Work

Tuesday - Feb 27 - Biking 38 km

Rode to work and back. -13 in the morning, +1 on the way home.

Just Another Manic Monday

Monday - Feb 26 - Biking 38 km

Rode to work on a beautiful sunny day. -10 in the morning, a balmy -1 on the way home. Stopped at the library to pick up a book on the way home.

Winter Fun Weekend at the Cottage

Saturday - Feb 24 - Skiing 8 km

Went up to the cottage with Rob and Amber to spend the weekend in the woods. Rob and I tried a backcountry ski adventure which was fun, but slow going as the terrain is very hilly and littered with downed trees etc. Then we skiied along the lake and followed a skidoo trail to another lake. After supper and a bunch of wine we went tobogganing... I should probably include this as training as climbing a hill with a toboggan is quite a workout.

Sunday - Feb 25 - Skiing 5 km, Snoeshoeing 4 km

Rob and I struck out into the woods again, this time armed with more apropriate gear. Snowshoes made quick work of fallen logs and steep hills. We followed some fox tracks to a small cave. We crisscrossed areas which we had skiied yesterday but had to turn around. This is the first time I have been on snowshoes since high school. They are fun. In the afternoon, Karina came up to the cottage and the four of us went for a short ski down the skidoo trail. We saw the snow scars and feathers of a bird that had been eaten by a fox.

Weeks Total: Biking 87 km, Hiking 4 km, Skating 16 km, Skiing 13 km
Year to Date: Biking 603 km, Hiking 14 km, Skating 70 km, Skiing 120 km

Messy ride

Thursday - Feb 22 - Biking 38 km

Rode to work in -7 weather. Nice ride in with a brisk tailwind. It started snowing late in the afternoon so I left work early. No accumulation, just messy, salty, spray filled roads. Salt spray on the goggles made the vision difficult as it got dark. Yuck.

Finally I Can Bike to Work

Wednesday - Feb 21 - Biking 38 km

Finally after a two week hiatus, the weather has started cooperating again and I can ride to work. Beautiful day of about -11 in the morning and -4 on the way home. It also has gotten lighter. No need for lights at all in the morning anymore, and only required for about half the way home. While riding down Corkstown road I notice that the traffic on the Queensway is at a near standstill and I am travelling faster than the cars. Later I find out that the jam was caused by an accident that my father was involved in. The other driver was at fault, and fortunately just a minor fender bender with no one hurt.

Skating with Rob

Tuesday - Feb 20 - Biking 11 km, Skating 16 km

After supper, biked down to the canal and skated the whole job with Rob. Kept warm with a bit of Cuban sugar water.

Weekend activities

Saturday - Feb 17 - Biking 9 km, Skating 14 km, Skiing 11 km

Went skiing with Rob in the morning around the Bell High School loop, but continued further south of Hunt Club. Snow conditions finally permitted some off trail skiing! After supper biked down to the canal and went skating with a whole bunch of people. Finished off with a visit to the Prescott before biking home.

Sunday - Feb 18 - Skiing 7 km

Went skiing with Emily around a couple of the Timm road loops. Had to break trail for about a kilometer which was fun in the fresh powder. The rest of the trail had been trackset by a skidoo. Emily had time constraints so we just did a quick ski without stopping for a break.

Weeks Total: Biking 30 km, Skating 38 km, Skiing 18 km
Year to Date: Biking 516 km, Hiking 10 km, Skating 54 km, Skiing 107 km

Light Switch Box

The switch on my Ikea lamp decided to self destruct. (Genuine Ikea quality). I fixed it by building a new switch. This gave me an excuse to practive hand cut dovetails on some of the oak that I bought last month. I also made the face plate out of some quarter sawn oak scraps I had left over from the spice rack project a few years ago.

Out with the old...


In with the new...


Which one do you like better?

Bedside Tables

At long last I have completed the pair of bedside tables I have been working on!


Some more photos are available in this thread on the Canadian Woodworking Forum.

Finally we get some snow

Thursday - Feb 15 - Biking 13 km, Skating 8 km

Yesterday we finally got a substantial snowfall, so what do I do? Go skating. Biked down to Sharon's house and then walked down to the canal with her. Fairly cold at -15 with a wicked wind, but we still managed to skate from the Rideau Center to 5th avenue. It started snowing again, so after a brief warm up back at her place I biked home on some slipery roads.

Canal is fully open.

Monday - Feb 13 - Biking 8 km, Skating 16 km

Biked down to the canal after supper. It was fairly cold at about -17. The final section between Dows lake and Carleton was open so I managed to skate the entire canal. With the exception of this new section, ice conditions were very good and the crowds were minimal.

Weekend of Solo Skiing

Friday - Feb 9 - Skiing 7 km

Skied the Bell High loop. Clear night with no moon made it fairly dark. Snow not so good on the main trails as it was very packed however the back trail was quite good. This trail is farthest from the houses and parking lots, so the dog walkers are not present. Decided to cut across the soccer field at Bell to experience some real snow. This was fun as the snow was deep due to drifting. Too bad the woods are not like this.

Saturday - Feb 10 - Skiing 7 km

Skied the loop from Asticou that I did with Rob a couple weeks ago. Was a nice evening run at around -12 or so. Did not see a soul.

Sunday - Feb 11 - Skiing 7 km

Went skiing in the afternoon around the Mer Bleue loop. Again tried to ski off trail, but the snow is too thin and I got hung up on a field of raspberry canes. How can they get 3 meters of snow in some areas in New York state while we only get a couple cm? Nice sunny warm day and there were lots of people on the trail.

Weeks Total: Biking 8 km, Skating 6 km, Skiing 21 km
Year to Date: Biking 486 km, Hiking 10 km, Skating 16 km, Skiing 89 km

Sick Like Dog

Thursday - Feb 8 - Biking 8 km, Skating 6 km

The first three days of this week I have been sick. Just as well as it has also been some of the coldest weather we have had this year. Finally felt well enough to do some training, so biked down to the canal after supper and did a quick skate. It started snowing really hard so I turned around at 5th avenue. Biked home in a near blizzard.

Indian Food Potluck in the Woods

Friday - Feb 2 - Skiing 10 km

After work, Rob, Amber, Emily, Mathew and myself went up to Camp Fortune to ski up the parkway to the Huron cabin. We carried various Indian foods to have a yummy supper. We got to the cabin and it was packed with people so we cleared a picnic table out of the snow and ate outside. The evening was not too cold and a few cm of fresh powder made the snow conditions really nice.

Saturday - Feb 3 - Biking 25 km

Biked around the city doing errands. Nice sunny day and not too cold (-10) made for a good ride. Stopped at Home Depot, Lee Valley, and Musca to "make" some wine. Making wine entails sprinkling yeast in a bucket. They take care of the rest.

Sunday - Feb 4 - Biking 5 km

Rode to Cozy's for a cozy breakfast.

Weeks Total: Biking 88 km, Skating 10 km, Skiing 20 km
Year to Date: Biking 478 km, Hiking 10 km, Skating 10 km, Skiing 68 km

Canal is Open

Thursday - Feb 2 - Biking 48 km, Skating 10 km

Rode to work in the morning. Biked home with light snow that made visibility somewhat poor. No accumulation to worry about at least. About half my ride home was in daylight. I am looking forward to the day (soon) when I can forgo lights altogether. After supper I biked down to the canal with Rob to skate the open portion (Dows Lake to Pretoria). The ice conditions were perfect. In fact they were better last night than they were any day last year. Combine the ice surface with my newly sharpenned skates and it made for really nice travel.

Old snow

Tuesday - Jan 30 - Skiing 10 km

Went up skiing in Gatineau Park. Stuck to the parkway because it was cold (-17), late, and I was alone. There were lots of people about when I departed, but by the time I got back the parking lot was deserted. The snow is really old... we need some fresh stuff.