40kms in between rain storms

We had a weekend of T-storms (some places even had tornadoes) but I've managed to get a wee bit of riding in - another 40kms this Monday...18km/hr winds though gave something to push through and then take advantage of on the way back - a good 10kms with a speed of over 44 kms/hr. I've been prepping all day for a team-building session this next weekend at Red Rock. Hope to have some more post-worthy stuff then.

A Weekend of Storms

Not much to say about this weekend other than a lot of crashing, booming & zapping with a couple thunderstorms that rolled through. We spent sometime outdoors, I got a 70km cycle in on saturday, spent some time gaming on the wii and a little bit of reading. Some weekends are just more exciting than others - this one just kind of came and went. Still great to relax though and spend time with the kids. Next weekend will be a busy one at Red Rock as I will again be helping out with staff training. We still haven't figured out the logistics of it all. Hmm...I just realized this post is a little dull as well. I can't be all fun & adventure all the time I guess!

Another 70 Klicks

Wow - had a very fast ride out to Richer & back - just over 2 hours and 70kms. On the way there 19 riders and most enjoyed a breakfast but 9 of us headed back to either work or spend time with family...quick pace but excellent conditions. I'm feeling it now though...stiff legs and I've been eating/drinking all day! Rough getting up for a 7am ride though...

Bird's Hill Spin

Considering how close Bird's Hill actually is - it is worth taking a spin out there every now and then. I still prefer the hills of the Sandilands or Whiteshell but it was a nice change to have a fast ride on a hard-packed trail (despite a few rooty & mucky sections) - average speed was over 17kms/hr and a top speed in the mid-thirties which is pretty amazing considering the lack of hills. Total kms was approx. 24 clicks - not bad for an evening ride but Solstice helped out - gave us the sun we needed to finish well!

Latest Pics

We had another fabulous escape to Star Lake and we have full intentions of spending as much of our summer there as possible. Check out explore play for some further photos with more of a nature emphasis.
Zach has made our family more complete and we are totally digging the guy! He's fairly agreeable most of the time although he is a bit of a grunter sometimes...and the boy knows how to fill diapers but we won't blog about that!
Chelsea does her best to not pose and I think she pulls it off - she's loving her role of big sister.

Here's a shot of him asleep on my shoulder...so peaceful!

A self-portrait - I don't look impressed but I'm not a smiley guy when it comes to photos - it's serious business...
Wendy & I feel so privileged to be parenting these kids - Zach fits right in.

Chelsea enthused about holding a giant Luna moth - amazing beauties! I should note that explore play has some more shots of some bugs - enjoy!

My little Aimee - not hard to take a good picture of her!

Amazing shot - captured by my lovely wife Wendy!

Another great shot of siblings - Chelsea & Zachary!

Bug Photos...

Okay apparently there are a lot of insects at the cottage these days and so I have an entire section of photos just focused on them crawly creatures...enjoy?

My favorite bug has gotta be the dragonfly - I'm an aviation buff and they are the equivalent of the A-10 Attack plane...they come in low and eat up mosquitos!

Best time to shoot dragonflies is just after they've left their aquatic bodies - nymphs...
...they spend a bit of time drying out their wings.
They climb onto fingers are very willing to be placed in different settings or in this case plants.

I think this is a wolf spider but I'm not sure...I love their beady eyes - I got a pile of shots of them but again missing my big lens - next time!

The elusive dock spider - again they probably have a more official name but that's how I know them. Chelsea and I found this one on our dock and it was about the size of my palm...big mother!!!

One of the nights at Star resulted in a number of disoriented moths perched on our cabin front. This shot is a temporarily capture Luna moth being held by my darling daughter Chels!
I should note my sister Kiki made the discovery of these Lunesta wonders...

Another mysterious Manitoba moth - to be identified.

An inch-worm makes a daring ascent up a rain-drenched stalk.

Latest Outdoors Pictures

Here's the latest in photography attempts by yours truly on one of my family's escapes to Star Lake:

An experiment with motion via swings & a unique exposure - thanx to the aerobatics of Chelsea!

A classic Star Lake sunset...there will be more!

A mother & fawn - I'm still kicking myself I didn't bring my telephoto lens for a second weekend in a row!
Playing with light, exposure & motion...a little experimental.
Some mushrooms lit up by a flash & a setting sun...shot at ground level obviously.
The rain fills the stream that runs along the border of our property and of course is game for exploring photography.
Our transportation to the cottage is ironically via the Ford Escape we've had for the past few years. For more photos & brief write-ups check out musings.

11th Anniversary!

One year ago, we celebrated our ten year anniversary in Costa Rica. It was definitely one of our highlights as far as trips go. Much has changed in the last year and so I thought it only appropriate to post a few pics.Obviously the most significant change has been with the addition of our son Zachary on May 12.
He is a sturdy guy who recently tipped the scales at 12 lbs - pretty good considering 4 weeks ago he was 8 lbs 15 oz. He was our biggest to begin with and he seems to enjoy life!
Zach's sisters Chelsea & Aimee simply adore him and enjoy their new role as big sisters!
We're enjoying our summer thus far...lots of time spent outdoors and at the cottage and looking forward to our future together!

Star Lake Weekend

Here are some experimental shots from last weekend - hopefully I'll have some more time to do some more this weekend. The shot below is of some "lady slippers"? at sunset just after we arrived at Star Lake. I lit up the flowers with my flash from the front and of course the sunset lit up the subject from behind somewhat.One of our "projects" was to remove a few dead or dying trees and set up a play structure for the kids. This an experiment in motion utilizing Aimee as my reference...turned out kind of surreal!
We have a bizarre pine tree seedling that thinks it is a flower or something? I took a shot of it from directly above and I think I used a flash on it.
Playing with light in the underbrush near the edge of our property - utilized natural lighting & shadows provided by the sun & the presence of some tall trees nearby.
Added a little motion to the shot and I bumped up the saturation somewhat...kinda artsy but fun.