One More Video

Lots of videos for some reason - I will contribute a proper update and recap with some current events soon.

Videos

Update

One of the main reasons I can think of for not posting in so long is I erased a whole lot of pictures from my camera.  I suppose it isn't necessary to rely on pictures, but they are good to include.  As a result I have a no pictures from:

A)  things around the house
B)  my sister visiting
C)  a fun trip to Pelee Island and Windsor
D)  some birthday stuff

Anyway - we are all great around here and enjoying a hot summer.  There have been lots of bike rides around town, a number of runs with friends, a few motorcycle days, I had a terrible cold and flu at the beginning of the summer which was very uncomfortable - again we are all great and just trying to keep busy.

March

We haven't really done too much during the month of March.  We had a week of discontinuity from our schooling and day care for Wally.  It was an overnight trip to Guelph to visit some friends, and just making use of the facilities at the YMCA in Goderich to swim and skate.  Despite there being little snow, it has been very cold.  Outdoor activities were few and far between as a result.

So there was a bit of getting at the wood with Shelly's dad, and cleaning up out the garbage in the shed out at Shelly's farm with a few dump runs.  As mentioned, a bit of skating and swimming.  Lots of music practice and cleaning around the house.  The common theme is that some of the days drag on, but in general a week's holiday goes very quickly. 

 The Dame's Rocket played at the Lucknow Legion on St. Patrick's Day...  There are no pictures from this year's set, but they looked and sounded as good as ever. 

 The kids got in and had a visit with their great grandmother who is also sounding and looking as good as ever.  If you reversed the numbers on Wally's shirt, and added a few numbers, you'd get to her age!  So yes, looking great indeed.

Zurich Has Beans Tournament

These Old Timer's hockey tournaments can be quite fun, but sadly repetitive too.  It is the same good teams that win and the same teams that lose.  It is the same amount of Bud Lite beer.  It is the same anger that some speed bag lashes out during some game because ?????  and wants to take it one step further.  Every small community in Canada must have tournaments like these.  The surrounding towns about 75km away all load up on glory day superstars, and also just about anyone else who is able to show up.  There are some good, smooth players.  And some hacks.  So I got the call once again to make the 40km drive south to the annual Zurich Has'Beans old timer's hockey tournament with the River Rat motley crew.  Sort of the same group of guys I played with just 2 weeks ago.

I haven't been playing steadily at all over the past 3 or 4 years.  All but 3 or 4 games, in one weekend, in each of the past 3 or 4 years.  That is not a lot.  But having had a few games under my feet in the past 2 weeks, I thought I was up to the challenge of another.  I don't know if I am asked for any particular reason.  I am not very skilled or adept at the game, but whatever.  I at least show up, pay my money to play, and make some reasonably lucky plays along the way.  Shelly watched one game this weekend and said I "hustled".  That sounds just about right. 

The first game we played with 12 players and won.  The second game we played with 10 players and lost.  Finally, and still in the first day, we played the third game and lost again with 9 players.  This goes from 9:00 am, to 1:00 pm, and the final game started at 8:00.  But I am feeling all right.  I am able to sustain a good amount of physical activity because of the running....  Each game got tougher opponents, combined with less players, and the recipe isn't so good.  However it was fun.  If anything we displayed a high level of sportsmanship as we didn't even get a penalty!  But we didn't score much either.

There were 12 teams in the tournament.  Each team plays 3 games.  There is a math algorithm fitting for a university course, to decide who plays who during everyone's fourth game.  This was decided with a point system of adding numbers attributed to period wins, losses, ties, games won and tied, goals scored and goals against.  We were the 11th team, as it was, after 3 games.  The team we beat during the 9:00 am game would be the 12th.  So it would be one more game on Sunday for just a sliver of pride.  The most minuscule of self worth one could hope for.

We lost that game 4-2. 

But the weather was wonderful.  Shelly and the kids came to the fourth game and Molly really thinks I am a superstar on the ice.  I mean really.  If it was anything else I'd tell her some white lies and embellish my past exploits on ice.  I swear I haven't and will never!  Truth be told it is just house lead hockey for the most part. 

But there was, of course, a token set of playground equipment at the arena and the kids were equally keen to be on the swings and on the climbers. 

 

Untitled

I wish I had some pictures from a few weeks ago.  Joel and I played in the Oldtimer's Ice Hockey Tournament in Goderich.  We had a pretty good time; a win, a loss and a tie to miss out of a final fourth game.  The last time I played hockey with Joel was back in 2011 when we were living in Rossland.  I think that was one of the first years Joel even played hockey.  He got into the game much later in life, and has dramatically improved from those awesome days on the outdoor rink.  But anyway a team was scratched together by randomly opening an early 90s GDCI high school year book and picking someone on the page. 

It was lots of fun.  The age group starts at 35 to play in the tournament.  So there are a few people who are less then 40, many who are in their 40s, and then some even older then that.  There were 16 teams in 4 divisions.  We were in the second most competitive.  Given our record, we weren't the best, nor were we the worst.  But next time I'll have to get some pictures for sure.

Not much else is going on.  All of the snow has melted, but the weather reporter said not to get to excited for spring as snow and cold weather is still on its way.  But it really seems unusual to have such fluctuating weather. 

I switched up the front grill on my truck for something to do.  The instructions promised this was the easiest of easy things to do, so I choose this task.  Sure enough and true to form I could not get the old grill off the truck despite only having to unscrew two screws and remove two tabs.  By and by I got it....  I think it is a bit of a cha-chi move to post pictures about and to write about, but I do think the new one looks kind of cooler and better.

Old:

Halfway There:

 And Finished:

I don't know, maybe it looks kind of stupid still?  I've read that the original grill, the top picture, looks like someone wearing braces.  The funny thing, I think, about it is I order it from a knock-off vender in Asia.  The grill is as unauthentic as a Chibson Guitar.  It isn't Toyota OEM, especially at its price.  It was quite inexpensive.  But it fit!  It works.  I can't help but think "TOYOTA" isn't spelled correctly or something.  But all the holes lined up and it snapped into place.  This was supposed to be a spring project, but since the weather is so nice, I decided to get it done while the sun was shining.

Goderich's Winterfest Weekend

This winter weekend extravaganza has been happening for a number of years.  There is a candle paper-lantern moonlight walk on the Friday night in the town's bush behind the fire department.  Then on Saturday there are a few activities such as a chili cook off, many kids activities on the square, fireworks at night, and a dance at the arena.  It isn't city-esque excitement, but rather small town stimulus that gives families and people something to do.  It is just right, for the situation I suppose.

So Molly and I did the walk on Friday night.  They had a few fires lit and hot dogs were roasting, so it had that going for it.  Plus there was a cookies and hot chocolate station that goes over so well too.  The lanterns were okay.  The walk was okay too.  It is something to do, and I know the organizers put a lot into it, and think of it as very important, so for us to go and show a bit of support is fine.  I think having more would be better; more fires, more cookies, more lanterns, and such.  But it was fine.  It is a social event and we not only run into people we see all the time, but we also cross paths with those who we don't see too often.  Like going to the farmer's market perhaps.

On Saturday Molly, Wally, and I bundled up and went to the downtown Square area to take part in the activities.  There was a neat ice slide for the kids, there was a mini hockey area, there were thousands of ice blocks so kids could build and stack, and there was an ice painting wall.  Again there was a free hot dog station and hot chocolate was aplenty.  They had a DJ, and a juggler was going to perform later that afternoon, but we didn't stick it out to see that act.  The kids had fun and took a few rides on the slide.  Lots of people were there and it is also a very social thing to attend.

We had planned that the kids were going to have a sleep over at my dad's.  So Shelly and I went out to for dinner.  After that we went over to a friend's house as it was going to be a big night of arena dancing and drinking!  Yes, over to Sherry's for an hour or two were the party was so happening that it was a tough choice whether to stay or go.  Well, maybe it wasn't a tough choice, we were always planning on going to the dance.  My point is there was enough fun and music and drink and conversation there that if the arena wasn't going to happen, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal.  However, a number of us ambled over to the festivities and I had a great time.  I know everyone else did as well. 

There isn't really too much else going on.  It has snowed quite a lot lately and it seems that more snow is on its way.  Shelly has made as much of this as she can with getting out cross country skiing most weekends.  She is also busy enough playing in her bands.  I haven't been too busy with much.  Not too much running.  Not too much hockey.  Just minding the house I suppose and keeping out of trouble.