Horse Feathers

Last night Rick, Ken and I headed out downtown to see the band Horse Feathers. They are a talented bunch of musicians playing cello, violin, guitar, banjo, percussion, keys, and even a couple of saws. The gig was moved from Cafe Decuf to Mavericks to accommodate said gear. The show was very mellow and intimate with the upbeat material coming from a duo hailing from Rhode Island, Brown Bird. Here are some pics and a video to give you an idea of what they're all about...

Easter 2012

Back in Peterborough for the annual Easter visit. Weather was great and food and family were filling. We did some visiting, some hiking, some shopping, and lots of eating. Here are a couple of pics.



Oh, and we even squeezed in a trip to the Peterborough Zoo with Luke and Hannah (and Ome Jason).

Futsal EOYT

As luck would have it, Team Italy could not gather the troops to field a team for the April 14th end of year tournament at their appropriate level. That meant playing the higher skilled/ranked teams in an earlier end of year tourney.

Well they fought hard and played well but in the end they lost all three matches but not without a good fight. All said and done it was a great year and as parents it was great to see our girls play together.... and play well I might add.

Sara finished the year as top scorer for the team and Emma, having only played half a season, managed to finish in the top ten scorers for the entire league (winter season). Well done!

March Break at Finger Lakes

Like every other year, we managed to pull off another last minute March Break get together with the McMullans. Normally we head north to snow country where we frolic in the Great White North and all it has to offer... snowshoeing, tobogganing, ice-fishing, snow fort building.... memories in bathed in white. This year we turned south to a halfway point that landed us in the Finger Lakes district in up-state New York. This is wine country... 25 degrees, sunshine, shorts, and even a dip in the lake. Who would have thunk it possible?

After spending the better part of the first (semi-wet) day at the nearby shopping outlet it was high time for a hike and a return to nature. Thanks to geocaching.com, I managed to find an old abandoned rail trail that provided us with just the right fix.




We even managed to squeeze in a little history lesson on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Very interesting and well worth the read/visit.




On the last day we opted to stick close to the cottage and relax. The kids decided to take a March Break plunge in Owasco Lake thinking it would make a great post on FB. Well while four waded in, only two opted to go all the way dipping several times before crawling back out and heading for a hot shower. Thumbs up to Sara and Connor for following through on this challenge.





Okay, as it turned out they were having the very same weather in Ottawa but... um... did I mention the wine and the great company?



Cheers!

Previous March Break blog entries...
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Playing with fire

Just having a little fun with the fiery one.

Winter ramblings

Just a few pics from various winter rambles - a ski, a snowshoe, a hike. Snow is leaving fast and spring is in the air. (boo)

CN Tower(onto)

A couple of pics from my trip to Toronto last week.

Ski to Lusk Cabin

At last a return ski to Lusk Cabin. Although there was no fresh snow to speak of the trails were freshly groomed and there were only a few icy zones that were very well marked for those unfamiliar with the hotspots.



My timing throughout the day was perfect. The first and only people I spotted on the trail to Lusk Cabin were the overnighters as they hiked out with their gear. Yes you read correctly, hiked. There were 6 of them and the trails were so hard packed from use and lack of snow that they were able to walk out in their boots while pushing one of those big wheeled stroller contraptions. That's a first for this time of year. Anyhow, this meant that not only did I have the cabin to myself but it was also nice and warm thanks to these kind folk leaving the woodstove roaring. Sweet.

I soon set up shop and put my soup and sandwich on the stove to warm. With nothing to do but wait, I cracked a pint and kicked back to some tunes on my iPod. Moments like these are very therapeutic and despite the hard work skiing in here, I'm often left recharged and ready for another turn at the grindstone. Cheers.