Spent $16 at Princess Auto...

So what does 16 bucks get you at my favorite store ?:

2 Emergency Ponchos @ $1.49 each

These are good to have tucked away in a vehicle etc.

2 Tool Holders @ $2.61 each
...planning on mounting these in my camper van, likely up front around the shifter console/dash etc.

6 feet of rubber tubing for $1.99
...not sure why I bought this...

and finally, a mini tripod for $3.99

There you have it. The SURPLUS section never fails to yield some interesting stuff...

My Father

My Dad was born on March 1st 1914. He died in the summer of 1980. 

Today would have been his 99th Birthday...

Snowshoes

Around these parts, if you wanna take in any outdoor winter activity, my old High School motto (Carpe Diem) is a must. Our coastal locale often means we're on the line between rain and snow, usually getting either or both with any storm. The sun is out so let's go snowshoeing...

 Thankfully, the evenings are getting a bit longer such that we can squeeze an hour or so in after work or school.

James attempts his best "rugged" pose

I'm hoping for more snow and a bit more freeze-up too please. It would be nice to get a full day in, or even an overnight winter camp-out. We'll see how this works out. Stay tuned...

These "modern" snowshoes are far superior to the old wooden and rawhide contraptions of years past. They don't get wet and heavy, and the harnesses are simpler than the old leather varieties. Costco often has a good deal. I bought a second pair this past Christmas, with poles and a carry bag...

X-C skiing

With the "warm" winters we've been having in Halifax. cross country skiing is something that doesn't happen too much for me. Nevertheless, Saturday, I managed to overcome inertia and go for a little glide. As you can see from the image below, there was not much snow, and an ATV beat me to the trail...

the weather was nice though, about -9c and sunny with very little wind...

...took me a while to get the stride and rhythm, I forgot how much fun this is...

A bit icy in spots, but it's only January so there should be lots of chances for more....

Old Faithful (not)...

Hot Chocolate was in order of course...

other end is a spoon...

Route followed...I was surprised to realize that I had gone about 1.3 kms in the trail. It only seemed like a few minutes, then again it's easy to cover ground on skis, much quicker than snowshoes. Oh, well, I'm hoping to get some more of this in. One setback though, my ski boots had succumbed to some sort of dry rot while in extended storage...they were falling to pieces (literally) by the time I got back to the van. Not to fear, for a new pair is on order...

more to come...

Belated Happy New Year

We're beyond the first week of January already, WOW ! We all stayed put this Christmas season. Not too busy, but lots of food,fun, and celebration. Christmas morning was quiet but nice...

I think everyone was a little more tired than excited, the by-product of growing up I'm afraid...

 We all headed out to a homeless shelter to help serve Christmas Dinner to some friends in need. It's good to have the strength to help. We even made it back home in time to put our own feedbag on...

Alas, the boys and their friends had to sit at a separate table. They got over it though.

Switching to New Years, I remember a tradition from home where folk went to church on New Year's Eve to "ring in the new year". Thankfully, a bunch of "young adults" have handsomely resurrected this practice with a service called "Arise". Joel and James were in the thick of things, playing guitar, drums, singing etc. 

I'm glad to see that the new generation is picking up the ball where us "older" folks have so often failed. God help my generation and our collective complacency, Amen.

(above Photo by Ibimina Koko, and I stole it without his permission)

Winter Driving

Here in Halifax, we don't often get winter in the true sense of the word. Here along he coast, most storms has some element of rain or ice pellets, often with very little snow. Still though, it's unpredictable, and winter city driving can be treacherous. Making things more complex, my old van is rear wheel drive, and even though the engine's in the back too, there's not much weight or traction back there. Properly rated winter tires are hard to find so I'm trying to work out a compromise. I have a pair of those mud and snow (M+S) rated tires, but they are not the best. Normally, I just stay put if the roads are bad, but I get concerned about getting stranded out somewhere while the weather turns yucky. So I'm trying something old fashioned: Tire Chains. I picked up some at Princess Auto recently. i saw them there last year, but the $99 price tag made me procrastinate until the other day I saw them marked down to $25.08. Bingo. They are a funny design, with two ratcheting gizmos for self-tightening.

I had yet to install the M+S tires, so I figured I should check the fit...

They fit just fine, so I went ahead and put the tires on...

The chains install quickly and easily, without having to do any jacking or moving. My plan is to keep them in the vehicle, and hopefully if I get caught out in miserable road conditions, they'll help get me home. See below for an installation video from the manufacturer...

Christmas Root Beer 2012

I've rambled on about this before, and normally it's a last minute thing. HomeMade Root Beer needs a full week or so to carbonate properly. In previous years, I often got around to making it just in time. This year I had it ready by December 1st or so. The downside (isn't there always one?) of course is that the first batch is almost all gone. No big problem, I'll make another one.

Fortunately, a good friend gifted me with a nice green milk crate of 16 large reusable bottles. That made the second batch a much easier undertaking since the extra bottles meant I didn't have to wait for the first batch...not that I had to wait long :)

 

I did have a slight issue with the bigger bottles though; see the red circle in the picture above, where the bottle is touching the metal shank of the capper. I was a little hesitant to apply pressure, thinking it might smash said precious bottle. I got around it by using a different capper (it pays to have more than one of most things) that did not have that block of wood attached to the base. I could have removed the block, but that's work :)

 Anyway, the first batch is all but gone, and the second will be ready to drink by the weekend. My prediction is that at the rate it's being inhaled, I'll need a third batch before Christmas day, not a bad problem since I'm one of the guilty parties...belch !!

The old standard was HIRES Brand extract, but that seems to have vanished. For the last few years, all I've been able to find is this ROYAL Brand. However, it seems to taste just as good. This year it's gone up to about 6 dollars a bottle. Add a bag of sugar, yeast, and bottle caps, and the cost is between 10 and 15 dollars.That;s not really "cheap" when decent President's Choice Draft Root Beer can be had for 50 cents a litre. Then again, it's not about the money  :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!