Bye Bye Winter

As I stated before I had myself a knee injury a while back. Things much better and I've been able to go snowboarding again which was amazing. I was lucky enough to have my 1st day riding at Big Red Cats in Rossland, BC. I used to work for Baldface Lodge so this was my first look at another cat operation. They really have something good going at BRC. The owners are very friendly and I recommend a visit if you're in the market for some cat-skiing(boarding).

You would also be very happy at Baldface....sweet terrain and cool staff.

Our trip to Kauai was preceded by my knee injury so I was unable to do much rigorous hiking. The Napali cost will have to wait...... I was also worried that I wouldn't be able to do any surfing but in the end we managed to catch some small waves in Hanalei Bay. We fell in love with this island and can't wait to go back.

I've already been riding my mtn bike since the weather has been so agreeable. It is tempting to put the wagon the road...now that I'm building the big motor for it I can't wait to go cruising!

I have to go outside now....Here are some photos I took in Kauai

Lots of surfing...

The Ocean is ferocious...

The Hanalei valley....

Amazing scenery everywhere....

So many waterfalls...

Postcard...

Watched the sunset almost every night....

happy couple....

Bum Knee Winter

And by that title I mean I'm laid up with a knee that is taking it's time to heal properly. Way back in early December I messed up my knee playing hockey. I'm usually very active in the winter months with snowboarding and hockey but I'm not able to do any of that yet. I'm chomping at the bit to go snowboarding!!

So for now here are some photos of a friend's B-day party last weekend.

Graham Does the City

Currently spending a week in Vancouver. My parents are ill and I'm here to help out. All is not gloom and doom however.....I'm having some fun as well.

Sunday I found my way to the Canucks game and watched Luongo get his 21st shutout - great game!

Monday I ended up at The Commodore to see 'The Sounds' and 'Foxy Shazam'. I hadn't heard of Foxy Shazam but I found them quite entertaining and The Sounds were really fun. Glad I found my credit card that I thought I had lost.

Eating some good food down here.....looking for some dinner suggestions(Allie?).

Heading over to a buddies place to watch the Vancouver game tonight. Go Canucks!!!

Going to see U2 tomorrow night...that should be really really good.

Say good-bye to the sun Vancouver....Shot this at sunset this afternoon at Kanaka Creek on the Fraser River.

Thinking About Snowboarding

travis1, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

Bought my early-bird seasons pass before the deadline...almost forgot.
There has been some snow on the peaks and I'm getting excited to go riding. Hockey will have to keep me busy until then.

Going to U2 in Van on the 28th....its been 20 years since I last saw them in Australia...whoa.

That is a shot of Travis carving it up in Ymir bowl with afternoon light.

Mid August????????

Idaho Peak, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

Summer is fun....I don't want it to end!!!

There has been lots of fun so far this summer. Mostly I'm glad to have my sweetheart back from school...unfortunately that will be ending come september cuz she's going back.

There's been some hiking, fishing, floating on the river, mtn biking, music, drag racing, down right partying, weddings and golfing.

The nights have just started getting cooler and that is always a sure sign that fall is right around the corner. I have to break 90 on the golf course before the season ends!

Here's a shot of our friends at their wedding

All lined up for a shotgun...obviously I won....

Here's a shot of us at the Weakerthans when they played Nelson.

My girl thinks John K Samson is nerdy and cute....I think there are a lot of girls in that boat.

Cactus Jalopies / Stag party

IMG_0092, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

Now that the fog has cleared and I've sobered up a little I can post some photos from the weekend get-away. Nine guys in 5 cars, ranging from '54 to '66, headed for the annual 'Cactus Jalopies' car show in Osoyoos BC last weekend. Lots of beer, patron and other libations were dealt with in an organized and responsible manner.......NOT!!!!

Nice hat Gabe(Groom)

Pat's Pontiac

Lounging

Kenny's car playground is one cool place!

Spring Time

reflection, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

Everything is sprouting around here and the colors are amazing. I love the different shades of green in the Spring.

Below is the same shot with PS watercolor filter.

Fire Training

roof venting, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

Last month the fire hall I belong to had the opportunity to do a control burn on a house that was slated for demolition. We used to the house for various training scenarios. There is no substitute for this kind of training....everything went really well. Here are some photos.

The photo above is roof vent training.

Below is some ladder egress training. Smokey...

Here we have some fire.....we had to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding buildings.

There was some people I knew doing a photo shoot for a clothing store in Nelson so here's Dini looking a little guilty.

Changing out the air packs.

Here's Mark, one of our training officers, looking on.

Things are getting HOT!!!

Another shot of Dini. Wardrobe change #7.

It was all said and done in 2 hours....here's the crew of the Crescent Valley Fire Dept.

Calgary over the Long Weekend

palliser lobby, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

Had a great trip to Calgary over the weekend. Hanging with my bird and enjoying the beautiful weather. Having beers at the Ship & Anchor wearing a t-shirt.....nice!

We got a super discount room at the swanky Fairmont Palliser downtown and had lots of fun. The Avenue Diner has amazing breakfasts.

There was a lot of hanging in the yard going on....Our friend's son Eli was ecstatic over the BBQ lighter fluid.

Pilot, the dog, is not sure he wants to be ridden so he's about to make a run for it.

We made some colored easter eggs for the hunt on Sunday.

The drive home was quick and the last day of riding at the hill was awesome yesterday....lots of fresh snow.

I'm always excited for Spring but I'll miss snowboarding...I've already been golfing once.

Spring Wagon / Spring Riding

Spring Wagon, originally uploaded by Lovewine / Graham jones.

I love when its spring down here and winter in the mountains. I fired up the '63 wagon the other day and took it for a spin down the back road...can't wait for drag race season! It fired right up.

This is what the riding looked like 4 days ago.......sick!

Then.......

Sunday was the last day at the hill (WH2O) and the riding was very spring like....in fact it was the only spring riding day we had this season. It had snowed over a meter and a half in the last 2 weeks so there was lots of powder turns before the closing weekend. I'll miss the turns but if I'm not golfing to soon I can always go for a tour.

A group of us hit the hill on Sunday and made a couple of snow couches where we could catch some rays and have some beers in between runs. Soooooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!

Pat does his diving act....

Ymir Peak in the back ground....