Autumn On The Canadian Tundra 2010, Part 5 - A Haiku.

A Haiku.

Slender tall grass, drenched in tepid sunlight, sway in cold autumn wind.

Autumn On The Canadian Tundra 2010, Part 4.

More Aspens in Fish Creek Park.

Autumn on the Canadian Tundra, Part 4. Added bonus: Movie Review of Twilight: - Stick A Fork In Me Now!

Autumnal poplar trees in Fish Creek Park...

Movie Review: Twilight.

[Ed. note: In a feeble attempt to stay "hip" with the kids these days, I decided, clandestinely, to sign out a library copy of the mega-hit movie Twilight (I'm probably the first male patron of the Calgary Public to do so). Here entails my review of the movie Twilight...]

Where was Vincent Price?

If I was a vampire, would I be very very scary. Or, my sexiness hinder my ability to scare.

If you went to a smack down involving a vampire, would you bring A) a wooden stake or B) a purse-sized can of pepper spray?

Would a 200 year old vampire dating a high school girl be considered a dirty old vampire...?

What's scarier, a blood sucking vampire or being stuck in high school for eternity?

Bella (the female protaganist): "I know you're a vampire but can I just hang out with you?" What the hell? Give my head a shake...

Nothing like a diamond encrusted vampire. Am I right ladies?

Was that two hours of my life I can't get back?

My viewing of Twilight conjured up more questions than the scene of Tiger Woods' fender bender...

On a serious note, if I may, the movie was ok.

I think I understand why the ladies go ga-ga over this movie. Maybe not...

The love story between Ed the Vampire (the undead male protaganist) and Bella (the enamoured high school junior) was sickly sweet.

The only disturbing aspect of the relationship was the ease in which she fell for him. For crissake, Bella, the guy's a vampire... you were more stoic than he was... If you can't get a case of the heebie jeebies over that fact, I can't help you dear.

Something was certainly missing in the equation.

Did I mention the cast, particularly the assorted vampires, was really sexy?

Brief suggestions for the next installment of the Twilight series: way more bloodletting, scarier vampires, at least one blood curdling scream, less brooding, tighter editing, some humour, and even more sexiness.

In other words, I want to be scared if there's a sequel.

Crissakes, it's vampires were dealing with...

Rating: 3 overdue fines out of 5.

If you see Twilight on the shelf, sign it out for sure. If not, don't waste a valuable spot on your holds list.

Autumn On The Canadian Tundra...Part 3. Added Bonus: An Autumnal Haiku.

Autumnal Haiku...

A fleeting zephyr...
Dead leaves flutter in free fall
to detrital Hell.

Peruse more poetry at Haikus From Hell...

Autumn On The Canadian Tundra...Part 2 or Juizhaigou or Bust?

Random leaves on the floor of Fish Creek Park. How many different tree species can you spot?

I was researching potential destinations for the upcoming trip when I came across a place called Juizhaigou National Park, a jewel of a place located in northern Sichuan Province, China.

I vaguely recalled this place was the subject of a recent National Geographic article.

As I browsed through some of the beautiful online photos of Juizhaigou's emerald, azure blue mountain lakes and broad cascading waterfalls, I thought to myself, 'Damn, I've got to go there".

Indeed, further research revealed that Juizhaigou was a UNESCO Heritage Site!

That really piqued my interest.

Sign me up now!!

That was until I read this brutally honest commentary in what seemed like a Chinese tourism website:

"Jiuzhaigou is a picturesque place without doubt, but we will NOT recommend it as one of China's top destinations for independent backpackers.

First, the entrance ticket Y310 [ed. note Y310 is approximately 45 USD] is too expensive. Secondly, the place is so crowded with Chinese tourists in holidays, they are very undisciplined and usually huddle and chat everywhere. The noise murders the natural beauty."

Wow, that was kind of a buzz killer, eh?

Hmmm...chatty crowds of Chinese tourists...their noise murdering the natural beauty.

That last line had me laughing. I envisioned really loud Chinese people playing mah jong on tables set up in the woods.

All in all, I'm not surprised that this place is inundated with native tourists. It's only natural. I witnessed the same phenomenon in Lhasa. It's like Americans flocking to the Grand Canyon. .

Should I go to Juizhaigou or not?

What other places have you gone where the tourists murdered the natural beauty with their noise?

Autumn On The Canadian Tundra...

Stand of poplars in Fish Creek Park...

Well, I think autumn this year in Calgary lasted about five days...

One day in September we were basking in 30 Celsius temperatures. The next day we were huddled around the kitchen stove, drawing on its life-giving heat, as arctic winds blasted across the tundra.

The autumnal photography took a hit as a result.

The extreme cold killed off a lot of the foliage prematurely. Instead of leaves gradually changing from summer greens to autumn golds and reds, they just died, yielding shades of black.

Those leaves that reached xanthophyllic bliss were blown away by a couple of strategically placed windstorms.

Beauty is fleeting at best sometimes.

Enough of this whining...

I better post some pix I took in Fish Creek (some from this year and a few from other years) before the real big snows fly this winter.

Murphy's Law of Biking?

Murphy's Law of Biking?

The great flood of 2005 (the sunshine's so bright it's hurtin' my eyes...)

I managed to fit in a bike ride this weekend. I was so glad the weather was so nice. So warm, I could feel the rays of sun splashing my face.

Spring was finally here, I thought [ed. note: an overnight storm brought 5 cm of snow.]

I was feeling really well. The long winter break allowed my right wrist to heal. The pain in my right hip seemed at bay as well.

The bike felt really smooth.

For this early in the season, biking seemed effortless, I thought.

That was until I rode into the very east end of Fish Creek Park, a natural park close to where I live.

As I was riding along, the bicycle path took a wee dip into a stand of bald poplar trees. At the base of the small knoll the path terminated at a T-intersection.

It was Sunday and the Park was crowded with folks enjoying the well deserved weather.

As I swooped down the hill, I saw a couple of seniors approaching from the right of the intersection.

I rang my bell.

Damn, they weren't going to hear the ring, I thought.

I slowed down for extra measure.

Out of nowhere, a little girl (now more than 8 or 9 years old), riding her Walmart-purchased hot pink bike complete with multicolored bar-end streamers and white tires, came barreling through the intersection from the left.

She was wildly out of control.

Her momentum carried her well into my side of the path.

Distracted just enough by the elderly pedestrians, I swerved.

However, to no avail.

The little girl slammed into my left shin.

An enormous, wretched, sick crashing noise came from behind me.

I turned around to find the little girl lying prostrate over the ground next to the wreckage of her bike.

Miraculously unscathed, she quietly picked herself off the ground and started walking off with her bike.

I checked on her.

She said she was okay.

Her dad watched the whole situation unfold from atop the grassy knoll. He came down and scolded his young daughter for missing the turn. Ugh.

He asked me how I was. I told him I was more concerned about the little girl.

I rode onwards albeit in some shock from the crash.

On the next hill climb, as I shifted to a lower gear, my bike's rear derailleur cable snapped.

I'm not sure why it broke.

What else could go wrong?

I limped home on the three remaining gears...

Castor canadensis...

ok, it's not my best picture of a beaver (Castor canadensis), but i love these giant rats.

for quite a few years now, the "conservators" (aka park wardens) of fish creek provincial park have been "relocating" (i.e. ridding the park of) beavers. dude, how can you not like canada's national mammal? you'll be happy to know that the population of giant rodents has made a considerable comeback from what i've observed in the eastern side of the park. the ponds created by their dams have submerged a few of the trails. yeah!

beavers...you are the comeback kids of 2005!!! congratulations...

happy death day!

hotdogs in the swamp...

my sister is researching shoes in brazil and told me that today is the national day of the dead.

so, to all my brazillian friends, dia feliz dos mortos!!! take care and drive safely...

talking about a death wish, i'm never going to live in mackenzie town for this reason:



i thought this traffic structure was archaic and it's time had passed. but it's my responsibility as an outstanding driver to review the rules of the road.

grass revisited...

grass by the creek...

the cbc a.k.a. "apocalypse now"

gomery part one is coming out tomorrow. times like this i wish the CBC lockout was still in effect.

i was watching HNIC part deux this last saturday. i can see now why the CBC fired chris "world's biggest oilers fan" cuthbert's ass during the lockout. jim hughson's amazing.

halloween 2005 redux

halloween was ok.

i gave the kids (LG and LB) some sage advice during the pre-trick or treating pep talk: 1) use a pillowcase for higher capacity 2) wear streamlined costumes for maximum dexterity 3) hit high density housing (e.g. townhouses) 4) if you can, empty your treat bag once in a while for higher "donations" 5) run 6) push your way to the front 7) if you can, do not embellish the customary scream of "trick or treat" with the line about smelling one's feet...

the kids started at 6 and came back at 7. pfft... i sent them back out. way too early to quit.

best costume at the door was a solitary spongebob square pants. too bad it violated rule #2 - see above. poor kid needed the assistance of a parental unit.

i was looking forward to kids bringing back cans of soda pop (yes, people give out cans of pop) and candied apples for their beleaguered uncle. nodda. people are getting pretty chintzy.

my nephew (LB) was collecting for unicef. he brought back $1.53. what is wrong with this picture?

i had only one kid come to the door with a unicef box. the kid forgot to mention it. doh.

nearly ran out of candy.

kids know exactly what you give them and how much.

looking forward to halloween 2006.

the sunshine's so bright it's hurtin' my eyes...

i gathered the strength to checkout the flood damage down in fish creek park. suffice to say, we, sub-fish creek bikers will be cut off from our northern neighbours for a long long long time...

shortcut to china...

what's happened to the beavers...?

no beavers here...

caution: logs crossing

caution: slow down for waves or bumps on the path?

surf's up...!!!

reminds me of the slow boat i took on the mekong river...

that bikepath's like a rollie coaster ride, eh...

how romantic... pools of water, bubbling stream, lil' waterfalls, chunks of displaced bikepath asphalt, that guy fording the stream on his bike, the roar of fish creek nearby. man, this really is god's country...

this one's (Rosa woodsii) for mike (Homo sapiens). time to play a bit of "4 strong winds", "alberta bound", and "sweet city woman"...