, but I did see a few I liked. Maybe next time...

A Teaser

2011-08-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I got back from a huge trip to Alaska. We spent nine days kayaking and camping in Glacier Bay National Park. The trip was great but I haven't had any time to post about it yet. I am still gathering the pictures and hope to have a few blog entries out soon. Lots of you have been asking about the trip and I will provide a full report as soon as I can.

In the meantime here is a picture that Rob Purdy took while on the water. It could be the best picture of the whole trip. I hope I can share my experience with everyone soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

That is a humpback whale breaching while feeding with the Fairweather mountain range in the background. It was pretty nice scenery for a vacation.

Thank You, Coach

2011-07-09T22:38:00.000-04:00

I have been a volleyball coach at several level for a while. I coached at university when my eligibility ran out, I coached at the high school level at Horton High School in Greenwich, NS. I coached as part of the Wolfville Waves Club program in the Annapolis Valley.

I started coaching because I liked to compete, and since there were no competitive team for me to play on I did the next best thing and tried to build one. It was also fun and I really enjoyed my time there. Getting young ladies and making them into a cohesive, mostly friendly, and competitive unit was very rewarding. I hope I made a difference for some of them.

Two years ago on a business trip back to the Annapolis Valley I ran into one of the parents of one of my players. It was nice to catch up and share stories about where her daughter was and how I now had a family with a daughter of my own. Off course we got around to talking about the rest of the team. What surprised me was how this parent kept going on about what a difference I had made for her daughter and what a positive impact I had on some of the other players. I had never really given it much thought.

I always treated everyone fairly and worked at giving everyone a fair shot at playing and competing. I ran a tight ship but also had a little fun with the teams I coached. I tried to provide a healthy and positive environment for everyone involved. I hope I accomplished that.

What I didn't realize was just how much these kids were getting out of it. For most of them the team was the highlight of their athletic career in organized sport. I suppose I was part of that. I'm only beginning to realize this now. The reason it is all coming up is because of another coach. Isabelle is now entering the world of organized, competitive sports. Of course she has a coach too. Miss Jenny happens to be our neighbor, but she's also one of the key drivers behind the Orchard Farms Gators, the subdivision's swim team. I suppose she's been Isabelle's coach for a few years now through the Orchard Farms Guppies (the little kids swim team) but this year she's really pushing Isabelle. The pushing is in a good way and I'm glad Isabelle has found a little competitive spirit.

Anyway, the point I want to make is that I think I'm beginning to see how the parents of all those kids I coached feel. I see now that the thanks that were offered to me were more than just for teaching their kids some athletic skills. It was also about teaching them some life skills, and getting them to be more than they could be by themselves. So, Miss Jenny, and Miss Jill and Miss Ally, thanks for being there for Isabelle and all the other swimmers. Keep up the good work, even though our kids can test you sometimes, knowing that you are making a difference in making our kids who they are going to be later on, and for that I can't thank you enough.

GO ORCHARD FARMS GATORS!!!

By the way, we won the Divisional championship today. All the swimmers did a great job and had a lot of fun and excitement doing it. I'm proud to say Isabelle was a part of it and is already looking forward to next year.

Off course it would be wrong not to mention the officials as well (right Bill?).

Isabelle's First Competition (and I was the nervous one!)

2011-06-16T22:38:00.000-04:00

When Isabelle took here first step I was impressed but had no idea what it would lead to. When we moved to SC and she started the Michelin French School I was shocked when she came home after her second week and spoke French to me after all the French I had thrown at her. When she jumped off the platform at the USNWC and zip lined down to the ground 32 feet below I was impressed. But for all of that I don't think I have ever been as as proud of her as tonight when she swam in her first swim race and finished so well with so much energy and such confidence.

Now I'm not usually too emotional but I'm not too proud to say I welled up inside. My little girl is growing up and out there with the big kids. She cut some serious time of her best time to date, but more importantly she went through the whole process by herself. The pit where all the kids wait, the line up behind the blocks, the excitement of watching all the other heats, and finally jumping in and going through the "Take you marks" and then the start buzzer. I was worried she'd pull on the lane marker or turn too early at the wall and get disqualified. It's not that she was out there to win, but that she would have been absolutely heartbroken. But in the end she nailed it. She made me so darn proud.

Anyway, here is the set-up and the race itself. Here she is in her racing suit with her race number markered on her arm and her Orchard Farms Gators swim cap.

Below she is in the line-up with the other girls in her heat. I think she was more excited but Jane and I were more nervous.

Here she gets some last minute advice from Mr. Bill, our neighbor and one of the officials at the meet.

Next is the race itself. You can see me shaking as I watch through the camera. I also cut it a little short so I could be there when she got out of the pool.

Well next week she wants to swim freestyle, breast stroke, and backstroke. Why not? I'm not about to stand in her way.

A New Discovery

2011-06-14T20:22:00.002-04:00

I am not usually a big promoter of commercial products on my blog, but when I like something I'll let everyone know about it. The latest thing that I've discovered (through Jane) is the Coppertone Sport Stick Sunscreen (see the website for coupons). It is essentially a glue stick full of sunscreen. It goes on easily, provides good coverage when you rub it in, and doesn't leave your hands sticky.

That last point is the key for me. If you canoe, water ski, or kayak like I do, once you put sunscreen on your hands are usually left very slick for a while afterwards. That makes your paddle grip pretty slick too. It's annoying but something I've always put up with since sun protection is not negotiable (see this video if you aren't convinced).

Anyway, this stuff is great and doesn't get all slimy. (Strangely enough, the only con I found is: keep it out of the sun if you can. It gets a little soft in it gets too hot, making harder to control the amount applied.) This is my plug to anyone who doesn't like that slippery feeling. It comes in Kids, Babies, and Sport. All are SPF55. (Even though it is a high SPF rating always remember to apply regularly, especially after being in the water or heavy perspiration.)

Enjoy the sun, safely.

Another Trip to The USNWC

2011-06-11T12:01:00.015-04:00

This week I went to the USNWC yet again. I love that place. This time it all started with a visit from a few months ago.

I had heard the center would be hosting the USA Canoe & Kayak Team Trials. I spread the word, Pascal took me up on the offer and we were on our way with Isabelle and some of her friends. It turned out to be a great day. Pascal and I enjoyed it and the kids had a good time. Here is some of the fun.

The K-1 men were pretty impressive. Here is some of the biggest water. I don`t have the nerve to run this channel yet, much less worry about hitting gates.

This is one of the Canadians who come down to compete. They fared pretty well and finished in the top five in a few events, even though they can`t make actually the US team.

The C-1 event was also very impressive. It's really cool how these guys maneuver these boats and manage to roll them.

Of course there were the other "competitors." They did some rock climbing, the Mega Jump (a controlled fall from a 46 foot tall tower), and the Climb 2 Zip (a climb up a net to a 32 foot platform and then a 100 foot zip line down). Isabelle had done some of this before (last summer at the USNWC) but it was lots more fun with friends.

Here is the crew: Isabelle, Claire, &, Louis. Louis is in Isabelle's class and Claire is his big sister.

Here are Isabelle and Louis on the Climb 2 Zip.

Following the trip with Pascal he convinced the school that it would make a great end of year trip for the senior class. Since I am such a fan I asked to go along. The school took me up on it and here we are.

The students had a great time and I even got to paddle a little. Here are the pictures.

I also strapped the camera to my helmet and got a few good (I think) videos of the whitewater.

The first is of M-Wave, the big class 3 run.

The second is of some surfing on the Entrance Exam section.

Finally some big waves in the Playboat Channel.

Overall I think a good time was had by all.

More Swimming

2011-06-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

Isabelle continues her swimming career with another round of Guppies (that's swim team for little ones here in SC). She is improving quite a bit and is being encouraged to swim in the big meet with the older kids. She has some strong strokes and weaker ones. If she did swim a big meet she likely would do freestyle and backstroke. Her backstroke is by far her strongest.

Here are a few videos and pictures of one meet at one of the neighboring sub-divisions.

Here she is ready to go in lane 5. Being one of the senior members she gets to swim first. That`s a far cry from the first meet she swam two years ago, where she went first but hadn`t grasped that she needed to swim when the whistle blew.

Here is the start of the flutter board event. Anyone jumping from the blocks can`t do it with the board so they put them in the water.

The backstroke is here best stroke. We have to work on finishing big, but she can really get some speed up.

Now here is the breast stroke. Not too bad for a six year old. I know I wasn't swimming like that at six. This week is another subdivision. Should be another good time for all.

Stick Figures

2011-06-05T07:34:00.031-04:00

A while back a friend from work came to the South and noticed what I have noticed since I got here. People like their cars here, but they also like their bumper stickers. Not as much as I like mine, but they do like to make a statment. One of the statements is: "Look at me and see who's in my family."

Well the family units here are as diverse as anywhere. Below is either a normal family of four or mom and dad, a small child with bad hair and what could be an adopted zombie. It depends on your interpretation.

Next we have a family of four with a cat. Pretty normal actually. You tend to see a lot of these.

Sometimes things are a little more complicated. This one clearly is missing a dad. You wonder what the story is here.

Of course the families get bigger and bigger. I've seen a few that travel in huge, full sized passenger vans with more car seats and boster seats than I would want to deal with. This one seems to be at six, almost time to upgrade the family car.

Here we have a family plus the dog. Makes me miss Maggie.

Now the ones I really like are the ones I haven't seen too often. Last year we saw one where the Mom clearly had not left the rest of tyhe family on good terms. I wish I had been able to take a picture. It showed the dad and the two kids and the mom's head was actually chopped off. No, it wasn't just missing, it was on the ground next to one of the kids. Her arms and legs were also gone, some of them in the hands of the other family memebers. I can't remember if there was a dog with a bone. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Another one I don't think I have seen (yet) but that I think would raise some eyebrows here is two moms or two dads and some kids. I'm sure it's out there somwhere.

Finally, every now and then you see one with entirely too many cats or dogs. I saw one where there was one "mom" and at least three dogs and five cats. Not exactly my thing but go ahead and express who you are.

In the end my buddy couldn't find a set for him, his wife, and the two boys. We did come accross a set for him after he'd gone home so I bought it for him and delivered it to him on my next trip to Canada. Keep an eye out for it, it's coming to a rear window or a bumper near you.

I Could be a Tire Designer

2011-05-31T19:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at supper I was explaining to Jane what my new job would be. To sum it up in a few words it is essentially tire design. Not new tire models but drawing and working with some new and same existing tire designs, colaborating working with the plants on issues and solving problems with them. It is at this very point that Isabelle pipes up and exclaims: "I can draw a tire!"

Well, you can't argue that point. To proove it she drew one, an earthmover tire I think. The girl has potential.

It's All Part of Being an Expat

2011-05-18T13:10:00.000-04:00

OK, so I am sitting in international departures after a second delay and a flight cancellation, all of which follows a two day delay for visa and immigration issues. I’m beginning to wonder if I will ever get back to Greenville.

It all started with Gran’s 100th birthday celebration, a celebration that went very well, by the way, with a good time had by all who attended. You see Jane and Isabelle had planned several months ago to come to Halifax for Gran’s birthday party. Initially I didn’t have a reason to come and was actually sort of looking forward to a weekend of working out at the gym, paddling at the US National Whitewater Center, and geocaching in and around Greenville. Maybe I could sneak in a ballgame too. Instead it has lead to the biggest travel adventure I have had since 911.

It all started because my visa expired in May. The renewal application went in back in March and should have taken a month. At the beginning of March there was still no sign of it. With Isabelle and Jane leaving after the expiration date we had two option for getting them back into the country: premium processing ($1000) or I go with them to take care of the visa on the way back into the US. Since now I had work to do in Waterville when I was there I decided to go along, besides, the visa process in at the border was supposed to be a sure thing while the premium processing didn’t guarantee it would back in time.

I booked a flight and had a good visit in Halifax, put in some time in the plant in Waterville, got to see my folks, attended the birthday party, and generally had a nice little long weekend in Nova Scotia with the family. I even got my act together and gave my Mom here belated Mother's Day gift and my Dad his early Father's Day gift. I was feeling like it was all under control. Tthen everything went south.

At US immigration we ran into some issues with the visa before our flight on Sunday. In the end we turned around and went back to the city. I booked myself in at the Blomidon Inn in Wolfville and Jane and Isabelle went to her parents place in halifax. We rescheduled our flight for Wednesday and let relocation and the company lawyers figure it out. Isabelle would miss some school but we would work through it.

On Monday evening we are told we are good to go. After having spent two days in the plant in Waterville I head back to Halifax on Tuesday evening to get ready to try again. At this point (insert hint of self pity here) my throat is starting to scratch and I can feel the cold coming on (Peter’s hot toddy helped but I don’t think I can dodge this bullet.) Now, just after going to bed, my phone goes off. It's a message from Continental saying my flight is cancelled. Cancelled! Really. OK, I can deal with this…

Jane and I stay up until midnight dealing with a reschedule. Now instead of a 12:30 departure we leave at 9:00. Not too bad, but we will have to get up early. Too bad Isabelle didn’t fall asleep until 10:00. She’s going to be a little cranker tomorrow.

Now I’m up at 6:00 and the cell phone rings again. It’s an automated call from United. The flight from Washington to Greenville has been rescheduled. OK no problem, but what about Halifax to Washington? I look it up and it’s delayed. We don’t go until 12:00, that’s why the other flight was moved. Well, we got up early for nothing but we can use the time with US immigration. We head to the airport.

At the airport we get sorted out both at immigration and with the airline. The wait will be long be at least we are through. I meet an old acquaintance and his family, all headed to Greenville like us, and we finally board the plane. A little mix-up with the boarding passes has us in the wrong seats but everything looks good until a lady in first class declares she’s lost her wallet. After a short delay she figures out it’s at her hotel. Too bad for her, I though we would be delayed again.

Then, just as I think they are about to close the door, the captain comes on and says, and I quote: “I’m sorry folks, I hate to have to tell you this, but it appears the plane is really broken. We are going to have to ask you to deplane while we wait for maintenance. We may be an hour or more late…” Really broken! as opposed to slightly broken or kinda broken. (I also wonder if it was broken before or after it landed just a few minutes ago. Who knows!) Oh well, the lady in first class will get her wallet back. And now I sit in the departures lounge thinking about the joys of being an expat… It’s a good thing I like my job; otherwise I may start thinking a little more seriously about being a kayak guide.

I Don't Like Cold Toast

2011-03-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's true, I don't like cold toast. But sometimes you just have to suck it up and eat your toast, no matter how you get it. This morning was one of those mornings.

I have just gotten back from ten days in Nova Scotia for a visit. I love going home since I get to see lots of friends and of course spend some time with my family. This time was no exception. I put in a few days of work at the plant in Waterville and spend a nice long weekend with my parents. The following week was back in the plant and finally home on Friday. I flew Air Michelin on the way back and was home in time to pick-up Isabelle at school. It's one of the small pleasures.

Yesterday felt like a catch-up day. We spend some family time together. We went for a hike in the rain, did a little shopping, and watched a movie in the afternoon. Not too bad for a rainy day. Isabelle got up early but didn't wake anyone. This morning was a little different.

I got up at 7:40 for some reason and when I came around the corner Isabelle was on her way up. I had heard some banging and clanging but she usually isn't too quiet in the morning. As soon as she saw me she said she had made breakfast. Then she went to wake her mother!

Now you have to understand two things: Isabelle has been making her breakfast for a while now. It usually isn't complicated but it works for her. So breakfast was no surprise. Second point: Jane is not a morning person. We sort of have an agreement, I take the early shift and she takes the late shift. It just works for us. Well this morning Isabelle had made toast for everyone and laid out my favorite cereal. There was milk for her and Jane and the peanut butter was ready. The only thing was that toast was cold and the cereal soggy. But Isabelle was happy and she had thought of us.

Well I talked her into not waking her mother and I ate the cold toast. I also ate the cereal, which was my favorite cereal but not quite the way I like it. Isabelle had made me breakfast I wasn't going to ruin that for her. I love my little girl and cold toast is not going to get in the way of that. Now she's doing some craft work and getting ready for Grandmere and Pappi's visit in a few weeks. I know they will think she's grown when they come to visit but I know she's growing in more ways than one. So if ever you get the chance, eat your cold toast. It's good for you.

An Art Show

2010-12-27T09:00:00.003-05:00

Isabelle has been attending art classes for a few months now. On Monday of the last week of school she had her big opening. There were formal invitations and we were told to expect "fancy food and fancy drinks." I took advantage of it to wear one of my best bow ties (I really don't get to dress up as much here as I did when we lived in Nova Scotia.) Isabelle and Jane dressed up too. There were fancy clothes all the way around.

Here is a the artist showing off one of her works.

The session/semester had been an exploration of all sorts of media. There was chalk, watercolours, acrylics, and some mixed media. The first stages involved learning about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Then came other concepts. Here is some of the artwork:

It was well done as they converted the whole studio into an art gallery. All the other kids and parents were there too, including a guest Isabelle had invited. Dorian, one of Isabelle's classmates, was there by invitation with his mom. I think they plan to attend the next session.

The people at CAT Studio do a very good job. Isabelle certainly loved it and wants to go back for another term.

Michelin Children's Christmas Party, Greenville Style

2010-12-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, literally a few minutes after I got off the plane from Nova Scotia I headed out to the Pavillion for the Michelin Children's Christmas Party. Jane was already there with Isabelle. She brought along my skates and got Isabelle out on the ice.

Despite being up well before daylight I was happy to be home. A few of Isabelle's friends and lots of other kids, parents and grandparents were there to take in the activities.

The main event was the skating, but there was also lots of crafts and other activities. The bouncy toys were very busy, and there were snacks and treats for everyone. There was a huge raffle including some serious prizes. We didn't come away with anything but had a good time. I spent most of my time on the ice but did manage to catch up to some friends and in particular some of the moms and dads from Isabelle's class.

That evening we had some friends over for dinner. Jane had been planning and prepared a few salads. I had managed to arrange a dozen lobster and got them through customs without any issues. Some of our guests had never had lobster straight up and in the shell. I walked them through some of the intricacies of shelling a lobster with nothing more than a kitchen knife and a little elbow grease. In the end a good time was had by all.

The Joke's on You

2010-12-06T19:01:00.008-05:00

Last night somebody broke into the Subaru. We always felt pretty safe around here but it just goes to show you that you are never completely safe from crime.

The thief broke the rear passenger window to get a bag that was sitting on the back seat. I suppose he thought the bag may have contained a computer or something. It was the only thing missing, even though I had some of my kayaking gear in the hatch.

I was impressed with the response we got from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. Once we figured out how to get a hold of them, you can't call 911 for a simple smash and grab, they were here in about 20 minutes. A quick description and a look around and we were told to expect a report in a few days. He asked if we wanted forensics involved but I don't think that would be a good use of the county's time and resources.

Our insurance dealt with it very simply, saying it was essentially just a broken window. They were pretty efficient and organized to have a technician from a local glass shop here tomorrow morning to put a new window in. In the end we didn't make a claim on the $40 MEC satchel and essentially just want to get the window fixed.

The funny thing in all of this is that the perpetrator of this crime is likely less educated than most and is possibly even a high school drop-out. That's funny (or is it ironic?) because the bag he stole contained three mechanical pencils, a calculator, a few pads of paper, and some South Carolina high school SAT study manuals. The bag was my tutoring kit. I use it when going into one of the local high schools to help out 11th and 12th graders get through their HS-SATs.

Here is a look at the damages.

The good news is that none of the windows that have all my stickers in them were broken. I worked hard to get those there and I wouldn't want to have to start all over again!

Update on the Tooth Fairy

2010-11-24T21:03:00.006-05:00

Just a quick note on those of you who have been curious about how the Tooth Fairy did. I think everyone was satisfied. The compensation was half a week's allowance. Not too shabby for a six year old.

Here is the note:

There you go.

The Tooth Fairy

2010-11-22T22:38:00.002-05:00

Today was a big day for Isabelle. School pictures, a nice dress to wear to school, and then tragedy struck.

No she didn't loose her tooth before the school pictures, but she did loose it. It's been loose for a good while now and she has been wiggling it religiously. Unfortunately it did fall out while she was at art class, washing her hands over the sink. The tooth is gone but she's dealing with it well. I think it was harder on Mummy than on the little one.

Someone at art class told her to write a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining what happened, so she did. Here it is, written on a bar napkin (we went out for supper to celebrate):

In case you need some help:

"Dear Tooth Fairy I lost my tooth in CAT's Studio. I looked for it, but I did not find it. Love Isabelle Melanson"

I'll post the note from the tooth fairy when she replies.

In the meantime this is what it looks like when she smiles:

Tennessee and Other Adventures

2010-10-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

Last week week took a long weekend in Tennessee. I had a project presentation very early on Friday morning to present to some French colleagues at 6:00 so once that was done we packed up and headed west. Our first destination was Knoxville. We drove up into North Carolina and stopped near Asheville at REI. We ate our picnic lunch (the first of three that weekend) in Lake Julian Park. Lake Julian Park is a neat little community park on a lake just between I-26 and Hendersonville Road. The park was very busy as a Farm Day was being hosted. We sort of knew something was up when we left REI and saw this:

The pig is on a trailer being pulled by a motorcycle. He seemed to be enjoying it, leaning into the corners with the air in his ears.

Once into Tennessee the plan was to go to the Knoxville Zoo. We had heard it was pretty good. Unfortunately we didn't know they were closing early for their Boo in the Zoo event. We were too late to make it worth paying full price for an hour in the zoo so we went off to find other adventures. We decided on the Museum of Art. It was very nice, although a little small. One particular exhibit was very interesting. The miniature rooms were quite something.

The real gem in the museum was the gift shop. Nestled in the back of the museum on the second floor where you wouldn't expect to find it, it had the best selection of gifts, books, and games I have ever seem in a museum gift shop. We ended up getting a few things there to tuck away for later.

Next we wondered around downtown Knoxville. Some of you know Wolfville, NS and Asheville, NC. I have always said how Asheville feels like a big Wolfville. It's a very crunchy-granola, back to the earth, sort of all natural kind of town. Well Knoxvelle felt the same only bigger and as Jane put it, even more so. It was very artsy and green, and has a huge university campus on the river. A very interesting city. We didn't stay in Knoxville but wandered up towards Oak Ridge for the night.

Oak Ridge is known for its role in the Manhattan Project. It didn't exist until the mid-nineteen forties and was known as the secret city for a while. Our first stop on Saturday was the American Museum of Science and Energy. The museum was a little dated and not quite as interactive as I had hoped it would be. The displays promoting nuclear energy were interesting but not very child friendly. I particularly liked the historical displays on the Manhattan Project and the A-bomb but I think Isabelle's favorite part was likely the games in the lobby and the two robot arms. They were pretty cool since you could control them and build things using foam blocks and balls in the large display case. To be honest most of the museum felt a little 1950's or 60's. I'm glad we went but likely won't be back.

Next was the complete opposite end of the spectrum. The Museum of Appalachia is in nearby Clinton. It is on several acres of beautiful Tennessee countryside and has some beautiful and interesting houses and structures. It felt a little like Ross Farm back in Nova Scotia. The walking tour took through the Appalachia Hall of Fame were we saw all sorts of memorabilia and other interesting artifacts. Here is some of what it looked like.

And a pretty good shot of the girl at her best (yet again she was a trooper through the whole three day adventure...)

Some of the local residents on the grounds of the museum.

An old postbox, for Jane, but not as nice as mine.

Some of the old houses on the grounds. We visited Mark Twain's family cabin. It wasn't originally located there but was moved in 1995.

That evening we had some time to kill before heading back to the hotel so we took a little detour to Maple Lane Farms. They had a huge corn maze set-up, along with a haunted house, some small rides, and a concert stage. Our main purpose was the corn maze. It was huge. The corn was over eight feet tall and the whole thing was over 10 acres.

Here is Isabelle at the entrance.

She didn't do too bad a job of navigating her way through. There were checkpoints throughout where you had to answer questions correctly to get hints as to which way to turn.

Once we made it halfway there was no stopping her!

Here is the view from one of the bridges. In the distance is the other bridge, almost to the tree line.

As Grumpy would say: the corn was as tall as an elephant's eye.

And finally the end. We only got hopelessly lost once.

Day three took us to Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We went early in the hopes of avoiding the traffic on the 11 mile one way loop. We were mistaken. There was no way to avoid the traffic. In the end we only drove half the loop and took a primitive road out of the park a back way. Even that road was busy.

The hold up was usually someone stopped dead in the trail to take a few shots of deer. They were everywhere, but you would have thought no one had ever seen any. The signs that said not to stop didn't seem to matter. Eventually the park wardens would show up on foot or on bike and move things along.

This part of the park was breathtaking. The views were better int he clear fall air and the leaves were just in the middle of changing to their fall colours. It is likely the best time of year to visit, and everyone else thought so too.

There were pull-outs and other attractions along the way, including lots of original buildings and stories to go with them. It would have been an amazing place to live "back in the day."

Here are some of the deer that were causing such a stir. (We didn't stop to take these. We just rolled along carefully since the little fellas don't seem to mind the traffic.)

There were some interesting barns and buildings, including this drive through barn used to dry hay by pitching up through a trap door in the middle.

This is the primitive road we came out on. It was a little challenge but nothing worse than some of the back roads in Nova Scotia. The drive was pretty.

Finally we drove by Bryson City in North Carolina and took a detour up the Nantahala Gorge. This is where the Nantahala Outdoor Center is located. It was a chance to have a little walk around, see the new standing wave they built in the river, and poke around the outfitters store.

This is also where Isabelle got her first wasp sting. We have always wondered about this event. Jane hoped it would be closer to a major medical facility. The problem is that there are allergies in Jane's family to bee and wasp stings. In the end there were no complications, just two relieved parents. Like I said earlier, she was a trooper.

Finally here are the fruits of our labors from last Wednesday. We had some friends over to carve pumpkins. For some of them it was the first time. The one on the top right is mine. No one can say I'm not a company man.

And again in the dark.

Finally I leave you with a new look for Isabelle. Most of you have likely never seen her with her hair straightened. It's not permanent, but just a little something she came back from the salon with. Pretty cool, but I think like her curls better.

Bird Houses and Balloons

2010-09-26T18:28:00.000-04:00

Isabelle has been wanting to make something for a while. She loves to paint and mess around in the garage helping me with my projects. This week with Jane in Nova Scotia we tackled a small birdhouse project. Off course with any project you have multiple phases. Isabelle had been working on the concept phase for a while. Here is what it looked like.

Then you usually have to hire an engineer (unless you have one kicking around) to take what the architect has come up with and make it into something that can actually be built.

Then the contractors come in and put it all together. Isabelle helped with some of the marking and measuring as well as some of the nailing. Here is the unfinished birdhouse. Note the three levels.

Now for the paint. She picked red and black. It's not completely done so we will have to see where it ends up. I will keep you posted.

Saturday we headed downtown like many others to enjoy the weather. It was looking like the real last day of summer as it was expected to get uglier in the next few days. Our main goal was going down to see our friend play with his band The Jaywalkers. Unfortunately we didn't stay out long enough but we did listen to a little blues and have a little fun with Jay Dee. Jay Dee is a great entertainer for people of all ages and can really twist balloons. I know some other people who got some really cool masks, helmets, flowers, monkeys, and other cool things. I think I will keep him in mind for the next birthday party I need to help organize. He seemed to be really good with the kids who were there.

Isabelle ended up with a dragonfly that will likely end up hanging from the ceiling in her bedroom.

Ever Want To Be a Fireman?

2010-09-25T06:51:00.000-04:00

On Friday I did something a little selfish. I took a half day to spend with Isabelle and her classmates. It's not something I have done much of in the past but given the amount of travel I have had in the last few months I felt like I owed her that. I had an opportunity to drive some of the students to the E. North Street Fire Station of the Wade Hampton Fire Department for a tour and a visit.

Well I can say that it certainly was a great time. We were welcomed in and shown the whole station from the kitchen to the ladder truck. The guys there were great with the kids and genuinely enjoyed talking about what they do and fire safety. Isabelle later said her favorite part was seeing where they all sleep and eat. She said one fireman's bed was pretty messy and that she told him that he would have to make it up before he could sleep in it! If only she listened to her own advice.

Here are some pictures.

The tour always includes a fireman getting all geared up. It serves a couple of purposes. First of all some of us are curious about how they do it and all the gear they wear. Secondly, and most importantly for the students, it shows then what the firemen will look and sound like when they are in the house looking for people. It can get pretty scary for a little one who sees a fireman dressed up like a space alien that sounds like Darth Vader coming at them through the smoke on their hands and knees! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Of course the first thing they wanted to do was show us how their dispatch works. We were just sitting down when a real alarm went off. Just like that the men who were calmly talking to us were gone, both the ladder truck and the engine and everything. We all watched the trucks leave and the fire marshal stayed behind to explain to the students what was going on. Luckily it was just a minor event that was dealt with by another fire station and they were right back in five minutes to park the trucks in the garage. The tour went off without a hitch after that.

The firemen were very impressed with how much the students had retained about fire safety from their classes earlier in the week: stop drop and roll, call 911, leaving a burning house, escape plans, and all that stuff. In the end we all learned a thing or two. One I didn't know is that if you are stuck on the second floor without a way out you should hang a sheet or something out of your window. Firemen will always look for this type of signal when they first arrive at the scene. Of course they always check the entire house during a fire but making yourself visible is always a good idea.

Another thing that surprised me is their role in protecting property and cleaning up afterwards. They explained to us how their first role is obviously protecting life and limb, getting people out of a burning house, everyone knows that. Here the second crew at a fire will often go into a burning structure to retrieve and protect valuables and personal, irreplaceable property when possible. They will push furniture together and take down paintings then cover everything up with tarps and blankets. They also stick around and help clean-up and protect other items from water damage when they can. As one fireman said to me: "We try to do what we would want other people to do for us." Pretty cool, I thought.

I also got to check out the equipment and ask questions of some of the firemen. I got a little lecture on setting up a truck to a hydrant, on some of the municipal politics between departments, and had a good look at the sharp looking Michelin tires on all the trucks. They were all made in the USA in the very plant I had come from that morning in Spartanburg.

Here is Isabelle's CP class (1st grade) and the GS class (K-5) with a few of the brave men from the Wade Hampton Fire Department. Thanks again for the tour!

A Few More Points on Brazil

2010-09-14T21:11:00.000-04:00

Now for three points which weren't covered in the previous posts about Brazil.

One: Driving

Brazilian drivers are by far the most aggressive, cautious, courteous, mellow, crazy drivers I know. We drove at break neck speeds the whole time and didn't have a single accident. I say we, the taxi drivers were the ones doing all the driving. I have never been so close to another car in my life at over 100 km/hr. That includes in front of, behind, and next to! These guys know their stuff, and considering the roads there it's amazing the cars last as long as they do. All the while these fellows were on their phone and, except for one particularly nervous taxi driver, almost never used their horn in anger. A toot here or there to let a pedestrian know we were coming through or to tell the car in front of us to go by was it. They we generally very civil.

They also manage to put three lanes where any North American driver would only think of putting one. It seems strangely efficient. Picture three lines of cars getting on the I-85 or the 101 on-ramp and you get the idea. They do seem to have lane markers like we do, but no one seems to care.

Another interesting thing they have is "returnos". These things are like traffic circles or roundabouts only bigger. They are there since you usually can not or do not want to turn left on many of the major streets, so you go past your turn and find a returno so you can make a (relatively) safe u-turn to get to where you are going. It is all very civilized but must be fun getting used to. One returno I was on actually went through a multiple story mall parking garage. Space is clearly an issue in Rio since it is cornered by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.

Two: Drinking

Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil and it is made with cachaça which is a fermented sugarcane drink. It is similar to vodka but with a rougher flavor that is hard to describe. I suppose it's not as pure as vodka so has a slightly coarse taste. Either way these caipirinhas are great. Take a few ounces of cachaça, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a whole lime (called a limon), and some crushed ice. Crush the lime with the alcohol and sugar and then shake vigorously with the ice. The result is magical as far as I am concerned. It is as refreshing as a gin and tonic, as powerful as tequila, and as tasty as a good rum and coke with extra lime.

Now on a somewhat related topic: have you ever seen a cashew? Not the nut that everyone eats, which is actually the fruit. I mean the whole thing. For anyone who has never seen it, it is not quite as expected. Have a look at the following Wikipedia link for picture of a cashew. See what I mean? The nut is really the fruit, but looks like the stem. The fruity part is actually a false fruit, and is very difficult to store or transport, part of the reason most of us have never seen one.

The tree is native to Brazil so the juice is available everywhere. While in Brazil I had cashew juice several times. It was sweet and tasted similarly to mango juice. The cashew caipirinha I had was also very good but I think my favorite is still limon.

Three: Eating

Pichana or rump steak at the Churrascaria is the best way to eat meat in Brazil. It might be the best way to eat steak in any country. Churrascarias are generally a great way to eat what Brazilians call barbecue. They take all sorts of meat, from sirloin to the hump (you know, like on the Brahman bull) and a few other items that you wouldn't think of serving on a skewer, and grill them to perfection. Pork, chicken, lamb, sausage, it all goes.

The secret is the serving and the timing. The skewers of meat just keep coming and coming from the kitchen as long as you want to eat it. The servers at Porcao where we went several times were very good and generally kept tabs on who wanted what cuts, almost before we knew it. Add to this an amazing buffet with everything from sushi to smoked salmon, from blue cheese to blue crabs, from beans and rice to bean fried rice, and you have an unforgettable meal. The desserts were also impressive but once you've eaten every cut of meat from hump to tail, you just can't do a good flan or chocolate cake and custard the justice it deserves.

So to summarize I must say my time in Brazil was great. I always miss home on long trips but I can't wait to visit again, although next time maybe Jane and Isabelle will be with me. Who knows...

Kayak Storage and Other Art Forms

2010-09-13T22:20:00.000-04:00

This weekend I tackled a project I've been meaning to do for a while. I've been tired of the way my kayaks are stored since this year's paddling season started. I just can't seem to get the boats away with so much clutter in the garage. When I first moved into this house I set-up an intricate system of pulleys for my three sea kayaks that pulled them up to the ceiling. The only problem was that the rafters run across the garage and not the length of it so the boats run across it. Add to this the fact that the double is just too much boat to be man handled effectively by one person and I needed a new system.

Well, here it is:

I used three 2x4x10s, two 2x4x8s, some scrap wood I had kicking around, some slightly modified hooks and the straps I had from the previous set-up. The whole thing only took about three hours to make. The rack is mounted on the wall so it won't slip, but I didn't want to hang everything off the walls since we only rent the place. I don't want to leave too many holes in the walls.

As you can see the four boats fit quit nicely and I put a one of my paddle holders behind it to start keeping the 15 or so paddles I have in some semblance of order. I plan to add a second paddle holder later this week but may modify it a bit to get more paddles in and make it easier to get at.

Now the other big part of the weekend was a trip to Sunrift Adventures huge rental sale. They actually put all their gear on sale, but the boats and paddles they use for rentals all year long are where the real bargains are. I went with Pascal since he was looking for a boat for himself (in the end he didn't find anything that was right for him.) I did manage to find what I was looking for. I got a new Werner Powerhouse whitewater paddle to replace the old Aquabound paddle I broke a few weeks ago in Charlotte. I can't wait to try it out.

Lastly I must report that Isabelle has been exploring new forms of art. Her watercolours are coming along nicely. Yesterday's effort looks like this.

It was nice of her to include my newest boat and my new paddle in the painting. (She started real art classes today and seems to be really enjoying it.) She told me the painting was of me in a "kayak parade." Those are banners and lights above the boat. You have to appreciate the imagination of a six year old.

Rio de Janiero in Photos

2010-09-07T22:14:00.000-04:00

My one weekend in Brazil was all about seeing the city of Rio de Janiero. I was lucky enough to do it two ways. First I met up with a family from Canada who live there now. They showed me parts of the city you don't get to see on the regular tours. The second day was a full fledged commercial tour complete with local guide and a minibus. It was great too, but the differences were apparent. I'm glad I got to do both.

Let's start with the beach. I got up early on Saturday and headed to the beach. The place was busy with runners and surfers. Everyone seems to use the beach for something. The most amazing were the footvolley players. These guys play volleyball with soccer rules on the beach with a regulation volleyball court and net. They are amazing to watch not using their hands at all.

This is the view from the hill in front of the Atlantico Sul Hotel where I stayed. The beach goes on to the right for about 10 miles. It's pretty spectacular. The waves were good too and the water was warm. I did that just after taking this picture. First swim in the South Atlantic for me.

Here are some lifeguards practicing. The water was beautiful blue and clear all the way to the sandy bottom. Although the beach was a little dirty with litter and plastic the water seemed clean enough, although I did come home with a little head cold...

At 10:00 my "guide" picked me up and we were off to his apartment for a quick stop before heading into the city. We dropped off his son and a friend at the yacht club and then headed into town. Centro is downtown and is the financial heart of the city. It also hosts the museums and cultural spots as well as some interesting architecture.

Some of the interesting architecture, along with the cathedral below. I think this one is the police headquarters.

A very traditional street in the downtown which reminded me of Europe. On Saturday everyone goes out for lunch and eats on the streets. By the time noon rolled around you could hardly walk for all the tables and chairs.

We had lunch at the Imperial Palace. It had a nice little cafe with quiche and salads. Add a bottle of wine and life is good. The few exhibits showed some of the history of the city and the country. The influences of Napoleon when he invaded Portugal, the Spanish and Portuguese and the slavery, and the rise and fall of democracies and dictatorships.

Here a view of the Imperial Palace. It really wasn't much of anything but it did have a neat story to tell.

The Banco de Brazil building is now part of a larger cultural center and had some interesting exhibits on everything from cartoons to early Brazilian exploration.

The exhibit that really caught my eye was one by Ziraldo. He is a modern artist who is not afraid to push the bounds of art. His work pushed the envelope of sexuality and race while remaining light. The cartoons were amazing but unlike the locals I didn't take any pictures so I can't show you. The link does have a few of his works.

We also went to another exhibit of work by a well known Brazilian designer: Sergio Rodrigues. I was not familiar with his work but it was along the lines of what I like in the way of furniture. Have a look here for some of what he does.

One of the more interesting buildings near Centro is Rio de Janiero Cathedral. It is a modern building built in the 60s and 70s. It has some incredible stained glass which extends from floor to ceiling. We were there as the sun was coming out and it was impressive.

Here is the building from the outside with several views of the stained glass from the inside below.

A panorama of the inside of the cathedral. Amazing. (Remember you can click on most of the pictures here for a larger image.)

After the cathedral we headed for the concert hall. The plan was to see a Schumann concert, but first I had to get past the ticket takers. I had bought a ticket earlier but there was some concern over my apparel. I had been told to wear trousers for the concert (rather than shorts) but had not anticipated an issue with my footwear. After a consult with some other security personnel I was allowed to enter with my sandals.

The building sits downtown in front of a large square. It faces the harbour and by the decor and facade you can see how important the arts are to the Brazilian culture.

The building has a amazing interior. The whole thing was recently refurbished.

Before the concert we took a little tour of the place.

The view from the terrace on the second floor of the Theatro Municipal. Note the architecture on the right where old and new buildings are side by side, very typical in Rio. In the distance you can see Sugarloaf as well as the WWII memorial.

So usually classical music isn't my thing. I wasn't sure what to expect from Schumann but generally had a good experience. I say generally since the first performer was a little off putting. Once we got past the operatic component and got on to the violins, clarinets and horns I was fine. The other thing was that I was seated right behind a young twenty something couple who could not keep their hands off each other. It was almost entertaining but for the sake of the music I moved for the second half of the concert - too distracting.

After a quick trip back to the hotel and a meal in the hotel restaurant I was exhausted. A good sleep and on to day two of the weekend. We started at the hotel around noon, waiting for the rest of the team to get in for the conference. Once everyone was there we hit the road.

The first stop was a beach where the hang gliders and parasailers land. They launch from a nearby mountain and land ever so softly on the beach. There were also many kite surfers. They are the ones you see in the picture below on the left (imagine being strapped to a surfboard and a parachute at the same time and you get the idea).

Below is the Sheraton Hotel with the Flavela Vidigal behind it. Flavela is essentially a Portuguese word for slum but these have a little more of a story than that. They are more organized and came into being due to migration rather than poverty. Have look here for a better description. Some would say the Sheraton below the best hotel in the city, complete with its own Private beach, but it is also right next door to some of the toughest neighborhoods.

Ipanema Beach from Avenue Niemeyer, the same Ipanema as the song by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.

Next we were on to Sugaloaf again. This time we also took a ride up the cable cars and had a good look around. I even managed to find time to have ice cream, complete with kiwi, strawberries, papaya, honey, and cashew nut sprinkles. It really hit the spot.

Above is a view of Corcovado from the top of Sugarloaf. If you squint you can see the giant statue of Jesus. More on that later.

The harbour mouth from Sugarloaf or Pão de Açúcar as it is called in Portuguese. Can you imagine the first French and Portuguese explorers arriving here? The city is named for what was thought to be a river found in January. In fact there is no river, just a very large harbour, but the name stuck.

The view above is of Urca, a small part of Rio nestled below Sugarloaf. It has some interesting houses. Of particular note for me are the kayaks. They certainly didn't outnumber the surfers but it made me a little homesick. Rio would be a great place to paddle. It has lots of coastline, islands, surf, and history. Maybe someday...

The last big thing was Corcovado and the statue of Christ the Redeemer or Cristo Redentor which stands atop of it. We arrived just as the sun was setting and took the 30 minute trip up the mountain on the tram.

A better view of Cristo Redentor.

The view from Corcovado looking towards Centro, or downtown. On the right is Sugarloaf with the harbour behind it.

Another view from Corcovado looking south. The lake is Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and the lights on the right are the horse racing track and Jockey Club. After that it was home for the night, but not before a huge feed of pizza at a great buffet. Even the desert pizza was good.

Finally a view of the plant parking lot and surroundings. I was there for work after all. It reminded me very much of Southern California since the weather was clear and dry and there was always a breeze. The hills by the ocean also made it feel like the San Diego area.

Later I will go over three points which aren't covered in this post. One: Driving. Two: Drinking. Three: Eating.

Now for my next trip...

The First Few Days in Brazil

2010-08-24T20:21:00.009-04:00

Wow, this is quite the country. Rio de Janeiro is amazing. Abject squalor followed by incredible opulence. Most of the city is even more beautiful than the books and websites make it out to be. They are proud of the coming World Cup and the Olympics and I, for one, hope they make a good job of it.

People here are incredibly laid back about things and very friendly. They try very hard, especially in the restaurants and hotels. The beach is amazing and the water isn't too cold although I haven't been in yet, but I will. The weather is absolutely phenomemenal for winter (85F and sunny).

Now the hotel we have is on the beach, but not on any of those fancy ones near town. We're down south closer to the plant (I am here for work after all). Traffic is the one downside to a city this big that is full of mountains. There are lots of people going every which direction all the time. We spent a good half hour only going two miles this morning for no apparent reason. Having said all that drivers are incredibly patient. People cut each other off all the time and do mildly crazy things but in general the only horns you hear are to warn someone of a close call or a little reminder that you are there. What would get a Canadian driver worked up and swearing a blue streak (not to mention flying the middle finger) is just business as usual here. In the US you would get shot at for driving like they do here.

The food is pretty good too. I thought heaven would have a few French restaurants and a seafood place in it but I am convinced they also have lots of Brazilian restaurants too. Brazilian for those of you who don't know is a mix of Portuguese and Native American, with some European and Asian thrown in for good measure. It also has a strong African influence to it. Anyway, the meat here is incredible. American beef is pretty good but the local stuff here is fantastic. We went to one of many steak houses where they serve it Brazilian style. Think of every cut of meat you could ever want (and some you wouldn't, like cheese infused flank steak) and they had it on a skewer, cooked to perfection, and walking around as a server was offering it up. The green and red coaster which is supposed to show if you want more or not seems to be irrelevant, you get offers either way. The salad bar was a combination of the best 20 salad bars I have ever been to, including sushi, and to top it all off they had a good selection of fish. The service was also very good as people pushed in your chair and wisked away your plate every time you got up.

Anyway, here are some pics to round out this hastily put together post. More later.

The view from Sugarloaf Mountain.

Ipanema Beach as we drove into the city.

The beach and little hummock out in front of our hotel.

The view from my room this morning as the sun rose over the mountains.

Spain, Part III

2010-08-15T20:51:00.003-04:00

Now back to Spain. Here is a panorama of the Plaza with the church on the left and the hotel in the middle behind the column.

Our hosts were excellent in Aranda and took us out for a tour and a lovely meal. Here is the front of the Santa Maria la Real church in Aranda. The sculpting on the archway was amazing. There are ghouls and monsters, a nativity scene, coats of arms, and all sorts of little bits and pieces, each with their own story. It seems one of the artists (it took many years and several generations to finish) even put himself in it, at the top near, one of the saints.

One of the other interesting things about Aranda was the bodegas.

These caves, which snake under most of the old city, were used in the making and storing of wine. In fact many are still in use both by individuals and corporations.

Finally after the tours of the church and the caves we were off to a great little restaurant. The speciality here is lamb, and lots of it. It came to the table looking like this, but I'm jumping ahead.

The meal started with a mold of asparagus and carrots and was followed by a saute of lamb's glands (very tasty but a little interesting in the texture). Next came the blood pudding. I wouldn't have picked it off the menu but when your host orders something you try it. It was excellent.

The main course was the lamb with a salad. Each one of those little lamb chops was sitting on the grill with the coals warming it. They were all lightly coated with salt and pepper and just melted in your mouth.

As we drove to Aranda I wondered why there weren't any lambs in the countryside. Now I know. They are all on the dinner plates or waiting to be prepared.

The main course was followed by a light, minty sorbet for desert. The last item was the aguardiente. Several flavors were offered including coffee, citrus, and plain (also known as pure heat which is fitting since the literal translation for aguardiente is firewater!). They were all good but must be consumed in moderation.

A few more shots of the hotel and the plaza, first from the church...

and then looking up towards the castle on the hill which overlooking the town.

Next I suppose is our trip to Paris, and then some time in Greenville by myself... Maybe I'll let Jane do some of that blog entry.

Spain, Part II

2010-08-03T21:30:00.001-04:00

As you know if you read my blog regularly I have been to Spain. The first day was getting over jet lag and trying not to fall asleep too early. The next day we headed north towards our destination: Aranda de Duero. Madrid was lovely but the real beauty in Spain is in the countryside in the small towns and villages.

We drove along the highway at first getting some miles behind us while passing through the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range. The scenery was great and my pictures do not do it justice.

One of our goals was to visit a small city called Segovia. Segovia was rich in culture and heritage. The pictures below of the church, the aqueduct, the town square, and the cathedral are all from Segovia. It was a very busy town with lots of hustle and bustle right up until the siesta. At 14:00 it was like an army was invading. Everything shut down, the streets which had been completely full of tourists and locals were now empty except for the odd American tourist who didn't seem to know what to do with themselves.

We took advantage of the time to visit the cathedral and poke around the aqueduct. The aqueduct was particularly interesting when you try to imagine how the Romans built the thing with their hand tools and scaffolding. Up close you could see the markings in the stone where tools had been used to lift and pry the huge blocks into place. Another interesting things about this part of Spain are the swallows. These birds were always flying in large groups in the town squares and particularly around the aqueduct. I think it must have made for a perfect nesting site. The birds just kept buzzing around in huge clouds, particularly in the evening just before sunset.

We ate lunch in the square and had the local delicacies. I started with paella (that I need to learn how to make) and finished it off with a suckling pig. I have to admit I felt sorry for the little guy but he was absolutely delicious.

As we left Segovia we drove through the Spanish countryside and passed all sorts of sleepy little towns with huge fields of sunflowers and eventually vineyards. Each town seemed to have a castle, like this one in Turegano.

By 16:30 we finally arrived at the small town of Penaranda de Duero. This is where our hotel was. The arrangements had been made by some of our French colleagues so we didn't know what to expect. I figured it must be special since we were well outside of and on the wrong side of town from the plant we needed to visit. Penaranda is like the small cousin of Aranda de Duero, where the Michelin Aranda facility is located. I was surprised it had a hotel at all but was soon to be educated on the better places to stay in Spain.

Well, here is what the Posada Ducal looked like. If you can manage in Spanish the website is pretty good too-just look at the galarias de fotos, or photo gallery. Between the twelve of us we pretty much filled the place. And yes, the rooms are exactly as shown in the photos, in fact the one I had is there too. Oscar the owner, chef, and concierge was there later to welcome us. He seemed to be the only one who spoke any French but the whole staff were great.

One of the best features of my room was that it was on the corner and had a window that opened up on the town square and another that opened onto the church courtyard. My only complaint is that the windows opened at all. You see as soon as we got settled in I decided a nap would be in order. Unfortunately the local youth's summer day camp showed up. Imaging two hundred or more chanting and singing kids running around a the town square. Let's just say there was no nap. One of the leaders even had a megaphone! I must admit it looked like fun. Everyone laughing, signing, and playing games. I would guess small town Spain would be a pretty cool place to grow up, at least for a little while. The windows did make my room cooler in the evening, and after 41C during the daytime it was welcome since we didn't have air-conditioning.

Here a picture of about a quarter of the kids.

Next post: more on the food. Here's a teaser: Ten years ago I went to France not liking wine very much and returned with a respect for good wine. This year I went to Spain not very fond of lamb...

My Great Big Weekend

2010-08-02T19:55:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, actually more like a month ago since it was the Fourth of July, we did something I've been meaning to do for a long time. We went to Lake Jocassee up in northern South Carolina. It's located in the mountains and part of it is actually in North Carolina.

The lake was great. Some people at work and others in town had told us how good the paddling was but I never really believed them. They also said how cold the water was. In fact the lake was very busy with boat traffic but manageable. The water was colder than other lakes and even the ocean down here but certainly was not as cold as I was led to believe. Here are some of the shots we took.

We took the big double kayak to the lake and paddled out to a part of the state park that is only accessible by boat for lunch. Hopefully we'll head out to do some camping there someday. The swimming was great. There were lots of fish in the water and the water itself was very clear compared to the other lakes I have been to here in the Upstate.

The lake is man made so there are lots of interesting features. I kept looking for a place with a big drop off and finally found one. That's what the videos show below.

Off course after such a huge day Isabelle was absolutely exhausted. She had a big nap in the kayak on the way back to the car. In fact the trip to the lake was on Sunday. The great big weekend I mention in the title has to do with the baseball game on Friday night (and staying to watch the fireworks after it), a party at one of the French families' house on Saturday night where the kids were up late to see the most amazing private fireworks in the area, and some fireworks in Greenville downtown on the way home from the lake. Put it all together and you have a huge weekend. I would have slept in the kayak if I could!

I hope you all have a great second half of the summer. Next-more reports on some of my travel over the last few weeks.

Espania

2010-07-19T02:06:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know I'm in Spain for work (at least that's what I told everyone).

Here is the report so far:

Halifax airport was very busy. We headed out early in the hopes of meeting up with Jane's cousins and their families as they were getting and heading for Cape Breton. For me that worked out well since the line ups at security were pretty long. I still don't know where the woman who brought along two cans of Sprite thought she was going. I didn't think there were very many people who didn't know about 911 and all the subsequent security scares.

Once through security immigration was easy. It got a little stressful when the fire alarm went off but it was just a false alarm.

Newark airport was busy but fine and I was lucky enough to have picked a row that didn't have anyone sitting next to me. Relatively comfy flight with a little sleep. We got into Madrid a half hour early.

I met up with my colleague at the airport and we quickly headed off to get lost. Finding our hotel without a GPS was a little work but after a few wrong turns we found our way. There was no parking and the rooms were small but it was in a good location that meets our needs for one night.

Madrid itself is a beautiful city. There is lots of cool archetecture, both new and old, and all the plazas are amazing. The city also has a large number of parks located throughout the city. The weather is much like South Carolina but much drier.

We headed out at noon for our first poke around town. We walked though the old city to the royal palace and back through the large park called the Parque de Retiro and the Real Jardin Botanico. It was amazing with people everywhere having picnics, playing soccer, sunbathing, and walking about the buskers. It was so neat I am back there starting this entry sitting by an artificial creek.

The neatest plaza we came upon was Plaza Mayor. There was a neat market with books, coins, a few antiques, and lots of stamp and philatelic dealers (yes Jane, stamps!). It looks like even without Jane I've managed to stumble upon the philatelists.

We ended eating at a neat little restaurant near the hotel. First let me explain the eating here trully is very differen. I don't just mean the food which is different in its own way. I mean the meal times. Remember siesta? Well here it is still alive and well. Lunch is anytime from 1:00 to 3:00 while supper is usually well after 8:00. I think they make exception for tourists, but it is not uncommon to eat at 10:00 or even 11:00.

Anyway, my lunch was a starter of Paella del casa that was big enough to be a meal in itself. It had chicken, shrimp, mussels and clams in the shell, and calamari. I followed that with a little grilled salmon. I haven't tried any on the local wine yet but instead have opted for large amonts of bottled water and a few Cokes. I think it would be very easy to dehydrate here given that the temperature today was about 35C or 97F.

Now for a good night's sleep. I thankfully have another day to get over the jetlag before the long days in the plant start.

Here are a few pictures of the trip so far with a description of where they were taken.

Lunch: Paella del casa...yum!

The Palcio de Cristal palace in the Parque de Retiro.

More from the Parque de Retiro, the Parterre.

Stamp shops in the Plaza Mayor

Shopping streets in Madrid.

Anyway I hope this went through, I only had 30 minutes for the internet connection.

Guppies, Guppies Everywhere...

2010-06-30T23:14:00.002-04:00

Isabelle swam guppies again this year. Guppies is a swim league for the little swimmers who are not old enough, experienced enough, or confident enough for the SAIL (Swim Association Invitational League). This year was more of a success than last year. She had some good starts and improved her times for the most part.

Her backstroke keeps improving and she's added the breast stroke to her repertoire. We need to keep working on the freestyle.

Here is what it looks like:

Decked out in the fast swimsuit with the goggles and of course a cool swim cap. It has fins you know!

They always have a kick board event on top of the freestyle, backstroke, and relay. It helps to jump in with the board over your head, and the bigger the splash the better. It adds to the fun factor.

Spotters make sure everyone is safe. Isabelle usually doesn't need one, except for the encouragement they provide.

The video above is the freestyle (if it works). She still needs some work on it but I sure wasn't swimming like that at her age.

Now the backstroke is smoking. It's always been her strongest event but it still amazes me (again, if the video works).

Of course there are snacks. That's always fun. Plus ribbons. You have to compare times you know!

Here's to another great season with lots of fun. It couldn't have been possible without all the volunteers: deck moms, coaches, timers, recorders, starters, and spotters. Thanks a whole bunch and we'll see you next year.

US National Whitewater Center - en famille

2010-06-27T22:42:00.000-04:00

This weekend we hit the USNWC (US National Whitewater Center) just outside of Charlotte. I had a new boat to try and the girls had never been there. Here are some of the highlights.

The first run with the new Dagger Axiom 8.5.

It handled like a Porsche compared to my old whitewater boat (an Oldsmobile really). It will take some getting used to but you should always buy a boat you can grow into.

Isabelle did a little rock climbing too.

Below is a shot of Isabelle, by herself, getting ready to jump off a perfectly good tower. The free fall system provides a nice soft landing. She is the bravest 5 year old, some days.

This was her second jump! (If the vidoe works-I was having a few technical difficulties.)

We also did some geocashing and Jane and Isabelle did a little flat water paddling on the Catawba River.

I need to give credit to Jane for all but the free fall shots. She does a good job of documenting our adventures.

A Little Taste of Northern Ireland

2010-06-26T09:41:00.001-04:00

OK, so one of the benefits of my job is that I get to travel. (One of the hassles of my job is that I have to travel!) My last trip was Northern Ireland again. It was nice to be there in June rather than March or November. The sun rose each morning at about 4:30 and didn't set until well after 10:00. It made for long days.

As usual the work was good. People there remind me of Newfoundlanders in more ways than one; they are both always friendly and helpful. I met some new friends, caught up with some old ones, and saw some lovely countryside.

Here are some pictures.

Northern Ireland has some lovely beaches interspersed between the rocky points. It smelled just like home in Nova Scotia.

Then there are the castles, just sort of plopped down everywhere. This one is Carrickfergus Castle.

Later in the week we drove up to the Giant's Causeway again (I've been there a few times, it's sort of like Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia, everyone should go at least once.) Along the way we drove by some cool surf spots. One of the guys along for the ride was a surfer/photographer so he pointed out all the good spots for me once he found out I liked to surf kayak.

Of course the countryside was lush and beautiful. There were lots of sheep who had just had their haircuts.

At the Giant's Causeway I found a Penfold post box.

Another picture at the Giant's Causeway.

On our last night a friend took a bunch of us out to the Crosskeys Inn. Unfortunately there was no music that night (maybe next time) but it was a good time none the less.

Here are a few panoramas at sunset behind the Giant's Causeway Hotel. We had a great meal there.

SCCT - South Carolina Children's Theater

2010-06-25T21:18:00.004-04:00

Isabelle and the rest of us recently went to the SCCT. Sleeping Beauty was nothing like I remembered it. It was pretty intense. Isabelle spent most of the last act on Jane's knees with here face buried and her ears covered. Anyway, she made a few friends and got a few autographs in the end.

Here is Briar Rose's mother, the lovely Queen Guinevere...

...then the good fairy Branwein...

...and then there was Gryff, the good fairy's sidekick...

...and finally our little princess.

A Big Week

2010-06-02T19:44:00.003-04:00

Last week was spent driving around Nova Scotia. Now before anyone gets all bent out of shape because I didn't visit remember I was there for work and only spent two nights in a row in the same place. Things were busy but enjoyable.

I had a quick visit with the Hennigars in Kentville to start. A night in the Valley, and then two nights out by the airport. The hotel was central to the tour I undertook with 22 other participants on a whirlwind visit of the three Nova Scotian Michelin plants. Friday was back in the Valley and a day in the plant in Waterville after picking up a rental car. Ohhhh but not just any car.

Usually muscle cars aren't my thing. I'm more of a practical wagon or SUV/crossover with a good roof rack kind of guy. However I couldn't turn down the car they offered me. The 2010 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 was pretty fun to drive and turned some heads. if only it had been red! I ended up with it all weekend and got to take my Dad and a few others out in it. It certainly wasn't the most practical car for my activities on Sunday but I'll get to that later.

Friday night was back to the city for the Reel Paddling Film Festival. As Paul Pilon put it: "it never ceases to amaze me the lengths that whitewater 'yakkers will go to toward ending their lives in some spectacular way." I have to agree, although some would say the same thing about me sometimes.

Saturday I caught up with my parents and attended a lovely celebration. Most people would call it a wake but this one was special. I came away from it thinking everyone should go to a funeral, particularly a young person's funeral, at least once in a while. It's an inevitable tragedy that people have to die but when they do we should celebrate their lives and take it as a reminder to make the best of our own lives.

Sunday was a good day despite the pouring rain, although there are no bad days on the water. Paul Pilon and I headed out from MacCormacks Beach Provincial Park and made our way north to Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park. This, the latest 20 km, is part of my quest to slowly circumnavigate the province counterclockwise. I just want to be able yo say I've paddled the whole thing, and since I can't take two months off to do it all in one go I am going to pick away at it one piece at a time. (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time of course!)

By the time we got to our destination the sun was out and the temperature had risen by 10 degrees. Alas, in the end Lawrencetown Beach did not live up to it's reputation for surf, at least not on that day. I did play around a little but by far the beach just before Lawrencetown, called Stoney Beach, was way more fun. The long regular waves made for some good surfing and playing. Even Paul got "into" the action.

My last night in Nova Scotia was spent at Sodero House in Halifax. Everyone was in bed early having all had big days and good feed of Peter's Pizza. the next morning it was off to the airport, home by 2:00 (the corporate jet is the only way to fly) and back to the girls. What a week.

East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival 2010

2010-05-18T21:01:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago a longtime friend of mine drove down from Ontario to spend some quality time with me at the beach. Now your idea and my idea of the beach are likely different. This involved lots of time on the water in kayaks, camping out in tents, and lots of seafood. We did get to the sandy part of the beach but certainly not for any lounging around.

Mike and I go way back to Acadia University. After that we've had our ups and downs but have kept in touch for the most part as our lives have changed through weddings, kids, jobs, moves, and all sorts of things. We both stood at each other's weddings (I wouldn't call it being the bestman) but then life and geography got in the way.

I actually tried to get Mike into kayaking way back in 1998, I think. It didn't go very well but I'm glad I didn't ruin it for him.

This was the first real time we've had together in a few years. It started with Mike driving 14 hours all the way from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I had some work to catch up on so the first day he poked around with Jane until I got home for the four hour drive to Charleston. The goal was James Island County Park, home of the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. The link goes to a page that talks a little about the festival. If you watch the picture slide show you can see a good picture of me waiting patiently as a lesson is going on (it's the last picture). There is also a shot of Mike just before mine (he's the one in the middle with the red PFD on his belly climbing back into his boat.) Here they are.

This year despite the plan to go together we actually didn't end up on any courses together. The courses I did were good but the range of people and skill levels ranged from intermediate to advanced (in this case me.) I did enjoy taking a session with kayaking legend Nigel Foster and other master coaches like Ben Lawry. My only issue was the coaches having to tone down some of the content for some less experienced paddlers (even though the title said "Master's Class.") Next year I will likely go again but will be a little more choosy about my courses. It's hard to pass up a festival when it's practically in your back yard. Maybe Isabelle and Jane could come?

In the end Mike and I had a pretty good time. Lots of catching up and talking about things we've done since we graduated from school. We ate some good food and certainly ate entirely too much of it. I always try to justify it with the fact we were very active all weekend, but I'm not sure that really counts. Folly Beach is nearby so we went every night to have a look and enjoy the salt air, something we both miss.

For me best course of the festival was likely the Advance Open Water Workshop offered by H2Outfitters. It involved getting out into the ocean on a windy day with a nice little tidal rip. I didn't learn a whole lot, I know tides and wind from growing up on the Bay of Fundy, but it was nice to paddle and surf with some other competent paddlers. Once again I was amazed at how warm the water was, even in April.

So now the planning has started for our next adventure. We aren't going to wait years this time, rather just a few months, hopefully. I'm looking at some festivals and symposia in Canada for the fall. I may reciprocate and drive up to the Georgian Bay Storm Gathering in October. Who knows? Anyone else want to come?

Easter Treasures

2010-04-12T18:10:00.001-04:00

Easter morning was great fun at our house this year. Isabelle had a good time hunting for eggs with a little twist.

Easter has always been fun for us but when I grew up it was mainly a candy grab. There always a few other presents too. With Isabelle we didn't want to make it too easy so with some help form the Easter Bunny we put together all the little bits and made a treasure hunt out of it. (By the way, where I come from it's the Easter Chicken or La Poule de Pâques that delivers the eggs and candy but that's another story. I looked for info on the Internet but couldn't find anything on the so called: Poule de Pâques.)

It started with a basket she was sure would be brimming with chocolate when she woke up in the morning. In fact it only had a few little chocolate eggs and one plastic egg. We didn't realize the consequence of this as she was pretty peeved when she saw it. In fact she pretty much left it alone and sulked for a while until we caught up to her and explained what was up.

In the plastic egg was a note which told here where to find another basket. From there multiple plastic eggs with multiple clues led her to more eggs and eventually some treasure. She had a blast running all over the house and outside to find the clues and treasure. There were a few times I had to help with the clues, but overall she read them all by herself and found everything. I guess this is how traditions begin. Now I wonder what the Easter Bunny will bring next year...

Catching Up with the Sun and the Stars

2010-04-10T16:11:00.012-04:00

Here I am sitting on the back deck in shorts and a T-shirt, sipping a cider, and listening to Dar Williams as I think back and forward.

It’s been a few long weeks. Since I’ve been back from Ireland I’ve had a whole lot going on. We had some company while I was away. Jane’s Mum and Dad were here. They stayed through three weekends and were here while Isabelle was off from school. Isabelle gets a whole two weeks off around Easter.

I think Peter and Elizabeth enjoyed their time here. It was the hottest end of March and early May SC has seen in a while. Temperatures got up into the 90s on some days. As our neighbour put it, we went right from winter to summer. I must say I enjoyed it. This week we got back to the 70s so it’s still really comfortable. It is nice and dry now which makes it bearable. July won’t be so forgiving.

So my week finished with a big presentation and me preparing for another. I’m looking forward to next week and a visit from a long-time friend. We are heading to Charleston for the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. It should be a good time. I really enjoyed it last year but going with someone else will be even better.

Last night had Jane out to play Bunko at one of the neighbours. I think I’ve mentioned it before. It’s a game of chance that involves some interesting rules. It seems to be pretty popular here as there are leagues or clubs in most neighbourhoods. Anyway, I took advantage of the time to have what I have called a DDD. That stands for Daughter-Dad Date. I usually head out with Isabelle about 5:00 or so and we go off to find somewhere to eat. Last night it was Sticky Fingers on Woodruff. They make some mean ribs, and Isabelle likes the chicken fingers. Add a sweet tea and some lemonade and we were all set. After that we usually head off for some shopping or some play time somewhere. Last night we did both. First a few stops at Target and Wal-Mart, looking for a two legged kick stand for Isabelle’s bike.

Jane thinks that a two legged one will be more stable than a single. She’s likely right but it is only as good as the kid using it. We’ll have to see how it turns out. We didn’t find one. In fact I’m not sure there is one to be had. I remember having them when I was little but none in the stores knew what I was talking about. Maybe they don’t make them anymore. I’ll have to ask the grandfather back in Saulnierville if he still has one squirreled away somewhere.

We also found some time to go to a local park. Hollingsworth Park at Verdae is an interesting neighborhood (sub-division) with a great park. It has a playground and some rolling hills. There is a nice walk all the way around the park, a nice sand volleyball court, and the usual picnic shelter and washrooms. We brought the kites along but there wasn’t quite enough wind. Isabelle tried and tried but it just wouldn’t fly. She did run around a little with one but quickly tired of that.

On the way home I started talking about the stars, the sun and the moon. One thing led to another and she rattled off most of the planets and a few other interesting facts. I explained how Pluto is no longer a planet and then asked here about the sun. I specifically asked if the sun was a star that was close of if the stars were suns that are far away. She thought about it for a while and then explained to me that the sun is not a star. You see, stars have five arms when you draw them but the sun has lots more, like twenty or something. Well, I don’t agree with her science but I can’t argue her logic. I left it for another day.

That’s the story for now. Talk to you all soon. Here is a video from the park last night to go with the picture at the top.

Ballymena in the Sun

2010-03-24T18:46:00.000-04:00

It was another great day in Ballymena today. Lots of rain, some clouds, a little drizzle, and then a brilliant sun after work. It couldn't be more Irish. You see the Irish get all the weather off the ocean and it tends to be wet. It makes the place look lush but it can be a drag after a while. Here is where I am for those of you who don't know.

View Larger Map

I had a big day at work and followed it up with a quick supper in the hotel. After that a walk around town. You see, for all my visits to Northern Ireland I haven't really seen the town in daylight. I always seem to be here in the off-season: fall or winter. Now that the days are longer here is a very little taste of what it looks like.

Also here is my car while I'm here.

Yes, it's an Audi. You see, I've always wanted an Audi, so here was my big chance. It didn't cost anymore but as the lady at the car rental place said:"I think you'll be pleased." I was.

This, on the other hand, is not my car, but it is a cool ride nonetheless.

For a real cool mini-pick up check out the Austin Mini entry here at Wikipedia.

A Good Deed

2010-03-23T03:28:00.000-04:00

England is full of Frenchmen (and women). They were on the subway, on the train, on the streets, and especially in the airport. Sure enough there was a couple in front of me the other night as I tried to check in my bags for my flight to Belfast. Off all things they were carrying on two flats of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I suppose I should have asked them where they got them (I though Krispy Kreme was a US thing, but apparently they have stores in the UK to0) but that's not the point.

The point is that airline and transportation authority rules restrict liquids and gels in the cabin. So the question is where does a jelly or creme filled doughnut fall? Well apparently it's OK. I translated for this young couple who didn't speak any English first at the check in desk and then at security. That's where I left them. In the end I saw the fellow in the departures area holding his flat of doughnuts. I guess things aren't as strict here in the UK as back in the USA. I don't think that would have flown (excuse the pun) back at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, then again the Americans do like their doughnuts.

On another note did you know Tim Hortons is also in the UK? Yep, they have outlets in Ireland and Scotland (even in Ballymena, where I am). Who knows where else? The Internet isn't very good at locating them, but I've seen them with my own eyes.

Another Day In London

2010-03-21T23:48:00.000-04:00

I seem to have the jet lag mostly behind me..for now.

Yesterday was a big day with lots of trains and subways. We headed into London with Rob and the gang. First stop was the Michelin building, or Michelin House, at the corner of Pelham Street and Sloane Avenue in Chelsae. It was a neat spot. The building is no longer owned by Michelin but has an interesting past. It now houses several very good restaurants (including one called Bibendum) and some other commercial space. We didn't eat there but kept on our way to Camden Town Market.

Note in the picture of the lobster and Aidan, the little crustaceans still have their elastics on. I can't believe they don't know how to cook lobster. It was 11 pounds sterling for a lobster. Include the exchange rate and the size of them and it looks like about $15 a pound. Pretty pricey.

The market was impressive. There were shops in all sorts of nooks and crannies. We spent a good three hours milling about, in and out of the rain, looking into everything from clothing stores to antique stores. The food market was very good. We ate Indian, Chinese, and I had food from the Alps. Specifically I had raclette and tartiflete (which is much like truffade). The boys in the booth were legit and not just locals posing as Frenchman or Swiss. It was very good. The market also has an area called The Stables which was neat since the whole area had been stables in the past. Here are some pictures of it as well.

Today we hung out around the house and went out to Black Heath for a run around the heath (or common). It was nice and sunny, eventually, and we played baseball, soccer, Frisbee, and tried to fly a kit. There wasn't enough wind. We also hit the local market. It was great. The bread, fish, meats, sausages, and produce all looked amazing. I think I could live there, but Michelin doesn't have a plant in London yet. This afternoon it was more trains to get to Gatwick airport and then Belfast. Now I'm in Ballymena and headed to bed. Work tomorrow and hopefully some poking around tomorrow night.

My Latest Trip to the UK

2010-03-19T20:57:00.006-04:00

I've decided to do a little more blogging, especially while I'm travelling. If I can find the time it's a good way to tell everyone what I'm up to. Anyway, here goes...

I Left Geenville this morning at an ungodly hour. That's a few days in a row I've been up just after 5. I wouldn't complain but I was up late packing and getting ready. On Thursday part of the issue was my volleyball league. It was worth it in the end. We won the whole league. I also made some new friends playing with this team who will likely let me play with them again.

Jane also came out for some of the volleyball with Isabelle, which was nice. I'm away for a little while and I won't get to see them much. Add to that the fact that this week has been totally crazy with late days for me and lots of activities for everybody, and it feels like we haven't seen much of each other lately (or maybe it's just me).

Back to today...the flights were good. In fact both the Greenville to Newark leg and the Newark to Heathrow flight were only about one third full. I got some prime seats too. A bulkhead row by myself meant lots of legroom and space to do some work and catch up on my email. Sneak in a nap and a movie and before you know it you're in the UK.

Arriving at Heathrow was a little hairy with practically zero visibility and some gusty winds. Once down we were met by the police at the gate who escorted a young lady off. It looked like someone tipped them off or something. Nothing ever seems to go smoothly.

A quick trip through customs, got my bag, and I'm off to Greenwich on the tube to find Rob, Michelle, Aidan, and little Kathleen (although she is not so little anymore).

Tomorrow is a trip into London and likely out for Indian food later. By then I should have pictures to post. In the meantime I leave you with Dave Carroll. I didn't fly United this time but Dave has a story to tell if you haven't heard it before. It's a good one. You can find out more here if you're interested.

The Mission Inn

2010-03-15T21:12:00.000-04:00

The two fellows below are Joseph and Napoleon. They are the birds in residence at the Mission Inn where we stayed our last few nights in California. They are terribly loud and sometimes obnoxious. They do talk a little, but mostly just say "Hello!"

They are located just outside the main entrance, a short walk behind the the walkway you see below. The Mission Inn has a long history and has had some notable guests. Everyone from Ronald Reagan to Ozzie Osbourne has stayed there. Richard Nixon and his wife Pat were even married in one of the chapels.

This is what the entrance looked like from the street.

Inside the first courtyard it was very pretty. Everything was lush and green, with palms standing over the pool and the restaurants.

This is one of the patios for the restaurant. The hotel had some great balconies and walkways which gave a great view of the hotel and the courtyards.

There was a great religious influence all around. It certainly felt like a monastery in some places.

The inn has several towers.

The chapels had some very nice architectural points, including this stained glass window.

The pool below and the street behind it. It was a little cool but it didn't stop Isabelle from going in and staying a while.

Below is one of the chapels.

This is another view of the courtyard. There were also a few conference rooms and large ballrooms. One room on the way to our room had an old brass sign that read: Bride's Dressing Room. I suspect there are lots of weddings held here every year.

The clock was interesting. It had a rotating mechanism with life sized figures and animals which turned with the hours. You can see one of the figures in gray playing the violin.

Finally, a view from the top deck.

From the looks of this picture we could have been in Italy or Spain. Anyway, that concludes my recap of the trip to California. Like I said before, I think I need to go back and see the rest of it now: San Fransisco, Yosemite, the Sierra Nevadas, Big Sur, the giant redwoods....

California

2010-03-14T12:30:00.001-04:00

California is an amazing place. It’s so large and has so many different regions it was really amazing to see. We only saw a small part of it but it makes me want to go back someday to see the rest. Our trip took us from Ontario (a city outside of L.A.) to Barstow and then San Diego. We did a large amount of driving but it was well worth it. As usual Isabelle was a trooper through the rough parts and certainly enjoyed the good parts. We haven’t been able to get her to tell us what she liked most. She just keeps saying is was all good. I'm taking that as a good sign.

First night we arrived in Ontario and drove to Barstow. Barstow has a residential area and a commercial area full of outlets. We stayed near the outlets but really only used the hotel as a base for two nights. Our first day was the biggest. We had planned about 9 hours in the car to cover several hundred miles. The target was Death Valley. We drove through some incredible sights. Lots of mountains with snowy peaks, lakes that were dried up and salty, and some neat little oases that must be awful in the heat of summer.

The picture above and some below are from Badwater. It's where the road comes by a lake that is about 280 feet below sea level. In fact it's the lowest point in North America.

The ground is covered in salt from the lake slowly evaporating each year after the rains.

Apparently due to the temperatures this is the best time of year to visit. Of course I had packed most of the wrong things. I had pants I didn’t wear and a fleece I really didn’t need. I did wish I had packed more shorts. At least I had my hat.

If you look very carefully you can see the white rectangular marker up on the cliff that shows sea level, about three quarters of the way up the picture.

Later we took a walk up an old mining road. The ravine we were in was pretty cool with walls shooting up both sides.

The neatest part of Death Valley for me was the sand dunes. It was like being at the beach in the middle of nowhere.

Here they are in the distance.

Isabelle played in them like we were at the beach. They were huge and went on for miles. We could see people in the distance walking along the ridge like ants. The sand was smooth and dry. Apparently they are in constant motion and change all the time.

On the way back to Barstow we even found some snow, but we had climbed over 5000 feet above sea level.

Day two had us packing up and heading south towards Joshua Tree National Park. The park was hot but very different than Death Valley. It was greener and much more visitor friendly. The Hidden Valley trail was very neat and we did some bouldering at some of the stops. The park is less commercial and had nowhere for us to eat so we packed a picnic and ate in the sun.

There were climbers everywhere. It seemed like a playground for rock climbers. You could see them in the distance on outcrops and by the side of the road packing up their gear. We also saw (relatively) lots of wildlife. There were coyotes crossing the road in front of us, and lizards all over the place.

One really neat trail I mentioned above was in a little spot called Hidden Valley. It was a trail surrounded by outcrops and hills that formed a natural area where cattle were kept back in the day. The trail was well marked and easy for the little ones. There was lots to see and the weather was perfect.

This little bad boy is a teddy bear cactus, or cholla cactus. They are pretty but nasty if you touch them. One trail was all about them and took about half an hour to walk.

This one isn't a cactus at all. It's an ocotillo as is actually a plant. Some were in bloom with purple flowers. Apparently they can flower several times a year, depending on the rain, not the season.

The end of the day took us to the lovely little town of Palm Springs. Palm Springs isn’t what it used to be. In its heyday it was the place to hang out with the rich and famous at one of several resorts. These days it is still a neat place but I think it’s a little more hip and young than some of the other resort towns nearby. Sonny Bono was the mayor there for a while and he is well represented. We ate at a lovely spot downtown and had a pretty good meal considering we were fighting the Valentine’s Day crowds. Our hotel was also good, although clearly from another era. It had a great pool that Isabelle and I both enjoyed while Jane took a break and found us somewhere to eat.

The restaurant was called the Matchbox.

Note the palms on the left with their "haircuts". This was taken early in the morning when only the older and those with young children were up and about. The night scene was very hip and trendy, much like you would expect in Palm Springs.

Day three had us heading for San Diego. We drove up past Salton Sea and sort of expected to see a few more resorts on this inland saltwater lake. In the end it was pretty barren and didn’t really look like much of anything. In fact things were pretty run down. We did see lots of farmland and some grape growing areas. The best was yet to come though as we got closer to San Diego and drove through towns like Julian. It was nestled in the foothills and very pretty. Between the apples and the hills it reminded me of the Annapolis Valley or western North Carolina. We didn’t have time to stop but did notice the huge change from desert to lush agriculture as we got closer and closer to the coast.

One thing that really was a sight to behold was the OHV Areas. OHV stands for Off Highway Vehicle. The areas set aside for these are huge and well used. I suppose the logic is that if you give the people a place to run amok with their machines they might stay off the more sensitive areas (and state and national parks) and not make too much of a mess there. The trucks pulling dune buggies, four-wheelers (or quads) and dirt bikes just kept coming. The motor homes and trailers were also everywhere. At some places they were set-up like chuck wagons in the desert circled for the night.

On the way into San Diego we stopped at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. It was one of three things we did in and around San Diego and was pretty impressive. Isabelle got pretty tired but had a pretty good time. It provided a good view of some pretty cool animals in a setting that was very much like their natural habitat. The rhinoceroses and the giraffes (there must have been a dozen or more) were great to watch.

Can you believe somebody skinned a zebra!

Isabelle surprised us as she's never been this brave with "wild" animals before. Too bad I sneezed just seconds later. You should have seen the look I got from the deer. Those guys have big eyes.

Jane found us a great little restaurant in Old Town for our supper. It could have been called Casa Guadalajara. The food was great. I had fish tacos that were excellent, and the guacamole just melted in your mouth. Isabelle especially liked it.

Day four had us cruising the downtown killing time before our next adventure. We drove some of the trolley tour just to see the city and ended up in Coronado across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. It was a neat spot with a great beach. Having an hour to kill before our next adventure we got out and walked around a little. I was surprised how cold the water was. I guess I expected it to be a little warmer than here since it was further south, but there must be some currents at play because it wasn’t much warmer than the Bay of Fundy in August. Either way it was nice to walk on the beach.

After the beach we went to SeaWorld. Usually we wouldn’t have gone to a place like SeaWorld, it’s just too commercial and not really our style. We did go and actually had a pretty good time. Isabelle got to go on some rides and we saw both the sea lion show and the orca show. Shamu is pretty impressive. They had a Sesame Street area that was all about kids and Isabelle seemed to have a great time. I know she slept well that night. We really enjoyed the Sea Lion Show, The Shamu Show, Shipwreck Rapids, and of course the Sesame Street Bay of Play. (Note: our visit was not to the SeaWorld where the trainer was killed by a whale, although it happened only days later-see here for the CBC report on that story).

Dinner was another of Jane’s finds. Point Loma is a part of San Diego that is pretty affluent. Some of the houses where very big and certainly well located on cliffs overlooking the water. It also has a working side too, and that is were we found Point Loma Seafood. It is nothing more than the best fish market I have ever seen, with a no frills seafood menu. There are no servers so you just order, wait for your food, and find a table. Again I had the fish tacos and really liked them (my new favourite Mexican dish). I think everyone had more than they needed but it’s so hard to leave any. After a quick dip in the pool back at the hotel we were all in bed.

One point on the beds. The suite we got, at a good price, was two rooms, one of which had bunk beds. Isabelle loved it. She managed to sleep up top both nights and didn’t fall out.

You can't go to San Diego without going to the world renowned San Diego Zoo. We saved it for day three in the city and had a good time. The only hitch came as we were pulling up. Just as I was parking the car Isabelle affirmed (for the third time) that her belly hurt, adding she may be sick. No sooner had we pulled up that she was. We wern't sure what the day would bring but decided (like any parent that had already paid to be somewhere) that we would push on, at least cautiously. Isabelle recovered, had a good lunch, and we never looked back. We still don't know why she was sick but she's a trooper to put up with us and all of the things we put her through.

I don't have too many pictures of our visit to the zoo but I did find my new favorite animal. These takin look like something our of Star Wars. They also have a quiet confidence and an air that drew me to them. I think they're pretty cool.

On the way back towards L.A. and Riverside where Jane's stamp show was going to be we stopped at a nice little state park just before Laguna Beach. It was nice to just sit in the sun and listen to the ocean for a while. It reminds me of how much I miss my beach in Saulnierville.

An hour or more in traffic and we eventually got to the hotel. We got a good deal at the Stamp Show hotel and had a very large and comfortable room. The whole facility was nice with a pool, four restauraunts, a spa, and lots of other amenities, all on the historic grounds of the Mission Inn. (I will post pictures once I get them off the camera.)

On Friday Jane was off to her show and Isabelle and I headed home. The flight was delayed but uneventful and we had a busy weekend without Jane as we got over the jetlag and got back into the routine.

Ice Skating in SC?

2010-02-06T10:37:00.000-05:00

Go figure, I move to the South and I end up skating more here that I did back home.

It all started when Isabelle got signed up for skating lessons. One of the boys in her class was going to go so this worked out nicely. She got to learn something else and we got to share some of the driving. The skating is at the Pavilion. I've mentioned it before. The good news is that they have ice year round so I'll be headed there in July when things get really warm here.

Isabelle has come a long way in three weeks. It helps that we have been to several public skates with her. I took some video last week and this week. I think you can even see the difference one week makes. The first week of lessons was literally learn how to fall and learn how to get up. Lately they've been doing all sorts of neat things. Isabelle likes making circles. Her feet go out and in as she shuffles along. It helps with balance and getting comfortable with moving along. She's quite good. Have a look and see for yourself.

The first video is of a few weeks ago after just two lessons.

These are from last week. Another few lessons and she'll be doing pirouettes! Note the "big finish" on some of her "routines". She gets that from gymnastics.

Volleyball, Down South

2010-01-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

OK, so a few months ago (was it really that long ago?) I come home from a business trip. Jane is away in Florida for a stamp show and she has left for me a sign up sheet for Adult Co-ed Volleyball at the YMCA. The form is mostly filled in and, well, I can take a hint.

Now, it's not like I hadn't considered this before. I've played volleyball before. I played in high school, I played for the provincial team, I played in university (three different teams), I played club, heck I have more provincial titles than most people. I was even the Newfoundland Male Volleyball Player of the Year (a huge deal when you're not from there!) But men's volleyball here is not what you would call strong. The best male players here would be mediocre up north. Men's volleyball is much stronger in New England and Canada. Anyway, you can see where I'm going with this.

I have always been competitive. You could even say I hate to lose. I was afraid this wasn't going to be a good idea, but I needed something to try to shed the pounds I had gained since moving to SC.

I signed up, but not before deciding that if I was going to do this I was going whole hog. I also signed up for another league at the Pavilion, where Isabelle does her skating lessons. I'll explain later in another post, and no we don't play on the ice! We do play on a hockey rink but it's a roller blade rink.

So a week before the YMCA league starts I get a call from the Y. They want me to coach/captain a team. I agree, since in the box that said would you coach or captain a team I had put "Maybe". There were three teams registered and seven more people registered as individuals. The individuals all got lumped together and were made a team. I now have six more friends than I had before. I think this was part of Jane's plan.

So here I am captain/coach of this team at my first game. First order of business is meet everyone. Then we go over the rules since they keep changing them. Then it's: who has played before? Jim hasn't played in ten or so years. One of the girls has never played. Three others are a little rusty and have little competition experience. One is pretty good but needs some practice. The team is looking a little rough. Well, here goes.

First game isn't too bad but we get pretty well thumped. No problem, I had fun and am making friends. At the end of the night we pick a color: green. I happened to be wearing green that night. Then we pick a name. I said: Waves, since I used to coach a team called the Waves in NS. I also decide to take it up a notch on the skills.

The next Tuesday is open night at the Y. We get some of the team together and practice a little. The girls improve as we work on the basics. We play a little scrimmage afterwards and things are looking up.

The next week we play another team. I think they expected an easy game but we hold our own. It goes to three and we win, despite me putting my serve in the net on the opening serve. Way to go Waves!

It all looked good until one of the players on the other team gives me an ear full on sportsmanship and playing for fun. I didn't think I had said anything wrong so I let it go, but we were keeping score weren't we? There is a referee there keeping things in line, right? No one else seems to have an issue with me, so I try to forget it. We'll see what next week brings. The issue may have been the coaching I was doing from the court, but I have a team that can use some support, encouragement, and a little direction. I believe one of the things about the Y is also to improve your skills and be active, as well as good sportsmanship and values, off course. Oh well, what can you do. I'll try to behave.

Now on to the next team. As I walked into the Pavilion for their open night where you sign up and get assigned a team I saw one team that caught my attention. They had a good setter and two girls that could hit better than most guys. After scoping things out I asked them if they needed another player. They agreed, knowing I would miss out on a few weeks because of work and travel.

Initially I was afraid I'd step on someone's toes (remember this, it gets punny later) but they seem to accept me. I suppose it didn't hurt that they probably would rather play with me than against me. In the end things have worked out, until this last week.

Thursday we were playing a stronger team. Things were heating up after a win by us in the first game. The second game was going well but about halfway through I jumped up only to land on a teammate's foot. My ankle rolled and it felt serious.

A visit to the local clinic before it closed on the night it happened and I'm in and out in about 50 minutes, and that is with X-rays! Ice, elevation, compression, and rest...maybe some physiotherapy...lots of Advil...and here I am a few days later. Lots of bruising but no major tears or breaks. I should be back at it this week with my trusty Active Ankle Braces. They are well worth the $90 I paid for them ten years ago, or was it longer than that? Either way I will certainly keep wearing them.

Now for team three. Did I mention another fellow saw me play and wants me to play with him? The teams just keep getting better and better. Jane will likely regret getting me back into this...

A Little Blast from Isabelle's Past

2010-01-18T21:47:00.004-05:00

Jane and I (mostly Jane) have recently had computer issues. At one point, between the home desktop, Jane's laptop, and my work laptop, only mine worked. After a little panic, some help from a great neighbor, including a house call, we got the hard drives sorted out and everything back together.

Since then we have been looking at external and portable memory to preserve the many pictures, videos, and other files that we have accumulated over the years. Tonight Jane was cleaning up some stuff on the old desktop computer and came across the video below. I had forgotten all about it. Jane went from laughing to almost crying when she realized how much "our little baby is all growed up!" (I think those were her exact words.)

I remember making the video with Isabelle. I think it was in May 2008 when we were still on Belcher Street in Kentville, not long before we moved to the US. I was just starting to get the hang of the web cams we got for us and the grandparents so we could keep in touch with Skype. The one on this computer had a funky little feature that let you put funny faces on the picture. Isabelle had a great time.

Now we need to get that back-up sorted out so we don't loose any of these great moments. Any of you techy types out there have any ideas or suggestions?

Another Year, Another Project

2010-01-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

In spite the unseasonal cold temperatures here we still don't have any snow. It certainly is cold enough but we never get cold and precipitation together.

Anyway, due to this we are still tooting around on the "two wheeler" as Isabelle likes to call it. That also means the bike is now all over the garage floor (without training wheel to keep it up) and seems to be taking up more space. Add to that the fact that the wall rack where Jane's bike was is now occupied by one of my kayaks and we have a storage issue.

That brings me to this week's project. It still amazes me what you can get on the Internet these days. Everybody, including me I suppose, has a website, a Blog, or some info on how to do all sorts of things. The bike rack I put together was easy to build and very inexpensive. It can be found here from the eHow website. The finished result looked like this. It's not exactly the right thing for your $2500 racing bicycle but it will do just fine for our family's old bikes.

So, now that the holidays are over things get back to normal. Isabelle starts back a school tomorrow, I go back to work, and the extracurricular activities start up again. Isabelle has skating beginning on Monday at the Pavilion. It seems to be the only place in the state with ice most of the year. Gymnastics will also kick off again for Isabelle. I have volleyball starting off this week too and I think Jane is looking forward to getting back to the YMCA for circuit training and yoga.

Either way it should be a good start to 2010. Here we are in our eighteenth month in South Carolina and still having a pretty good time. Eighteen months could be the mid-point of our stay or it could just be the beginning; it all depends on what assignment comes up next. It's certainly not the same celebrating the holidays without family and friends close by but we are taking advantage of the time we have here to see it and do as much as we can. We have some major travel planned for this year (both professional and personal) and should get to catch up with most people at some point over the summer.

So, Happy New Year to all and all the best to you, your family, and your friends in 2010.

The Year in Review (for Isabelle)

2009-12-29T22:47:00.002-05:00

The year has been a big one for Isabelle. She started a new school, quite successfully I might add, and continues to grow and learn here in South Carolina.

Jane and I were reviewing a little and think that her two biggest accomplishments in the last little while have been learning to tie her shoes and learning to ride a two-wheeler.

The shoes started when the school started their swimming lessons at the Eastside YMCA. There was a note sent home that in the interest of speeding up the transition from the pool to the school the parents either needed to teach their kids to tie their shoes or send them in with Velcro or other "easy to lace up" shoes. We opted for the first and within a week or so she was doing pretty well. Now we need to work on how tight they are done up so that they stay tied.

Here is a neat video by Justin Roberts some of you kids (and parents) out there might like:

As for the two wheeler I'm sorry I didn't try earlier. On the other hand she may not have been ready earlier. The project started when I pulled out my scooter. (It's just a push scooter that I actually used to shoot down the hill in Kentville when I took the bus to work.) Anyway, all the kids have them here so I let Isabelle try it. I thought it would help her develop a better sense of balance.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we talked it over with her and pulled off the training wheels. We had a twenty minute session one day that went OK but didn't show any real progress. The second session last weekend was better but she was still pretty shaky and only getting maybe eight or ten feet before stopping. Then yesterday I went out with her and she just took off. She started doing big loops around the cul-de-sac. I was shocked and impressed! It was like she'd been scamming us. Anyway, here is the video, from yesterday, after only three lessons!

London

2009-12-29T21:12:00.001-05:00

About a month and a half ago I took another trip to Ireland. The hours were long and as you may know, it's terribly dark there this time of year. Sunrise was about 7:30 and sunset just after 4:30. Consider the fact that there is hardly ever a clear day and I can see why the Irish spend so much time in pubs by the peat fire. Having said that the Irish are very warm and friendly people. I really enjoy my visits there even if I don't get to see as much countryside and and as many cultural aspects as I would like.

This time over I took advantage of being in Ireland to shoot across the North Channel to England. I took a no-frills airline across and learned a thing or two about low cost airlines. Despite having seats that don't recline, no first class, no food or beverage service, a very strict baggage policy, and general seating where you just pick your seat in the mass of people getting in, I had a good flight. The plane was very clean and the flight attendants very helpful. I suppose at $25 to $50 to go from Belfast to London it's hard to complain.

London itself was a little intimidating at first. Getting in I took the National Rail to Victoria Station. My friend Rob (we were at school together in Newfoundland at MUN) met up with me there after a few harried phone calls. It felt a little like the Amazing Race TV show. "I'm headed for this location, Rob, can you meet me there?" and then I figured out the train was actually going somewhere else so I called him back "Make that this place instead...is that a problem?" and so on. Add to the fact my phone was dying since I hadn't had a chance to charge it and you have two Canadians who were pretty happy to see each other when we finally caught up.

The first day Rob and I sneaked away and left Michelle with the the kids (they had birthday parties to attend). We did a huge walking tour of the city, getting out to the London Eye, Tower Bridge, The Monument, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and even some of Hyde Park. Below is a picture from the Monument. It was raining very hard and it felt pretty cold, even by Canadian standards.

Saturday is also the major market day in London so we walked through a few markets on our way around town. This is Covent Market. It was very impressive.

Another picture from Covent Garden.

Off course we walked by the Canadian Embassy below, but didn't have time to stop and chat.

Here is Buckingham Palace. As you see the weather was not ideal.

The London Eye as seen from the other side of the River Thames.

This is Big Ben, the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster, which is the House of Parliament.

And a view from the back.

This is Westminster as it sits along the river.

Other activities included a trip to the science museum with Aiden and Kathleen. We saw all sorts of things from the very new to the not so new. Here is a Royal Post coach, for Jane and all her stamp collecting friends.

With Aiden around we wanted to spend some time in Hyde park. This is one entrance near Albert Hall. The monument is the Albert Memorial.

Here is Albert Hall with Rob, Aiden, Kathleen, and Michelle in the foreground.

Now, while I was away it was Jane's birthday. For that I had made her a Penfold Post Box replica. Here is Isabelle next to it.

Now, while in London one of my goals was to find a copy of the box I had replicated. Here it is, finally, after searching for three days, we finally found one near the back side of Hyde park near the Nepalese embassy. These post boxes it turns out are much rarer than I thought. There were only a handful in the city and it made for an interesting "treasure" hunt. In the end it took me a few weeks of nights and Saturdays to make but I think Jane appreciates it. Now I want to make one for Elizabeth.

Here is the real thing.

Still on the postal theme:

This picture is Postman Pat. Some of you may know him. I put him in for Elizabeth and Jane.

My last full day in London I ventured out on my own. I took the national Rail into town and then onto the subway, or Tube, to start my day. I had a list of things to see and do and had planned my day carefully. Off course the first thing I did was take a wrong turn. In the end it was a good thing since I wandered into the French Quarter. One of the first things I saw was a great little bookstore.

Once past that I managed to find my way to Hyde Park again and tracked down Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. There is a statue like this in Bowring Park in St. John's. It's sort of a tradition to be photographed with it in both locations in Jane's family but being by myself on a blustery fall day this is the best I could do with my phone's camera. (It turns out there are seven of these statues all over the world.)

My walk took me by lots of scenery and history. Here is the another entrance to Hyde Park. It's called Marble Arch.

Now back to Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column, the monument to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson who died due to injuries at the Battle of Trafalgar with the French and Spanish.

Of course no visit to London is complete without a trip to Tower Bridge. The one side was undergoing repairs and renovations and I didn't have time to go for a tour. It was just like in the movies though.

The end of my day brought me to Greenwich. It is a relatively quiet town near where Rob and Michelle live. Rob actually works in Greenwich so I was on my way to meet him there.

Greenwich is also where the Royal Observatory is and where the Prime Meridian is measured from. The museums were free and I was waiting on Rob so I walked around a little.

This is a shot of the top of the observatory at dusk. The large ball is called the Time Ball. It was used to tell time by the ships at anchor in the river. The ball would be raised and dropped at a specified time so the ships could set their clocks.

This is the view of the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House in Greenwich. It is below the hill where the observatory sits. The University of Greenwich sits behind it. That's where Rob works and studies.

Here is the line that was used to define the rest of the world.

The observatory set the standard for lots of things in its day, including the time and other measures. Below is a 24 hour clock and some length standards.

And that about sums it up. The last night we had a huge feed of Indian food and stayed up too late again. I was up in the wee hours to catch the National Rail and then the Tube to Heathrow. Through security, a little breakfast and I was home 18 hours later. Travelling the world is great but it's always nice to be home.

Now for Christmas...

Big Things and Heavy Lifting

2009-12-20T18:13:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago over Thanksgiving weekend a really big piece of gear came to town. Apparently there is a power generating station in North Carolina that is taking delivery of this stator.

Here is a link to another Blog called Bucky's Ride. He did a piece on it too.

Here is some of the news coverage on the load. And another article with some more pictures.

These Mammoet (pronounced Mammout) guys really mean business. They have some videos on their website that are pretty cool, at least for engineers anyway. They've moved some pretty big things in some pretty neat places.

The whole thing was at least as long as three or four tractor trailers.

The whole thing was huge. Apparently they had to close the road to get it through, as well as lift the phone and power lines as it travelled through. It was stopped here for the holiday and because they couldn't make any headway with the bad weather we had leading up to Thanksgiving.

The unit was pulled by three heavy duty truck with a few behind to push and help with braking.

The pipes on the top of the load were so the power lines would just slide over .

You can see the sets of wheels here ready to go.

Pretty cool stuff, at least I think so.

Indiana

2009-12-19T21:01:00.001-05:00

I promise to post pictures of my trip to London soon but for now I am writing about Indiana while it is fresh in my mind. The place is dark and damp, much like Nova Scotia. I got there in the dark and didn't get to see much sunlight until the day I left, and even then. We also didn't get to see much of the surroundings although it did feel much like the Annapolis Valley without the mountains on either side. There is lots and lots of corn and other crops and you can see for miles.

Apparently there are lots of Amish in the area but we didn't get to drive through some of the little towns. Interesting story about that from one of my colleagues. He saw an Amish girl at the airport using a cell phone and playing video games. Not what you would expect from a culture that tends to shun modern devices. I didn't realize, like most people, that the Amish don't reject all technology. In fact there are lots of things they do use, in some cases computers and cell phones. In some of the towns it is about certain voltages and electric current, in others it's more about outside power and being self-sustaining. Either way it was eye opening for me.

Flying to Fort Wayne was interesting. To get there I went through Cincinnati and expected delays and huge crowds, it being American Thanksgiving weekend and all. In the end it was fine. The plane was crowded but at least I wasn't sitting next to the fellow behind me who prayed with his wife on the phone for about five minutes before the plane took off. He was noticeable nervous about flying and pretty much shared his whole conversation with everyone. The return trip was even more annoying as a hot-shot business man sitting next to me proceeded to converse on his Bluetooth headset about all his business deals to the point someone had to ask him to be quiet. (The lesson here is to respect others while on the phone in a confined space.) He also kept complaining about being in a the last row by the lavatory. At least he was going home, which is more than some people. I thought he would never hang up but finally did when the plane started moving. The flight attendant gave him a nasty look and that pretty much sealed it.

Getting home I flew through Atlanta and just missed Jane as she was headed to Orlando for FLOREX (a stamp and philately show.) In Fort Wayne security at the airport was very friendly but I can honestly say it was the laxest I have ever seen. The fellow in front of me got a lighter through and didn't even try to hide it. It went through the x-ray machine in plain sight and no-one said a thing. I'm sure the TSA would love to hear that.

In the plant things went well. I didn't have much time to spend seeing other processes but did get a pretty good feel for the size of the plant. The thing was huge. One thing I knew going in was that they make the tires for the US Military's HumVee. The neat part is how they name them. In the plant each tire has an alphanumeric code. The codes are used to identify the tire and appear as six inch letter on the tread. In the case of the two HumVee tires the codes are HONOR and HERO. No matter what your stand on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I appreciate what little things like this can do for the moral of individuals overseas when they see the tires arrive it must be neat.

Food in Fort Wayne was pretty good. I ate at Hall's Gas Town and had a fillet steak and a crab cake with German fried potatoes (very sweet adn tangy). I also ate the best gumbo in the north east. It was so good we went back another night for more. They also had the best raspberry sweet tea. Another good spot was Paula's Seafood. Now I know what you are thinking, seafood, that far away from the ocean, can't be good. Well I fancy myself a little bit of a connoisseur when it comes to fish and it was very good, and fresh. The mussels were from PEI (which didn't hurt) and the clams and crab were excellent. The place had a fish market too that had all sorts of good stuff in it. I can honestly say I was very pleasantly surprised since I wasn't expecting great things. Too bad I won't be going back anytime soon.

Christmas Parades

2009-12-06T21:55:00.008-05:00

This year we did two Christmas parades. One in Greenville last night under a canopy of twinkling lights. Another today in Simpsonville where it was only mildly warmer (35F last night, about 49F today).

In Greenville the downtown was crowded with about 30,000 people for a crisp cool night. Isabelle and I were on our own after having been to a birthday party at the Upstate Children's Museum. She had a blast and I stuck around to help out. In return I got to have a lovely chocolate cupcake and get to know some of Isabelle's friends.

Anyway, the parade was as good as last year. We brought chairs and had a picnic of hot chicken soup as we waited. Isabelle was very patient and made some friends. Our location was better than last year since we weren't at the very end. The bands don't play when they can see the end so we missed all the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeers and Jingle Bells. There must have been seven or eight bands in all.

Here are some of the highlights.

Isabelle with her new Santa hat. She wanted one to wear in the Simpsonville parade. More on that later.

One of my favorites is always the firetrucks. Unfortunately I don't have too many other pictures but here is some video of the marching bands.

At the Simpsonville parade Isabelle was part of the action. I dropped her off dressed in lots of layers with her YMCA Dance shirt and here pyjama bottoms. All the other kids were there and they were ready to go. Being 64th in line it took a while for them to get moving but they did fine. There was lots of dancing and waving and general good cheer.

Maggie and I parked the Jeep at the other end and walked back. (She still gets lots of comments, usually something like: "That some purdy dawg you got dere!" Off course she laps it up.) The group was rearing to go so I went forward with the other dads to get some pics and video. Here is some of what I got.

In front of the float that the little kids rode in.

Walking along early on.

Focused on Miss Ashley and Miss Lori who did a great job getting them ready and keeping them going during the parade.

Ah, a breather! She was getting pretty hot under all those clothes with all the running and dancing.

A not so typical Santa "muffler shop" float.

This one is for my Dad who may have had a few run ins with a car like that once.

Now for some video of the dancers.

After the parade we hit Brewster's for a milkshake and then home for a long hot bath (Isabelle, not me). Then some supper, which Isabelle promptly threw-up, and then to bed. I don't think she was really sick with anything, just very tired and excited.

In the end they did great. Only a few of the little ones needed a break on the float. To top it all off, out of around 100 entries in 5 categories, they were entered in the "Best Walking Group" category and THEY WON IT, beating out all the other dance teams! Yeah Goldenstrip YMCA!

Report Card and Parent-Teacher Night

2009-12-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

A short note on the report card. Isabelle got hers two weeks ago and everything seems to be in pretty good shape. That's not to say she doesn't have any issues, everyone has something they can improve.

In Isabelle's case it was interesting to see that she was stronger in French than in English for most points. I think it's because she's bored and doesn't concentrate as much in English. She tends to be further ahead than all the other kids while in French she needs to work a little harder to keep up.

It is also interesting that she claims her French teacher is her favorite. It's probably because she hasn't been in trouble with the French teacher yet. Either way she still loves school and seems to be learning lots. She still corrects my French (especially my Acadian French) and likes to go each day. Somedays she doesn't want to leave here friends at the end of the day. One thing she does need to work on is being able to tell the difference between J and G, especially in French. Since the sounds are the same but opposite I can see this will be interesting.

Finally, Parent -Teacher Night was this week. Unfortunately I was in Fort Wayne and couldn't attend. Jane made the trip in and spoke with both teachers. No big surprises or big issues. Apparently Isabelle likes to help out the other kids and is improving all areas. She no longer speaks English then translates to French as the French comes more naturally. Both teachers were happy with her progress and say she is fitting in very well. Hopefully this will continue. So far so good. Just the normal trials and tribulations of a expatriate's kid in a foreign country.

Turkey Day with the Neighbors

2009-12-04T21:09:00.001-05:00

This was our first American Thanksgiving. I know what you're thinking, but last year my sister Rhea and her family came down to spend a few days. This time we were on our own. Our neighbors, however, didn't see this as an acceptable situation. We were invited over to take part in not only an American Thanksgiving, but a Southern Thanksgiving.

The whole affair was much as we expected but the menu was a little different than we were used to. The turkey was fine and took the allotted five hours (he was only 20 lbs you see) to cook. The hosts cooked the bird with celery, apple, onions, and other goodies in the, eh, cavity. The side dishes is where it gets interesting. They were certainly not what we were used to, although they were very tasty. Collard greens with bacon, black eyed peas and green beans, and off course lots of corn bread dressing (which we cooked in our oven as oven space was at a premium.) The dressing as the name implies is corn bread mixed in with some vegetables and other goodies. Jane made acorn squash halves in the oven with butter, brown sugar, and Canadian maple syrup.

Dessert was simple: pumpkin pie and an apple pie Jane ordered from a lady at Isabelle's school. The thing was huge and deep. I'm not sure she could have put more apple in it if she tried. I can't speak for the pumpkin pie but it seemed to go very quickly.

Of course there was the usual diner conversation along with some football. All in all a good evening. Add to it the fact we ended with a little turkey and fixins to take home and you could say it was a good time.

Off course now we want to reciprocate. So the next Canadian Thanksgiving we may have to invite them over for our version of the feast. Same bird of course, but jammed absolutely full of dressing with lots of onion, butter, and summer savory. Sides will have to include carrots, peas, mashed squash, mashed potatoes, pickles, cranberry, and maybe even turnip (although not everyone appreciates it.) Gravy will be Jane's pan gravy made from the drippings, complete with lumps, my favorite. Have I got your attention yet? For wine I think it would only be fitting to have something from Nova Scotia, maybe an Acadie Blanc from Domaine de Grand Pre (my favorite winery, even though I don't know a thing about wine.)

Other than that it was a pretty slow weekend. We cleaned up inside and did some raking and burning of leaves outside. Isabelle had lots of play time with the kids on the street. Maggie got caught up on her sleep, and I didn't. Seems like Isabelle always came to wake me for breakfast, although there wouldn't be much point even trying to wake Jane sometimes. At least she managed to get a piece of fruit a few mornings which bought me a few minutes more sleep.

We did go out shopping on Saturday. Friday was the crazy day as Black Friday kicked off the holiday shopping season. Some stores opened at five AM while others simply stayed open all night. Our shopping was mainly for the little people out there that we wish we could see more often. We also got a few things for a local child who is a little underprivileged.

We have an angel tree at work. You pick a child and based on what they asked for you buy a few items for Christmas. There are lots of requests for toys but just as many for school supplies and clothes. I picked a four year old who seems to be interested in cars, trucks, and Spiderman. He should be pleased when he gets his stuff. We used it as an opportunity to explain to Isabelle that not everyone is as lucky as we and the rest of our friends and neighbors are. She did help by picking out a few things and hopefully she'll remember him on Christmas day. I know I'll be thinking about him.

One last point on the shopping. We went at noon on Saturday. Saturday was Rivalry Day in US college football. All the usual rivalries were going on including the local Clemson Tigers playing at the USC Gamecocks in Columbia. Well lucky for us the game started at noon. The stores were deserted since everyone was watching the game. It was like the eye of a hurricane, crazy the day before and very crowded afterwards, but we had a relatively peaceful few hours while Clemson got beat up by USC (I'm trying not to be too smug to the Clemson fans out there, but it was nice ribbing the boys on the street.)

Summer Pics

2009-11-27T16:50:00.003-05:00

Things had been so busy in the last little while I've fallen behind on my blog posts. Here's one that I've been meaning to post.

On my trip home this summer I got back in touch with my inner child. I figured one way to do this was with kites. Near the end of our time in Halifax Jane and I spent a few hours on Citadel Hill with Jane's parents and her sister flying Peter's kites. One, an big old one he keeps in the car and another was a new parafoil one we got for him at LL Bean. There was also a tiny one Stephanie had.

After Halifax we headed south for the ferry to Portland and of course my parent's place. There we had all the grandkids together for the first time in a long time. Here's the crew.

Isabelle always like visiting with her cousins. Lisette is especially fun since they are about a year apart in age. Here is one of the quieter moments sitting down and sharing a book.

The two of them also have a special bond with their Pappi. Some of you know that my father has been pretty much layed up with a back issue since early September. Here he is before he got taken out of business. Hopefully he'll be back to his old self in a few more months.

Once we got back we took advantage of Isabelle's school starting later than most to go to the new Greenville Children's Museum. We took one of Isabelle's friend and had a pretty good time.

Two of Isabelle's friends from Montessori have a birthday in early September. That made for a good reason to have a party and get some of the old gang together. The Rice's had a party at Herdklotz Park on the other end of town.

The general location left a little to be desired but the park itself was pretty good. A shelter for the party, some walking trails, a few soccer fields, and some great playground equipment. Have a look, the thing was a big as our house and had three levels.

Of course once school started Isabelle made a whole new set of friends. One of the first activities we did with some of them was a trip to Sky Top Orchard in NC. We did it last year too but this year with a larger group made it more fun. We got to meet some of the other parents and kids. Going earlier in the season also made the apple picking better too. Here's Isabelle with one of the boys in her class.

This year we've also started going north for some family fun. I'd never really been to Spartanburg except for work at the plant outside of town. One weekend not too long ago they had a multicultural festival with food, music, and performances by people form all over. Below is a neat sculpture that was in the park. If you look behind it you might be able to see what might be a Canadian flag. There must have been over 80 booths each representing a country. Each had volunteers talking about their country and most had a posters, music, and other things from around the world. Unfortunately the guy who got dressed as a Mountie had no idea. It was almost embarrassing. Other than that we had a pretty good time.

This is one of the neat things we saw there. It wasn't associated with any country but it had to be one of the oldest Schwinns I've seen. Pretty cool.

Finally, to celebrate to soccer season again, here is a picture of team.

All Hallow's Eve

2009-11-01T18:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween to all. I hope everyone had a safe time last night whatever you did. At our house things were good but ended early as the rain sent most of the goblins away.

Here is a picture of the kids at Isabelle's school. There was a lion, a police officer, a knight, a ninja, a princess, a pirate, and Darth Vader, and that was just her class.

The class was led by a farmer (who also came with her husband the garden gnome) and a witch.

Later in the evening there was a party at the school. Jane read some stories, we all ate some good food (as usual), and generally had a good time. There was lots of spooky music, a small haunted house, and some running around in the playground with flashlights and glow sticks.

Now, at Halloween I usually don't get dressed up. However, this year it was my turn to take Isabelle out for the trick or treating. Jane stayed home with the other neighbors and Maggie. A little cardboard, a little tape, and some paint and you have a kayak (sort of). I put on some of my gear and went off, halfway expecting rain since it had rained all day. When it finally came I was comfy in my gear although my kayak started to melt. Isabelle ended up using her shield as an umbrella. Here is what I looked like.

Isabelle's costume is partly made form a helmet and shield my father made for me when I was little, along with a knight's costume that Sammy and Peter got in England when they were there visiting. Add a sword from Target and there you go. Off course a knight wouldn't be caught out without her sneakers.

Two Geenland Paddles

2009-10-29T18:14:00.000-04:00

A few eeks ago, just as my buddy Mike was finishing up his first Greenland paddle (seen here on his blog), I finished numbers seven and eight. I'm not bragging, quit the contrary, I think once most sea kayakers start making their own gear it's just the beginning. Two that I made were gifts, and the last one was for Isabelle. Here they are side by each.

The close ups below show the stenciled artwork. Mine has the typical Privateers Sea Kayaking Club logo on it. Isabelle's has two of the motifs from here skin on frame kayak. I'm not sure I showed pictures of what the finished kayak looks like beyond the first time she took it out (see here). I may have to get on that.

Another Soccer Season

2009-10-27T18:12:00.002-04:00

Another soccer season has ended at the YMCA. Isabelle has improved but more importantly she had fun, most of the time. Up to this point it has been hard to tell if she has inherited my competitive streak (I'm not sure you can even inherit that anyway.) Most days she wants to go but gets tired and complains about wanting to be in goal. In the end I think it has been a good experience for her.

As for me...it's been a learning experience. I have played sports at some very high levels. I have also coached some teams to provincials and other serious events. Coaching four and five year olds is a different game altogether, and coaching my own daughter has made me really dig deep. I certainly enjoyed stepping up as the assistant coach for the Tigers (Isabelle's soccer team) but when the going got tough it was hard to keep my perspective. It's not that all I care about is winning. After all these kids are four and five, they're here to have fun, learn a few skills, make some friends, and learn some of the basic rules. But when the other team's parents are being negative towards my team and generally not living up to the "parent's code of conduct" (like this one from the Dunesland Soccer Club) it's hard for me not to lose my cool.

Anyway, now that all of that is off my chest here is a great shot of Isabelle. This is how she plays most of the time with lots of spirit and energy. We'll have to see what she wants to do this fall. Maybe another season, maybe something else. Who knows? She's been talking about dance lessons. At least I know I won't be giving her any pointers there.

Washington as Seen by a Five Year Old

2009-10-26T22:09:00.002-04:00

So our trip to Washington a few weeks ago is pretty much behind us. I have told stories at work, Jnae has shared with her family and friends, and Isabelle has done a show and tell about it at school. She's gearing up for another show and tell with some pictures we took. I never appreciated show and tell until now. The teachers us it to get the kids to talk about a subject, usually something they like, they did, or are proud of. I guess it works on their vocabulary, their public speakign skills, and in some cases their creativity.

When we got back from Washington, Isabelle took her stuffed toy panda. I think the panda made a pretty big impression on her as she has talked about it quite a bit in the last few weeks. Here is a drawing she did of the panda and her home. This is her best work yet. Off course she labelled everthing so the rest of us could see what it was all about. (The image is cropped because it wouldn't fit in the scanner.)

Anyway, she's been really proud of her work but yesterday at dinner she anounced she'd given it away to the neighbor so that the neighbor could put it in "her" book of Washington. We were a little shocked and taken aback. I think Jane had thought of framing it for her room and I had hoped to post it here on the blog. Anyway, after diner I went over and aksed to have it back so we could save it for her. Now I have to make sure the neighbor gets a copy of the drawing. That Isabelle sure keeps us on our toes sometimes.

Washington DC in Pictures

2009-10-15T20:57:00.001-04:00

Here we go with a quick tour of what we saw in Washington DC in Two and a half days. We'll start outside near Alexandria and Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason.

The grounds were lovely and we had a great day for it.

Next we stopped in Alexandria and walked around downtown. We stumbled upon a place called the Torpedo Factory. It was as it is named during the two world wars but is now a studio for visual artists. We came upon Allison Sigethy who had instructed me at the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. This is her workshop.

You can see the kayak influences in her art below and at her website.

The next day was the National Zoological Park. Here is one of the entrances.

The big draw in DC is the panda exhibit. They were pretty active when we were there.

We visited the zoo with a friend of Jane's and his daughter. Here there are clowning around a little and seeing who is taller.

The girls had a cackle at one of the toucans.

The zoo was under construction in many places. The "John Deere backhoe" exhibit was popular with some of the younger kids.

This is one of two significant Michelin tires I saw. This on was in the temporary elephant enclosure.

Of course any zoo worth its salt has a pride of lions and Washington is no exception.

Later we went to the National Postal Museum. Not very busy but interesting. Note the Canadian post box at the end by the girls.

Jane looking over some of the exhibits.

Isabelle doing the same. Here is an on-line version of the exhibit.

Isabelle even sent a few postcards and cancelled them herself in the machine.

After the Postal Museum we headed for the capitol building. It's not as big as it looks.

Back at the hotel. It was very glamorous. We ate breakfast here every morning.

This is the restaurant we liked, just opposite the hotel. It's called Open City.

The subway was a big hit with Isabelle. I found it darker than most I had been in and didn't feel as safe as in others. The escalator to get to it near the hotel was the longest I have ever seen. It must have been over 150 ft. Some of the escalators in the system are even longer but nothing matches the world record holder.

Third day and we walked by the White House.

On Pennsylvania Avenue there was a work crew cleaning the tar off of the new pavement. They were using a high pressure street cleaner that made the new pavement look like it was 15 years old.

Now the Washington Monument. As you can see it isn't as big a some people think (in reality 555 feet). It was finished back in 1884.

The National Museum of American History was a little all over the place. In one section they had this display about the invention of Kevlar. Note the kayak paddle on the left.

I tried my hand a windsurfing with Isabelle...

and Isabelle got to do a neat science experiment with carbon dioxide.

Off course we went up to see Kermit the Frog, right next to Archie Bunker's chair, and Dorothy's ruby slippers.

Next came the Museum of Natural History.

Lots of bones, fossils, rocks, gems, stuffed animals, and other natural things.

I particularly enjoyed the Sant Ocean Hall.

This is The Castle, where the Smithsonian Institution is based. The institute was the result of a donation from an English scientist who never even visited the United States. The story of how James Smithson ended up in America after all is also interesting and has a Nova Scotia connection. Read it here.

Now to my favorite. The National Air and Space Museum. I know I am going to book a long layover the next time I'm in Washington so I can visit the other site, the Udvar-Hazy Center. That's where they keep the really big planes. Below is the original X1, the first plane to break the sound barrier, hanging just inside the door.

Another Michelin tire, this one reproduced to be installed on an old plane that was on display.

This picture Isabelle took. She's getting better and more patient about taking pictures. The bomb is one similar to what was dropped on London in WWII.

This is an old airplane that is sort of featured in some children's books by Clive Cussler, my favorite author.

Here is a mock up of the Wright Brothers' famous airplane.

Off course no visit is complete without touching a piece of the moon.

Finally, after supper we headed for the National Mall. This is the Washington Memorial at night.

The relatively new National World War II Memorial with its illuminated fountain.

Finally we get closer to the Lincoln Memorial.

The Washington Monument again seen from the base of the Lincoln Memorial at the end of the Reflecting Pool.

And the man himself. The whole place was teaming with people. It was almost hard to get a good picture.

The last stop was the Vietnam Vetrans Memorial. We don't have pictures as it was so dark, but it was one of the things I really wanted to see in Washington. The other was Arlington National Cemetery. We drove in but didn't have enough time to see anything. I did catch a glimps of the Marine Corp War Memorial on the way out of town, another of the memorials I wanted to see. I guess we will have to do another trip.