You people!

❤ Lest We Forget ❤

The long weekend was a mellow one, with the bulk of the excitement being generated by the Sportsnet people when they canned Don Cherry from Coach's Corner.... Did you hear about that? On REMEMBRANCE DAY of all days.... Jeeezuz.... Oh dear, I hope I don't end up chastised for calling those network clowns 'people'?! LOL! This place is getting more out of control by the week. When a born-and-raised Canadian citizen loses his job, as a result of expressing disappointment in the lack of visible (donning a poppy) support and respect for both those who have served for our freedom and those who continue to serve, there is a problem. Just sayin'.

Anyhow, end of rant..... and on to some fun stuff!

The mountain weather in general was meh, with wind warnings and snowfall warnings galore. We spent a blustery Saturday wandering around Banff, where we ultimately ended up at the Waldhaus. This cool little pub is a tucked-away gem, and the drinks are cold and snooker is free. I recommend trying the pubchos if you are up for a unique tasty snack!

The next day was cold but cleared off nicely after lunch, just in time for a quick stroll up to the always lovely Grassi Lakes.

The anomaly of the afternoon was a small herd of elk, who hung out in the river for almost an hour. My own feet were going numb just watching them! That had to have been chilly! Brrrrr!

It is definitely looking and feeling more and more like winter in the Rockies, which I am thrilled about, especially since I purchased a Mountain Collective pass! Can't wait to hit the slopes.

Cheers!

Blah, blah, blah....

What an uneventful month! 'Blah' really sums it up. The weather has been mediocre, and work has been mediocre. Halloween was even boring this year.... I handed out treats to less than fifty little creatures.

I did however finish another small stained glass project, and I was allowed to run a chainsaw one afternoon - so those were a few highlights!

I also did something that I never ever tried as a kid.... cost me a buck five but was worth every cent! LOL!

I hate to wish my life away, but I am really looking forward to the shoulder season being over, so that the focus can switch to full-on winter fun! And by the looks of the forecast this week, it might be happening sooner rather than later! Woot!

Stay warm everyone!

Cheers.

The world is full, of stupid.....

I won't finish that sentence, as my Mom always told me that if I had nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. And I like to think that I am a mostly kind and considerate person. But today, OMG, I cannot contain my disdain for the hypocritical behaviours being displayed by sooooo many people, nationally and globally.

I read an article published by CTV News this morning, entitled Norway's largest pension fund pulls out of Alberta oilsands, removes four Calgary-based companies. Here are a few excerpts out of the article:

Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (KLP) has removed Cenovus Energy Inc., Suncor Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd. and Husky Energy.

The fund, which administers more than $81 billion USD in assets, said a full exit from the oilsands is "great news" for environmentally friendly customers.

KLP CEO Sverre Thornes is proud of the decision. "By going coal and oilsands free, we are sending a strong message on the urgency of shifting from fossil to renewable energy."

Now I don't know about you, but I would think that the Chief Executive Officer of an organization with that type of bankroll must be relatively intelligent. I creeped him on LinkedIn, and his curriculum vitae is impressive indeed. Yet, I do have to question the smarts of a person who believes that cutting off fossil fuels is going to solve the world's environmental problems. Does this guy not know where 'renewable energy' comes from? Apparently he doesn't understand that fossil fuels play a major part in facilitating the utilization of  'renewable energy' sources such as sunlight, wind, tides, geothermal, etc.

For example...

What does he think solar panels are made of? Ummm, hello, that would be plastic. And how about the batteries that store said solar energy? Lithium. The carbon footprint of precious metals mining alone is questionable, as I doubt they are digging it out of the ground by hand or sending it by rowboat across the ocean.

What are wind turbines made of? He should check out the production and construction of one of those puppies, and tell me how it would happen without fossil fuels.... from the fabrication and molding of the thermoplastic for the blades to the conventional oil-lubricated gearbox to the jet-fuel powered helicopters to lift everything in place.... tsk....

Not to mention all of the materials which are required to build the transmission lines for this 'green power'! Does someone need to explain to him how metal smelters operate?

And the list goes on, and on, and on. I'm sure you get my drift.

Sadly, as of late the world seems to be full of people who are uneducated with respect to fossil fuels. They jump on random bandwagons and protest and beat on their chests about how oil and gas is the demise of the environment and we must stop climate change, all without having a clear, tangible plan of how to do so, but usually all with cell phones, gas-powered vehicles, natural-gas heated dwellings, synthetic clothing,  etc. etc.

Really??

It is disappointing to say the least, and not that anyone cares, but I am unable to give my respect to hypocrites. And for the record, I am scratching Norway off of my list of places to go. Hykler!


Cheers.

My new bumper sticker!

Hard on the Toesies!

Well, summer has certainly come to an abrupt halt! It has been snowing across Central and Southern Alberta these past few days, and my fingers are crossed that it is merely a little blip in Momma Nature's schedule. I have been lucky enough to enjoy a few more miles in the Rockies however, prior to this dismal potential end of the fall season.... And I even saw my first bear in forever, plus a lovely moose!

Earlier in September, we took a drive one Sunday afternoon out to Bowden to the Sun Maze and wandered around the sunflower fields. If you've never been, I highly recommend it!

Then I skipped out of work mid-week and joined some Canmore friends for a stroll up to Bow Glacier Falls. This trail is one of the best reward-for-effort trails in the Rockies I must say, and I have hiked it multiple times. I do suggest hitting it on a weekday though, as Bow Lake is incredibly popular with the tourists.

Last Saturday (when it was still autumn!), a couple of friends and I did the Centennial Trail traverse of Mount Allan, starting at Ribbon Creek and finishing at Dead Man's Flats.... Years and years ago, I hiked up Mount Allan by myself, and I laughed out loud when I went back and read my account of that day. This recent excursion was exponentially more enjoyable, and the ridgewalk was nothing short of spectacular. It is a committing hike, with about 8 to 9 kilometers of the 19 being exposed, so you do need to pick a decent weather window for it. And do it from south to north. And be prepared for an unrelenting stretch of steep downhill once you drop off the north section of the ridge and down into the trees... my knees didn't bother me but my toes were sure happy to be done!

The day after the traverse, I took it a bit easier and zipped out towards the Forks at Upper K Lake. A beautiful bruin and a huge bullwinkle crossed our path, which was so cool to see, especially because my wildlife sightings have been almost nil this year.

This past week I put on several steps in a much less fun way, and the upcoming week will be the same - between plant turnarounds and unit outages, work work work is all consuming! One distraction that I get to look forward to, is the stained glass class I signed up for. Tuesdays are my new favorite evening, with a small glass panel and a lampshade on the agenda.

Happy Sunday! Stay warm everyone!

Cheers.






Many many hours in hiking boots
followed by a week straight in work boots
has been hard on the toesies!