CaptainOrange

  Quest New Year Qe31 Once a year on March 17th (for ancient historical reasons) I like to look away from the horrid winter that I am currently stuck in and look forward to POSSIBILITY! Much of the thinking that I do is personal and comes out in lots of ways through my thoughts and actions over the year. But, part of it is about gathering with like-minded people who want to challenge themselves to believe in themselves, plan for a glorious (and sometimes frivolous) future. Talk, laugh, exchange reading ideas, talk about movies, and drink way too much coffee. It feels like forever since I celebrated a proper QNY. I went full orange and even decorated my fingernails.  Had to work a full day at the Rusty MacDonald branch library, but I still had plenty of emotional energy left for celebrating the new year. 20:13 Dr. Exudu Had a catch-up conversation with The Dr. for over an hour. It was the first time we spoke since 2019. It was good to reconnect, hear how he is doing, and tell h...

I've been back for a while. I just didn't have the heart to post this last page because of the Mosque shooting that took place a couple of days after my return. It's hard to tell people about my trip of a lifetime when the place I visited and which brought me so much joy is in anguish. FWIW, here is the final page of my thoughts on the trip. and the link to my trip photos , one last time.

If you don’t mind spoilers (the photo stream is a day or two ahead of the blog posts), don’t forget that you can find better quality versions of all these photos elsewhere . Except for my awesome drawings, that is. They are one of a kind ;) 

Link to the Google Photos Album for My New Zealand Trip

If you read my blog about the new Calgary Central Library, you are already aware that Wendy and I went on a brief work/vacation trip. While in Banff, I was fortunate enough to have access to Dave as an avalanche avoidance mechanism and day-trip planner. This has a significant positive effect on standard wife-danger-o-meter sensors and I was set free in the Canadian Rockies, once again. I only gave Dave a few days notice that I was coming into his stomping grounds. I knew quite a bit in advance of my trip, but after about 2 years being out of contact, I was uncertain whether I ought to insinuate myself into his mountain fortress of solitude. I needn’t have worried. He was only too pleased to hear from me, and after a lucky break and a bit of schedule wrangling, he was able to take a day away from Canmore. We probably lucked out and had some of the best weather for hiking (or most other things for that matter) that they had seen for several weeks. It was gloriously sunny and the daytime ...

Google Photos Album of City Walk 2017

Departure 4:34am Return 11:31pm (18h 57m) link to the  online map . You can download a kml or gpx file, if you like. Until I get the issues resolved, the timestamps on the map are all 6hrs early. Departure It was an interesting start to the day. We had a record 6 people depart at a pretty unusual hour for a stroll. I was impressed with everyone who even showed up. The "Glow" Phase Me . I've done this a few times before. This is my 4th completion and longest time to date. Perhaps old age calls... My brother James . Can't remember, but I think it is his 4th serious effort, although on this occasion he only planned to be with me until noonish Nephew David Groot . 2nd attempt. Bri Groot . 1st attempt. Tim Nickel . 1st outing. Had a busy day planned but managed to visit with us for about 3 1/2 hrs. Ryan Bradshaw . 1st outing. His successful plan was for a few hours of early morning birding. He at least got the early part. In addition there were s...

It's a whole new game. The score is tied at 3 victories a piece. I left the house at 4:40am--10 minutes behind schedule. I have often had company for this section of the journey, but this year I was on my own. The first new thing for this trip is the new Tim Horton's in Stonebridge. I availed myself of a little pick-me-up and headed East. The morning was cold and calm. The moon looked over my shoulder as I headed out parallel to the railroad tracks. All the rain we've had this summer meant healthy plant growth and the cool morning was heavy with dew. My shoes were shortly soaked through and I found it necessary to pause every couple of hours to strip off my shoes and dry them in the sun. A major change from previous years is that I didn't take a "real" camera. I had only my trusty iPhone3GS. I was feeling unsure about my ability to complete the trek this year and I was concerned about the extra weight a camera would add. That and Environment Canada pre...

Our Modest Christmas Eve Snack It has been an unusual holiday season for our family. We have just finished having Jodi and Brad stay with us for a few days, but beyond that we had no house guests over Christmas. Normally, we expect at least two weeks of company. When added to the mild weather and absence of snow, it almost doesn't feel like we had Christmas at all. That said, I had a great holiday. I've been continuing to study flow ( as discussed last post ) and how it integrates with the Quest. As a result, I anticipate this being the most successful winter of my adult life. Whoa... talk about raising expectations. I know that February is coming, but I think (foolishly or not) that I will avoid my usual slump. Something feels different. Tender, buttery Brioche Anyhow, we had a terrific time planning out all of the goodies that we would bake this year. The girls have trouble keeping to just 5 kinds of cookies and I chafe at the thought of only making 4 types of f...