Explore Pics

Wendy picked up a digital point & shoot for me this past week that I decided to try out this month - a Pentax Optio WPI, which happens to be class 5 dustproof & class 8 waterproof.

My digital slr still takes way better pictures but it quite honestly is a pain to haul around when I'm out biking or kayaking. So I figured I'd see if the more portable WPI would work out for me - not necessarily for capturing art but for capturing memories. Here are some the results from a recent ride to the Sandilands with my good friends Pat & Jason:

Pat's Toyota has been a huge help in getting us to the backcountry of the Sandilands for our weekly bike rides on sweet winding singletrack!

Notice the nice blue bike I now am riding!

The remains of some scrap wood from a lumber operation - I'm not a fan of clear cut logging and it is amazing how brutal our provincial forests are treated when harvested.

I definitely appreciate the nature on our epic rides - I'm not sure about the identity of this flower but it pops around the trails this time of year. We came across what we think was an eagle nest on our ride and spooked them a little. The result was Pat being dive-bombed by a ticked off eagle while he was accessing his GPS.

Speaking of eagles - check out this site: Eagle Eye Cam Apparently someone in BC set up a digital vid camera in this eagle nest and it recently captured the birth of baby eagles.

#4 is Back!

I have to admit some relief in hearing that the Green Bay Packer's QB Brett Favre has decided to continue his contract with them. It would have been cool if I really had been at his last game but my fingers are crossed that this season will bring them back to where they should be - #1 in the NFC North but we'll see!

Latest Explore Pics

Spring has arrived, along with phenomenal weather, rising waters back in Riverside, and yes the frogs are announcing it all to the world:

This picture for whatever reason reminded me of Annie Dillard's description of a frog she discovered that didn't jump. A giant water bug was sucking out the dissolved contents of its victim from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek:

He was a very small frog with wide, dull eyes. And just as I looked at him,he slowly crumpled and began to sag. The spirit vanished from his eyes as if snuffed. His skin emptied and drooped; his very skull seemed to collapse and settle like a kicked tent. He was shrinking before my eyes like a deflating football. I watched the taut, glistening skin on his shoulders ruck, and rumple, and fall. Soon, part of his skin, formless as a pricked balloon, lay in floating folds like bright scum on top of the water: it was a monstrous and terrifying thing. I gaped bewildered, appalled. An oval shadow hung in the water behind the drained frog; then the shadow glided away. The frog skin bag started to sink...

This past weekend we spent some time at Star Lake with Wen's side of the family. It was an amazing weekend complete with 20 degree weather and bright sunny weather. I got a great 30 km ride in at Ingolf on Saturday despite the horror of witnessing the after effects some of the clear cutting of the forest that decimated the first few kms of the trail. I didn't take any pics of myself riding but I managed to get a few shots in capturing the aura of a sunset at Star Lake...

I have no idea what these lakeside blossomed shrubs are but they were absolutely scarlet in the dying sun's rays at dusk...enjoy! Check out more pics from the past few weeks at musings.

Recent April Pics

Apparently its been awhile since I've posted some pictures and if I don't do it soon we'll be in May. First off some shots from The Forks that we took on Good Friday. We were in the city to meet our good friend Jodie who just returned from a tour to South Africa where she helped lead a missions exposure trip. So we decided to do the classic Peg' thing and visit the forks & after saying our farewell toured the children's museum. Well worth the visit!

Aimee enjoying the view near the Forks.

I love this shot of Chelsea striking a pose.

Note Chelsea's perfect climbing form and her sister Aimee ready to spot her.

Interior of the train at the Children's Museum

Dad & Aims in the yellow bug in the museum

Okay this was cool - inside a simulated beaver house. Note the look of shock on Aims - she was a little freaked by the flash as it was pitch black in there.

Hard to explain this shot - Chels loves to climb and so this is simulated to be underwater and Wendy is just climbing down from inside the beaver house...confused? Go to the musuem and it will all become clear!

I think this fake tree is pretty cool even if it is fake. It has a neat slide on the other side and even simulated leaves glued to its branches.

A glimpse of easter egg making in our humble abode.

The final product...note: one shirt was severely damaged by glue and glitter as a result.

The food of 2006 hits my folks' place in Riverside. Oh the irony of living in a place called Riverside. Lakefront property may have some perks but its only fun for about a day or so to have to navigate through water to get to your doorstep. Chelsea hitched a ride with her Grandpa on the ATV - Easter at my parents.

Aimee & Grandpa on the quad

This pic is fresh from the camera - taken this past weekend at Star Lake for a Martens family gathering. Note the newly constructed firepit courtesy of yours truly and bro-in-law Denny.

Another shot of the marshmallow roast at the lake...

I'm not personally a fan of s'mores like my daughter Chels but I love how she is attempting to emulate my post-90's soul patch that continues to partially obscure my chin.

Wendy takes credit for this shot, proving that playing hard runs in the family! So there you go - the past few weekends of Spring this lovely April. Check out exploreplay for a few more recent shots!

Smashing News

Okay, admittedly I'm a little bit skeptical this will happen but apparently:

It's official, The Smashing Pumpkins are currently writing songs for their upcoming album, their first since 2000. no release date has yet been set, but the band plans to begin recording this summer.

I hope they continue at least in the direction they left off rather than Corgan's solo album which left something to be desired. I enjoyed Zwan though - musically and lyrically! I'm crossing my fingers with this one.

Leadership Development

One of my favorite courses that I teach is Leadership Development. It is geared to a third year college student and encourages them to explore their own personal definition of leadership. Their major assignment is to develop a leadership portfolio which includes their personal philosophy of leadership, a set of personal core values, a life mission statement, a list of gifts/abilities/strengths/weaknesses, and finally a vision-casting discussion which looks at future goals or opportunities. As you can well imagine it is quite intensive but amazingly inspiring for my students to explore. The course wraps us this next week and their final exam is based on class presentations of their portfolio. I have to say that they raised the bar well and the presentations have been quite creative. It is very rewarding as a prof to see students excited to be in class and sharing their passion through their stories.

Blog Lull

Spring is in the air complete with some 20 degree C days! Which results in you guessed it - a lack of posts at musings or explore play. I'm also insanely busy with marking and other end-of-the-college year stuff. I should note that Wendy and I have put some money down on a trip to Costa Rica to celebrate our ten year anniversary! We are very excited about it all - as we will be doing some paddling, biking, canyoneering, surfing, etc. as part of the tour. The other exciting option is that we hope to help out or at least visit a local orphanage that our tour company sponsors!

Other news? Hmm...I'm liking my bike and been out riding a bit. I am enjoying a few new bands & music including the The Little Willies (unfortunate name but amazing music thanks to Norah Jones & Co.) which mix country with a touch of jazz & rock, I'm loving Rosie Thomas' If Songs Could Be Held - she has an incredible voice and apparently friends with Sufjan Stevens, Snow Patrol's latest offering Eyes Open is very differently produced from previous efforts and I personally like where they've gone (note: to be released May 9), Kings of Convenience is still spinning in my cd tray - Riot On An Empty Street is just so sweet & rich with harmonies and reminds me of a modern day Simon & Garfunkle, the Shout Out Loud's Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is just all out punk-inspired fun, hmmm - I could continue...

Anywhoos - Easter is around the corner and supper is calling right now! Or at least my daughter Chelsea is calling me to supper! Sorry for the lull in posting but tis' the season of spring!

Explore Spring

Its been a late spring here in Manitoba but thankfully a mild winter throughout. Today was my first outing back to the Sandilands with my new bike - a 06' Giant Trance 3. I'll post some pics eventually. It wasn't really an epic ride as it really was still a bit early - the highlands of the park and heavy bush prevent the snow from melting as quickly as it does in town or in the open prairie. But I still was able to bike the logging roads and I ventured on a few trails but had some tough going through patches of melting snow. I came across three bounding deer and a grey owl on my warm afternoon trek. It felt good to explore again though - the sun & wind scorching my cheeks mildly. I also found a half of an antler rack which I shared with my daughters when I got home.

Thoughts on my new bike - I love my rear suspension - maestro design with the Fox R shock is nice & cushy, I don't think I've ever ridden anything that climbs better, it felt better than a hardtail. The front shock is Rock Shox Recon and I'll need to play with it a bit - doesn't feel quite matched with the rear shock. Shimano has changed the shifting for the rear derailleur with Deore and up apparently - so when you press your thumbshifter you are upshifting. That is definitely taking awhile to get used do. It definitely is slower but apparently designed to save wear and tear on deraileurs. I may switch back to my XT shifters from a few years ago. Overall though I love the bike - cushier than my Giant NRS and just as flashy.

A clear shot of my new bike - the Giant Trance 3!

Busy Week

Ahead of me are four weeks of classes, then a ten day tour out west with a music/drama group with the college, and finally I will go into off-season mode! I am looking forward to catching my breath as it has been a busy last few weeks. I taught an evening and weekend course called Experiential Youth Ministry which was fun but a lot of work. It focused on using teambuilding initiatives in the context of camp or youth ministry to develop character, self-understanding, leadership & communication skills. All in all, a great course but it ate up two evenings and all day Saturday. I'm hoping for a bit of rest next weekend but that will most likely be interfered with due to a slough of assignments I need to mark. Such is my life these days of spring!