Picking up Mom in Florida

Returned from Tortola around 19:00 March 31st, and the the next morning, I commenced the 25 hour drive to Florida. Stayed with Heimo and Hedy again which may well have been the last visit they have in King of Prussia before moving to Boston where Hedy will start her new job in a few weeks. Made it to Jacksonville the 2nd night and then Jensen Beach the following afternoon. Went to the the 3 hour Easter vigil at my Mom's church. Helene and I were both away from home this Easter. She as in Chicoutimi. I saw the last scheduled launch of the Shuttle Discovery at 06:21 about 90 minutes prior to departing Jensen Beach. It looked like a fast moving planet in th darl early morning sky. Returned to Ottawa in two days stopping enroute to say a quick hello to David and sylvie and to Kathy and Marie.

Tortola

After many years of dreaming about it, Michele and I along with David and Sylvie enrolled in a sailing course in Tortola, British Virgin Islands and were certified for USS Basic Keel Boat, USS Basic Cruising, and USS Bareboat Cruising. The course was offered by Offshore Sailing and consisted of 2 days of sailing aboard a 26' Colgate punctuated each day with academic sessions. Then we moved onto a 43.4' Beneteau for 5 days of day sailing amongst the islands. The weather conditions were perfect (as usual for the area) and we had a great time learning the basic art of sailing under the tuteledge of Daniel Duggan-Jones (ex South Africa). Michele and I stayed another 3 days at the Long Bay Beach Resort where we snorkeled and limed. See more photos on the Picasa site (Tortola 2010)

Spring Crocus

The crocus and snow bells are blooming nicely in the back garden as is the geranium in the solarium. Another record breaking day for weather as the temperature reached 13.8 degrees (beating the previous record of 13.6). Cycled 41km today...a bit of last minute shopping in preparation for our trip tomorrow and then to Chambly and back.

Path to Chambly Open

Yesterday was my last day (again) at Fednav. Today, the bike path is now nagigable all the way to Chambly. One more day of cycling before our trip to Tortola. Weather yesterday and today hit 13 degrees C which beats the 1990 record highs of 12.8 degrees on the 16th and 12 degrees on 17th.

Scotch Pine Needles

The mild end to winter this year means an early start in the garden. There are still patches of snow on the front and back lawns, but yesterday, March 13th, after raking the exposed parts of the lawn, I still managed to collect 4 big bags of scotch pine needles. This year the city plows really messed up the side lawn when pushing the snow away from Muariac bus stop. Michele called city hall to complain and they said that it was not the city per se, but the contractors hired by the city who are responsible. The lady at city hall took our address and said that we would be placed on a long list of lawn repairs to be accomplished but warned that we should not expect to see anyone until June! After raking, I went along my usual bike path to see how much closer I could get to Chambly. Each day, the snow recedes a little more, but as of March 13th, the path is still covered in snow. Managed to go along one section where the path is reduced to a single very narrow lane. Expect that next week, the path will be fully open. Upon my return, I weighed in at 200 lbs, that's exactly 22 lbs lighter than I was a year ago and 16 lbs lighter than I was 3 months ago. Good evidence that exercise helps enormously.

Dusting off the bike and fixing first flat of the season

Now that the skiing season is over, it's time to get the bike back out on the road. The temperatures these days are slightly below 10 degrees C, but with my ski hat, ski jacket and ski gloves on, riding is warm and comfortable. It will have to get a bit warmer before Michele gets her bike out. So, for the early part of this season I'll be on my own. This Saturday (March 6th, 2010) and Sunday (March 7th), I cycled along the bike path towards Chambly, but had to turn back at Carignan becuase there was too much snow on the path past that point. A return trip to Carignan covers abt 24km and burns off 1600 calories (well...it took 1600 calories on Sunday when I had to cycle back from Carignan on a flat tire which is no easy feat...perhaps it would have taken fewer calories on well inflated tire. Primeau contacted their contact at Connondale in the US to find out if the specialized "Mini" car rack for a Bent1 was still available. As far as that contact knew, it is not...how unfortunate. May have to purchase a 2nd bike which fits into a normal bike rack for the Mini. Now, I need to purchase a new tube to replace the one I ruing by cycling back on it in its flat condition. This will be the first time I have fixed a flat on this bike. It feels great to be back on the bike again.

Tripping on a Leaf

Hard to imagine, perhaps, but the other day as Michele and I were skiing at Parc Mont St Bruno, I tripped on a little brown leaf sitting innocently on the trail. The thing is, as I was transferring my weight to my left foot and leaning forward to slide with the step, my ski ran over a leaf and got stuck...so, as my body continued to move forward whith my left foot stuck, I ultimately lost balance and fell. I tried to imagin other animals tripping on a leaf, and I was unable to think of one.