Sista is in the house!

What a most excellent weekend!! My baby sister Heather came for a visit, and we had a fabulous time in the mountains. It wasn't long enough - it never is - but I'm grateful for the few awesome days I got to spend with her!

Toni and Chris joined us as we enjoyed the relatively mellow stroll up to Helen Lake....

The creek was moderately higher on the way out....

The feet got a little wet, as there was no other place to cross!

We're all still smiling!

What a perfect day!

Day two was a little more involved.... Sheila and Jody were our hiking partners as we bushwhacked our way up to Old Baldy Ridge. The reward was worth every ounce of effort though, let me tell you!

Flood damage is still very evident throughout Kananaskis.

The trail was non-existent in many places.

The odd snowpatch was very refreshing, since temps were
around 30 degrees C!

All of a sudden the trail opened up into this beautiful cirque.

Cool little tarn in the cirque.

The steep climb up to the ridge just about baked us!

Pretty happy to be on flat ground!

The views were non-stop!

Nap time....

We must have spent at least an hour on the ridge - it is wide and open and the 360 degree panorama is one of the best I've yet to see!

After an 8+ hour day in the heat, we bee-lined for the Delta Kananaskis and enjoyed appies and cold, cold beer..... Mmmmmm..... It was the perfect way to end another perfect mountain day!

Can't wait for your next visit Heather! Love you!!

Cheers!

Good times with the Fatboy Lo!

It's almost time for me to take the Fatty - maybe that should that be with a 'Ph'? Ha ha! - in for its first service. I've been riding it to work, plus we were out for an awesome ride on Sunday, and my odometer reads nearly 1500 km now.

Shining up the trusty steeds.

Gorgeous day out west!

It's always a good idea to stop for a beer!

The weather is still forecasted to be lovely on Friday, and I'm looking forward to joining the biker gang from work on a day-tour.

What I am looking even more forward to however, is my Sista's upcoming visit! Heather will be in the house on Saturday - can't wait!! We'll be jetting out to Canmore to hang in the mountains for a few days.... Love it....  Love my life!!

Cheers!

For Gradness Sakes!

Yesterday was a HUGE milestone for some very important peeps in my world....  Chris's youngest offspring - beautiful twin girls - graduated from high school.

Kristen and Lindsay are two very cool young adults (they turned 18 just a week ago), and their spunky attitudes and kind-hearted nature make me proud to be part of their lives.

Lindsay

Kristen

Sisters! Proud big sis Nichole is in the middle.

The dinner and ceremony were classy and fun, and of course all of the girls looked stunning and the boys looked incredibly handsome. What an evening! Congratulations to Lindsay and Kristen and to all of the other graduates of 2015.

Today, Chris and I enjoyed the fantastic weather by putting a few hundred k on our bikes. EnviroCan is promising the same for tomorrow, and for pretty much all week by the looks of it, so hopefully we'll be able to hit the open road again soon!

Cheers.

The days of May.....

Another Victoria Day Weekend has come and gone. *SIGH* Where does the time go, dammit!

The May Long weather, while not the typical full-on blizzard we usually experience in Alberta, was nothing to write home about. So we packed up and headed west.... as in 'Shuswap Lake' west..... What a fantastic time we had!

My favorite person!

My favorite place! We spent a night in Canmore
and enjoyed supper and a nice cold beer on a patio.

Somebody's excited about being at his favorite place!

 

A little bit of rain meant some cribbage was played in the gazebo.

And.... that looks like a pants-down
skunking if I've ever seen one!

Can you guess who the winner was not?

 

The sun did eventually come back, and we took a fun
boat ride down another arm of the lake to visit some friends.

Such great people! Thanks Brenda and Mark for the amazing
hospitality. And Maureen, it was fabulous to see you after all these years!

We didn't end up doing the midnight run like we did after the
last trip to Anglemont.... but she was pretty dusky by the time
we got back to the cabin. 

Of course the days went by far too quickly, but it was awesome to get away. Not sure when the next excursion will be, but I can't wait! Hope everybody is safe and happy!

Cheers!






Happy Cake Day to me!

Cinco de Mayo.... The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.... It is also the day (a mere forty-six years ago!) that my poor Momma delivered my nine-something-pound screaming carcass into the world.... Thanks Elinor!

Here is a pic of the awesome birthday gift I received from the Parents:

Bling for Fatty! Love it!!
'Diamond Ice' around the fuel gage and speedometer, and
the sparkly shield on the gas cap.

And here is how I spent my birthday evening:


On our way to Game 4 of the Flames/Ducks
Stanley Cup playoff series!

Pre-game tailgate party!

We had sweet seats and watched the Flames win
in OT - literally in a sea of red!

Now, for the funniest part of the day.... The entire time we were in the Saddledome, we each kept one eye glued to the jumbo-tron in hopes of catching a glimpse of ourselves on the big screen. By mid-third period, we were both joking that it wasn't going to happen, and then.... The texts started rolling in.... forget the arena-cam - we made NATIONAL TELEVISION!

This is a still from a 10 second clip of us on SportsNet!

Lots of laughs were had, and the following day we were both celebrities at work. It was worth every penny we paid for those tickets!

Anyway, another year has come and gone, and it has truly been one of the best so far. Lots of great things are happening in my world, and I am soooo lucky! Life is so darn good!!

Cheers!

PS - Happy Mother's Day Mom! Love you!!

PSS - Remember in my last post, Chris had something exciting to share.... well this is it....

He got a tattoo! Kudos to Tommy at Mid Pacific Tattoo in Kihei, Maui.

A little piece of paradise!

The condo we are staying at couldn't have been in a more perfect location! We are able to carry our SUPs down to the beach, and when we're not out paddling in the surf or touring around the island, an amazing little chunk of white sandy paradise is only steps away.

It's like our own private beach!

Speaking of white sandy paradise..... Big Beach is the quintessential tropical playa - it is south of Makena, and as it's name implies, it is BIG.

Everything about the beach is BIG, including the shorebreak, and Chris decided it might be fun to play in. I on the other hand, opted to stay out of the gnarly waves.

Six to eight foot break!

Looks harmless so far....

And the thrashing begins.....

He survives! 

Today is our last day on Maui, but it has been an exciting one! I'm not allowed to say why - Chris wants to tell his very important peeps back home first, before I go and blab it to Blogger Land....

So there are sad faces since we have to leave, but there are great memories since it has been a fantastic vacation! Love, love, love Maui! Mahalo and aloha 'oe!