Canadian Buffoon's Hi Low Vacation - South Central Musings

[pkondz]

Yep, it's a huge change. I still enjoy travelling, and part of me will miss it, but the time felt right for something different.

Hope it works out for you.
Sounds like it will.

They invited individual dancers to Nationals. A few of the older girls in DD's school were invited. I'm not sure if they will be going, since they are also doing Dance the World in Epcot in July (only DW and DD are going, I'm still crying over that one)

Trust me.
Disney is better.

I had ice from a proper berg that a friend was crazy enough to take a boat next to and chip some off. That's something I would not take the risk to do. Those things can flip over without warning.

I know! That's taking a risk, all right.
Can't see the video 'cause
I'm at work.
Will check it out later.

The other way I've done it is grounded pack ice, or ice pans as we call them. The ice may or not be 10,000 years old in those, depending on where they came from. It could be chucks that broke off a berg, or it might be more recently frozen Arctic ice, hard to say. The picture below was this past Easter Sunday in my wife's hometown, a small fishing village of about 300 people. The harbour doesn't usually fill with ice but the wind had blown from a strange direction that morning and pushed it in. Later in the afternoon the pans grounded during low tide, so we walked out and broke some off to use in our drinks after Easter diner. Just kind of a fun thing to do.

Very familiar with grounded pack ice.
We called them "bergy bits".

Never did take a drink from one, though.
Now I'm kinda regretting that.

Wow, that brings back memories...

 

[pkondz]

Oh I see. Only you're allowed to make the bad jokes?

Yup!
Well... no.

Actually, I've been known to award
points for a good, bad joke.

I hadn't thought about it like that. But reading internet blogs takes way less brain power than slugging through patents, so it's almost like vacation.

Okay. I can see that.

On that note, I typically don't like listening to people talk about their vacations -- but for some reason, I find that READING trip reports is oddly entertaining.

I know most people hate
looking at other people's pictures...
But... I really like doing that.

I just hate it when you start reading about someone's trip and then they NEVER post the ending. It's like reading a good book and then finding out the last chapter was ripped out. I'm not talking about your TRs -- but some of the older ones that are on here. They usually pop up in the bottom portion of the pages as suggested reading, so I click on them and get hooked -- only to find out there's no ending!!!

Yup. I once got a PM from
someone thanking me for a TR...

After I'd finished it.

He (or she?) wouldn't read them
unless they were moved to the
completed TRs Forum.

 

[pkondz]

Trying to make rope drop somewhere?

No!

Ahhhh…
that s’plains it.

Oddly, I don’t have that problem.
We tend to find out what’s going on in our young’en’s world either well after the fact or because some third party posts something about it.

Ah.... I can always dream...

They are certainly designed to be the most stringent test of a person’s patience ever designed.

There's a design flaw there.
I should take it up with the architect.

Food.

oy

Then let me amend my answer…
Good Food.

It almost didn't matter.
It was nice just to sit and relax.

It’s not a vacation if you don’t hit some of the tourist traps.


Then it would be termed as “traveling” (very different from “vacationing”)

Good point.
I tend to travel too much
when I'm vacationing.

Makes sense…
We can never have enough flip-flops.
Oh and air conditioning, we can’t ever have quite enough of that either.

Boots.
Coats.
Heat.

Getting an idea of where your girls acquired their sense of the dramatic here…

That second one there and for similar reasons as I used for the previous pair.
Excellent shots both though and I like how a slightly slowed shutter speed affects the water.

Thanks!
And I thought this'd be a clean sweep.
Not so much.

Sure they do…
It’s just that the Everglades Glacier is temporarily in its second state (physically and geologically speaking) and is best surveyed via air-boat.

Air-boats with skis, right?

Another shot of mysterious, inexorable, official justice…

Once ticked off, I tend to stay mad.
Not good for one’s health, but one’s nature in not easily changeable either.

As such, I try very hard not to get into fights or arguments.

Good! So if we ever meet,
I can just needle you as much
as I want! Sweet!

Hummmm…
Not cheap, to be sure.
But I’ve paid similar amounts for unique experiences.

We didn't think the price
was too out of line.

Funny thing, this business of time passage…
That’s precisely my experience with the Kennedy Space Center:

Say, from this...

to this...

I can't see the difference.
I see at least one building in
each photo.

Must go visit.
Sorry. Is that Houston or Canaveral?

Kind’a of a slow-motion rollercoaster.

What props did you bring for the candid ride photograph?

I brought a doozy!
But the DIS wouldn't let
me post it.

Interesting factoid…

Good that they’re being ecologically conscious
(certainly in their best business interest to do so, as well.)

Yup.

This one reminds me of photographs of the lunar landscape…
“Magnificent Desolation” I believe is how Buzz termed it.

Ain't nuttin' gonna
grow there.

Save your time…
That hair dryer is already running

Good point.

Must have figured he’d be able to find your images of him on the web at some point.

A reader!
And I didn't even know it.

It’s the Disney thing to do, ya’ know.
Did you take any prerequisite stupid-hat pictures while you were there?

That's just not something I do.
It stems from an aversion
to contracting someone else's lice.

Good use of your resources…

Eating two day old leftovers stored in one’s care trunk is another one of those things most Florida Glacier visitors don’t generally think to do.

Why not?
A car trunk is the same as a fridge,
isn't it?
Unless it's a freezer.

See what you mean.
Its name kind’a fits the image.

Were it named Bridal Gown Falls, then I’d have expected something more grand and flowing rather than wispy and tenuous.

I’m impressed.

But then, that may not necessarily be all that difficult a thing to accomplish.

Ooooo… look!
Something s-h-i-n-y…

Ooohhhh.... pretty...

Followers of the Disney pricing guide, I see.

I still haven’t received notification from my wealthy long lost uncle’s lawyer about that unexpected inheritance, so I do believe I’ll be skipping over this particular opportunity.

For now…

I'm in luck! I should be able
to stay there pretty soon.

I have some cash coming
from a Nigerian prince, so...

For one brief moment I saw all the bolts silhouetted against the lights of the traffic…

Only I didn't say "fudge" .
I said the word.
The big one. The queen mother of dirty words.

lifebuoy

And for the record…
That’s the least of what I’d have said about it were it me that have fouled up here.
I’m quick to make lite of other’s mistakes but unrelentingly savage toward my own.

Oh... I may have said more...

Well I did surprisingly well last round.
Not likely to repeat such and still don’t think I can seriously catch up, but what the heck, I’ll play

Who knows?
(Well... me.
That's rhetorical.)

So this one was just psych-question?
No story behind it?

What does you data sample indicate about the mental status of your readers?

You expect me to tabulate, too???

Yours or mine?

My play lists can tend to a mite jarring. Likely somewhere along the lines of… an orchestral piece followed by some early punk, followed by a bluegrass instrumental, followed by some 70’s rock/funk, followed by a torch song, followed by a bit of speed metal, followed by some big-band swing...
et cetera…
et cetera…
et cetera…

I'll mark it as "eclectic" then.

Disco (which is a blight that can’t be salvaged)

Hip-Hop (which I admit may well be relevant and is most certainly rhythmic, but lacks much in the way of melody and so does little to move me).

Ditto. Pass.

Loved the song anatomies, too.

The visitor center back at the ice fields and…
home to “check” on the invalids


steaks
(well that’s what I’d be having if it were an option at least)

Unless you were trying to save a few bucks after shelling out for the ice-capades
(in-which-case I chose poorly, but there’d be nothing new about that either)

Noted.

PM being sent…
(assuming I did it right, that is)

Got it!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Very familiar with grounded pack ice.
We called them "bergy bits".

Wow, that brings back memories...

Yes, we call them bergy bits too. I keep forgetting that you lived up north in Manitoba at one time, so I presume you would have been on the coast there and seen plenty of sea ice.

 

[pkondz]

Hmmm I'm a little ticked off you didn't wait for me to join in before you started, so that I had a fair shot at winning the contest. But I'll let you off.

<phew!> Bullet dodged!

Looking forward to catching up on this! I loved meeting you!

Loved meeting you too!

I'm just about out of Canadian chocolate though, SOS send more Wunderbars!!!!!

PM me your address.
I'll send more.

I just searched for "cava" to see if you'd posted about our meet yet and to see your pictures (do you mind if I steal the one of the four of us?!)

Sure! Go right ahead.
Sorry about the quality.

I had a read around, and laughed out loud at "pulley" !!!

I remember us all being
pretty confused.
Me, at what you said.
You, at my expression of confusion.

wish you'd come to MK with us silly

Well... in all seriousness.....


That's my one big regret from that trip.
But I really didn't want to impose.
"Let's humour the old guy and let him tag along."

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Ah.... I can always dream...

Well, I do have the advantage of mine being out of the house for most of the year.
Oh, but once they go off to school they’ll still call home regularly to ask for money.
So you will have that going for you.

Which is… nice?

There's a design flaw there.
I should take it up with the architect.

You do that, and let me know what he says about it.
I’ve been trying to talk to that guy for years and all I’ve ever gotten was stunning amounts of total silence.

And I thought this'd be a clean sweep.
Not so much.

So, tell us what it is that you like about one over the other.
It’s generally more interesting to hear the artist’s point of view over that of the critics.

Air-boats with skis, right?

Sounds like quite the business model.
That might do near as well as Backhoe Skiing.
You should consider bankrolling that venture.

Good! So if we ever meet,
I can just needle you as much
as I want! Sweet!

Given that I stay mad at folks it would certainly result in my not speaking to you again.
So yeah, I can see that strategy a guaranteed win for you.

I can't see the difference.
I see at least one building in
each photo.

Must go visit.
Sorry. Is that Houston or Canaveral?

That’s at Canaveral and yes you need to visit it at some point (actually I need to get to the complex in Houston as well). My first trip there, the place consisted of a quonset hut and just a couple of outdoor exhibits.
Now it’s an entire complex, including several distinct museums, dozens of full scale artifacts and a National Memorial.

Mark did a nice chapter on the place in his last TR and I’ve got a ton of stuff I intend to talk about if I ever get to that point on my disaster of a TR.

Or I could just post a bunch of pictures here instead.

I brought a doozy!
But the DIS wouldn't let
me post it.

Typical…
Always taking the punchbowl away just as the party is really getting started.

Why not?
A car trunk is the same as a fridge,
isn't it?
Unless it's a freezer.

Once you cross the 49th they start working more like incubators.

I'm in luck! I should be able
to stay there pretty soon.

I have some cash coming
from a Nigerian prince, so...

Excellent!
Just make sure that they send the fund transfers through a Russian Bank.
Those are the most reliable when it comes to handling these types of transactions.

lifebuoy

Yuggh!

Oh... I may have said more...

My faith in you has been restored.

You expect me to tabulate, too???

Of course not…
Unsubstantiated conjecture and wild suppositions will do nicely.
It’s the standard used by consultants the world over.

I'll mark it as "eclectic" then.

I can live with that summation.

 

[franandaj]

Do you scratch her belly when she does?

Of course not, she would bite me. I mean she isn't a dog, she's the alpha cat.

That’s for heat????

Well that's what they said on Scorpion when the team was in Antarctica and two of the members were trapped outside the facility in a storm. They climbed into the same sleeping bag to conserve heat. They may or may not be planning their wedding on the show now.

Is that what you’re yanking?

You can't tell?

Those things ain’t cheap.

I guess not.

Then stop yanking my chain!

But it's so much fun!

Yeah, but you can drive to Disneyland
in under three minutes, so…

You forgot a zero in there. I can drive to Disneyland in under 3-0 (thirty) minutes.

Anywhere you want.

Decisions, decisions.....

I know most people hate
looking at other people's pictures...
But... I really like doing that.

One reason I can get away with my DIS time is that I no longer subject my friends and family to "hostage" viewing of my photo albums. I love that there are people here who like to hear about my trips.

Yup. I once got a PM from
someone thanking me for a TR...

After I'd finished it.

He (or she?) wouldn't read them
unless they were moved to the
completed TRs Forum.

I can understand that approach. I miss the banter. I have a friend here on the DIS who loves to write PTRs, but hasn't finished a TR in the last 5 years. I love her to death so I follow along anyways, but it is frustrating not to have that closure.

 

[pkondz]

Must have been one serious cold.

That's just it.... it wasn't!
Just a simple cold!

Hey, thanks! I will have to write that one down.

Always glad to impart useless
or erroneous information.

I like the second one. No chicken-wire fence, fewer trees lying down (at first I thought they might be cables or something). Also, if given the choice, I will almost always prefer wide-screen composition to vertical.

I prefer horizontal too.
Usually, when I shoot vertical
(except for portraits)
I think I need to... but...
then realize it'd be better horizontal.

That's gotta be it. Throw in Universal, Sea World, and the Everglades, and it's hard to budget time for the Florida glaciers.

Don't forget Gatorland!

The good news is, you have completely forgiven them and basically forgotten the whole thing.

Forgotten what?

I can feel the chill from here!

That's just one of our cold fronts.

They used to let you walk right up to the edge of Kilauea Crater in Volcanoes National Park too. I imagine more kids got scolded for that.

Meh. What's the worst that could happen???

It's your sovereign duty as a dad.

And don't eat the yellow snow up there!

No? But that's where all the flavour is!!

That's more than my whole car.

My car is less than $1.3 million too.

"Hello, Geico? I was wondering if you could save me 15% or more on this ice crawler..."

That lizard would get so squashed under those tires...

What kind of coverage would you need
for being swallowed by a crevasse?

No convincing needed!

Let the highway engineer spell this out for everyone: we are uncomfortable with grades exceeding 5-6% on most roads. Which is about 3-4 degrees. At 32 degrees, you'd better have amazing traction!

Traction? You did see those tires, right?
Plus they use grind up geckos for extra grip.

Interesting. Is that because they grind away the glacier or absorb heat?

Absorb heat.
It'll drill right through it.

What was different about it?

I can't really put my finger on it.
I don't like warm, so... obviously it was ice cold.
And.... I dunno. Just.... different.
No fluoride maybe?

Sounds like my visit to Devils Tower. I'm glad I went and saw it. But, yeah, there it is.

I remember reading that.

This just feels...sad.

Normal cycle of the planet.
Ice comes. Ice goes.
Could just as easily be
"When I was here last, we had to walk a ways
to get to the ice.
Now it's up to the highway and will soon
force construction of an alternate road.

I am starting to suspect that any time I see a waterfall called "Bridal Veil Falls", it's for a reason. Definitely underwhelming.

I can't wait until I see a sign
for "spaghetti strap falls".

Now I want spaghetti...

Stupid mountains. They must have lost your schedule.

I'm sure I emailed it in, too!

That water is just other-worldly beautiful.

Agreed!

There ought to be a team of servants serving you personally, 24/7, while you recline on the bed made of the finest unicorn hair.

Ah! So you've been there!

Gah!

Please, please tell me they send it to you via icecrawler. Because that would be awesome.

If only!
But how long would it take?

I'm fairly eclectic in my tastes...I can find something in most genres that I like, as well as something I hate. Most of the time, I find myself listening to movie scores. John Williams and the like.

I'll guess your sick-on-her-deathbed daughter and the Icefields Discovery Centre (had to type that three times to get it right) regarding the iPod.

Burgers. Total shot in the dark.

Noted.

On its way...

Got it!

 

[pkondz]

Funny. I've seen a few different Bridal Veil Falls. I don't think I've ever seen a waterfall named Bridal Gown Falls!

That's because up here
we're on the metric system.

 

[pkondz]

Great to see a new update!

You're welcome!

I like this closer pic better:

ZOOOOOM in!

Even being a gray, cloudy day, I love this pic, so crazy how clear the water is

And Moraine Lake
(which was supposed
to be visited)
is supposed to be even nicer!

Love all the pics of the Glacier and waterfalls.

Thanks!

---------can I say all of the above? I like a Very wide variety of music, from hymns to Showtunes, Country, Rock. I guess if I HAVE to pick one it would be 80's Rock/Pop leaning more to Rock.

2. I make two phone calls before
the day is done.
Who to? (hints were left.)
--Definitely one to the Icefield Center
--2nd call to your girls at Home

3. What did we eat for dinner?
Chicken, burgers or steaks.
--------------Chicken

Noted.

Yes I saw it PM sent.

Got it!

I hope you get the iPod back.

Wait and see!

 

[pkondz]

No actually they don't. I have tried but only one cat is game and he doesn’t go too far. We really don't have time to train them to use the wheel.

Maybe you could sell it on ebay!

 

[pkondz]

Well, you ARE her parents, you're supposed to fix it!

To heck with that!!

That's why I have dogs.

We do too.
In some ways, they're worse.

But only in a very, very few.

What are mitts? I think of oven mitts, but clearly you CAN have too many oven mitts.

See previous reply.
(scroll up!)

Second one definitely!

Seems to be the majority.

The scolding is included in the package.

Oh! I hadn't realised
they'd bought that one.

Those things look like serious business!

We don't mess around with
winter folks.

Global warming is real folks!

Uh, huh.

Tell that to... well... me.
Do you know how much
I shovelled this year?!?!??

Yeah, it is kinda lackluster.

Especially after all
the other ones we saw!

Beautiful! The water is so blue!

Nice, right?
That dye comes out
though with a few washes.

WORST FEELING EVER!

Yeah....

Questions, next round:
1. Next update's a short one so...
Favourite music genre?
Hard Rock


2. I make two phone calls before
the day is done.
Who to?
Elle and the Discovery Centre

3. What did we eat for dinner?
Chicken, burgers or steaks.
Ruby has chicken you have a burger.

Noted.

Did you see it?
You saw it, yes?
PM me the answer for bonus points.
Posting the answer will result in a massive deduction.
Yes!

Got it!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

1. alt rock/alterntive mostly.. but I also love the Beatles, Elvis, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, broadway, classical, some country.
lol I love music.

2.Sick kiddo
AND discovery Centre to check if ipod can be found

3. burgers


yes I saw
I PM'd you

*I like the 2nd photo that was a zoom in.
*That lake, even with the fog and clouds, is so beautiful!!!
*I am super jealous of this trip! I really REALLY need to visit all Canada has to offer!!!!

 

[knik]

Sooooooo late in joining, the title sucked me in.. Then to find out a fellow Winnipegger? I just haaad to!!

 

[pkondz]

I had ice from a proper berg that a friend was crazy enough to take a boat next to and chip some off. That's something I would not take the risk to do. Those things can flip over without warning.

Just watched that.
So cool.... and scary...
When you think of someone parked
right beside it.

 

[pkondz]

Sooooooo late in joining, the title sucked me in.. Then to find out a fellow Winnipegger? I just haaad to!!

to the TR!

Hey! A fellow pegger!
Which part of the city
are you in?

 

[pkondz]

Back a bit later
for the rest of the shout-outs!

 

[knik]

to the TR!

Hey! A fellow pegger!
Which part of the city
are you in?

We're in Tcona... Be nice now... lol

 

[pkondz]

We're in Tcona... Be nice now... lol

Mom always taught us kids
to be nice to a person
with a yard full of
plastic pink flamingoes.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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