On the ice........
I guess the lads on my league team had a bit of a bad outing a couple of weeks ago - so I was tapped to play last week and this week in the pipes. This makes me goalie # 3 so far this year (I usually play forward in this league) - needless to say, I was a bit nervous.......and so was the rest of the team after the first five minutes and a 0-3 deficit. But we did win that one 5-3 and this last week was a much improved 5-1 win.
Try as I might, I have a terrible time with my glove hand - my stick side is great, and maybe that's whats keeping me looking good, most goalies have a harder time on that side, so that's where most of the shots are. I got the glove on ebay, but the manual never came with it.
The regular goalie has a severe ankle sprain and thinks he might be back after hunting season. But I was talking to my buddy at work who has played nets since he was 6 and he told me he had to take almost a full season to recover from a similar injury (it's the stance and the push-off that can be painful during play, you may not even feel it from day to day).
It's still a blast - all the guys know each other and I was filling in for a goalie on a Sunday night pickup game. That was 4 on 4 with some of the better players from my league - I was soaked by the end of the night.
In the shop....
I finished re-cutting the a couple of the forms that had been damaged through previous builds. I might still have to shave down the edges a bit, but nothing major. Tomorrow, I'll be setting up the strongback and setting in the forms. This provides a skeleton to build the canoe on.
My wood is on order now from my canoe place -and I should be into actual construction by the first week of Nov. The big deal this week was forming the stems for the canoe.
Stems are laminated strips of wood at the two ends of the canoe. I had spent a few hours cutting and planing down some strips of walnut for this. Al Witham (who is essentially teaching me how to do this) finished off the cedar and ash strips during last week.
After steaming the stems for about an hour (just bundle the wood together, set it in a long tube overtop a kettle and plug both ends with rags) Al told me that in theory we have about 45 seconds to get these pieces bent and clamped onto the form......but in reality it was probably closer to 15 sec. A weeks work dependent on 15 sec.....boy I love carpentry!.
Everything went well and even Al and my friend Ez were suprised, because no one who made canoes with them had ever tried to bend walnut before (I found this out afterwards).
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Some fun
Ok - no posts since August. Yeah, things are going that well. Work seems to be sapping the life out of me.
So - as far as fun updates from Iain....
Tuesday night hockey (The Rusty Blades) has started and we are all floating around having fun. One chap was caught backchecking, at least that's what we believe the term is - he was sternly reprimanded...well maybe mocked ad nauseum in the dressing room is a better way to phrase it.
It's always a good skate - even though I was playing nets last week and was helping the lads pad their stats.
Thursday night hockey is on, as well. Gentlemen's league. A little more competetive - at least the off season conditioning helped a bit. Still a good time - I leave the Industrial Hockey to the the twentysomethings who are still trying to make the NHL.
I have tweaked my PC a bit - finding a new graphics card and a new power supply. Well, new to me. Purchased via ebay - they are running well. Can't really tweak it any further, but I do enjoy tinkering with PCs. Though I don't think I could do it for a living. Our IT Department (one guy) is a now a self-confessed ludite who has nothing to do with computers outside of work.
So, coming up for the winter: APICs night school, cedar strip canoe project and music lessons on the guitar if I can find the time.
So - as far as fun updates from Iain....
Tuesday night hockey (The Rusty Blades) has started and we are all floating around having fun. One chap was caught backchecking, at least that's what we believe the term is - he was sternly reprimanded...well maybe mocked ad nauseum in the dressing room is a better way to phrase it.
It's always a good skate - even though I was playing nets last week and was helping the lads pad their stats.
Thursday night hockey is on, as well. Gentlemen's league. A little more competetive - at least the off season conditioning helped a bit. Still a good time - I leave the Industrial Hockey to the the twentysomethings who are still trying to make the NHL.
I have tweaked my PC a bit - finding a new graphics card and a new power supply. Well, new to me. Purchased via ebay - they are running well. Can't really tweak it any further, but I do enjoy tinkering with PCs. Though I don't think I could do it for a living. Our IT Department (one guy) is a now a self-confessed ludite who has nothing to do with computers outside of work.
So, coming up for the winter: APICs night school, cedar strip canoe project and music lessons on the guitar if I can find the time.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
On Walden Pond
Getting out for a couple of weeks was needed. Deb and I hunkered down at the cottage for the whole two weeks of vacation - and it was great.
Work has been getting the best of me lately. I knew I was stressed, but no idea how badly. After coming back from holidays, my guts were immediately in a knot and I had trouble sleeping all week. Far too much going on at the plant and a lot of staff cuts were made final this week.
Although the weather wasn't as hot as Deb likes it (ie air temperature 30 and martni temperature 10 or less), it was always sunny and the martinis were always cold.
However, while I was at the lake, I made the best of it. Read a couple of novels (actually two and a half), made some repairs, built some chairs and had some very nice leisurely dinners with friends and family.
The chairs were made out of left over lumber from my back deck at home. It's red cedar and the grain looks amazing with the clear finish (the picture is the unfinished product).
I could only use a jigsaw and my circular saw, so a lot of the cuts are done by eye without a guide. I think they turned out pretty good - just goes to show what you can do if you can take your time and have fun with something.
Of course, I couldn't put a brand new chair on the ratty, old looking deck (at least I think those were the words used - just kidding Deb).
Still - it was very relaxing.
Craig and Karen came up for a weekend and we all had a blast. Friday and Saturday night were both spent in front of the fire pit looking at the stars and watching the meteor showers. Quite a sight.
At one point, we all spotted a satellite moving across the sky. As chance would have it, it caught the light of the sun that had just set low behind the mountain. It was like a flash bulb from space, only for a second, but something none of us had ever seen before.
We had brought the "fur kids" up with us and they had a blast. Phantom bagged 2 shrews and a field mouse - no credit was given for the 2 chipmunks that played possum until they were dropped. If only I could have captured the look of suprise on his face when they bolted under the cottage - he must have had it figured out after that as he was on a mission every time he went out.
Phantom also found a snake - which was very entertaining as he had never seen one before. It reared up a couple of times trying to look imposing, but Phantom batted at the things head like a ill tuned metronome - wow a toy that moves on it's own. Not to worry, it got away unharmed.
One thing I am glad to see is the variety of wildlife around the lake. A good sign of a balanced eco-system. There were tons of frogs and toads this year. Karen saw a snapping turtle with a shell about 2 feet in diameter. Minks (possibly otters) have been seen around as well as a couple of ospreys (which is a first). The loons had two young ones this year and it looks like they are eating well given their size.
So, now it's back to the grind. Hopefully, the batteries are recharged enough to see me through to Christmas. This break sure does help put things in perspective.
Work has been getting the best of me lately. I knew I was stressed, but no idea how badly. After coming back from holidays, my guts were immediately in a knot and I had trouble sleeping all week. Far too much going on at the plant and a lot of staff cuts were made final this week.
Although the weather wasn't as hot as Deb likes it (ie air temperature 30 and martni temperature 10 or less), it was always sunny and the martinis were always cold.
However, while I was at the lake, I made the best of it. Read a couple of novels (actually two and a half), made some repairs, built some chairs and had some very nice leisurely dinners with friends and family.
The chairs were made out of left over lumber from my back deck at home. It's red cedar and the grain looks amazing with the clear finish (the picture is the unfinished product).
I could only use a jigsaw and my circular saw, so a lot of the cuts are done by eye without a guide. I think they turned out pretty good - just goes to show what you can do if you can take your time and have fun with something.
Of course, I couldn't put a brand new chair on the ratty, old looking deck (at least I think those were the words used - just kidding Deb).
Still - it was very relaxing.
Craig and Karen came up for a weekend and we all had a blast. Friday and Saturday night were both spent in front of the fire pit looking at the stars and watching the meteor showers. Quite a sight.
At one point, we all spotted a satellite moving across the sky. As chance would have it, it caught the light of the sun that had just set low behind the mountain. It was like a flash bulb from space, only for a second, but something none of us had ever seen before.
We had brought the "fur kids" up with us and they had a blast. Phantom bagged 2 shrews and a field mouse - no credit was given for the 2 chipmunks that played possum until they were dropped. If only I could have captured the look of suprise on his face when they bolted under the cottage - he must have had it figured out after that as he was on a mission every time he went out.
Phantom also found a snake - which was very entertaining as he had never seen one before. It reared up a couple of times trying to look imposing, but Phantom batted at the things head like a ill tuned metronome - wow a toy that moves on it's own. Not to worry, it got away unharmed.
One thing I am glad to see is the variety of wildlife around the lake. A good sign of a balanced eco-system. There were tons of frogs and toads this year. Karen saw a snapping turtle with a shell about 2 feet in diameter. Minks (possibly otters) have been seen around as well as a couple of ospreys (which is a first). The loons had two young ones this year and it looks like they are eating well given their size.
So, now it's back to the grind. Hopefully, the batteries are recharged enough to see me through to Christmas. This break sure does help put things in perspective.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Ok - I know I'm not gonna be popular....but I HAVE to say this.
Ray Emery is not a $3.0 Million dollar a year goalie.
Don't get me wrong - he's got a lot of promise. Technically, he knows where to be on the ice and he's got a fast glove. Other than that, I think its been pure hype that has most fans convinced he is the "new hope".
Every guy I know who plays nets is saying the same thing. In a few years, he'll be a cornerstone, but not right now. He didn't "take" the team to the cup, he was along for the ride. He never stole a game. The Sens defense was so strong most nights, I think Philips and Volchenkov were blocking more shots than he was.
I still believe Gerber is a better goalie that had a slump. Emery was up, and they started to win (keep in mind some of the Shots On Net didn't get over 20 against for some games). A couple of buddies of mine saw Gerber during an open practice and told me how he dominated over Emery.
I think Emery's flamboyance, style and character is what people are in love with. I'm looking at his technique - he has no lateral movement and locks up too long when going into the butterfly.
Well, I guess we'll see where this goes next year.
Ray Emery is not a $3.0 Million dollar a year goalie.
Don't get me wrong - he's got a lot of promise. Technically, he knows where to be on the ice and he's got a fast glove. Other than that, I think its been pure hype that has most fans convinced he is the "new hope".
Every guy I know who plays nets is saying the same thing. In a few years, he'll be a cornerstone, but not right now. He didn't "take" the team to the cup, he was along for the ride. He never stole a game. The Sens defense was so strong most nights, I think Philips and Volchenkov were blocking more shots than he was.
I still believe Gerber is a better goalie that had a slump. Emery was up, and they started to win (keep in mind some of the Shots On Net didn't get over 20 against for some games). A couple of buddies of mine saw Gerber during an open practice and told me how he dominated over Emery.
I think Emery's flamboyance, style and character is what people are in love with. I'm looking at his technique - he has no lateral movement and locks up too long when going into the butterfly.
Well, I guess we'll see where this goes next year.
Monday, July 16, 2007
My Big Fat Greek Dinner
In our tradition of celebrating the grape harvest up at the lake, we have a traditional greek dinner and open a bottle of the previous years product. And more food than Dionysus would have at a feast.
And I have to tell you...not too bad.
The sugar content had to be boosted a bit because the vines got a bit of a late start. That may have led to legs that may have been a bit heavy, but not outrageous- hints of scents from port or sherry, but still a good table wine with dinner.
Decent legs, deep muddy cherry nose (no Rudolph puns please), slightly acidic but smooth.
All in all, I was quite impressed. We had opened a bottle New Years (which tasted quite young) and you can tell how it has mellowed.
This year is going to be a little tight for time. Hopefully, September will bring some hot weather to give the grapes the final push. I'm a seriously thinking of investing in a small oak barrel for the vineyard. That should help lengthen the fermentation time and take care of the acidic nature.
Last year we got about 8 or 9 bottles from the plants......that probably puts our wine at some of the most expensive you'll ever see.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Animals from the cottage
At the risk of redundancy, I'm going to post a link to a couple of videos Deb and I shot at the cottage. Deb is much more adept at the editing and the final artistic output - I'm just a cameraman to her "Spielberg".
There were a couple of pretty neat sightings this week - one was a Dock Spider....not the biggest I've seen around the place, but sizeable. The other was a young moose (which is fairly rare for our area).
Despite the dreary weather, it was good to get away. I'm still sorry I didn't get to film Deb on her rant on mining rights (Rick Mercer would've been proud).
Baby Turtle
Moose on the loose
Bug Hunting
There were a couple of pretty neat sightings this week - one was a Dock Spider....not the biggest I've seen around the place, but sizeable. The other was a young moose (which is fairly rare for our area).
Despite the dreary weather, it was good to get away. I'm still sorry I didn't get to film Deb on her rant on mining rights (Rick Mercer would've been proud).
Baby Turtle
Moose on the loose
Bug Hunting
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Weekend in the Vineyard
Part of this weekend was spent in our vineyard at the cottage. Boy - that does sound posh and romantic doesn't it. Maybe I should stop there.
By "spending time" I mean to say I was stooped over for hours digging through sand, fending off deerflies with no shade to be found, pruning over grown shrubs so the raccoons will have something to eat this fall.
But at the end of it all, we can get a few bottles of wine out of it.
"Tastes good to me"
-Thomas Hayden Church's character in "Sideways"
By "spending time" I mean to say I was stooped over for hours digging through sand, fending off deerflies with no shade to be found, pruning over grown shrubs so the raccoons will have something to eat this fall.
But at the end of it all, we can get a few bottles of wine out of it.
"Tastes good to me"
-Thomas Hayden Church's character in "Sideways"
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