Looking For Some Comments

If you look above to my header - you clearly see what the focus of this blog is all about - exploring the role of play in our lives. So here I am attempting to generate some comments on that very topic. I know I have a number of blog visitors who so far have never posted a comment. Perhaps this is in part due to shyness or maybe you just haven't found anything to really comment on but here's your big chance to "come out of the lurker's closet!" What are your top ways of exploring play? What do you enjoy doing to get away from stress or work (that is if you can't play there)?

Obviously for myself - mountain biking is my favorite escape into playdom. It's relatively easy to do and quite economical once you have a bike. Especially if you can bum rides off of friends! Right Pat? I'm paid up now I suppose! Other forms of play include - being creative with photography, just relaxing & spending time with Wendy, playing with my kids, table games like Settlers of Catan or Carcassonne, swimming at our local pool, kayaking or canoeing (preferably whitewater), & skiing in the winter. I could continue but those are probably my favorite ones. I definitely tend to prefer the outdoors as my environment for play - winter tends to quash that somewhat unfortunately.

So yeah lurkers or regular posters - what is your favorite way of exploring play? I know you are out there!!!

Bike Frame

My girls showing off my new frame!

Birthday Girl!

Chelsea is four years old today! We celebrated with part of our extended family yesterday and this is a shot of her Strawberry Shortcake cake. We were blessed with a phone call from Ethiopia, Africa today at noon from my sister on behalf of the Kruse's! I'm blown away how fast life has gone and how amazing it is to be the father of two beautiful girls!

Gotta Love Warranty!

Okay so here's the scoop the picture above apparently is my new frame courtesy of Giant's warranty department! It comes with a new rear shock as well but I will be marrying my components, front fork, etc from my old bike to the new frame. But...we've apparently been hit by a bit of a snow storm during the past 24 hours and I probably won't be able to get into Winnipeg till Thursday or Friday! And if the snow doesn't melt - I probably won't be riding it till spring. Boo Hoo... (for a lack of a better suited expletitive)!

I should note though that I did have a phenomenal ride though last week Friday with a balmy +10 Degrees C! So I closed the season well (if it is truly over) with another 14kms of Sandilands Shangri-La singletrack!

Play Au Naturel?

Bet my title caught your eye! No, I'm not referring to playing naked although that would probably make an interesting topic to explore sometime? Instead, I want to explore the question whether or nor play is a learned activity or something that comes naturally, a part of being human?

Obviously we are created for play, why else has the cardboard paper box become such a beacon for creativity! Ever seen the movie Millions? If you have seen you'll understand, if not have a view - well worth it! I think we teach play to an extent but the seeds of play reside in all of us, it is inborn like the need to breathe, think, and explore!

Real, honest play is ripe with creativity! No need for audio tracks, dvd interactive features, battery power, etc. Lose the technology - all you need is just a crayon and a piece of paper; a stick and some sand; some dirt and a finger....and simply add natural inborn creativity and you have play au naturel! Technology in fact often kills the creativity that resides in each of us. There are exceptions like perhaps digital cameras but honestly a pad of paper and a pencil has the potential of creating more beauty than 1's and 0's ever will!

Honest, naked play is stripped of programmed fun and replaced with natural expression of the tools of creativity! All you need is a few ingredients like paper or paint. When is the last time you played in mud? Sat in a sandbox? Fingerpainted? Play-doughed? Made a snowman? The list continues - feel free to post your favorite all-natural full-on play activity! I'll give a prize to the best one ;)

Looking for Xmas Gifts?

I already handed in my Amazon booklist for Christmas but check out ThinkGeek for some pretty unique novelty gifts for those techies in your family! I'm partial to the gadgets section, sort of feels like shopping with "M" from 007 movie fame. Don't we all need a swiss army knife complete with a USB memory card and LED light? My personal favorite is the Swedish Firesteel - a survival tool for starting fires(which I already have from a stocking stuffer present from my Dad a few years ago)! Or how about a glow-in-the-dark flying frizbee disk?

Okay - none of the above are really must have gifts and quite honestly we probably should spend those extra shekels on gifts or food for the less fortunate. In fact, if I wasn't a father of two girls we probably wouldn't be into the gift thing much at all. I sometimes wonder if we are so caught up in consumerism that we really take advantage of the holiday week and just spend time with family!

Update on Giant NRS2 Frame

Yesterday I called Olympia Cycle (my bike dealer up till this point) to see where things were at with my frame. Turns out they never sent away my frame!!! Grrr! So I made my way there today and picked up my frame and took it to another dealer Bikes & Beyond (Henderson) who actually is carrying Giant. I got a phonecall an hour after dropping it off that they were shipping it away with UPS and I should expect a new frame in a week and half. Now why didn't I bring it there in the first place? Well, it has something to do with loyalty to a bike dealership that for the most part has treated me quite well up until this past year. My connection no longer works there and the managing of that particular store seems to have gone downhill. So my loyalty is up for grabs - we'll see if Bikes & Beyond will win! I should note I have purchased a good 6 or so bikes in the last 16 years - all from Olympia!

My first real mtn bike I bought was a 89' KHS Comp (black with purple metallic splashes and yellow lettering) hardtail, Suntour shifting, and no front suspension. I went front suspension with a black Trek 6000 (orange decals) in 1991 or so, complete with the gold Rock Shox Mag 21 (which I later painted black) and custom built wheels.

Next came my dream bike a 1996 Rocky Mountain Thin Air - probably the lightest mountain bike I ever will own - superlight hardtail that I still miss - bright yellow! I should note that was my last bike as a bachelor (about ten years ago - crazy!). I rode it a good three years or so and made the move to full suspension.

Riding my Thin Air - June 1996 - Toniata

I bought a used Trek Y-3 aluminum with a sweet Rock Shox SID 100 in the front from a friend of mine - it actually was a brand new frame due to warranty issue on the previous frame. It also was black but with red trim. Too much bob action for me and man was it heavy. I rode it maybe 2 years or so and decided to go lighter weight but still full suspension. I ended up purchasing my current bike a 2002 Giant NRS2 which I really have enjoyed the last three years.

Probably the most fun I've had on a bike is with my Giant - that is until my frame broke. We'll see what my next bike is - I'll make a judgement call after I get my new frame!

I should also note that during our first year of marriage I gave my wife Wendy my Trek 6000 to ride but I soon bought a navy Trek 930 that I still use today as my commuter bike. She now rides a sweet 03' Trek 6700 (below) with some women specific features that we customized.

Hmm...my post turned from "beef" to "relief" to a historical retrospective "life and times of my mountain bikes!" I guess that's what happens when one is passionate about exploring a sport like mountain biking!

The Joys of Teaching Outdoor Education

I love teaching and I know I can never escape being a teacher - it is a part of who I am. Sharing what I know and what I am learning excites me. Teaching resonates with me most when I can share what I am most passionate about. The past three weeks I had the privilege of bringing 15 students on an educational journey exploring outdoor education. The result was pretty cool and I can't take complete credit but obviously I played a role in the learning process.

My 2005 Outdoor Education Class!

The cool thing about teaching in the outdoors is that "teachable moments" are everywhere. Our classrooms are often so sterile that we lack the inspiration that is reflected in the wilderness so well. Reading my students' journals encourages me to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm not necessarily motivated by praise but when I hear comments like, "you made me think" or "this week was one of my best weeks of my entire life!"

Garth & Mandy making use of a teachable moment!

I can't help but grin and thank the Maker. In many ways, teachers are simply conduits for the learning experience to happen. And that's okay because of the change we get to see when the light bulb starts to glow and shine!

Teambuilding using the classic blind maze!

Here are some anonymous quotes from some of my students regarding their time at Red Rock doing outdoor education:

"I learned, I should be more optimistic about myself..."

"I learned so much about myself, about others, about God, about the outdoors!"

"I would do this all over again in a snap!"

"Thanks God for making this an unforgettable experience for us all and for helping us stretch our limits!"

"I learned to respect nature & wildlife, they have a far more important & intricate role than I ever though possible."

"Thanks for the awesome week we had. It has shown me so much about myself and given me a new perspective on myself and my life. I really needed this experience and I will always remember it."

That's just a sampling - now doesn't that make you want to teach! Changed self-perceptions, pushed limits, respect for Creation and the Creator! Pretty cool eh?

Mtn Biking Class At Echo Valley

Spooky Night Ride!

Pat and I hit a new trail last night! It was almost surreal winding down and up a rolling trail in complete darkness. We keep finding new trail but it is somewhat spooky weaving through red pine stands watching the lights of our bikes create weird strobe like shadows. It was also mysteriously quiet last night because of the low cloud cover that was threatening rain or maybe flurries. Every sound seemed muffled and as unnatural as it is to ride at night! Once again we found an end to a trail but discovered a new one shortly thereafter. It has been a couple of amazing months of discovery of kilometers and kilometers of new trail - my guess is that we have found close to 50 kms (if not more) of virgin singletrack thanks to some motorized dirtriders who had the ambition to take their dirtbikes through bush!

I'm still awaiting news on my frame and thankfully my friend has allowed me to keep his bike for another week. I wish I had some pics from last night but the cool weather and threat of rain discouraged me from bringing the IstD along.

Later,

G

Outdoor Education @ Red Rock

We had a simply amazing week at Red Rock Lake for the practical component of the outdoor education course I teach. Together with Red Rock staff and my friend Mandy, we taught canoeing, kayaking, mtn biking, wall climbing, archery, orienteering with compass/GPS, and basic bushcraft skills such as firebuilding. The shot below a picture of RRBC's waterfront and a tent of a few of my students brave enough to endure some below zero night temperatures. It actually was a beautiful week with temps up to 19 degrees Celsius on Thursday but at least 2 evenings resulted in frost on the ground the following morning.

Despite cold water temperatures we decided to go ahead with canoe and kayak instruction. The result was one canoe tipping near the island and two kayaks tipping near the beach. Fortunately, no one got hypothermia as we were near warm showers and a change of clothes. All in all, amazing weather for this time of year.

That's me in the orange Dagger Redline - an older play kayak I donated to RRBC a few years ago.

You got to love teachable moments like the one above. A flat tire on the trail to Echo Valley resulted in a lesson in changing flats! Mandy is standing in the background and was a great help in connecting with the female component of my class.

G