Well... now I have a little more time. Not much though since I have about a thousand other things on the go. Anyways, I figure that now that I have a chance to breathe I should update you on the last month. The truth is, I have a hard time remembering exactly what I did over the last month. I have been very lucky however, in that my camera seems to remember for me. So, I will go through my photos, give you a fantastic commentary, and together we will figure out what I've been doing.
It seems to start with this little guy... yep... I was in Calgary, and he was awesome. He was a gift to the new nephew. Before you ask, no I did not make this little dude. It was the far more talented Chloe, and having completed his photo shoot he was given to the new nephew.
Babar?
A Happy Face
Yep... after that it looks like we went skiing... not sure how we got from Calgary to skiing but here you go!
The Lift
The Conquest Tree
I suppose I owe you some explanation on this one. This is not a great photo, but you can see some colour in that tree that isn't the natural green of the needles or white of the snow. Those are undergarments... For those of you unfamiliar with ski hills, lifties generally come from all over the world (we get a lot from Australia and New Zealand). Anyways, the lifties for the most part live on the ski hill where they have their own little world or working, skiing, partying, and whatnot. Most lifties are also of a relatively youthful age, and as they are youthful they follow the desires of youth. Thus, when those desires acclimate to a relationship... of sorts... conquest is had. So, at Panorama, these lifties, when passing like ships in the night, try to snatch a pair of conquested undergarments. Those snatched successfully make it magically into the tree. Usually by the end of the season the tree is... well decorated... well... on a good year at least...
Melissa
After that we come to Drayton Valley. I must apologize, I was sick at the time so my voice is a little croaky, but still the photos give you an idea of where I live. Yep... tiny hamlet surrounded by a super sketchy forest.
Special.
Behind Rocky Rapids
Best of of These I've Seen All Day
A Snowy Bridge
Top and Bottom
Treehouse
Striations
Back to Calgary... I get around eh? Anyways... these are one of Mom's favourite flowers. They bloom like once a year and they give off a very strong scent... as well as drippy sap that gets all over the carpet. If we are lucky we get to enjoy this flower for a few days before Dad will sneak in and cut it down. That really is a touchy subject, so it is probably better that the flowers weren't cut down prematurely this year...
Calgary Flowers
A Mixed Bloom
Off to Bella Vista. This was an interesting situation. Mom has some light up fake tree things at the entrance to BV. They do add a certain something, but this was the most interesting that they have ever looked. We pulled up one weekend and noticed that one of the trees had been... re-located. It appears that in the late winter food is pretty scarce. So scarce that the deer decided that this green tree looked like easy pickings. They seemed to have gotten pretty far, but when the cord got stuck they seemed to have reconsidered this venture. I'm not sure if the tree was stuck by the cord, or if the deer figured out that the tree wasn't the good eating they were expecting, but either way... the tree had been re-located and my guts ached with laughter.
The Dragged Tree
In the Morning Light
Elk
An Icy Morning
The Herd
Drayton Valley again, but this time the hike wasn't at Rocky Rapids, it was down by the North Saskatchewan River. There were some good things about this walk... and some bad things. Good thing... I got out of the house. Good thing... company on the walk was good. Bad thing... the snow was up to my knees. Bad thing... the snow could not support my weight. Very bad thing... my shoes are holey... very holey...
It is a beautiful area, though it is somber and forlorn in the winter. There wasn't a spark of colour to be found, and the leave-less trees were like the claws of the Earth reaching skyward. Eerie... but peaceful. Serene. We walked, got snow in our shoes, tripped on hazards hidden beneath the snow, and we examined winter life. No leaves, no colour there, but still... there is always life.
The Gloom
Life
Pheonix
Floating Moss
Some of you may remember that whenst crossing Canada we picked up a few trees along the way... The winter seems to have been hard and there have certainly been some losses... but... but... life will find a way, and so some have lived, and waking in the spring they are beginning to flourish!
Fresh Needles
A Canadian Forest
Spring!
My next set of pictures is from work. You know how you see those pumpjacks all over the place (for those of you in Alberta)? Well, the rod that goes into the ground is called the polish rod, and in this case... ours broke. These are the pieces of the rod, and this is one of my typical wellsites. There is definitely a certain kind of beauty in these remote areas (and this one certainly is not that remote). I can see why there is appeal to an operating position. To drive around day after day with nothing but nature around you... that is my kind of job.
Broken Polish Rod
The Other Half
Wellhead Feat. Broken Polish Rod
Pumpjack
A Typical Day of an Operator
Since this polish rod was broken we were no longer able to produce oil from this well. So... I called in a Rig. This is how an oil well gets fixed (for those of you who don't know).
The Arriving Rig
Rigging In
Removing the Horses Head
An Unknown Visitor
The Rig
Bottom Hole Pump
Breakup
Tubing
Back in Calgary... again... I guess this was an uneventful trip... in general... but... there are always opportunities to witness great beauty, no matter where you are. All it is is a matter of being in the right place at the right time... and so I was.
Calgary Cacti
The Rare Bloom
To Bella Vista again... wow, my gas bill must be crazy! This going over a month or two on a high level could be revolutionary for my budgeting! Anyways, since we were there we were doing the general fun stuff. But more fun is getting people into antiquated weapons that provide them with few practical skills but hella fun. That's what we did. We took Mom's bow (from her grade 6 or 9 graduation), my string, and the quiver of arrows and we headed down to the field. We didn't have a target set up, which is good, because you can't miss if you aren't aiming for anything; but, there was an open field where we could fire away. Some people had fired before and were rusty, while for others it was their first time. Either way, fun was had by all... and now I need to buy a target and more arrows.
Learning to Shoot
The First Shot
Awe
How Its Done
First Shot (Movie)
A Natural
On the archery note... we later wanted to see if we could clear the road if we fired from the balcony. The answer is yes, you can clear the road, and also that you ought not aim for the field because like usual, my arrows ended up in the swamp. Eff.
Full Moon
A full moon, and an Easter morning. The photos didn't turn out perfectly, but the memories did. Tatertots was pretty good at finding eggs, but he didn't seem to get the point of an Easter egg hunt... Uncle Ryan was hoarding the eggs he found, while Tayden kept giving them away... I will admit, I was the recipient of an egg or two... I dread the day that he figures out that he is supposed to keep them and not share them!
An Egg!
Look Over There
For You Uncle!
So I'm caught up, even if it wasn't the most in depth blog. I am still super busy, but it looks like I am about to get considerable less boring. It is camping season... and we are starting this weekend. Ye haw, Kootenay Plains here we come!
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