Fireside Chat

We had an interesting SKYPE call with Wenda's brother on Vancouver Island. We were invited over for a chat by the fire. Wayne set up his laptop on Skype ... graciously offered us a beer or two and we offered a glass of wine. We sat by the fire and talked until near dark. It was kinda like being there. We had a few laughs together ... wow this skype thing is neat.

ROCK OF AGES

Wenda and I went for a night out in the city of Toronto. Dinner with our 6-pack friends then off to see the musical "Rock of Ages". After the performance, we went around the back of the theatre to meet my cousin Ken's son Carson who is an understudy for a few of the major roles in the musical. Two days ago he was on stage playing the part of Denis. It was great to finally meet him, as he hails from Winnipeg but has made Toronto his home for the last couple years while he is playing in these major productions. Click here to see a few more pictures ... including one of Carson at the backstage door.

WHERE AM I?

How about that son-in-law of mine Frank. He calls me up today and says "What are you doing tonight?". I said "Nothin."
He said' "Would you like to take Aiden to a hockey game?"
Well here I am in row 3 in the bacony.  Where am I?

The Winning Goal

If this image looks dark on your screen, that is the way it should look. Games at this level normally go for just under an hour and this one went an hour and a half. Sunset here is around 7:15 and this game went about 20 minutes after that. It is conincidental that this should be against the first team that we played against at the beginning of the season and it should end up in a battle for first place with this team.
We took a 2 to nothing lead in the first half, and then they tied it up. The game went into a 10 minute overtime, and then another 10 minute overtime after that. We then had a shootout with 5 players on either side taking a shot on net from close range ... it was tied after that. Finally it was sudden death shootout and one of the smallest players on our team scored the winning goal.
The game was intense all the way through. They had 2 great players who we were very aware of - cousins, terrific athletes and it was the defence's job to stop them early. One of them had played on Aiden's team last year. Standing next to Aiden - Aiden would just come even with his shoulders. Nevertheless, the boys on defence were very effective at shutting those aces down. On one occasion, there was a penalty kick on our net. Their best striker took the shot. Our guys formed a human wall, but Aiden took a step back from the wall toward the net. The shot was hard and high, over the heads of our wall. Aiden jumped up and did a header to deflect the shot over the crossbar. He later told me that one hurt a bit, but it saved the game. We are very proud of his play as a sweeper. It has been a very good season for him in learning how to play the game and where to position himself. Click here for a few more pictures.

Blanik Jump

I have over Two Thousand flights as pilot in command in the Blanik L-13 a design which dates from the early 70's. This aircraft is fully aerobatic yet handles like a dream. Of all the aircraft I have flown, I prefer the Blanik for smoothness and performance. Watching this video sure does bring back memories.

MISTY MORNING

I was on my way to Lindsay this beautiful sunny morning, driving along the ridges and saw the bright morning sun lifting the foggy haze of the previos evening. It makes me ponder on what life must be like for those not retired as they see the beatiful sights of the morning while I am still in bed sleeping.

End of The Line

Tonight was the end of the season party at Tracy and Frank's place. The weather was mild, sunny and just a touch cool in the evening. The kids played on the soccer field, had hot dogs and hamburgers and of course this huge cake that was donated by one of the grandmothers of the kids. After all that dinner, we had a practice that was nearly 2 hours long and ran until dark. This was our last practice, for tomorrow we go for the gold. After ending the season in 4th place, we have fought our way through the playoffs to the final game for top honours. When our opponents last played on Thursday 2 red cards were issued to them.... unheard of for 7 year olds. Lets just say, we are expecting a very very intense game tomorrow evening. Click here for a couple more pictures of the party.

Taking The Girls Shopping

Wenda and I took her parents out on a shopping trip in Peterboro Saturday. The girls seemed to get the best of it though as us guys settled on a couple computer hardware items -uknow guy things. But the chicks were out preening their new feathers doing their best to appear as the more colourful of the species. Later on Ken met up with the chef of a fish n chip joint - the guy didn't talk much though.

BEST GAME OF THE YEAR

It was cool, overcast, wet with the residual of a day long rain, when the teams took to the field. The winners would get to play another day for 1st place, but you had to win this game to stay alive. The team was on fire tonight with lots of scoring opportunities made by good passing and smart playing. Aiden was sweeper in the defence position but with smart play, he is able to move that defensive line quite a distance forward. From there he can captialize on opportunities to take possession of a free ball and bring it right into scoring position. Here Aiden is taking a penalty shot in which he hit the left post 3/4 high, it rebounded back and he hit it again, bang another post rang out like the mission bell. As the entire opposition was in the 18 yard box defending now, he gained possession of the ball once again and kicked it in off an opposing team member. I have never seen such furious action by our team. The team played well with good defence and good forwarding passes to clear the ball from our zone and pass it to the forwards. Aiden's team won 4 - 2 and that means they play the winner of the top two standing teams for the overall top dog on Tuesday.

LUNCH BUDDIES

My good friend Philip and I went to visit our friend Myke at Peterboro today. Not only do we get to do a lot of photography talk, but we also get to dine out at our favourite restaurant in Peterboro -The planet. It is a vegetarian restaurant and all the breads, meals and desserts are made right there. Do you remember 50's style chrome tables and chairs?

Taking My Brother to School

Its Quinten's first day in school and his big brother Aiden will help him with the ride on the big yellow bus. It is Lexy's first day at Nursery school too. Well I was there with the camera to record this day of firsts. All three were quite excited and did the routine as well as if they had been doing it all along. Lexy went right in to her classroom and sat down just as nicely as can be. Click here to see the pictures.

Orono Fair

I had my lesser of cameras with me at the Orono Fair and shot some pics of the evening's activities. The pictures show me the difference between cameras as I feel the images would have been a bit sharper with the better camera. The noise was absolutely defeaning from these turbo-charged monsters that were towing a heavy sled down the track in front of a packed house. Click here for more pics.

Not Tonight Honey

Aiden did not skate quite as hard tonight as he did last evening. After last night's cuts the competition was pretty tough, so he did not make the Super 7 team this time. All through the drills we could see him adjusting his mouth guard, and when I helped him to change in the dressing room, he pointed out one of his teeth was falling out. Several kids in the change room offered to knock it out for him, but he declined them all. I think it was a good experience to have gone through the selection process and not making the cut is a good lesson in itself too. You'll note that he had taken to this fashion statement of wearing mis-matched socks. click here to see a few more pics.

MADE THE FIRST CUT

Aiden surprised us by making the first cut for the tryouts for the super 7 team. I think it was his drive and ambition that got him through the first round. Nearly half were eliminated tonight so we shall be sitting on our hands tomorrow as he faces another elimination round.

TO HELL WITH THE BELL

Each year on the first day of school the retired teachers get together for breakfast

BUBBLE HEADS

One last outing with us before school starts. This was a first to see all 3 of the kidlets in the upper bubble. Aiden takes good care of his little sister - watching out for her.

SMOKIN CARS

Quinten was showing me his "SMOKE CARS" this morning. This is all because Rob, a friend of the family was at the 90th birthday with his classic muscle car and did a huge burnout on the street. So now the mighty Q's orange Cuda hotwheel cars are his "smoke cars".

The Princess

One of the many princess gifts that Lexy got for her birthday was a princess gown. She started by reading her musical card with the magic castle then got dressed up as a princess. ... high heel shoes and all.