Training Log Archive: Bash

Celebrity news corner: My brother just sent a photo of him standing beside a smiling Kiefer Sutherland, who shopped at my bro's Gravenhurst antique store this afternoon.

*Update*: I wasn't sure it if was appropriate to post the photo of Kiefer but the store (The Market Mews, Gravenhurst) just shared it on Facebook. My brother Dave is on the right as you look at the photo. The guy on the left is the guitarist in Kiefer's band.

AdventureDog and I did a short run around Palgrave West to get me moving and use up some of his boundless energy. We hit two stealth patches of poison ivy. (If Harps lived around here, we might be able to sell him on the advantages of winter.) A-Dog showed his gratitude by tearing a cloth shopping bag to pieces while I was out this evening.

SUP paddling at the C3 Quarry - I arrived a few minutes late.

Yay, SUP yoga is back for the summer! It was raining steadily, which doesn't really matter when you're on the water. So much fun.

Cyclist forgets Garmin, realizes he doesn't enjoy biking.
http://www.lavelocita.cc/opinion-page/data-disconn...

Bought a new MacBook today to replace a 2011 model that has been hanging on by a thread. It had a 17" display, which made it a rare treasure now that Apple has decided 15" is enough, so I put up with problems for months.

When I got that Mac five years ago, I was a happy PC user curious to see what all the fuss was about. Many people told me I would never go back to a PC. That's not true; I would. But I didn't - not this time.

As an IT professional, I really didn't expect the new Mac to just load my 500 GB backup in an hour and run a wide variety of non-Apple applications normally - but that's what it did. So far the only issue is that my Microsoft Office licence only covers one machine so I'll have to get another licence if I want to keep the old Mac around for occasional use - and I can't really blame Apple for that. Seriously impressed.

On a day overshadowed by tragedy in the U.S., it's hard to think about much else. Our family was fortunate to spend a few hours surrounded by friends, relatives and wider community as Dad was inducted posthumously into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. He would have been so touched by this honour. It's bittersweet but we're very proud.



As Mom sat down after accepting the award on Dad's behalf, a group of his Aggie classmates from the University of Guelph's Ontario Agricultural College Class of '55 gave their class cheer from the back of the crowded hall. Both Mom and Dad have attended or hosted annual reunions for their respective classes at U of G for the past 61 years. They went to alumni curling bonspiels, banquets and cottage weekends. Unlike my university class, many members of their classes have stayed in touch for their entire lives - without the help of Facebook or email for the first four decades. Even Dad's roommate from residence was with us today.

I asked some of Dad's classmates to do the class cheer for me on video (I missed the first part). I imagined Dad there with them, heartily shouting the words they learned together in their late teens in 1951. For a moment, I could see the mischievous young men still hiding within these distinguished gentlemen with their grey hair, wrinkles and aching joints. Imagine what it would be like to have 65-year-old friendships! Friendships that still matter even after someone is gone. It was beautiful.

'Bent and I went to Pretty River for a final long-ish hill session before Lavaredo. I had most of the gear I expect to be carrying in the race plus almost 2L of water. We both used poles.

An intense storm swept through before dawn so it was wet, mucky and humid when we first started. It felt like a rain forest and was even a bit foggy at times. The rocks, roots and slopes were slick so it was a great test for the Speedcross Pros, which are supposed to have excellent grip. They certainly worked better than 'Bent's shoes; I didn't have any slips on wooden bridges, steep slopes or slimy rocks.

After going up to the high point of the entire Bruce Trail network on the John Haight Side Trail, I'd thought we could go down and up the road allowance to the west. I remembered scrambling up a really steep slope with Dee in the Snowshoe Raid, both of us extremely grateful for our snowshoe cleats. The map showed the trail going down to the road so it looked like an efficient way to get in a big climb. Nope - not a summer trail; some stretches were overgrown and flooded. Rather than continue to feed the healthy mosquito and FDF populations, we bailed about halfway down and scrambled back up the escarpment. Bad choice.

Back at the Bruce Trail high point, we headed down on the main BT, throwing in a few hill repeats on our way back to the car. Pretty River is a great place to get in some extended climbs on trail - at least by Southern Ontario standards.

We went for Chicken Lessons last night. Some neighbours are away for the weekend and wondered if we would care for their chickens in exchange for the eggs. Although we buy free range eggs from another neighbour, this was educational. We picked up seven eggs on the way home from our run and ate five of them almost immediately! I might have had more if I hadn't had a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait as my lunch.

I put this on Facebook earlier this week; it turns out I can share it here through SmugMug. BazingaDog was distraught when 'Bent took AdventureDog biking instead of him. Poor sad boy!