Sunday, April 29, 2018

Summer teaser.....


It could be happening people.... summer just might be on its way, for real! And if not, well Mother Nature faked it pretty darn good yesterday. I spent the weekend in Canmore and had a fabulous day in the back country....

Jean, Tiina, yours truly, and Leslie....
What a great day with a great group of ladies!

Snowshoes, or spikes? That is the question...

Basking in the never-ending sunshine!
 
How's THAT for a view! Welcome to Sherbrooke Lake.
 
Highly recommended lunch spot.

 
It's a good day to be me!  *SIGH*
 
 
We had 360 degree vistas!
 
How does a girl NOT smile on a day like this!

 
I've been to Sherbrooke Lake a couple of times, but not in the winter.... so this was like a completely new adventure for me. At the parking lot we debated wearing snowshoes, but we decided to chance the trail just with spikes. And in the end, aside from the odd post-hole when someone ended up thigh-deep in the snow (that would be ME!), leaving the cumbersome snowshoes behind was the right choice.
 
Our arrival at the lake was precisely lunchtime, and as we lounged in the glorious high-noon sunshine, we were treated to quite a show - avalanche after avalanche came ripping off the side of Mount Ogden. An hour or so drifted by, and with satisfied bellies and eyes, we packed up and descended back to the car. It was such a lovely way to spend the day! And in general it was fabulous as always to be outside, in the mountains. Doing so with some new friends made it that much better!
 
Cheers!
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, April 20, 2018

Can't Quit My Day Job


Well I put my... ahem... acrylic-on-barnwood skills to the test recently, at a 'Rustic Sign' painting night....

Not looking promising at this point....


In the end, it turned out okay!

Clearly I'm not quitting my day job... LOL... but between the concrete garden ornaments from a few weeks ago and this weathered-looking picture, my patio will have some unique conversation pieces added to it this summer!

Cheers!

Monday, April 2, 2018

It's April..... Fools!


It was -19C this morning when I got up today.... on APRIL 2ND..... what the...???!! It is really starting to feel like the winter that never ends, as snow continues to linger in the forecast and daily temps aren't making it very far into the positives.... oy....

Anyway, regardless of the weather, the good times continue to roll. Over the past several weeks, I've gotten a few lovely days of skiing in, plus my dear friend Lisa got married! Woot! Some pics from her wedding are here if you'd like to check them out.

This was the scene on Friday morning!

The neighbor's deck ornament looked as though it was mocking all of us.... how fitting that some Christmas decorations are still out!


Eerie early morning light at Sunshine.

View from the top of the Norquay Chair.

Just happy to be outside!

I'm thinking that there will be at least a couple of more opportunities to hit the slopes, and then perhaps it will be time to dig out the hiking gear! Keeping my fingers crossed....

Cheers!







Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Moving Right Along....


The first quarter of 2018 is just a few sleeps away from being over.... Although with the constant 'snowfall warnings' and sub-zero overnight temperatures that just won't quit, it is hard to fathom that April is here! Yeesh.

'April' is typically synonymous with 'spring', so I have been doing some 'spring cleaning', of everything from my over-full closet to my humongous list of memes cluttering up my phone to my abundance of mismatched cutlery. As a result, I've developed an impressive pile of clothes to deliver to the local thrift store, and the lunchroom at work should never run short of forks and knives ever again after my hefty utensil contribution! I've decided too, that I can google funny jokes on an as-needed basis... my BlackBerry is so much faster now with all of that memory freed up!

I have also been sifting through all of my camera gear, as my good friend is getting married on Friday and I'm going to pretend to be a photographer and capture some of the special moments from her big day for her. And while raiding the plethora of memory cards, I came across some pics from a trip last summer that I realized I never did blog about, and I'm not sure why. It was a fantastic mini-vacay to Seattle, where we travelled to see a Blue Jays triple-header, and along with watching some super-fun major league baseball, we walked and walked and gawked and had a stellar time!

View from the VRBO

Lobby of the VRBO - groovy!


One of the more interesting
establishments we visited....

Mmmm, who doesn't love pie!

Pre-game entertainment.

Mariners vs the Jays

We toured Starbucks head office and tasting room!

Candy shop on Capitol Hill

Punchbuggy BLUE!

THE best record shop in West Seattle!


At the top of the water tower in Volunteer Park.

How's this for a view of the city!


Scrolling through these photos reminded me of how much I heart Seattle - it is a lush, vibrant, inviting city, with such a great variety of activities available. It also reminded me that I have not been on a plane in months, and I think that needs to change, quick! LOL! Stay tuned.... I'm due for a trip real soon..... But in the mean time, everyone have a Happy Easter!

Cheers!







Monday, March 19, 2018

March Madness


Who'd have thunk that all of this late-season snow would be so much fun! With temps hovering in the -5C range and over half a foot of the fresh stuff, it was hard to keep the grin off my face this past Saturday and Sunday!




I don't have much else to say, other than #feeltheburn....LOL.... and I'm looking forward to more of the same this upcoming weekend!

Cheers!





Still one of the most iconic views in the Canadian Rockies....



Monday, March 12, 2018

Fun in the Sun!


Sun, sun, SUN! The sun was more than shining at Sunshine Meadows on Sunday - it was blazing! The sky was clear, the powder was untracked, and there wasn't a breath of wind.... I could not have asked for a more perfect day to be in the back country!







I am really loving the snowshoeing thing. The temps were in the +5C range, so I was without a jacket for most of the afternoon.... But it is a fantastic activity for a cold day also, because you are constantly moving and a fair amount of effort is required to get through deep snow. All exertion aside, you can go wherever you want, as opposed to having to stay on a trail like you do when winter hiking. It rocks!

Over the weekend, I also learned that I have some - not much, but some - mad painting skills.... LOL.... I signed up for a concrete statue paint party with Creating Dharma (check her out on Facebook). The figurines are made with reclaimed concrete (and some fresh stuff, too) that originated from the mountains in the Canmore area, and the molds are handmade in Exshaw. There were a lot of creative people in the house, let me tell you! I was not one of them however....


Watch for these critters on my patio this summer - I managed to eek out a small, basic colored turtle and a boring rendition of a salamander.... but I totally enjoyed the evening and will definitely try it again!

Well, the weekends fly by as it is, and the spring-ahead time change made this past one go even quicker. But alas, another Monday is done, and only a few more sleeps until it is Friday again! Yeah!

Cheers.