7.7.7

Hmm - apparently today was the day to get married my wedding photographer friends tell me. It seemed like a pretty normal one for me but it was good. A little work - mowed the lawn, a little fun - playing with my kids, a little food (okay lots) - homemade mac & cheese (Wen makes a killer onion/cheese sauce) for lunch and then for supper we had Pat & Dar over for some of my bbq'ed chicken thighs along with grilled veggies (red onions, mushrooms, baby tomatoes, & zucchini), jalepeno cheese stuffed peppers (red, orange, & yellow). They brought some salad and saskatoon pie...it was all very good! Yes, I am an aspiring backyard chef & had three marinades (Barcelona - includes some fresh basil, diced jalapeno peppers, garlic, olive oil, sherry, etc; Citrus & Tarragon; & Honey-Barbecue). Then we spent sometime playing the Wii & Gamecube games down in the basement where it was nice & cool. That was 7.7.7 - admittedly a cool date to get married but for us a great day to just chill' with friends & family.

The Role of Shared Experience in Relationship

When I used to do more whitewater kayaking - it was always cool to meet up with other paddlers - you were instantly connected because well - we're a rare breed and engaging danger somehow bonds people. A shared experience in dealing with any obstacle somehow builds or cements relationships. Climbing rock or ice is the same thing, once you've trusted another person with your life - there is a connection that stays with you. What does danger do to relationships?

The previous quote actually comes from a response I submitted from a previous blogpost. How does a shared experience of going through struggle, trouble, or danger if you will unite people? If you think of the significant friends you have developed over the years, there is always a story that captures that relationship. Something that makes you laugh or cry when you recall it or share it with another.

Remember when...you broke your arm? you wiped out over that jump? I lost control of my dad's truck two days after passing my drivers' test and ended up going through a ditch full of snow & water? When we traveled to Israel and our bus window exploded because of some Palestinian throwing a rock at us? When we paddled the White River? When we climbed Mt. Jacques Cartier? When we paddled the Ocoee River? When we mountain biked Tsali in North Carolina? When we saw those northern lights at Red Rock?

Each of those queries are real stories about my life that I share with someone else. Each of those stories helped shape who we are both as individuals but more importantly as friends. There is a camaraderie that exists on a heavenly plane it seems when we go to war together as soldiers, when we take on a wild descent with a bike or kayak, when we face danger head on together! Band of Brothers is my all-time favorite mini-series which captures how men become brothers through facing the trials of life & death on the battlefield of world war two.

What events took place in your life to make you the man or woman you are today?

My guess is that other people were involved in those events.

What stories & what relationships have shaped you?

One of my key aims in life is to live a full life! A life marked by adventure, by passion, by relationships, by stories, by wide-eyed wonder! Isn't that what explore play is all about?

Mayer Rocks The Peg

John Mayer put on an excellent show at the MTS Centre - all in all a great night out on the town!

Interesting background going off the "Continuum" Album theme
Simple but brilliant lit-up atmosphere.

The boy knows how to sing and play his guitar - I'm struggling to think of someone who does both so well! He played most of the Continuum album and a few other hits from past albums...thanks Shelli & Darryl for the invite and wow great Indian food at the Ivory! We felt privileged to join you on your escape! It was just good to get out and do something social again.

Great tunes, great feeling, & wow the guy can play his guitar!

Kathleen Edwards did a great opening set as well - unfortunately she isn't very well known but she had a great folky croon & an amazing stage personality for a 22 year old. She shared that it was two years ago that she had her first real gig at the West End Cultural Centre and now opening in the MTS Centre was pretty amazing. Sorry - no decent pics of her part of the show.

I love the burnt orange lighting in the shot below!

Hard to read set-list but you get the idea:

Escape to Grand Forks

There's a classic movie from the 80's called Red Dawn - about some teens (Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, etc.) who get caught in the midst of an invasion of Russkies (& Cubans - not sure how they would survive the -30 weather) who have taken over a significant portion of the US. For some reason, North Dakota & Minnesota remind me of that imagined WW III movie - maybe its the small little towns (every one has a Dairy Queen) and lonely highways that could land a 747 safely - gotta love U.S. taxes at work just in case of a communist invasion!

So back to the big escape - Friday afternoon we headed for U.S. of A. with our friends Pat & Dar - destination Grand Forks! It's not Miami, not even Minneapolis but it has its own significance in a "biscuits & gravy" kind of way. We met up with other friends (K & D, T & C, and G & N) from Steinbach & Rosenort and moved into the Holiday Inn for a weekend of hanging out, shopping, some swimming, great food at some of the local restaurants: Coldstone icecream, Grizzly's ribs, Paradiso mexican food... etc.

It was good to be without the kids for a bit (although it was great scooping them up late Sunday) and just enjoy the company of adults for a change. Closest we'll get to a vacation for the next little while!

Epic Sandilands Trail - September

Amazing trail riding this time of year in the Sandilands and thanks to some serious exploration this fall - Pat S., myself, and Jason H. have managed to put on the kms this season...

Really sweet winding trails through some rolling hills and valleys!

My favorite sections are through a number of Red Pine groves and we managed to end our ride this past Thursday at sunset. The result was some awesome pics and in my case a couple broken spokes! The shot above is Pat waiting up while I take some shots of him and Jason riding through this section.

I love this shot of Jason in motion - lucky!

Pat & Jason

Pat & Yours Truly

The plan is to keep riding until the snow keeps us from going! We are hoping to acquire some good lighting for night riding. A few years ago a buddy from a local bike shop in Winnipeg lent us a $1000 worth of high watt-age - we'll see what happens. Apparently, my rear wheel is a little out of true with it missing spokes...