Canadian Buffoon's Exhausted Vacation - Update 09/01 - New TR link!

[pkondz]

Sorry, I missed the mark on that one! Skip the cortisone shot! You still need better shoes. Also, stay away from antibiotics like Cipro or Levaquin. That family of antibiotics is famous for causing Achilles tendon issues. Compression socks might help until it gets warmer outside.

I hope you are back to running soon!

I am! Last week I ran 3-5Ks and 1-10K.
I'm still not 100% better, and wouldn't try to run
farther than 10K, but I'm not nearly as sore as I was.

Thanks for the tip on the shoes.
I've been thinking about that.
While my shoes are very good shoes,
I suspect they're more designed for walking than running.
When I bought them, I told the salesperson that
I was planning on running, but... I wasn't at the time.
I could use some more cushioning in the heel.

I hadn't thought of compression socks.
Huh! Thanks!

I'm not on antibiotics, so that's not a problem,
but thanks for that info too.

Will you be my personal trainer? :goovibes:

 

[KathyM2]

I hadn't thought of compression socks.
Huh! Thanks!

I was skeptical of these at first too, but they really helped me!

 

[pkondz]

I was skeptical of these at first too, but they really helped me!

Okay!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, hello there.
Long time no read.

Or write.

Right?

Left.

So why am I writing?
What exciting trip or trips have I undertaken???


Well… none.

(mass exodus of readers ensues...)

I keep wondering why I'm here.

2020 has not been a stellar year.

And the Yugo was not a good automobile.

Why I am writing is just my way of trying
to provide you, dear reader, with a small gift.
A (very) short respite from the troubles of the world.
A tiny escape for those who are stuck
in the humdrum of 2020
and perhaps unable to get away like they
normally might be so inclined.

Well, thanks for that. It's been ages since I responded to a Trip Report. so I guess I might as well see if I can give the quote button some exercise.

Covid was just starting to make itself known
and everyone was beginning to brace for the
two weeks that we might have to wait until it was all gone.
(Hah! I am going to go out on a limb here,
and say that “they” might have been just a teensy
bit off in their forecast.
Then again, the nameless, faceless “them” often are.)

Ah, yes. A month at most, and we'll be back on our feet!

(breaks down crying)

Santa… face down in the muck.
If that doesn’t describe 2020 in a single visual,
I don’t know what does!

Earlier in the year, pre-Covid
(and isn’t it hard to remember
a time that wasn’t Covid?)

There has always been Covid. There will always be Covid. It will always be thus.

I took a familiarization flight in a Cessna
where I even got to take the controls.
I quickly learned that I can’t fly a plane at all
and it's a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Hey, cool! I had the opportunity to take the controls once in a plane like that.

I got airsick.

Did you order the special?

(Yes. That's where they hang out
while I'm trying to cook and not
step on them.)

Looking for scraps. They're no dummies.

No, I shan’t comment on results or theories.
This is the DIS. A haven from political discourse.
And I’m really okay with that.

I'm just glad it's over. Really. For sure.

And I guess I need to sell my kangaroo.

And it also happens to be the site
of Canada's best known UFO sighting.

Which implies there's also a site for Canada's worst-known UFO sighting.

"Dad? I can't get out."
"What? Did I park in a puddle?"
"No. There's a pig here."

Hate it when that happens.

We were the only two on the
tour, so it was nice to have our
guide all to ourselves.
(And socially distanced.)
We set out through the woods,
enroute to our destination.

Private tour! Cool!

The UFO took off, burning him
in the process.
An easily discounted fairy-tale...
except for the strange burns
left behind on his body.

Huh.

We found our campsite and...
it was a wee bit on the boggy side.

Maybe they should have put the campsites on higher ground.

And no camping trip would
be complete without a campfire.
And no campfire is complete
without S'mores.

Truth.

A tunnel was blasted underneath the line
to restore drainage.
It makes for an interesting canoe/kayak.

Hey, that does sound cool!

Only on the return journey southward
did we find out that in actuality he was
required to sound his horn and that we
had the right of way!

Stupid motorboat owners. Think they're God's gift to sailing.

Notice the sign advising motorists
of the rules for traversing the tunnel
in the photo below:

Definitely a fun and cool experience!
And I give full credit to Kay.
While I had heard of the tunnels,
it was her suggestion that we go.

Nice! I sense the trip planning Force is strong with this one.

We waded in and got as far as
about mid-thigh.
The water temperature, still early
in the year, was probably around 45F/7C.
Also... when we waded out...
we each found we'd picked up
an unwanted passenger.
One leach each.

Ew. Note to self: no swimming with pkondz.

Before and after photos of the process.

Looks great!

I'll say that it was a very good burger.
Don't you think that Kay thinks so too?
And in case you were wondering...
Hot dogs won the contest.

Interesting. I'd always choose a burger over a dog.

I've seen this little church for years,
but I never stopped.

Seemed like a good day to do so.

I mean, what else are you gonna do?

Once again, at Kay's suggestion, we camped at
a spot she recommended; Nutimik Lake.

Heh. It says "nut".

Later, the kids tried jumping
from the rocks and while they
liked the lower (8-10ft) jumping
off point, Kay tried the higher (20ft)
spot but said it knocked the breath
out of her.

20 ft! Yeah, that's quite a drop!

Then again, I'm stupider, so it's
really a wonder that I didn't leap
from the higher point anyway.

I'm kind of stunned, actually.

I never did see the squirrel that
had scolded me.

It gave you quite the fright, I'm sure.

We were all thinking it.

Each package contained some
powder that you sprinkled onto
your fire pit before you lit the fire.
It was actually quite pretty.
It made the flames turn different
colours and lasted over half an hour!

That's cool!

No one knows what the original
purpose of the petroforms were.
Some think it may have been for
sacred rituals or teaching.

Looks like it translates to "Crazy Running Deer's Used Bison--Keep Right".

The REDress Project (click for link)
is a movement to highlight
the disproportionate number
of murdered and missing
indigenous women in Canada.
The dresses have and are being
displayed in various locations in
Canada and the United States.
There were several located here.
It was both eerie and humbling.

Well, that's just awful.

The Pinawa Dam was the first
hydro-electric generating station
in the province.
It began operations in 1906
and continued service until 1951.

Wow. That's dam old. Er, an old dam.

Afterward, the dam was
used for artillery practice
by the military.

This story just gets better and better!

But what remains is still
pretty dam impressive.

Well done. Always funny.

The solution?
A worker, with a rope tied
around his waist (!) would
walk on the ice and chop it away.
How's that for a job?

No dam way!

Logs were placed in these
frames to force the water
higher if needed.

Looks like the water did quite a bit of damage.

The holes are where the
turbines were located.

Those are some big dam holes for the dam turbines.

Ok, I'll stop.

I'd read about a seasonal outdoor
restaurant called Jennifer's Picnic.
They specialized in Wiener Schnitzel,
so how could I say no?

Hard to turn that down.

(Among the other exotic foods
that they have had: alligator, rabbit,
bison, sturgeon and kangaroo.)
Not quite what you'd expect from
a small town food truck!

Wow. Are you sure it wasn't all just chicken?

Cool bridge.

I asked her if she'd ever seen
how fast a bear could climb?

Looks like they're faster than me.

So I did what any good father
(who had been disturbed from his rest)
would do...
I told her a story about a giant
Grizzly bear. I'm sure it helped.

As it should be.

Ladies and gents (and Mark)

Yes?






HEY!

I think when they say "falls"
they mean "a bit of a current".

Might need to have a word with the tourist bureau about that one.

We managed to avoid
any covid exposures.
(We did have a couple of close
calls, but no one caught it... yet.
As I write this, we're waiting on
Elle's test to come back.
ETA: Just found out it was negative. Phew!)

Thank goodness. I keep waiting for that shoe to drop.

As I was putting the pool to bed
for the year, I managed to snap
a critical part of the mechanicals.

D'oh.

I was informed that they didn't use
that system anymore and to "fix" it
they would have to replace it at a
cost of about $2,000.

But of course.

I posted my woes on the DISdads
forum and someone there mentioned
that I should try Amazon.
Amazingly enough, I found the part.
I also found the tool I needed to clean
out the old joints.
I'm hoping to be able to fix it myself.
At a fraction of the cost.
Hoping being the key word.

Good luck! The good news is, you can YouTube just about any repair.

60 seconds is a looong time.

After that you walk for 90 seconds...
And then they make you run again!
You alternate for 20 minutes.

I thought I was going to die.

Sounds about right.

Now I run 5K just for the fun of it.

Well... maybe "fun" isn't the right word.

I never got to the point of "fun". My heel would start killing me every time I tried to build up to a 5K. It's just not for me.

And the Van Gogh exhibition
came to Winnipeg.
I took my folks (and Kay)
to go see it.
It's a dynamic display of
his works that are constantly
changing as you watch.
The paintings are projected
on the walls and the floor.

Wow, that looks pretty stunning!

Halloween was a bust.
We normally get around 120 kids,
but this year we got 12.
'Nuff said.

Same. It was so quite this year. Oh well, more candy for me.

Christmas was quiet as well.
With the city under lock down,
we didn't have my folks over
or go to their place for the first
time in years.
I know I'm not alone in that this year.

We saw my parents, but had masks on the whole time. Weird, but we made it work.

Here's to a better, healthier,
happier new year in 2021.

It has to be better, doesn't it?

Don't answer that.

I'm still planning an Alaska trip for the summer, though. Counting on a vaccine.

Did you see it?

Dude. My eyes are not that good. That one was brutal.

I was really expecting to find a UFO over the sighting area.

 

[franandaj]

It's colder here, for sure. But! It's been a very mild winter this year. (So far! Fingers crossed.)
Right now it's a very warm (for us at this time of year) 30F.
Supposed to hit 33F tomorrow!

Unheard of!

Its been a pretty mild winter here too. Last week had highs in the 80s. Today highs are dropping to about 60° and we might even see some rain.

A mud room isn't really meant for mud, per se.
It's just a room where you can hang up your coat
and take off your shoes/boots so you don't track in... well, mud would be an extreme.
More likely snow or just wetness.

Since sunlight doesn't really make much of a mess, we don't need such a thing.

You haven't lived until you've had that happen!

Okay... maybe you don't really need to have that happen to you.

I've been in cold, but I'm not sure I've been in that cold cold

I honestly don't know.
I guess there'd be things that would be foreign to you, but to me they're just... life.
I'm not sure... I'd have to give it some thought.
I'm not sure (also) if anyone else would be interested?

As I've said, you could probably write about a trip to the grocery store, and make it amusing. I just think that your sense of humor (humour if it makes you feel better) and wit could make the mundane amusing.

I'll guess.... 4L? (2 "big" bottles?)

Very possible. She drinks things in such an odd fashion. We keep 12 oz cans in the fridge, 500ml bottles, and 2L bottles as well. She normally drinks the 2L bottles at home (using a glass not from the bottle). Sometimes I'll get her a can of soda. She doesn't always finish the 2L bottles before they get warm, so often I have one or two in the fridge to switch out for her.

The 500ml bottles are to take in the car so that they can be sealed and won't spill. Hard to keep track of what she does and doesn't drink. But I just picked up all of stuff from the overflowing bottle/can recycling in the house the other day and it filled a 30 gallon trash bag.

I've been drinking more ice tea lately.
But... my ice tea differs a great deal from yours.

Do you drink that "sweet tea" stuff? Or Snappier? I'm a tea purist, no lemon, just plain ole tea.

I get that. But... it's just something I like to challenge myself with, I guess.

I suppose. I have plenty more things I can challenge myself with.

Ah!
Well, in that case, I'm looking forward to it.

And I got bogged down with eBay and the apartments. I'll have to get back to it. There have been quite a few memorable moments this year.

Can you elaborate on that?

Well our credit cards either close at the beginning of the second week of the month or in the last 10 days of the month. In order to put off making payments on large ticket items (DVC dues, new ducting for a property, rat abatement, etc), I choose the credit card with the farthest out closing date.

For example, our DVC dues were due on January 15th, I waited until the Disney card closed on the 11th to make the payment, around the 14th of January. The card will close on Feb 11, and I won't actually have to pay the dues until March 8th. That gives us about 50 days to get some "large ticket" items on eBay and make enough to pay off the card. November through April are tough months for us because all my "Disney subscriptions" come due, as well as two sets of property taxes on four buildings. We sort of lucked out this year as we didn't have to pay the larger subscription due to the park being closed.

All of the months milestones, all laid out.
As a shift worker, my milestones are more... "Am I working tomorrow?"

There is one perspective that has changed. I dont pay attention to the weather other than "how hot will it be today?" Since I have no plans, it doesn't matter what the weather is like.

Huh. Good point.

And this month, the first oil distribution paid (-23.06)

That's okay... even my own family don't know what I do.

Nah.
A lot of people just don't enjoy it.
I mean... it's not as nice as a 5 star hotel.
And you do have to do set up and tear down and all the packing and unpacking and...

Now I'm wondering why I do it!

We used to do civil war reenacting which was very similar except that we did not sleep in our accommodations. But everything had to appear as if it was 1860s technology. Cooking over a fire, dressed in the period clothing....

It's the name of the pool complex.
It was built for the Pan Am games of 1967.
If you're not familiar, heres a link: Pan American Games - Wikipedia
We've hosted it twice. 1967 and 1999.
It's only been held in North America 4 times.
Chicago (1959)
Winnipeg (1969)
Indianapolis (1987)
Winnipeg (1999)
Toronto (2015)

Huh. Never heard of them, I wonder why no one on my team trained for them.

I'm not sure. I'd have to look next time I'm at the store.
But... probably not.
Most likely they're Schneiders.

Must be a Canadian band.

We did them there too.

Interestingly enough mine is still in the garage. In the box.

Makes sense.
I don't know where I'd even find veal.

Now I'm going to look for it when I'm in the high end markets.

Mine have asked for... more.

Mine don't even need to be put through college either!

 

[pkondz]

Its been a pretty mild winter here too. Last week had highs in the 80s. Today highs are dropping to about 60° and we might even see some rain.

Wow, that sounds... wonderful. Our mild winter is reverting to "normal"...we're expecting -14F by Sunday.

Since sunlight doesn't really make much of a mess, we don't need such a thing.

Yep. Got that.
Pretty sure we get more sun than you... (Hang on, gonna check...)
Yup. I was right. Winnipeg = ~316 days/year sunshine (average)
Long Beach = ~287 days/year.

But your precipitation hits the ground and runs into the sewers (or whatever) and then the ground dries. Ours (for about half the year) sits and stays.

I've been in cold, but I'm not sure I've been in that cold cold

I took a photo relating to that just for you... but...

As I've said, you could probably write about a trip to the grocery store, and make it amusing. I just think that your sense of humor (humour if it makes you feel better) and wit could make the mundane amusing.

...but...
Thanks for the kind words. Not sure if your compliments are well placed, though!
However... you have given me pause to think that maybe.... maybe!... I might do something as you suggested.
So you'll have to wait on that photo I just mentioned for a wee bit longer.

Very possible. She drinks things in such an odd fashion. We keep 12 oz cans in the fridge, 500ml bottles, and 2L bottles as well. She normally drinks the 2L bottles at home (using a glass not from the bottle). Sometimes I'll get her a can of soda. She doesn't always finish the 2L bottles before they get warm, so often I have one or two in the fridge to switch out for her.

The 500ml bottles are to take in the car so that they can be sealed and won't spill. Hard to keep track of what she does and doesn't drink. But I just picked up all of stuff from the overflowing bottle/can recycling in the house the other day and it filled a 30 gallon trash bag.

Kinda hard to judge (not that I'm judging anyone!! ) the amount since I don't know how often you fill that trash bag.

Do you drink that "sweet tea" stuff? Or Snappier? I'm a tea purist, no lemon, just plain ole tea.

Did you mean Snapple? Not really, as I like other brands more.
As for "sweet tea"... if you're referring to what they drink in the south...Nah.
I like it sweeter.

And I got bogged down with eBay and the apartments. I'll have to get back to it. There have been quite a few memorable moments this year.

Love to hear them. But when you have time!

Well our credit cards either close at the beginning of the second week of the month or in the last 10 days of the month. In order to put off making payments on large ticket items (DVC dues, new ducting for a property, rat abatement, etc), I choose the credit card with the farthest out closing date.

Okay, get it so far.

For example, our DVC dues were due on January 15th, I waited until the Disney card closed on the 11th to make the payment, around the 14th of January. The card will close on Feb 11, and I won't actually have to pay the dues until March 8th. That gives us about 50 days to get some "large ticket" items on eBay and make enough to pay off the card. November through April are tough months for us because all my "Disney subscriptions" come due, as well as two sets of property taxes on four buildings. We sort of lucked out this year as we didn't have to pay the larger subscription due to the park being closed.

Okay. Now I'm with you. Yay! I understand!

There is one perspective that has changed. I dont pay attention to the weather other than "how hot will it be today?" Since I have no plans, it doesn't matter what the weather is like.

I can see that. I'm actually looking at the weather more now that I'm running. I've drawn the line at a couple spots. I don't run in the rain and I don't run if it's colder than -4F. (-20C)

And this month, the first oil distribution paid (-23.06)

Ouch.

We used to do civil war reenacting

I remember that!

which was very similar except that we did not sleep in our accommodations. But everything had to appear as if it was 1860s technology. Cooking over a fire, dressed in the period clothing....

I didn't know, however, that you did all that as well. I thought it was more you'd show up at a site of an historic battle and recreate that and then go about normal modern business.

Huh. Never heard of them, I wonder why no one on my team trained for them.

Must be a Canadian band.

It is, yes.

Interestingly enough mine is still in the garage. In the box.

No s'mores for you!!

Mine don't even need to be put through college either!

Of course not. They all think they're above that sort of thing. No improvement needed when you're already perfect, no?

 

[franandaj]

Now I could have sworn that somewhere you and I were talking about Veal, and I thought it was on your TR cause you had schnitzel at one of the places that your family ate, but our comments about that must have dropped off in the discussion chain as it's not in this round of comments, and I'm too lazy to go back a page or two. I'm commenting on the phone while waiting in line at the grocery store cause my life is that stupid busy.

Anyways you mentioned that you had no idea where to even buy veal if you wanted. I looked at my local Ralph's and didn't see any. However a couple days ago Fran suggested we go to the local French Pastisserie for some chocolate croissants. It's located inside Gelson's Supermarket which is a super upscale grocery. So while I was inside I found Veal cutlets, veal chops, and veal for scallopine. I was actually not shocked. They also have ground elk, wild boar and one other odd meat in the freezer section. And it wasn't bison because that's actually quite common and available in the ground meat section of the fresh area..

Then when I was at Ralph's tonight, I noticed that they had a shrink wrapped package of veal for scallopine. Not that I have ever cooked it. I can live without it, lamb on the other hand, I wish I could, but I like it too much!

Wow, that sounds... wonderful. Our mild winter is reverting to "normal"...we're expecting -14F by Sunday.

I'd never leave the house if I lived there!

Yep. Got that.
Pretty sure we get more sun than you... (Hang on, gonna check...)
Yup. I was right. Winnipeg = ~316 days/year sunshine (average)
Long Beach = ~287 days/year.

Interesting....then again between mid April and the end of June we sometimes don't see the sun until 2PM or later. It's called May gray and June gloom.

But your precipitation hits the ground and runs into the sewers (or whatever) and then the ground dries. Ours (for about half the year) sits and stays.

Actually most of pour precipitation evaporates before it hits the ground. Virga.

I took a photo relating to that just for you... but...

...but...
Thanks for the kind words. Not sure if your compliments are well placed, though!
However... you have given me pause to think that maybe.... maybe!... I might do something as you suggested.
So you'll have to wait on that photo I just mentioned for a wee bit longer.

I learned another funny snow thing on FB. A former DISer was making "Snow Cream". Never heard of it.

Kinda hard to judge (not that I'm judging anyone!! ) the amount since I don't know how often you fill that trash bag.

True and with my poor housekeeping skills, it's not that often.

Did you mean Snapple? Not really, as I like other brands more.

Yes, I was thinking of Snapple.

As for "sweet tea"... if you're referring to what they drink in the south...Nah.
I like it sweeter.

Love to hear them. But when you have time!

I just finished writing an update. I'll try to wrap that one up soon too!

Okay, get it so far.
Okay. Now I'm with you. Yay! I understand!

Yay!

I can see that. I'm actually looking at the weather more now that I'm running. I've drawn the line at a couple spots. I don't run in the rain and I don't run if it's colder than -4F. (-20C)

I wouldn't go out if it were colder than 20°F

I didn't know, however, that you did all that as well. I thought it was more you'd show up at a site of an historic battle and recreate that and then go about normal modern business.

I'll have to find some pictures for you. Cooking over a fire wasn't the norm for us, I think we only did that once when the reenactment was in LB. Most of the time we ate cold fried chicken or sandwiches. I don't remember if we had chips with them, but that would have been incorrect since chips weren't invented until somewhere later in the century.

I'll dig up some pics. That will be a fun memory lane thing. That was like 12-18 years ago!

Of course not. They all think they're above that sort of thing. No improvement needed when you're already perfect, no?

I mean they poop in a box and we clean it, they know we're their servants!

 

[pkondz]

Now I could have sworn that somewhere you and I were talking about Veal, and I thought it was on your TR cause you had schnitzel at one of the places that your family ate, but our comments about that must have dropped off in the discussion chain as it's not in this round of comments, and I'm too lazy to go back a page or two. I'm commenting on the phone while waiting in line at the grocery store cause my life is that stupid busy.

Anyways you mentioned that you had no idea where to even buy veal if you wanted. I looked at my local Ralph's and didn't see any. However a couple days ago Fran suggested we go to the local French Pastisserie for some chocolate croissants. It's located inside Gelson's Supermarket which is a super upscale grocery. So while I was inside I found Veal cutlets, veal chops, and veal for scallopine. I was actually not shocked. They also have ground elk, wild boar and one other odd meat in the freezer section. And it wasn't bison because that's actually quite common and available in the ground meat section of the fresh area..

Then when I was at Ralph's tonight, I noticed that they had a shrink wrapped package of veal for scallopine. Not that I have ever cooked it. I can live without it, lamb on the other hand, I wish I could, but I like it too much!

I know we talked about veal. Maybe it was on your thread, or an email?
Glad you found some. I should ask my butcher if they carry it. Probably do and I've just never noticed.

I'd never leave the house if I lived there!

Well, it got much colder.
This morning it was -36F and right now it's -24 and dropping (to -30F supposedly.)
Of course with the little bit of wind there was this morning, it felt like -60F.

Interesting....then again between mid April and the end of June we sometimes don't see the sun until 2PM or later. It's called May gray and June gloom.

Really? I'm surprised. I would've expected sunshine.

Actually most of pour precipitation evaporates before it hits the ground. Virga.

Ah. Yes, we have virga here too, but not in winter. Or rather, extremely rarely. It would have to be much warmer with an inversion.

I learned another funny snow thing on FB. A former DISer was making "Snow Cream". Never heard of it.

Me neither!

True and with my poor housekeeping skills, it's not that often.

I wouldn't go out if it were colder than 20°F

Then I'd never go out!

But with this cold snap, it's been over a week now since I've been able to get out for a run.

I'll have to find some pictures for you. Cooking over a fire wasn't the norm for us, I think we only did that once when the reenactment was in LB. Most of the time we ate cold fried chicken or sandwiches. I don't remember if we had chips with them, but that would have been incorrect since chips weren't invented until somewhere later in the century.

Interesting. Hadn't thought of that.

I'll dig up some pics. That will be a fun memory lane thing. That was like 12-18 years ago!

Looking forward to it.

I mean they poop in a box and we clean it, they know we're their servants!

 

[franandaj]

Well, it got much colder.
This morning it was -36F and right now it's -24 and dropping (to -30F supposedly.)
Of course with the little bit of wind there was this morning, it felt like -60F.

OK this is seriously why I want you to post on how you deal with this! I can't even understand how I have to wear special boots that I bought in Seattle to deal with the snow when we visited my sister there. I wear them occasionally for the rain here in So Cal. Maybe once a year.

I can't even imagine how you would even exist in weather like you describe. I'm sure I don't even know about the kind of clothes required for this kind of temperature!

Really? I'm surprised. I would've expected sunshine.

We have quite a few says of the year without sunshine. I'm OK with that. I actually like it!

Ah. Yes, we have virga here too, but not in winter. Or rather, extremely rarely. It would have to be much warmer with an inversion.

It happens here mostly in the winter.

Then I'd never go out!

But with this cold snap, it's been over a week now since I've been able to get out for a run.

I barely go out but it's not the temperature, I just like to stay inside.

Interesting. Hadn't thought of that.

There is so much that goes into reenacting you don't want to be a farbie!

Looking forward to it.

Hope to get to it soon! But need to go to bed tonight!

 

[pkondz]

OK this is seriously why I want you to post on how you deal with this! I can't even understand how I have to wear special boots that I bought in Seattle to deal with the snow when we visited my sister there. I wear them occasionally for the rain here in So Cal. Maybe once a year.

I'm starting to work on it! I'm in the process of picking out and editing photos that are relevant.

I can't even imagine how you would even exist in weather like you describe. I'm sure I don't even know about the kind of clothes required for this kind of temperature!

I occasionally wear a hat.

We have quite a few says of the year without sunshine. I'm OK with that. I actually like it!

Explain? Variety?

It happens here mostly in the winter.

Interesting! It's the opposite for us, so you'll see it in the coldest months, and I'll see it in the warmer.

I barely go out but it's not the temperature, I just like to stay inside.

Ah.

There is so much that goes into reenacting you don't want to be a farbie!

Yes, I googled.
"Civil War (and possibly other period) reenactors use the [sic] when anachronistic behavior is introduced during their presentation."

Hope to get to it soon! But need to go to bed tonight!

Hope you slept well!

 

[pkondz]

Well...

Don't I feel like a jerk.
I mean... more so than usual.

I owe @Captain_Oblivious an apology.

I scrolled up the page, looking for something
and noticed that I hadn't replied to his post.

I remember reading it, but not having the time
to reply to it.
"I'll get back to it tomorrow..."

Yeah... Nope.

Sorry, Mark.
Mea culpa


But I'm still in the one month window...
does that count???

Left.

Which is exactly what I did to you. Sheesh! I said I was sorry!

I keep wondering why I'm here.

And I'm betting you're wondering even more now.

And the Yugo was not a good automobile.

Very good comparison.

Well, thanks for that. It's been ages since I responded to a Trip Report. so I guess I might as well see if I can give the quote button some exercise.

And this is the one I pick to ignore.


<hangs head in shame>

Ah, yes. A month at most, and we'll be back on our feet!

(breaks down crying)

There has always been Covid. There will always be Covid. It will always be thus.

Certainly feels that way.

Hey, cool! I had the opportunity to take the controls once in a plane like that.

I got airsick.

Whoops!

Did you order the special?

Yes! The cream of sum yung gai. Odd taste, though.

Looking for scraps. They're no dummies.

Food rarely hits the floor and stays there for long.

I'm just glad it's over. Really. For sure.

I think a lot of people share your sentiment.

And I guess I need to sell my kangaroo.

Which implies there's also a site for Canada's worst-known UFO sighting.

There is!
There's a hand painted sign
with an arrow.
You can't miss it.

Private tour! Cool!

Maybe they should have put the campsites on higher ground.

Or at least drier ground. That would've been nice.

Hey, that does sound cool!

It was!

Stupid motorboat owners. Think they're God's gift to sailing.

Nice! I sense the trip planning Force is strong with this one.

It is.
I put that bug in her and I'm very okay with that.

Ew. Note to self: no swimming with pkondz.

Geez. You mess up one time!

Interesting. I'd always choose a burger over a dog.

Yup. Me too.
I love a good hot dog, but... a good burger beats it every time.

Heh. It says "nut".

Now I'm regretting apologizing.

20 ft! Yeah, that's quite a drop!

I was shocked that she did it!

I'm kind of stunned, actually.

Yes. We know that about you.

We were all thinking it.

Classic movie. Gotta watch it every year.

Looks like it translates to "Crazy Running Deer's Used Bison--Keep Right".

You could be right!

Well, that's just awful.

Yes. Yes it is.

Wow. That's dam old. Er, an old dam.

Atta boy. Knew I could count on you for a few dam jokes.

This story just gets better and better!

Explosions improve everything.

Well done. Always funny.

Just for you.

Looks like the water did quite a bit of damage.

I thought so too, but...
then I thought "Water? Or artillery???"

Those are some big dam holes for the dam turbines.

Ok, I'll stop.

You'll never stop.
It's in your genes.

Or whatever pants you're wearing.

Wow. Are you sure it wasn't all just chicken?

How would we know?
Maybe every time you eat exotic food
and you say "Tastes like chicken", it's because
it is chicken!

Looks like they're faster than me.

You just have to be faster than Julie.

Might need to have a word with the tourist bureau about that one.

Yeah. The sign should be
"This way to the spot where the water moves marginally faster than over there."

Good luck! The good news is, you can YouTube just about any repair.

Yup. Plan on doing just that.

I never got to the point of "fun". My heel would start killing me every time I tried to build up to a 5K. It's just not for me.

It's still not "fun", but at least I feel good about being able to do it.

Wow, that looks pretty stunning!

It was!
But even as stunning as it was... after a while, we were happy to leave.
I mean... well, I can't speak for everyone,
but I can only look at paintings for so long.

It has to be better, doesn't it?

Don't answer that.

I'm still planning an Alaska trip for the summer, though. Counting on a vaccine.

I really hope that works out for you.
I know already that my Alaska trip will have to wait until at least 2022
as the Canadian Govt has banned cruise ships in Canadian water until at least then.

Dude. My eyes are not that good. That one was brutal.

If it wasn't, it'd be too easy and everyone would get it.

I was really expecting to find a UFO over the sighting area.

Dang! Missed opportunity!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Don't I feel like a jerk.
I mean... more so than usual.

I owe @Captain_Oblivious an apology.

Yes! Not gonna live this one down for a loooongg time, let me tell ya.

Sorry, Mark.
Mea culpa


But I'm still in the one month window...
does that count???

Honestly, in COVID times? This could have still been from 3 days ago and I wouldn't really know for sure.

And I'm betting you're wondering even more now.

And this is the one I pick to ignore.


<hangs head in shame>

Oh, it's fine. I'll let you forget this in a thousand years or so.

Yes! The cream of sum yung gai. Odd taste, though.

There is!
There's a hand painted sign
with an arrow.
You can't miss it.

Hand-painted sign with an arrow. In Canada. Got it.

It is.
I put that bug in her and I'm very okay with that.

That's excellent parenting, right there!

Yup. Me too.
I love a good hot dog, but... a good burger beats it every time.

Always. I mean, I know what goes into hot dogs.

Being from Delaware, I REALLY love explaining scrapple to people, though.

Now I'm regretting apologizing.

Too late! Got it copied and screenshotted and everything.

I was shocked that she did it!

Hope it wasn't too painful!

Yes. We know that about you.

It's kind of a permanent state of being.

Classic movie. Gotta watch it every year.

Absolutely. Planes, Trains & Automobiles is our permanent Thanksgiving movie and then Christmas Vacation is the Christmas movie.

Atta boy. Knew I could count on you for a few dam jokes.

Well, they never get old.

Explosions improve everything.

Truth. The bacon of the entertainment world.

I thought so too, but...
then I thought "Water? Or artillery???"

Excellent point.

You'll never stop.
It's in your genes.

Or whatever pants you're wearing.

If I'm even wearing pants.

How would we know?
Maybe every time you eat exotic food
and you say "Tastes like chicken", it's because
it is chicken!

It's all a scam, I tell ya! A scam!

You just have to be faster than Julie.

Don't tell her I agreed with you, ok?

Yeah. The sign should be
"This way to the spot where the water moves marginally faster than over there."

There you go. That'll really pack 'em in.

It's still not "fun", but at least I feel good about being able to do it.

As well you should!

It was!
But even as stunning as it was... after a while, we were happy to leave.
I mean... well, I can't speak for everyone,
but I can only look at paintings for so long.

Yeah, I have to agree with you there. Took my daughter to the Philadelphia Museum of Art recently (where Rocky famously ran up the steps). We took 2 hours, made it to every room in the museum...and that was plenty.

My Law of Art still applies, by the way.

I really hope that works out for you.
I know already that my Alaska trip will have to wait until at least 2022
as the Canadian Govt has banned cruise ships in Canadian water until at least then.

UGH.

I really hope you get some freedom sooner rather than later. Julie was just telling me the other day how bad her wanderlust is getting.

If it wasn't, it'd be too easy and everyone would get it.

Fair point.

 

[pkondz]

Yes! Not gonna live this one down for a loooongg time, let me tell ya.

Oh, Lord.... what have I done??

Honestly, in COVID times? This could have still been from 3 days ago and I wouldn't really know for sure.

Dang. Apology totally wasted.

Oh, it's fine. I'll let you forget this in a thousand years or so.

So there is an end date.

Sweet.

Hand-painted sign with an arrow. In Canada. Got it.

It couldn't be easier.

Always. I mean, I know what goes into hot dogs.

Lips and as.... um... assorted delicious bits.

Being from Delaware, I REALLY love explaining scrapple to people, though.

I still kinda regret not having some when I was there.



Kinda.

Too late! Got it copied and screenshotted and everything.

What? Oh, sorry. Did you say something?
I was looking into "how to hack someone's computer."
For no related reasons.

Hope it wasn't too painful!

She survived... and didn't do it again.

Absolutely. Planes, Trains & Automobiles is our permanent Thanksgiving movie and then Christmas Vacation is the Christmas movie.

I haven't watched it in a while.
Need to.

Truth. The bacon of the entertainment world.

If I'm even wearing pants.

#covid rules

Don't tell her I agreed with you, ok?

Mum's the word!

As in she's a mum and if cornered, I'll spill everything.

Yeah, I have to agree with you there. Took my daughter to the Philadelphia Museum of Art recently (where Rocky famously ran up the steps). We took 2 hours, made it to every room in the museum...and that was plenty.

Two hours?
Yeah, I think that'd be plenty for me too.

My Law of Art still applies, by the way.

Law of Art?

I really hope you get some freedom sooner rather than later. Julie was just telling me the other day how bad her wanderlust is getting.

I totally feel that.
I'm less than impressed with the current state of the planet.
There should be someone I can speak to about that.

 

[franandaj]

I'm starting to work on it! I'm in the process of picking out and editing photos that are relevant.

Oh good! I've finished my annual synopsis, but waiting a little bit to post it, I need to finish replies and I'm not sure if you had been over to my thread, but I had a troll issue going on. I think it might be overwith, but I'm going to wait a little bit and see.

I occasionally wear a hat.

That's all?????

Explain? Variety?

Well so many days out of the year are sunny here. Southern Californians expect our days to be gorgeous ones. That's why we put up with such high taxes and rent to have lovely weather. The problem is that Summer, and early Fall are really, really hot sometimes. October can be one of the hottest months of the year.

January and February are probably two of the nicest months out of the year. It's in the mid to high 60s or 70s, the sun is shining, usually the wind isn't too bad. It starts warming up late in February through April. Those months are also nice, but there can be hot spells. The other months I like are May and June because we have what we call "May Gray" and "June Gloom". There is an inversion in the Marine Layer which traps in the cloud cover. The mornings are overcast and cool and usually by noon or 1PM it burns off and the sun comes out. However, when there is a marine layer, the afternoon sun is less intense.

Yesterday was crazy windy, every time I went outside, it was just nuts.

Interesting! It's the opposite for us, so you'll see it in the coldest months, and I'll see it in the warmer.

Well we see it usually from July on, we hardly got any rain this year. Then again July was very overcast last year.

Yes, I googled.
"Civil War (and possibly other period) reenactors use the [sic] when anachronistic behavior is introduced during their presentation."

While Fran was asleep yesterday I chose some pictures from our CW reenacting days. I need to edit them, and I'll post a little "thing" here for you.

Hope you slept well!

At least I have that going for me! I rarely seem to have sleepless nights, which is good. Only a few in recent memory.

 

[pkondz]

Oh good! I've finished my annual synopsis, but waiting a little bit to post it, I need to finish replies and I'm not sure if you had been over to my thread, but I had a troll issue going on. I think it might be overwith, but I'm going to wait a little bit and see.

I did see that. PM or email me for thoughts.

That's all?????

October can be one of the hottest months of the year.

Really! Was not expecting that!

January and February are probably two of the nicest months out of the year. It's in the mid to high 60s or 70s, the sun is shining, usually the wind isn't too bad.

I’ve made a note. Just happens those are the best months to travel from Winnipeg.

The other months I like are May and June because we have what we call "May Gray" and "June Gloom". There is an inversion in the Marine Layer which traps in the cloud cover. The mornings are overcast and cool and usually by noon or 1PM it burns off and the sun comes out. However, when there is a marine layer, the afternoon sun is less intense.

I understand. Although I don’t necessarily understand why it’s at that time of year. I mean the mechanics of it.

Yesterday was crazy windy, every time I went outside, it was just nuts.

Did you blow away?

While Fran was asleep yesterday I chose some pictures from our CW reenacting days. I need to edit them, and I'll post a little "thing" here for you

Great!!

At least I have that going for me! I rarely seem to have sleepless nights, which is good. Only a few in recent memory.

As a shift worker, mine are all over the map.

 

[orangecats2]

Sup?

 

[pkondz]

Sup?

It's O-kitty-squared! Hi!

 

[franandaj]

I’ve made a note. Just happens those are the best months to travel from Winnipeg.

Well! Once the border is open again......

I understand. Although I don’t necessarily understand why it’s at that time of year. I mean the mechanics of it.

From Wikipedia:

These include the marine layer effect common to the West Coast of the United States,[3] an atmospheric inversion caused by subsidence of high-pressure air from the subtropical ridge, and sufficiently cool ocean water off the coast. The June Gloom pattern is also enhanced by the Catalina eddy local to southern California.

Did you blow away?

I'm too fat for that!

 

[franandaj]

So this is stuff from our reeinacting days. We started back in 2003, but all the pictures that I have from then are so farbie, I was embarrassed to show them! In the beginning Fran played her tenor horn and I just dressed up in women’s garb and watched her perform in the band. In those pictures, everyone in the band are playing using folding wire stands and there are other things we wouldn't put up with once we really got into it.

These first photos come from the Calico ghost town reenactment in Feb. 2005. Since I started out reenacting dressing as a female, I kind of enjoyed my feminine wardrobe and like to utilize it at least a little bit. So in the beginning of the day I would come wearing dresses and later change for the performances.



Back in the Civil War days, pictures took so long to take no one smiled, so we are trying to be authentic.

Because women who served in the military “passed” as men, and anyone who was in the band was assumed to be a man, Fran would not let me play in the band while dressed as a woman. We usually did a concert before the battle, so I would spend a bit of time in the persona as a woman, and then I would joke that I was going to “go thru that change” where I would put on my male soldier clothes. None of the folks seemed to find that as funny as I did.

The reason you see a woman in the band is because she is the wife of the guy standing up with the cornet. He was the director and we mostly tagged along with his band, although we ended up bringing a lot of our own band friends to fill out the ranks. There is another woman in the back row who also played with the band a lot.

Notice almost everyone (at least in the front row) are using more "period" music stands. I have a "manhasset" in the back row which is what most people use today, but I tried to keep it hidden behind the players in the ront row. BTW I'm playing bass drum now.





After the performance we scrounged up some grub. Since the sandwich was invented nearly a century earlier, this was a perfectly legitimate choice for lunch. The only reason I have these pictures documenting lunch is because Naked Jim had come along for his first reenactment to see if he would be interested in joining the band. He loved it and continued to play even after we were unable to continue doing so. I just realized that sliced bread wasn't invented until the 1930s so we screwed that one up!





While we were grubbing out there was a battle going on. There was much more to it, but these are just a couple shots. The event took place at Calico Ghost town outside of Barstow, CA. It was a great site for such an event because there were so many period buildings to set the stage.





So this wasn’t our set up, but I think this was a vendor who was serving meals to participants for a fee. It just goes to show how authentic folks are in their presentations.



So we had been at this for a couple years at this point and my 40th birthday came up. Fran booked a Murder Mystery dinner on a paddle boat out of Long Beach Harbor for my birthday celebration. She invited about 50-60 people, I know that of the entire dinner seating we had more than half the tables booked. It was themed to the late 1880’s wild west and she encouraged people to dress in period themed apparel. Not a lot changed between CW era uniforms and what some people wore out west a couple decades later, fashions changed more slowly back then.



I tried to be a lady as you can see in the picture above, but it was a warm evening and pretty early on the evening, I revealed myself to be a hussy running around in just my underwear. Amazing that underwear back then was less revealing than some of the things you can buy on the rack today!





Back to the Civil War Band, we were “hired” (standard pay, zilch) to play for the Memorial Day ceremony in Northern San Diego county. Now you may say, “wait, there are women in the band, why can’t you be dressed as a woman?”

Well those women aren’t married to Fran. Well technically I wasn’t either! Yet. But Fran (regardless of our marital status) wouldn’t let me participate unless I was true to history and looked like a man, well as much as I could.

Also notice that many of the band members are playing on more authentic music stands that Fran ordered online. They were somewhat expensive so she slowly built the collection a couple at a time. All the folks playing with those stands are people we brought to the group.





Now I was absolutely appalled to find this picture as I was going through my archives. There is nothing more Farbie that one could find than this picture. Someone took this one just to spite me. I only post it for it’s comedic value.



This coming up event was in Vista, CA and at this event, they had a dance at night that we played for. I have pictures, but they are all dark and you can’t see anything, so I’m just showing you our daytime performances.







Most of these events were Saturday and Sundays and we would stay overnight. I’d leave the hotel dressed as a woman, and then change before the first concert near noon.



Notice my chair in the background behind Fran, you can see my purse (where I would hide my cel phone, digital camera, and other 21st century accoutrements).



Now unfortunately I lost all my own pictures from 2006 & 2007. We had switched over to digital cameras, and I didn’t properly back things up, so without the original memory cards, I wasn’t able to retrieve a lot of photos. We did a lot of reenactments during that time. We had even purchased an old Uhaul diesel box truck in which we stored all the equipment for the these gigs. I wish I had pictures from the one and only that was held in Long Beach. We went all out, that’s where we made a fire and cooked sausages for the first day, and chicken and dumplings for the second.

This picture was taken at the Huntington Beach reenactment and I was able to get a copy because it was posted on the band website for a period of time.



These photos were taken in 2007 at an event at a place called Riley’s Farm, which is known as an apple orchard and farm. I believe that we left this event with a giant apple pie. I was lucky that a friend gave these pics to me. Also you’ll notice that I have moved up in the band, and now I’m playing a Bb horn instead of the bass drum.



We did our first rehearsal in the morning under our shade tents. I know that for this event, I brought fried chicken for the band for lunch, probably with potato salad and cole slaw. Some of the events had people selling food, but not always, we always planned for no food.



This guy was doing medical demonstrations. There were all sorts of different demonstrations going on at events. There were even impersonators of Lincoln and Grant who would often make appearances.



In the afternoon we gave a concert on the stage.







This was also in 2007, in a place called Moorpark. We actually rented an RV for this event and I drove the Uhaul and she drove the RV. I wish I had my pictures from this event because we went all out and had a rug under our shade tent, an antique wheelchair, and it was almost like a living room! But I do have these pictures from our concerts.







These pictures are from the last reenactment that we did. It was in February of 2008 and was held across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm on a grassy area owned by Knott’s nearby their replica of Independence Hall.



Fran likes to be punctual for these events. I think this was taken while the band was leading a march around the park area with all the soldiers following. We marched 2 by 2 throughout the area before returning to play our concert. Sad that this was the last one, we had finally accumulate enough chairs and stands to look like we were authentic!





A couple months later Fran was hospitalized with pneumonia on two separate occasions. The second time was rather serious, she lost 60 pounds while on a ventilator and feeding tube. The second time she went into the hospital, she had been scheduled to have her hip replaced, so that had to be canceled. Once she recovered, she spent the next couple years having her hip and knees replaced, and once that was complete she had venal ulcers in her left leg. By the time all those medical issues had passed, she didn’t have the drive to work back into the whole reenacting scene. Now we are selling off all the uniforms and horns. We basically supplied all our regular band friends with uniforms, instruments and the like (haversack, canteens, eating stuff like mess kit, mug, etc.) to participate in the Civil War games. It was like being musical director, Quartermaster, and kitchen patrol all at once!


It was a fun time, but a lot of work. I’m kinda glad we are done with that part of our lives.

 

[pkondz]

Well! Once the border is open again......

I hope to still be young enough to travel when that happens...

From Wikipedia:

These include the marine layer effect common to the West Coast of the United States,[3] an atmospheric inversion caused by subsidence of high-pressure air from the subtropical ridge, and sufficiently cool ocean water off the coast. The June Gloom pattern is also enhanced by the Catalina eddy local to southern California.

Okay, that I understood!

I'm too fat for that!

Not so!