Summer Vacation Begins!

Catching up the blog with brevity:

House:
The deck update is complete. My new pergola is offering shade just in time for the summer weather to - finally - arrive. I hired the same guy who lowered and extended it for me after I moved in. I'm pretty happy with the new look. I had him widen the staircase quite a lot and it feels a lot more open and roomy. All it needs is some nice lighting and a concrete landing at the bottom of the stairs and it'll be all good.

Canada Day Weekend:
I spend the long weekend in Fernie with Kate and her family visiting from Norway. She and her brother in-law (and a number of my friends) raced a gnarly three-day stage race: Furious 3. Mostly a mud-fest! You can't help but get into the excitement and cheer on these weekend warriors who battle through so much to complete such a huge physical challenge: mud, rain, greasy trails, pain, mechanical issues, and emotion. They grunt it out and finish with a smile.

I tried the trails out myself in the rain with Christine one afternoon. We did "Splitting Bears" after a climb up a low-tech quad road. Fun but ... slick.

Back Home:
I drove home from Fernie yesterday through the rain and severe wind. You may have heard about a tornado out our way? ... the weather was extreme but the bikes I was transporting made it all the way home.

I met up with Laura and Dan to pick Sante up from her Dude Ranch mini-vacation at their place. She was sooooooooooooo tuckered out! She loves it there and plays with Hershey and Willow and makes use of the doggie door to come and go as she pleases. Though she doesn't go far. Dan says she saw a coyote and came running over to him. Smart girl. She's got just enough chicken in her to keep her safe in most situations. :) Anyway, after a great night's sleep back in our own house we spent today with some coffee, some Tour De France, some car detailing, some visiting with Heather, and then a ride out in Canmore with Becky. We don't think we actually did the trail the way we should have ... we got twisted around a few times, but we had a good time on DRY trails, met some horses, and eventually found our way back to the car. We'll do a better-marked, longer trail tomorrow in Bragg.

The view heading home to Calgary tonight.