I'm back from the dreaded weekend of hell..... but only half so.... myself I have mixed feelings.... my aunt is gone (she is pictured to the left.... and I met some really weird hateful people this weekend..... but I had family around me that I haven't seen in many years.... so it was very worth while going for that reason alone.... I'm not much of the mournefull type as I stated before but at least I have some respect.... I would never treat the family of the person like we were treated ever.... but anyway.... I dont really want to get into any of that.... it's just so stupid....

in any event we visited a number of places in the area and I got to visit with my cousins... we had good times.... the area that we were in is extremely beautiful and if it weren't for some stupid people I'd go back there again at some later date... even though there isn't really anything to go there for me anymore.... who knows... maybe in time I can forget the idiots....

my cousins offered to take me home with them (it was slightly out of their way) and I got excited because they were telling me we were gonna stop in kimberly... kimberly is where my grandma lived when she was alive... I visited there when I was very young and remember going skiing on the best hill I have ever been on (except now the best is Fernie) anyway we went there to check out the gravesite and town as well as schnitzle..... I had a delicious tiger prawn schnitzle.... but the next morning I found out the reason why they call it that.... but I slightly changed the spelling......

shitzle... I dare yew not to laugh

but I'd eat it again... it was very good.... when we went to check out the grave marker ... we came accross a slightly amazing site.... as we got closer to the spot we were greeted by a deer laying by the marker.... kinda makes one wonder

howdy.... the weekend of weekends has turned upside down.... I've not had to spend my birthday at a funeral before... it wont be fun and well I dont really know what to say.... my aunt dorothy has had an unfortunate accident .... it is a shock to the entire family but I refuse to dwell on it as I am not one for mourning... instead I will share my dorothy stories.....

the first I recall is back when I lived in ontario.... kewl auntie dorothy would come visit us but unbeknownst to her we had a slight problem in the house.... summer found our home to have visitors and they came to her in the night.... "flap flap flap flap" came the noise in the room.... "what is that????" came the response.....

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a bat..... oh my god... it's a bat.. it's gonna get in my hair... aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

being somewhat used to this my dad got out the device of the night to shoo the bats out of the house.... this time two tennis rackets were used.... all I could do was laugh at the silly girls screaming in terror of the tiny bats that might land in their hair and get all tangled

the other story I have I dont really remember details as I was quite young but I do remember the outcome..... we were in a place called red lake fishing.... it was a family spot many years ago.... anyway most of us were catching fish but great auntie dorothy or one of the girls... (I dont recall who) managed to catch a turtle.... the cute (I hear) little thing wouldn't let go of the hook ... and they tried and tried till dorothy said here let me try and as she put her hand to the lips of the turtle it lashed out with it's suprisingly fast head and latched onto her hand between the thumb and index finger..... needless to say she found out the hard way that the turtle was a snapping turtle... them suckers have a bite as strong or stronger than a lobster claw... the chewfest on her hand lasted quite some time and as they tried to get the clampers off her hand she kept shouting "ow ow.... dont hurt him... ow ow"

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on another note I have made my first huge purchase and have obtained my first "legitimately mine" car.... some funny things about it... I got in the car and drove it around.... felt quite comfortable in it.... it was fantastic..... standard trans of course.. (I've grown to love driving standard.... makes the car more responsive lol) I look forward to learning some new things about cars... such as where to put oil and other things they need... ok so I'm kidding but there are a few things that will be needed for my car..... the first thing I will need to take car of is a paint job.... I may do a patch up but since it is my car I believe that I will ensure that it gets done right... now all I have to do is resist the urge to put fancy doo dads .... such as wheels n such..... but oh well it matters not....

another blurr of a week has passed me.... it's only a week till my birthday.... sadly the celebration will not occur as originally anticipated.... it appears that I will spend my birthday alone for the first time in a long time... course I may have to change that sometime this week..... there is talk of flying somewhere..... but I can't lose my job so it has to be timed perfectly..... but I'm not gonna jinx it .... I get many opportunities to take pictures of sunsets but I've never seen one so amazing as I have this week... it was sooooo good that I took a video of the sun going down.... it's a shame you will not get to see it anytimem soon lol.....

anyway ended up at the races this week instead of thunder in the valley.... but the event of the week.. perhaps month was writing on stone

writing on stone is a place people can go to climb ... swim... camp.... and basicly go crazy... the name as it suggests is the highlight... basicly you choose a spot in the park to carve or write your name in the stone... I just fancied the climbing but I eventually found a spot that I believe no one else had been... I searched for the most remote or hardest place to get to and put my name on it... and of course mine being the only one there so it sorta stands out.... sadly it's in a place that I doubt anyone will actually see it..... but I took pictures and I know I did it lol....

another part of the park is the wildlife.... I spent a good 20 minutes following a rabbit around the campsite to takes it's picture... some of them are quite good.... but even more difficult is to get a decent shot of the many deer that frequent the park...... of course I managed to do this as you can quite see..... anyway I will be going back to that place again but I think I shall make arrangements to go to waterton for my birthday.... but of course go-carts are on the top of the list.... and if I can't do go-carts then I'm going to race a stolen car instead lol

maybe my next story will be how I got arrested for stealing a car..... but who would believe that :P

it's been a blur of a week... I have been going through internet withdrawal and it's scaring me lol..... however as busy as I have been I do have a few things to share... of course I do... internet withdrawal does that to me....

first thing I must share is the reason for my withdrawal.... it's not exactly fun driving without breaks.... but ...... I can do it lol... we took the boat down to the lake on the weekend for a dip... I forgot how much fun it is to dive off a boat ... but not so much into weeds lol.... anyway the boat trip was great I did a lot of swimming but when it came time to get the boat out of the water... I backed the truck up and nearly kept going into the lake because the breaks weren't working.... lucky me.... luckily I'm a proffessional so I averted the crisis... got the boat out and drove home.... I probably should mention that the brakes work (sorta) the power breaks part didn't so it took an exceptionally long time to slow down... in any event I took it easy and managed to get around... the breaks are now fixed so dont be alarmed .... I'm not driving around the country without brakes ... I'm not a lunatic... well ok maybe but I wouldn't do that for any lenght of time sheesh ....

it's been so hot here these days that it does not cool off in the home till some time after 12 or 1am so we have pitched our tents on the farm.... and even then it's still hot in the tents but I'm getting used to it and probably will be sleeping in the tent for the rest of the summer ... maybe... we shall see.... but sleeping in the tent has made me late for work for the last couple days.... which has forced me to working later in the hot afternoon... I dont like this idea so I'm gonna get an alarm clock I can take to the tent.... good idea perhaps... speaking of work... I've been working on a monster house by myself .... it's odd that I've been able to do it so soon after starting a new proffession... but I feel quite comfortable and I think I'll be ok.... cept it would be very nice to have an extra set of hands to set up scaffolding.... especially for high walls like the one I'm working on ... luckily I got the boss to bring in a lift for me so I dont have to kill myself trying to get the job done.... maybe I'll take pictures tomorrow... but wont be able to share them for a while because of another busy weekend coming up....

thunder in the valley... I've been told it's the biggest display of fireworks in southern alberta.... and after looking at the website's claim of a 35-45 minute display of pyrotechnics.... this will be something I cannot miss.... everyone that knows me well ... knows that fireworks are one of my favourite things.... but not as much as lighting my own off lol..... yes I'm a firebug... and I love blowing things up..... ummm anyway

I'm gonna leave you with one last thing..... some advice.... important advice I say... dont leave your deodorant on the railing of the deck where the hot sun can get at it... I've discovered that it will melt.... and all over a good shirt too....

I dont know what is going on anymore.... I've become somewhat lost.... I think my new life is turning into my old life... perhaps yew can't escape yewr own reality.... but perhaps it's more than that... we all are creatures of habit.... and habit is probably what drives us ... maybe it's time to just accept the reality that is ours.... in any event I spose I have no choice but to continue my meaningless existance for a while.... for the last year or so it was not very difficult for meeting new people or contributing to the enjoyment of others .. but lately I feel like I've dropped off the face of the earth and landed in some unreal reality...

maybe I am just feeling some strange course of homesickness... the symptoms are kinda similar... but I think I'm just missing my regular routine.... to be honest friends is all that I'm missing... I'm used to having someone to chill out with on the weekend or if I am bored I can go hang out or be somewhere... no matter where I went I would see someone I know ... but this has all gone from me... I dont know people here and they aren't as quick to be hospitable or friendly here... except for perhaps people that are working... such as the coffee shop..... they have to be nice .. so they smile.. they talk friendly or whatever else you would come to expect....

but then again.... some people put on that fakeness and then get caught out in it... I hate liers.... I hate myself sometimes.... but I will only admit this because I'd be a lier if I said I didn't sometimes lie..... which perhaps makes us all liers... what a strange reality that is.... why do some people think that they can just say anything just to get out of a situation... even when they know that it would be so easy to call them out on the lie..... it's odd.... why not just tell the truth and be done with it... yewr not gonna score any points with meaningless drivel that really doesn't make sence... or are you just trying to shock someone out of reality... I have no clue... perhaps it's just our nature to do this... or perhaps even worse... we do it just to see the reaction.... a test if yew will... whatever it is I've lost a part of my new reality that I liked and will never have it back again just because of a stupid lie someone told me... the truth would have been much more understanding I'm sure... whatever it really was.... but it's too late now... I'll never view the situation the same ever again....

but enough doom n gloom....

I'm off to the races tonight and I may even submit my name to race in the claimers.... but with vacation coming up soon I may not be able to.... we shall see.... maybe I just have something to prove.... but more to myself than anything else... a dream shall be revived in doing so.... I will be a race car driver.. even if it's only for one night .... wouldn't it be cool if I win too??? but lets not get ahead ... reality is after all..... what this is all about

I believe I have blogged about it before but it's irritating me.... I need to know how people can have an entire conversation with themselves.... are they talking to different people up there? or is the conversation (complete with hand gestures and everything) just continuous babble.... maybe I do this from time to time without knowing... but I dont think I do (and please dont lie and say I do just for kicks... sheesh.. I could do the same for yew)

anyway the native guy is sitting beside me again.... and the muttering ramblings of the old dood are beginning to annoy me... I'm sitting here doing nothing but contemplate things and all I can hear is the light murmering of a conversation with only one voice... something else I've noticed.... the old guy (again he looks like david caradine) wears a black cowboy hat that is pulled down and when he walks (or rides his bike) he has his head down.... it makes no sence to me how he gets to where he wants to go like that but whatever... the odd part is when he's sitting doing his conversation thing he's looking up... it's like he's looking accross the table at the other person contributing to the one sided conversation..... is it me or am I the crazy one here..... I have nothing better to do than wonder what's going on at the table next to me with the seemingly crazy native caradine guy..... but he's just talking away like he's at tea with the women folk ... or business lunch... maybe I should sit with him ... maybe he'll direct the conversation my way.... perhaps I can find out if in fact he's having an actual conversation or not... maybe even if he's speaking english or some other tongue.... or maybe I'll just come back to reality and stop wondering about the crazies...... like that's ever gonna happen... where would I get my entertainment then..... and yewrs for reading this mess..... admit it yewr just as bad as me now cause your laughing with me ...........

I thought so.....

I made it to the show n shine... there were so many nice cars... but I only have time to upload my favourites.... I might upload the rest to the photo storage later... but enjoy these just the same....

Street Wheelers - Street Machines weekend.... all I can say is wow... fantastic display of cars.... and best of all it's free... cept for possibly the drag strip that I sadly didn't make it to... I slept in... my workweek is pretty tiring.... anyway I got to admire a lot of neat and not so neat cars as they paraded up and down the main drag downtown.... the police were out in full force as well to ensure everyone was maintaining order lol... course they were probably there to inspect the capabilities of the cars so they can improve their own to keep up with them lolol.... some of the cars had lift kits and one of them gave us a small display of bouncing while pedestrians were crossing... it was kinda cool to see it in person .... the truck looked like shit but it was still kinda cool lol.... there was another car that had the lift kit but his first run around the strip the car was jacked in the front and low in the back.... his license plate was dragging on the ground... it was kinda funny..... I also saw a couple burnouts... I dont think they were supposed to do that but of course rebels are everywhere.... the most noticable (other than the peace wagon) was the mini cooper with the union jack flying behind it... the flag was nearly as big as the car itself haha..... a few of the cars are decked out with nitrous as well ... most of the cars were really nice to hear rumbling down the road... and amazingly some of them you couldn't hear at all as they passed.....

anyway here are some of the pictures from the parade.... you can click on them for a larger view......

man it's been a long time since I've been in heat like this.... it's so hot that a walk to the truck from 10 feet away just to pick up a roll of tape and back will leave me dripping with sweat.... (such a lovely picture) and no amount of water will help... but depending on what side of the building I'm working from there is shade... problem is .... even in the shade it's hot... but even in the heat I had a visitor at the worksite yesterday... sadly it was the day I didn't have my camera with me... the house I just finished is beside what they call the coolies.... it's basicly a canyon that runs through town.... as you can see I took a couple pictures.... I can get better ones but every time I drive past the scenic way I'm either driving or too busy to stop for a picture... but eventually I'll get some pictures of it... it is very nice... but in a few years the houses that are being built here will be at the bottom of that canyon lol.... seems like a waste to me... but I'm not paying for it so it's all good...

as for the visitor.... it was a deer.... I was blasting away at the building when all of a sudden I looked up and a deer was looking back at me.... it wasn't more than 50 feet away from me.... but this doesn't shock me anymore... deer are all over the place here ... I just wish I had my camera so I could take a picture.... it would have been impressive to have a picture of the deer leeping over the 4 foot fence to go back into the coolies.... I'm glad I got to witness it up close and live...

I'll be braving the heat on the weekend however for the street machine weekend.... I hope to get many great pictures of awesome cars.... as well as see some of the drag racing (I doubt I'll get to see that though)

in case I for some odd reason dont get any decent pictures you can check others out (if your interested) click here

what a weekend... mostly spent on or in water.... thankfully and half of that was behind the wheel of the boat or with an oar in hand lol... canada day has celebrations of all kinds here and I must say some of the best fireworks I've seen in years.... there wasn't a lot of them like seaside days in dominion back home but there were some of the biggest and loudest I've come accross... I was really impressed.... but maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were in a canoe and the explosions were practically above us... as for the boating... we tied a raft to it and dragged our sorry asses around the lake.. it was quite fun as you can see by the pictures... sadly the motor was having some trouble so I didn't get to show off like the old guy but there is always next week..... maybe even some fishing will be in order... I haven't done that in a supremely long time.... in any event it was a fantastic weekend and end to a very long hot work week but sadly the summer has only just begun... I've been informed that it's only gonna get hotter... great...

well anyway onward with the story from the canoe trip of death... the first thing we needed to do was construct a rack so it would fit on the truck properly and then of course load it... I kinda wish I had brought my camera but with the excitement of tubing earlier in the day someone had taken my camera out of the truck... oh well... we get to the park and drag the canoe accross the road then place it in the lake... after we piled in (with our supplies) it was time to row out to a spot to watch... wouldn't ya know it there is actually two parts to the lake with tunnel bridges but of course the water is far too shallow to make it through so we hop out and portage over the rocks

I haven't been in a canoe in a very long time so I almost forget how easy they tip.... thankfully when stepping in I quickly remember and prevent a deffinate spill.... and rowing... well that came back instantly .. just like riding a bike... and thanks to all the work I've been doing I wasn't winded at all as we went all over the lake (it is kinda big for a city park) ... we proceed on a tour of the lake and after bypassing all the "poor people" on the shore... of course pausing a moment from rowing to wave at the little kids that were waving out to us...

after we went on the tour we settled in our spot and began the wait for the fireworks to start.... it seemed like forever for the sun to go down so we made another tour around the lake... there was a channel on one side with a bridge to a small island... this one we could actually get the canoe through without having to portage... we got part way through when a very nice officer of the law began to demand us to get the boat out of the water.... meanwhile people are taking our pictures lol.. (we were after all the only boat in the lake).... to our question of why the officer suggested we were to close to the detonation place.... well we had moved far away from there by this time so the officer conceded that as long as we were away from there it would be ok.... and this is how I nearly got arrested on canada day lol....