Brick Walls

If you've never had the chance to watch, or have never heard of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, watch it. (10,689,701 views; 34,207 ratings, average rating - 5). I'm not going to get into details about it, because I simply wouldn't be able to do it justice. One of the recurring themes in the lecture really sticks with me: "Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want something."

How many times have we come up against an obstacle only to look at it, turn around and walk away, tail between legs? If you've walked away from something, you obviously didn't want it enough. The thing about that brick wall though is that it's not likely going anywhere. So, even if it means turning your back on it temporarily, it will always be there for you to scale.

St Croix, USVI

Finally - a little bit about the rest of my time on St Croix.  More photos on my Picasa Web Album, updated as I get around to it. 

Getting there - This was a long journey. 4 flights, 141/2 hours in the air, 22 hours travel time.

FRIDAY - I spent my first full day on the island exploring the Resort. The Buccaneer is a beautiful 349 acre property set on the north coast of St Croix. It has a fascinating history that begins in the 17th century. Although it is expansive, there are only 149 guest rooms, so it never feels crowded, even when fully booked. I found myself at both beaches, once sitting and doing absolutely nothing, the other time swimming and reading. I had a delicious lunch at The Mermaid Restaurant, a pedicure and I organized my trips for Monday & Tuesday. Or rather the very capable Concierge Marsha arranged them for me. It was a great day!

The Sugar Mill Rooms - my home-away-from-home

The Grotto Beach & Pool

View from my room

The Mermaid Beach

The Greathouse

SATURDAY - After the Open Water clinic / talk with Misty Hyman & Alex Kostich, I went into Christiansted. Like most Caribbean Islands, St Croix has changed "ownership" many times. At one point or another since its "discovery", Spain, The Netherlands, France, Britain and Denmark have all laid claim to St Croix. Since 1917, it has been a territory of the United States. Its main industries were sugar, rum and slave trade. There are no sugar plantations on the island today although Cruzan still makes rum on the island. Hovensa is the largest private employer in the Virgin Islands and is one of the ten largest oil refineries in the world. Christiansted is a pretty small town and everything is on "Island Time" there. It was well worth visiting. Fort Christiansvaern  dates back to 1738 and was an informative side trip.

SUNDAY - Coral Reef Swim Race. My race report has the details. Aside from swimming, I spent the rest of the day with some great people I met through the swim. The Buccaneer hosted a fantastic BBQ (not a vegetarian-friendly event!) and let's just say that when a rum distillery sponsors an event the atmosphere is festive and the beverages are pretty tasty!

MONDAY - Tan Tan Jeep Tour.

Our trusty steed for the day. The black one wasn't so trusty

and needed to be replaced early on in the day.

This trip was off-the-beaten-path and took us to some great destinations that you wouldn't be able to get to without a 4-wheel drive. Click to enlarge photos.

View from Blue Mountain, highest peak on St Croix

Carambola Beach (I think)

Northwest St Croix aka "No-Mans Land"

The "trail" into the tidal pools

Relaxing in the tidal pools

The Domino Club, featuring:

I can't say that the beer-drinking pigs (it's non-alcoholic beer, by the way) was the highlight of my day, but it's one of those things that you have to see to believe.

The two people I shared the Jeep with are sisters and they invited me out for dinner to Duggan's Reef; famous for their local lobster dishes. Delicious!

Tuesday - For my last day on St Croix, I took a catamaran trip out to Buck Island. The island and its barrier reef are a National Monument. The Coral Reef Swim is actually a fundraiser for the Nature Conservancy's East End Marine Park. Many of us look at the ocean almost daily and it is incredibly easy to forget that there is a lot of life under the surface of the water. It is a very delicate and stunningly beautiful ecosystem and reminds me that we need to give the ocean the respect that it deserves.

 

The Wavedancer

Under way to Buck Island (in background)

 Don't try to smile with a snorkel in your mouth.

 SHAAAAAARRRRRK!!!!!

 

 Coral Forest

 Fish are not easy subjects

 

St Croix from Buck Island Beach

Good-bye Buck Island ...

Good-bye St Crox, I'll be back!

Coral Reef 2 Mile Swim Race Report

I've had my eye on this race for some time now although I can't really remember when / how I found out about it. This race has been running for 14 years and has been a popular event since day one. Last December I decided that 2009 would be the year for me to do it so I found my ticket on points and put the wheels in motion.

I arrived on St Croix Thursday night, a little more than 2 days ahead of the race. It was a long journey; 14.5 hours in the air and waiting in airports / airplanes. The Buccaneer Resort is a spectacular place, and it has been involved with the event since its first year in 1996. More on the Resort later.

I managed to adjust to the time difference pretty quickly and I only really felt some travel fatigue on Friday. On Saturday morning Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Hyman and Pan American Gold Medalist / Open Water guru Alex Kostich offered a clinic / presentation for first-timers. It was helpful to get some insider information on the course and a few pointers on Open Water swimming in general. I spent the rest of the day wandering around Christiansted (aka "town"), which in hindsight may not have been the best idea as it was really hot and humid.

Race registration at the hotel was very smooth and painless, followed by a very informative presentation on the race "course". They used Google Earth to show us what we would be seeing during the swim, which is huge, as knowing where you're going is a very important thing in the ocean. One wrong turn and you could end up in Puerto Rico ... we were told where each buoy and boat would be and how to approach them with the final buoy being the most important; keep it to your LEFT as you head back into The Buccaneer beach or you may get DQ'd. Sure enough, when I got back to my room, I noticed that the final buoy was already in position (click to enlarge - it is the TINY orange spec above the palm on the left)

I've tried a couple of times to recreate the Google Earth show but it is still a little too complicated for my attention span. But, I can at least show the approximate "route", going from right (east) to left (west):

Sunday morning I woke up at 6:30 am. As we weren't scheduled to start until 8:15, I wanted to make sure I had a decent breakfast - a bagel, some pineapple, yogurt and a coffee. The weather looked good (sun with clouds) and the conditions looked interesting; windy, whitecaps and very definitely a strong current. As I ate my breakfast I noticed that that last important buoy was, well, gone.

We got marked with our race number, loaded into cabs and headed to the starting point. Before we knew it, we were off. We had to swim a couple hundred meters out to a boat and then make a hard left (west). The prevailing current in this area is from east - west, so the current was in our favour. However, with the wind there were some pretty big waves blocking my view and I ended up going off course on this section as I couldn't even see the next boat. After a few minutes of swimming, I was completely alone (or it at least felt that way).

I knew I was headed in more or less the right direction (just a few degrees off) so I kept going. My blueseventy Element mirrored goggles proved to be the best equipment choice I'd made; dark enough to prevent eye strain but not so dark that I couldn't see. Once I spotted the "aid station" boat I was able to get myself back on track (and find some more people). After this point the waves seemed to really pick up; at times it was great body surfing and at other times I was inhaling great lungfuls of very salty water. I think all my swimming around Vancouver really helped as I felt right at home in the rough conditions. I found out later that a number of people got seasick.

The final buoy (the one that we HAD to keep to our left) was replaced with a sailboat - again, not easy to find a skinny mast from several hundred meters away but I managed to keep it in my sights. I knew the last leg into the beach was going to be a fight as we would be swimming perpendicular to the strong current so I decided to save my legs for that stretch.

As I rounded the final boat, I was able to take a quick look back - there were still a lot of people out there! I couldn't rest too much as I was in fact getting pushed to my right (east) almost as much as I was moving forward. I ended up right over top of a fairly shallow reef which made me really nervous a few times. The swells were quite big and I was worried that I was going to get dragged along top of it. I had little choice but to make a hard left and swim directly into the current for a few meters. This turned out to be a good decision as the water was a bit calmer away from the reef.

Heading into the beach I spotted another female swimmer and I decided I needed to get ahead of her. With her as my target and the constant push from my left, I had great motivation to swim hard. I had what I felt was a strong finish (I finished a good 3 -5 minutes ahead of my "target"). The finish chute was amazing; I think every Resort guest was there cheering, a steel pan band was playing reggae, a photographer captured every finisher, and there was water, fruit and poweraid at the ready.

I wasn't wearing a watch, but I could tell from the number of swimmers finishing after me that I had done quite well. I had to wait until the awards banquet to find out my official time & placement:

Time 1:19:06

Overall place: 11

Female place: 8

Age group (19 - 39) place: 4

35 - 39 age group place (had there been one): 1

My time was not quite what I'd expected, but as the winning time was over 1 hour and I was only 14 minutes behind an Olympian, I'm feeling good about the outcome. The conditions were challenging as well; Alex Kostich has won the 5 Mile race 10 out of the last 11 races. His time this year was almost eight minutes slower than his fastest.

This event is amazing - the location is stunning, the race is very well organized and supported and the atmosphere was both relaxing and tense (hard to explain how it was both). I hope to come back in a few years to do the 5 Mile race! Anyone care to join me?

Destination 2010

I have been thinking about this for some time now, but it was only relatively recently that I solidified my goal for 2010. Here it is (the opening montage gives me goosebumps every time I open it)

The event in particular will be the Open Water 3km on August 7.

In the past, I have been known to keep my destinations a bit of a secret. I suppose it is a bit of a protection mechanism; if nobody knows I am doing it, nobody will know if I fail. I've never really been one to enjoy limelight either. This time, I'm putting it out there for a number of reasons:

• I'm excited about this, so I want to share my excitement. 
• I can switch my competitive spirit on and off and it has been in hibernation for a little while now; time to kick it into (high) gear.
  
• I have a pretty lofty goal for myself; I don't want to just swim, I want to swim well and I'll need some pressure to get this done. This part of the goal will probably remain between me and a few others - I don't want to intimidate my competition too early! 

I will be heading off to the Caribbean in a few weeks for a 2 mile swim (fingers crossed that I get the time off work!) which will serve as my baseline for the 3 km swim next year.

So, back it is into the water for me and I couldn't be more excited about it. It has been a while since I've been able to get excited about a destination, so I can hardly contain myself!

Sunday Morning Swim

When I lived in Whistler, the first thing I'd do on ski days would be to stick my head out the window (from my bed) to assess the conditions. Was it snowing? cold? sunny? Could I hear the snow makers? avalanche bombs? Next, phone the Ski Patrol forecast line. It was so great to have information like that within a few minutes (and from the comfort of my bed!)

Open water swimming ... not so easy. The rain actually woke me up this morning; huge cloudbursts along with wicked gusts of wind. The real problem is that I live about a 20 minute drive from Batchelor Bay so the weather there can be quite different.

The rain did stop, but the wind was still strong and gusty. The conditions didn't stop me, Meyrick, Elspeth, Rod, Mick and Marty from braving the Bay (in fact they may have encouraged us). I took my trusty waterproof camera; MJ captured some great video footage of the swim.



As I head back to work next week, my ocean swimming season will be slowing down, but hopefully not ending! See you in the water!

The crew entering the Bay

First stop

MJ, today's photographer & videographer (taken on a much calmer day):

Happy New Year!

Last post I was Spring Cleaning in August, now it's New Year's in September. No I haven't slipped into some parallel universe or hit my head. As I get ready to head back to work, September always feels like a "new year".

First of all, a shout out to all my friends (and I hope I remember everyone!) who participated in Ironman Canada on Sunday. Some of you had a fantastic day while others may have left feeling disappointed. Regardless of how your day ended, remember that it takes incredible physical and mental strength, determination and dedication to make it to the start line and for that you deserve congratulations. I am so proud of you all!

Karen Birkenhead (PR - Sub 11 hours)
Jay Inouye (20th Ironman)
Robert Beattie
Calla Barras
Harry Woo
Darcie Young (first timer)
Jeff Vanderende (first timer)
Dean Chittock (first timer)
Mark Shorter
Shannon Back
James Greenwood (first timer)
Caroline Greenwood (first timer)

Ironman week. The days leading up to the event, the "Big Day" and the days after make up one of my favourite weeks of the year. I've gone to Penticton every year for the past five years and whether I'm there to cheer, encourage, support or participate, I always leave feeling like I've either accomplished something or I've helped my friends achieve their goals. Even as a "spectahlete" (thanks Jill, for that term, I LOVE it!) I feel the energy build up before race day and the sudden let-down after. For me it is the natural time to regroup, assess the past year and decide what the next 12 months will hold for me.

I don't remove myself from society or go into a meditative state to accomplish this, but I do make an effort to reflect during the week. Here is the short list:

1. I say this cautiously but I think I am noticing some improvement in my feet. Cautious because anything such as a slight decrease in activity, my new orthotics or knowing that I have a new "fixable" diagnosis can cause this. Or, It may actually be the prolotherapy doing its thing. Fingers crossed that it is the latter and that things will keep getting better. I have to maintain a careful balance of doing enough to a) keep some fitness level and b) know what I am able to do, and not doing so much that I hamper healing and increase pain (which then stops me from doing anything). It is like walking a tightrope, but if I don't step off the platform, I won't go anywhere at all.
   
2. I am over my swimming "drought" and as long as I don't hammer on the walls flip-turning in the pool, it is feeling pretty good.
3. I am ready to take on my nutrition. I have always had a hard time dealing with things separately; I am much more an "all or nothing" person, but this approach is neither healthy nor helpful. So it is not just about nutrition, it is also about managing the many aspects of healthy living even when they don't all happen at once.
   
4. I went through my workout & training logs from 2006 - 2008. I put in a lot of hours training for Ironman and the Bay Challenge. This was an "off" year for me and I'm ready to pick it up again. Keeping point #1 in forefront though.
   
5. I've decided on a goal for 2010. I am still fine-tuning a few points, so I won't be sharing the destination until everything has been ironed out. Here's a hint though: Swimming and Sweden.

I hope to have the details of #5 figured out shortly; it will be posted here as soon as I do!

Spring Cleaning

Things in life tend to fall into one of two categories: what we can control and what we can't. While one of these categories is pretty narrow (things that we can't control), the other is really quite broad; some things we have just a little control over and some things we have much control over. It seems quite simple, but of course things like this never are. A prologue of sorts: I am going to try to explain myself as clearly as possible all the while being relatively vague.

Recently, my life has been dominated by things over which I have no control. As an intelligent, rational person, I recognize that I cannot control what is going on. What I HAVEN'T acknowledged (until now) is how these events have been controlling me. In a nutshell, through all of this I have given up control of things that should be entirely within my control.

So I've had this "great" revelation, now what? Time for a little spring cleaning. (I know, there's still one month of summer left, but "late summer cleaning" just doesn't have the same ring.) Normally as we clean, we get rid of things. However that won't work right now - I can't simply get rid of what is going on. Instead, I will be doing some organizing and prioritizing to make room for the misplaced (and I know it's around here somewhere!) control.

Stay tuned!

S#I@

Four-letter words ...

• a "set of words written with four letters which are considered profane ... slang ... offensive"
• The term "four-letter word" itself has become a euphemism for more offensive words (which I won't share).
• Occasionally the phrase "four-letter word" is "humorously used to describe any word composed of four letters. This is the case when used to mean the word work, alleging that the speaker's or writer's audience treats work as unpleasant, or when the game of golf is noted as a four-letter word because the player's chosen entertainment pastime becomes an exercise in frustration".
  

There is a word that, up until now, I have never thought of as a four-letter word, yet somehow it has gone from being a word with a pleasant connotation to one that sparks all sorts of less desirable emotions. The word is SWIM. That's right, a swimmer is having a tough time dealing with the word "swim".

The problem isn't the word swim, the problem is actually swimming. I haven't spontaneously forgotten how to swim or anything like that - it comes down to MOTIVATION. More precisely the fact that I have none.

I have a great list of excuses as to why I'm not swimming right now and I think it's time I expose them. There is some truth to these statements, but not enough to honestly keep me out of the water. Here they are:

• No short-term goal.
• It hurts.
  
• My swimming buddies have found new / more swimming friends, so it is no big deal if I don't show up.
• I'm slower than I was last year.
  

A little background ... I was all keyed up to do some pretty huge swims this year - 26 km Lake Cowichan, 5 km Kelowna, 8 km St Croix. Things were going great until one day in March I was in so much pain during a swim that I had to get out of the pool (I've NEVER had to cut a swim short before). This completely threw me for a loop. I also found out that I would be starting Prolotherapy in May and would have to cut back on my training. So I didn't have much choice but to abandon my goals for the summer. Training was too stressful at the time. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.

Now I find myself at an interesting place. When I did my first ocean swim this year, I was relatively pain-free (as opposed to swimming in a pool which is not because of pushing off walls 100 + times in a hour). This was an exciting discovery! So I started thinking ... maybe all isn't lost. But for some reason, which I can't quite figure out, I have little desire to get back in the water. The pain thing is a bit of an issue right now; when I take time off from swimming my left shoulder often does not want to start again (impingement). This isn't new and if I'm smart (short, easy pools swims - which I hate), and do my prehab, it will work itself out in a few weeks. It WON'T work itself out if I stay out of the water or try to swim through it on 90 minute open water swims. This should be enough to get me going but frustratingly, motivation remains elusive.

So now I look to you, wise readers. To be honest, I'm not even sure what I want from you ... Should I even worry about this? Should I just let things happen? or should I figure out a way to get my you-know-what back into the water? Stories, anecdotes, challenges ... I'll take just about anything... post a comment or email me if it's personal.

Blog Cabin

When I was invited to spend the long weekend at "The Cabin", I could not turn down the offer. "The Cabin", as it is referred to, belongs to my friend Jenn's family. It is located about 30 km east of 70 Mile House on Little Pressy Lake. Jenn's Grandfather built it in the 1970s and it is a cabin in the true sense; no running water, no telephone, no cell phone reception, no cable. It does have electricity, so we're not entirely "roughing it".

When you head up to The Cabin, if you need it, you'd better make sure you bring it with you. Otherwise you do without or you make the trek into 70 Mile House or Little Horse Lodge. So the Escape was packed to the gunwales with everything necessary for four people for three days:

I think what I enjoy most about being at The Cabin is the way that time becomes meaningless. We get up when we wake up, eat when we're hungry and go to bed when we're tired - even if it is in the middle of the day! So the "Cabin Schedule" looks something like this (modifications encouraged):

Get up
Drink coffee
Have breakfast
Go to lake / for a walk / canoe
Have lunch
Nap
Go for swim
Happy Hour (OK - more like Happy HourS)
Dinner
Shower
Bed

Any "free" moments should be spent sitting on the deck, admiring the view, listening to music, reading, enjoying the company and savoring the atmosphere.

I must mention a new addition to The Cabin: The Shower. Until very recently bathing was either a dip in the lake (which can be very quick and uncomfortable as the water often doesn't warm up until August) or the more painstaking method of heating lake water on the stove and having a sponge bath. The Shower is the brainchild of Jenn's dad. I remember being at The Cabin a couple of years ago when the first edition of The Shower consisted of a Coleman burner and some copper tubing. A few modifications later, et voila:

My favourite time to shower was around 9:30 at night - just as it starts getting dark. There is nothing like showering outside by the light of a single candle. Very relaxing indeed. I am now trying to figure how to get a shower onto my townhouse patio. But then again, even if I could sneak an outdoor shower past strata I just don't think it would feel the same ...

1 Month Already?

Another action-packed week. Here are some highlights (albeit a bit wordy!) ...

Saturday - Bard on the Beach. A Vancouver institution for 20 years and a tradition of mine for about 4 now. It is a bit ironic, considering that I think I slept through Shakespeare in high school ... nevertheless, I have developed an appreciation, nay love, for the productions. I saw A Comedy of Errors with Carly & Steve (mom decided that the seats wouldn't work with the current state of her elbow - or lack of elbow). The production was excellent, the acting superb and you simply can't ask for a better setting than Vanier Park at sunset. I don't think I would have discovered how entertaining Shakespeare can actually be if it weren't for Bard (Vancouver lingo for Bard on the Beach). NB - if you are thinking about going, you MUST buy tickets in advance!

Sunday - Dinner for 16. I can't take all the credit for this soiree ... today was time for the "kids" to provide dinner for our parents, aunts, uncles, in-laws etc. We've done this for a couple of years now instead of having separate Mother's and Father's Day dinners. Family dinners have always been important for us and I am grateful to have such a wonderful group of people to call my family! Us kids pulled off a great dinner - appies by Heather; flank steak prepared by yours truly and grilled by Paul; cole slaw by Jeff; caesar salad and rolls by Carly & Steve; Asian pasta salad by me; and dessert by Toireasa & Paul. Wine by everyone!

Monday - alarm at 5:20, alarm turned off at 5:21. Clean-up from last night's event had me up past a reasonable hour to get up for a swim. Honestly, my motivation to swim is at an all-time low right now. Time off in the spring has me swimming way at the back of the pod and lack of progress with my feet continues to wear me down. I had great workout with Chelsea at Innovative Fitness. These guys have done a great job adapting my workouts depending on my pain and mobility.

Tuesday - Harry Potter. I admit it, I'm a huge fan. Not only do I love the stories, but I am truly amazed at how someone (in the case J.K. Rowling) comes up with stories like this. She really is a master at intricate details. I think a reread of the books and a rewatch of the movies is in order.

Wednesday - alarm at 5:20 ... up this time to get mom to the hospital for her elbow replacement. (It went well and she is now on the long road to recovery.) No swimming, again! Meyrick rescued me from a third day on public transportation by giving me a lift to where my car had been in for repairs. Another great workout at IF with Dylan.

Thursday - Prolotherapy round 3. I'm not sure how to best explain what it does, but here's a non-medical description: they inject a solution of dextrose and alcohol into my plantar fascia, more precisely my heels, with the purpose of irritating the soft tissue that is deteriorating. The irritation causes inflammation which is the first step in the healing process. I think I'm getting the hang of the routine:
Day 1: Injections. Try to stay off my feet as much as possible; even though they freeze my heels, there is still bruising and tenderness around the injection site. Feet start swelling.
Days 2 & 3: More swelling, stay off feet. My gait is totally off at this point (heels hurt!) which causes a host of other problems.
Days 4 - 10: Swelling starts to come down and am allowed to do very light activity. After this point things feel pretty much like they did before (which is not great at present). Unfortunately I can't take any anti-inflammatories or ice as this is counterproductive.
6 weeks after injections: Start all over again. Nobody is sure how many times we'll have to do this, but it may take up to 8 or 9 injections, so about a year. If all goes well, I may start to feel an improvement in the fall.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday - Penticton.

Friday I had a much needed day to myself. Karen & I were planning on going for a swim in Skaha, but it was just a little too windy & rough for it to be safe without support. So she went off on her ride & run and I did a little touring. This day turned out to be a huge success as I discovered several "new favourite places". Summerland Sweets makes some of the best fruit jams & syrups out there. The Vinegar Works makes, well, you guessed it, vinegars. They don't just make it, they grow everything that goes in the bottle. The Bench is my "new favourite" market cafe. They serve up great paninis, salads, baked goods and awesome coffee. I also discovered a few other places that I want to visit in August.

Saturday & Sunday was CMS Coaching's Ninth Annual Ironman Prep Camp. Given my state of "disrepair" I was a member of the support crew. Friday night's dinner was highlighted by a talk from the "Voice of Ironman Canada" (and numerous other races) Steve King. Not only is Steve an amazing race commentator, he is also an athlete, clinical counsellor and motivational speaker. He has a special interest in energy medicine and how our thoughts influence the flow of energy in our bodies. Follow the link to his site for more information. Saturday was swim & bike - I got in for the swim and managed around 3.5 - 4 km in a little over an hour. The rest of the day was spent out on the bike course making sure everyone was well hydrated and doing OK. Karen pulled the boys back into Penticton and had her best IMC bike course time EVER - 5 hrs 39 mins despite a wicked storm that produced torrential rains, lightning strikes and winds that brought down trees & power lines. Sunday was on the run course. Nice and sunny instead of the bizarre weather on Saturday. It was great to be out supporting my friends as they get ready for IMC, but it is bittersweet as I can't help but think about the activities I haven't been able to do for a long time.

The final "new favourite" find for the weekend was Sanderson Farm Market just outside of Keremeos. I came home with cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and apples!

All in all it was a busy and somewhat stressful week, but it ended on a good note which is the best way to start the next week!

First Harvest

The "newest" trend in shopping and eating is to "buy local". Call it the "100-Mile Diet", "Sustainable Table", "Food Routes" or whatever you want, I have a news flash. Until very recently, this is how things were done. Buying locally was all the rage when you could only get things that were grown / made locally. I'm no history buff, but I imagine that sometime around the Industrial Revolution, things started to change (rather quickly when you look at time lines) and now you can get things from all over the world in record time. In theory, this is not a bad thing, but unfortunately in a time when your environmental footprint has more impact than ever before, it isn't a good thing either.
I have always loved going to the local Farmer's Market, for several reasons: everything is fresh, usually better priced, often you get to talk to the producer and I love the atmosphere. I much prefer going from stand to stand with the scent of fresh produce in the air. No canned music, calls for cleanups on aisle 7 and the constant beep beep beep of UPC scanners is replaced by chirping birds.

This year I decided to try my thumb at a little gardening. In the past, I have failed miserably at gardening. I forget to water, don't harvest before things go to seed so it usually turns into a disaster. This year though, I have been diligent with the watering can and plant food and I scrutinize my plants for anything that looks out-of-place. And so far, there have been a few "harvests" which have really been the odd clipping of herbs, but even that has been great. I've made pesto, tabbouleh salad and have had fresh herbs on pasta, salads and in omlettes.

But today marked the beginning of a great future in my "garden" (which is really several pots containing mostly herbs, flowers and a tomato) - the first harvesting of tomatoes. Time in transit for these three babies: about 90 seconds from plant to mouth. Doesn't get much fresher than that.

What do you get ...

when you cross something a bit more complicated than "point & click" and someone with little patience for things a bit more complicated than "point & click"? You get me. Now, I wouldn't call myself a "techno-idiot", but when my techie friends start talking code and initialization and things like that, my eyes do glaze over and I turn into Charlie Brown and all I hear is "wha wha wha wha whaaaa". On a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being "how do I program my VCR?" and 10 being "this application sucks, I'll rewrite the code so it works", I'm about a 5.

Now, for some reason, getting that "Receive posts in your e-mail" box on a blog requires the know-how of someone who is at least a 6. When the steps start looking like this:
to get one simple thing done, I go into a "panic mode" - OK, maybe it's not that bad - but I end up looking at the "instructions" and the best I can come up with is "huh?"

So after a lot of trial & error, some coaching from MJ, several curses and the near death of my laptop, I got it done. The final step is for some of you to actually enter your e-mail addresses into that little box. Humour me people - even if you don't read my posts, put your e-mail address in the little box.

For those of you who feel more adventurous, click on the orange icon next to "Subscribe in a reader" and discover the wonders of Real Simple Syndication, aka RSS. If I can do it, anyone can! Remember the first 'S' stands for SIMPLE!

3 Weeks In

It has been an eventful first 3 weeks of my summer! So eventful, in fact, that I haven't had much time to record the events. So here's the recap ...

Week 1 - BC Bike Race. I was asked to help support some friends who did this epic 7 day stage race. The days were long, the nights were short, the weather was hot and windy, the scenery spectacular and from what I was told, the riding was amazing. Check it out ...

Week 2 - zzzzz ... even supporting is tiring! I suffered from some short-term narcolepsy after Week 1; it seemed that I fell asleep at every possible moment. But, I did manage to get a couple of swims in at Batchelor Bay and Sasamat Lake before heading off to the sunny Okanagan.

Week 3 - Okanagan and Tour de Hospital with mom & Geordie (mom's Cairn Terrier).
Saturday - Osoyoos was HOT - 38°. Helped out at the blueseventy tent, went for a swim sans wetsuit in Lake Osoyoos and generally spent a lot of time trying to stay cool. Sunday - watched parts of the Desert Half Iron and cheered on friends. Special congrats to Karen for her first place finish in the competitive Women's 35-39 age group (5th overall!). Mom & I had a wonderful dinner at the Sonora Room at the Burrowing Owl Winery. Monday - we took the "back road" (Hwy 33) to Kelowna. Unfortunately it was raining, so we didn't do any exploring. The drive out of Osoyoos heading east on Hwy 3 goes up Anarchist Mountain and affords a spectacular view of the lake and valley:
Tuesday - Myra Canyon. Most of us recall the devastation that occurred during the Okanagan Mountain Fires of 2003. All but a couple of the trestles in the Myra Canyon, part of the historic Kettle Valley Railroad, were completely destroyed. Over the past few years, the Myra Canyon Restoration Society has restored all the trestles and the canyon is open for riding and hiking. We walked about 7 km (round trip), crossed 10 of the 18 trestles and went through both tunnels. Mom and I were impressed that Geordie braved all the trestles & tunnels! The canyon is well worth the visit for anyone in the Kelowna area.


Later in the afternoon, mom tripped on this ...
while carrying this ...
over this (too hot and slippery for little paws) ...
and shattered this...
And thus began the Tour de Hospital - Kelowna General Tuesday afternoon followed by a very fast drive down to Lion's Gate (4 hours door-to-door with a drive-thru dinner and doggie pee break). LGH Tuesday night, Wednesday and Wednesday night followed by Vancouver General on Thursday. In a nutshell mom is getting a shiny new artificial elbow next week.

Up next week ... Bard on the Beach; Family Dinner; elbow surgery for mom; prolotherapy round three for me; CMS Ironman Training Camp ... I think that's enough for now!