Calgary Snow….

Interesting Garry about the sidewalks. We live in a very rural area, there are no sidewalks. On occasion I will walk up to the highway to get the mail and then walk along the edge of the highway for about a mile before turning back down a "cottage" road to get home again. Maybe because we do not have sidewalks drivers seem to more courteous to walkers. When the can they move over to give me more room to stumble along. One sub set of drivers who do not and no idea why is guys who drive log trucks, they seem to think it is a sport to get as close as possible to you. Nice.

Walk with care and just assume somebody is not paying attention.

Great that the new house is coming along. Continued good luck with the never ending process of moving.
 
Wow. Three hours assembling a new bed frame and then helping my son with math. That bed is going to be so welcome in about 25 minutes!!!

I get really confused by drivers. The people on the pavement at the acreage on the 1 mile stretch were generally very good. Not so much for the people on the gravel on the other 5 miles. Getting hit by rocks that get kicked up and choking on dust gets old, fast. And I mean I have on my safety gear all the time. Now every once in a while the next day or maybe two days later someone would stop when I am walking and tell me they were sorry for not slowing down more the previous day and that always made me feel good.

But I wonder if drivers of semi's realize the amount of air they are displacing when they don't move out of the way? I've almost been buffeted off my feet by these trucks some days.................and the plume of snow and spray they create that gets whipped into your face if they don't switch lanes. Just be courteous people!!!

As for the people here, well I'm not sure what it will be like in the long term, if they'll get used to me or not. For example, the stretch of sidewalk that the bus driver thought I should have been walking on the other morning received the full blades worth of snow from the town grade this morning, and the school hadn't cleaned it off by the time school let out and my son and I were walking home. Like any 12 year old boy he thought it was great fun to walk up and down the mount of snow - until he fell. I, on the other hand, had no problems on the street shoulder. I think the point is that I look for consistency. Good, bad or otherwise the streets will always be in generally the same condition.

Sidewalks are hit and miss. Some streets, like the residential ones where I happen to live, don't even have any sidewalks. Where there are sidewalks, some people clean them, some don't. Most don't have them cleaned at that time 6:30 to 7:30 when I do my morning walk either. So rather than going from the street to the sidewalk, or from a cleared sidewalk to a snow covered one, I just stick to the street shoulder where it will be the same the whole way.

Case in point, a lady the other day with a stroller. Was she on the sidewalk or the street? You bet, she was on the street as then she doesn't have to deal with any snow covered sidewalks every third house..............much easier to push the stroller on the vehicle packed snow on the streets. I wonder if anyone honked at her to get out of the way?

Lows of -27 to -31 the next 5 mornings too!!!!!!

Cheers,

Garry
 
The people simply sound like dorks. I had to deal with that all the time when I rode my bike to work. Some people move over, others feel it is their duty to try and scare you off the streets because moving a steering wheel an eighth of a turn is too much for them to move over.

Glad to hear the house is coming along! I'm looking forward to the pictures!!!
 
Yep, lots of fun setting up the new house. Wish I could bring the last load of furniture but it is so cold, highs of -26, that I just was to get that final job done when it warms up, someday!

You're so right Riley. I just walked home with my son and then we had to get some birthday cards so we were walking back to Main Street. We met one of Aidan's former classmates who was walking home and stopped to have a chat and to say high. So we were talking, well back from the middle of the road and this guy in a truck comes down the road and honked at us. Not that we were in the middle of the road or anything like that.

I am really scared at the attitude of people who drive towards bikers and walkers.

Sadly it doesn't end here. While we don't know all the details yet this was just on the news:

Mom attacked with hockey stick in front of her child in bizarre road rage incident

I mean two men in their 20's that followed this 28 year old woman, smashed her windshield and then dragged her out of the van and beat her in front of her child in the back seat. Now we don't know the full story, maybe she provoked them or something, but just drive way and cool off, it can't be worth it to follow someone and then assault them.

Young males must really have some issues to work out. Alberta males especially really seem to be having attitude/anger issues. Sell your BMW and get some therapy pronto.

At times I weep softly at night.....................

Cheers,

Garry
 
What the hell is wrong with people these days? I hope someone went to help her. What a couple of complete losers.

Anyway, still stinking cold out! The most surprising thing is how cold it is, how close to Christmas is it and there'a no snow here!
With different tires and a block heater, I really could still be driving the Corvette.
 
VelocityYellowRules! said:
Young males must really have some issues to work out. Alberta males especially really seem to be having attitude/anger issues. Sell your BMW and get some therapy pronto.
Click to expand...

I do not tolerate thugs, and in this instance, beating a woman and in front of her child is an abominable act.......... But "Alberta males especially".... Is that a bit unfair?. Are we worse than the rest of Canada? The rest of North America?... The World?..... I am not a follower of Liberalism but I am also careful when choosing my words. Intolerance and prejudice is promoted all too easily these days.

Just my thought of the hour.... lol....:Cheers2:
 
Yeah, I might have been just miffed at the treatment that I'm getting from mostly male (Alberta) drivers around here at the moment. Plus my news is mostly from Alberta sources. Having said that I don't seem to recall many similar stories from other provinces.

I suppose this really hit home for me when I had two young guys stop a truck ahead of me at the WEM parking lot and come running up to me and taking a swing at me. People I'd never met before and I still can't to this day imagine what I did to provoke them. Outside of the very disturbing thought that they were just looking for someone at random to attack and my number came up. Nothing probably funnier than a scared 40 something year old male outrunning to guys in their 20's!! I considered myself lucky that I was still running at that time and made it into the Sears store entrance.

It really worries me when people seem to just loose complete control of themselves like this. Two young guys I know have been beaten in bars, one got a broken jaw (they kept kicking him in the face after he was knocked unconscious) and the other had his nose broken. I just can't see hitting someone repeatedly like that for any reason.

Riley, block heaters aside, how would you envision getting traction with your car in the winter?? Chains and studs??!!
 
I do know what you mean Garry. I haven't had the same treatment as you have been experiencing but I know it's out there.... I just wouldn't like to be profiled and feared with the rest of the young Alberta drivers.... Oh. Wait.... I'm 61 so I'm probably just beyond that "young" classification and worrying for no reason... hehe... :rofl:
 
I do live in hope. When I am out exercising I am always sure to wave and smile at drivers who do move out of the way or slow down when going by me. I think a good deal of it has to do with training and awareness. Most people are never on foot so they don't think about things from a non-drivers point of view. I hope to give motivation not only to my son and gf but to others who see me doing this as a regular activity. Maybe they'll think one day that rather than driving I'll walk just like that guy I see going out every day.

My rule of thumb, especially in the winter, in a town that is only 3 km at its' greatest width, is that in most cases you can get to your destination on foot long before you'd let your vehicle warm up enough to clear the windows. I assume most people are going to their place of work and if they're not transporting groceries or anything, get the exercise and save the gas $. I can't wait for my first full month fuel bill after having moved here, for example!

And probably most drivers are pretty good. But it seems that perhaps there are a greater number of extreme encounters that people have these days. Maybe we're just more tightly wound up? I think that the job losses in the oil industry that might be affecting more young Alberta males is making them feel frustrated and they end up lashing out. And of course the mob mentality plays into this as well. Probably either of these two guys alone would not have reacted this way but together they just egged each other on.

But if they could only give pause for thought. That person is someone's father, mother, brother, sister etc. How would you like someone treating them like that? Think before acting. And who hasn't committed a gaff while driving? Not seeing someone, missing a shoulder check. Don't take it as an affront, I'm sure in most cases it is not personal and just a lapse of concentration that I think we are all guilty of having when driving.....................

Cheers,

Garry
 
So finally some progress. Finished the walls. This is after 1 primer and 3 coats of paint too. Those textured wall panels do not take paint well even after priming. Still now I just have to wait for a while yet (my gf said it would be 4 weeks before we could mask again) to do the door trim - in white.

But what a difference! The flash masks it but in the original state it was so dark that the light just seemed to get absorbed. Now with the walls in yellow, it is such a bright and warmer room.

Put my desk in, chairs, and have been busy trying to move data from the old computer to the new one. What a difference in 8 or so years of technology. Sort of like my 280 ZX vs. the Z06! But everything I think I want moved has been done outside of my email. I still have to load the new program on and try to figure out how to move my old emails.

Life is wonderful here, lost another 2 lb, lots of walking and start by running a mile ever morning now too.

Still can't get over how much fun it is to go into the garage when I am putting things on the shelves and getting to see the cars - wheeeeee!

I'll post before and after pictures as soon as I can figure out how to shrink down the file size to the limit permitted...................not Mr. Tech savvy here.............

Cheers,

Garry
 
Glad to hear things are coming along Garry!!!

As my friend told me the other day, he thinks that anyone who is miserable with Canada or think they have a reason to be angry towards other people should spend some time in Sudan to see how real difficulty is. Maybe then they'd change their attitudes when they come back to Canada.

And on a lighter note, traction for a Vette in winter would be trying to source blizzaks that fit or some studded tire and if needed, throw some weight in the back.
 
Good morning Riley,

So we're celebrating Christmas here today. My son goes back to his mom's tomorrow and my gf also leaves for Calgary to see her kids so it is the last day before the 25th we're all together. I have to get some celery this morning yet but pulled the turkey out of the freezer two days ago so it should be thawed out by now. By luck my gf booked the 24th off work without remembering it so we'll do some cooking together.

Your point on Canadians thinking they have it rough is oh so true. While I've done it on a smaller scale in the past, we had a family meeting this year and decided rather than increasing the volume of "stuff" get give each other for Christmas, we're limiting it to one or two gifts each. We pooled the remainder of what we'd normally spend and selected a charity that does programs/supports projects in 3rd world countries and spent the money there. I always have some fear about the % lost to overhead and admin fees with these groups but you have to shop around and choose one and have the confidence it is going where it needs to be.

Even in talking about it now a few days later I do feel so good about it and best of all my son talks about how he hopes the money we spend is going to give others a better life and we're really given up nothing to accomplish this.

Sure I realize that there are people suffering in Canada and I do support my food bank and church thrift store with donations as well, but the difference between what people face here and say people in the Sudan as you said, I think is night and day. And I think that the $ donated ends up accomplishing a good deal more to people suffering overseas.

The three of us were just overwhelmed by what we have during the process of this move, dishes, clothing and everything. We'd probably be able to kit out most Kenyan villages just ourselves! I've probably got 12 to 15 pairs of running shoes myself - granted that I got from Value Village so I'm not just adding more to end up in the landfill. And the nice thing is my son now takes my shoe size so guess where they've been disappearing to?! My son's stuff that he outgrows that is rarely worn out goes to his classmates for their use, MEC, Running Room etc. Play it forward right?

Super weather the past week about but due to cool off again. Starting running 1 km of the total in the morning and now up to 1.7 km. It feels so good again. Past two days my son and I have spent time in the pool too. Nice to be able to walk 1.5 km and have an indoor pool to go to.

When was the last time I even drove my car??!!

I remember when Richard Spinard was out by Peace River testing winter tires for Porsche Canada about 15 or more years ago so there ought to be some 345 sized ones kicking around by now. Need a block heater too though first! And I can't imagine the valence of the Z06 hitting some of those packed snow ridges on the roads - yikes!

Cheers,

Garry
 
Merry Early Christmas Garry! I hope you have a wonderful day! I can almost smell the turkey already!!! :D

Almost the new year and I could still drive the Vette, but as stated, once the snow flies, some of the ruts out there would be devastating! However.....these Corvettes are so easy to lower, I wonder how easy they'd be to lift? :D

That is a very nice way to celebrate Christmas with a portion going to help others. I didn't mean to make it sound like a person has to go to Sudan to appreciate Canada as you stated, there are a lot of people here who are in need as well. I just don't understand getting violent against other people...... anyway, enough of that talk,

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time with the fam!!
 
Mom and Dad are heading back home. It went really well, my son's first wine with his meal - he thought it was a sign of how grown-up he is now at 12!

Wow you have so little snow you could be still out with the car?! Lucky you! I dream about having that come spring and it gets me excited. The end of dusty rims!

Nah, I didn't take it as a slight in any way. It is just a case of while not being Bill Gates, I appreciate my good fortune in my life and what to make sure that my son understands that as lucky as we are, not every one in Canada or the world is as fortunate as we are. What I was proud of was his pride in explaining to his grandparents why we didn't have as many presents under the tree as in previous years and how he was OK with that because of what we had decided to do with the money we'd have spent on gifts instead. It gives me hope that at some point as he will be the one to most likely have what I have accumulated in my life, what my parents have accumulated in their life, that he will be well positioned in his life. This legacy comes with a responsibility that we need to consider others who are not as well off as we are. Do I need more tank books? Does my son need more video games? Does my gf need more fabric? So how about those that compared to us who have nothing? You come to realize that sure there are some wonderful books by say JJ Fedorowicz publishing that I'd like to have, running now say $250 and up. Well $100 would provide a micro-loan to a woman for her to buy a sewing machine to set up a business that she can use to better her family's situation.

It becomes an easy choice to make.

And while I'm unlikely to give some pan-handler cash on Jasper Ave. in the winter, I'm happy to take him to Tim's to buy a hot lunch instead.

A whole lot of misery out there. For the luck of who my parents are and grandparents were, the shoe could have so easily been on the other foot!

So ya, a huge fun time today, ripped apart the bird, getting ready to make soup stock, send mom and dad with everything they'll need for their Sunday meal with an aunt and uncle. Learned that a 29 lb turkey does NOT fit in my currenbt roaster!!!!!

Happy Holidays my friend!

Garry
 
Sorry it took such a long time. Fantastic weather here outside of freezing rain, +4 and calm so I took the drone out for its' first flight in the open air and so have a video of the house I bought.



I subsequently took it off beginner mode so I could increase the altitude and distance I could go and flew it down the street to meet my gf when she was walking home. Pretty cool experience but also sort of nerve wracking as it is done out of sight so you have to view everything through the iPad. Hard to see things like power lines so you end up flying higher to be safe. But still I think this will prove to be a lot of fun when I get better with it...............
 
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