Post March Break

Another long wait in between a posting or two.  There is always lots that happen, then again maybe it isn't to news worthy for this forum.  I was sending a few emails today and got thinking I should at least update with a few pictures and some stories.

Shelly and I went to Toronto over the March Break.  The kids were in Lucknow, and they would be just fine without us for a couple of nights.  We took a very leisurely drive on Hwy. #86 getting to our destination, but there would be a few stops along the way. 

Elmira was the first braking point as it was the noon hour and lunch was calling.  We then stopped again in Guelph to see those crazy Tremainiacs.  Teressa was all to happy to load up our empty vehicle with toys-once-used.  We caught them de-cluttering, and there stuff became ours.  however I will say that the doll house and racetrack, despite looking a bit rough, were an instantaneous hit with Molly and Wally.  The doll house especially.  So before anything else could be loaded into the Jeep, we were off to our resting point of the Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard.

Toronto was fun for the two of us.  We crossed paths with mutual friends, had some great eats, went to a few bars, and pubs, listened to some live music, went to a movie, watched the St. Patrick's day parade, went to Canada Blooms, did some basic shopping, and walked around.  There were some misgivings about not having the two donkeys with us, but nothing that made a lasting impression on me - maybe a bit more on Shelly.  So feeling like we did what was needed to do in Toronto, we returned home and picked up the the kids.

The rest of the March Break was time spent in and around Goderich = a bit anti-climatic maybe, but there were some longer then usual sleeps, a big dump run with a buddy, a trip out to the farm to see how it weathered/wintered, and that is about it.....

I did however play in a St. Patrick's Day concert with my dad's pipe band - The Teeswater Pipe and Drum.  They held a concert in the town hall on Saturday the 19th, and I played along.  Over the past few weeks I went up to a few rehearsals, and my dad and I would practice an hour here and hour there, just to get the tunes in my head.  Indoors, these pipers simply play chanters and indoor bag pipes because, obviously, a bag pipe is simply too much inside.  Especially 8 or 10.  The guitar wouldn't even sound over a bag pipe, even plugged in.

So three or four weeks ago I got my mid-life crisis guitar!!!!!!  Gibson J-45 Custom Koa.  To say it is awesome, would not be saying all there is to say.  It is such an incredible thing.  It is art, instrument, class, and beauty wrapped together.  I got it used....  So happy.   So anyway it, and I, both had our stage debut.

Back to the concert = I chorded and accompanied along with a number of songs.  The Ministrel Boy and Loch Lomend, Paddy McGuinty's Flute, Britton's Glory, Doug's Jig, and the Skillet Jig.  I played along with a soloist singer as well.  Someone might have a picture - but I didn't get one - or a recording. but I will post a picture in the future of the new axe, and a video of us playing....  It was pretty fun.

We finished off the break, like I wrote, out at the farm to check on it.  The field looks amazing!  Tiling does work and it soooo worth it, but my trails are wet in places.  Some of the places are nearly knee deep of water.  I kind of expected that....  I don't know what I can do = It is a wet area....  But I started the lawn tractor and it worked, I started the generator and it worked, and the weed wacker started as well.  3 for 3 basically. 

That is the basic rundown of the last week anyway.  I got out on my motorbike for 10 minutes, then I poured rain on me...  I have got in an incredible amount of running and i feel great about that.  Phil and I knocked off a 5km tempo in 17:30 on the trails a week ago, and it felt super easy.... Coups and I had a huge dump run a week ago and we threw out so much crap!  Unreal how crap creeps up on you in a house.