Watershed wilderness walking

February 28, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Max and I took off for the watershed park this morning. Pam is working a string of nights (sleeping days) so it’s up to us guys to keep ourselves amused.

The watershed park is quite a cool area of South Surrey. Lots of people walking their dogs, riding bikes, jogging, whatever people do in parks! I can let Max off the lead, so it’s nice that way as well.

You can feel quite isolated sometimes, but you are really not far from everything. I spent most of the walk alone, only occasionally running into people.

The forest around is peaceful and cool, with natural walking paths, instead of pavement. It’s well signed, with lots of complex paths, so you can have a unique route through the park each time. Max just scooted around, taking 37 paths to my one! He couldn’t get enough of the soft earth to run on!

The pics are terrible – I only had my cell with me. What a putz I am! Tomorrow, tho, we’ll head back and I’ll take a nice camera and get some nicer shots of the place.

All About Max, Something About Us

Weather wins again!

February 27, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Once again Mother Nature whacks the West Coast. Who knew there was still snow around? Well, trust me, we got more snow – Check out Max’s reaction to the annoying turn of events! Guess I’ll have to use a colored ball on the golf course tomorrow!

Max and I have been getting out a little more regularly for longer walks lately. I think he knows with his shedding, that spring is here too, because he’s quite a bit friskier. He’s enjoying the outdoors after all that snow, which he did NOT enjoy.

Something About Us

Blooming good times…

February 20, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Ah spring! Tomorrow brings the first round of golf of the year. At long last!

Yesterday while loading the car to drive to work, I spotted an Icelandic Iris blooming (I like to call it an Alaskan Iris, but I’m pretty sure that’s wrong.)

When I got home, there were two! But the light was just terrible. I’m going to try and get up early tomorrow and see what the light’s like for a better picture, but check out the little beauties!
The crocus are getting more plentiful – usually the yellow ones come out first, but this year, they are just getting ready to open in the box by the front door. These ones are out in the front garden under a rose bush. That’s a “hens and chicks” to the left.

Tomorrow we’re going to win that Lotto 6/49 which figures to be a cool 48 million bucks. Might buy a new car if we did.

Max has been shedding his coat for the last couple of weeks, and for a little guy, he’s got a ton of hair! LOL It’s quite funny to see little tufts of hair sticking out of him! But not so funny is all the vacuuming. hah The more we brush, the more hair that seems to come out! I was thinking that maybe we’ll just have to vacuum him! (JUST KIDDING – well maybe one of those little dust busters! lol)

He is so much fun to play catch with… when he brings it back he sort of plows right into you with it, as if to say, ok, I’ve brought it back, now pitch it out there again…. Quick!

Something About Us

Signs of Spring

February 15, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Well there really does seem to be some spring on the way! There are lots of flowers starting to come through, with shoots for crocus, tulips and daffodils all coming up.

But yesterday!!! — We got our first bloom! Yep – it’s really spring!

We did some nice long walks around the park today – was really nice. Bright and sunny and while it’s still pretty crisp, you can tell spring is right around the corner.

Canucks Hockey, Commentary

Trevor Linden: All Heart

February 13, 2009 Maurice 2 Comments

When Trevor Linden retired, it was a no brainer that there would be some kind of tribute to him. He really was the kind of man we all wanted to be… Not just the way he played the game, with pride and integrity – you never got cheap shots from Linden – but the way he was in the community. And in “real” life, he gives his time to Canuck Place, a hospice for dying children.

There was something special about watching him play. You knew he gave you everything he had. He didn’t have to face the media and say, “gee I guess I didn’t come to play tonight” as we heard so many times from Markus Naslund last year.

That ’94 run was magical, and yes, I’m aware it says something about the state of the Canuck’s franchise when a run to the finals twenty years ago is as good as it gets. Linden was tireless and resolute. In today’s NHL, Messier might have been suspended for the crosscheck to Linden’s face at the end of game 6.

During the retirement ceremony lots of the ’94 team members were in attendance, including Pam’s favorite Martin Gelinas, Geoff Courtnall, Kirk McLean, Gino Odjick, Harold Snepsts and others. After the ceremonies were over, the uniforms the players wore went to an online auction site to be sold to benefit the Kid’s Hospital. Well, I won the Courtnall uniform! That’s right – that uniform you see Courtnall wearing in that picture is now hanging in our TV room!

ON ANOTHER NOTE:

Just been having a gas with Sports Action. I’ve been putting down a bunch of 2 buck bets over the last little while, and while I haven’t hit, I’ve got 4 of 5 right 3 times. So now I’ve learned about this Combo playing, we’re going to give it a whirl on tomorrow’s slate of games.

Saturday and Sunday are fun to play because you can have morning, afternoon and evening tickets – 6 bucks total bet. If you take a few ties, you can hit for 7, 800 bucks. Too funny.

I have no idea how the combos work, but every combo costs you a bet, so hopefully I’ll do a 4 of 5 and get some combo pays.

This is a government lotto; we get the tickets at our local 649/Super 7 dealer. For two bucks, it’s fun to see who can win some bragging rights!

Here is a link to the BCLC site for sports action. Take 3 ties and watch the payoff on a 2 buck bet! Hilarious.

https://playnow.bclc.com/BCCF/forwardODST.do

Commentary

One year to go….

February 12, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Well as of today, it is one year to the Olympic Winter Games in February 2010 in Vancouver and Whistler.

Most of the infrastructure is in place. The speed skating oval and most of the skiing venues are being used already.

Today they revealed the torch for the games – a most unusual looking device. Not exactly traditional…

There is a lot of controversy here in town about whether the Games are good for us or not, and you can put me down on record as being in favor of them. I think they will be an economic stimulus for the province, reaching areas the government never can with their stimulus packages.

Sure we’re likely to be carrying some debt, but I really think the Athlete’s Village will be a boon for the city in the long run. And I do think a bunch of the venues will be very well used after the Games are gone.

The speed skating oval, in Richmond, not Vancouver, is really something. It is clearly state of the art, with typically west coast architecture. I’m going to take a drive up there and check it out.

It was originally scheduled to be on UBC land, but I think there was a ruckus from the Native Indians because they claim the land, so they moved it over to Richmond. (I think that’s the story about the oval… certainly could be wrong about that.)

Canucks Hockey

Sports Action Victory!

February 8, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Well here we are expecting more snow! How can that be?

Oh woe is us….

Last night we watched the Canucks plaster the Hawks, jumping out to a 6-0 lead… but what was particularly sweet was that Mike had a Sports Action ticket and the Canucks victory was his third correct guess and he picked up a cool 265 bucks.

My ticket was worthless, but I coulda won 800 bucks… Pam was too afraid to play – she talked a big game, but didn’t want to back it up with cash! (Ah…… quite rightly as it turns out LOL)