Pushing the Plan Forward

I took on an a rather intense project with nothing but negatives if I failed. The AA draft database and manual for Lakehead Minor.

Gathering registration info for 2 divisions from 6 organizations and then assembling them into books with sorted lists and groups was relativley easy. Creating emails to advise parents of their two tryout times and confirm jersey numbers was more complex, mostly because many emails included transposed letters.

The night of the draft was where the nerves got a good testing. One spreadsheet was used to display the picks. 180 players in each division. Tracking all of the chips and goalies and warning of duplicates picked. Another spreadsheet contained all the contact info for the players and as the draft ended it needed to print out a list for each team and then another for each association to let them know who was going where. I struggled to keep up in the first one as it started before I had entered the coaches kids and I played catchup throughout. The second went smoother.

2 entire drafts were completed in less than 2 hours. My work helped but coaches were basically well behaved which made all the difference. Handshakes came from many coaches who endured a long wait for lists after the draft last year. Any email exchanges today came with thanks for all the work.

Best of all I was asked to help run another large draft and get paid to do so. Maybe Kresack Consulting won't be a full time thing but this is a start.

Another Birthday

Turning 60 seemed a bigger deal to everyone around me. I was given a day off work and gift certificate for supper at El Tres from FCD. The kids got together and bought me a bottle of 12 year old single malt scotch, but not just any bottle.

Balvenie 12 year old single barrel comes in a numbered bottle, one of 300 from the single barrel. I've only tasted about 1/2 an ounce but it is so different from the others I've tried. Smoother with a hint of vanilla and spice. Having seen a short video on the traditional process almost, and I say almost, makes me want to save it and not enjoy it.

On top of that Sal got tickets to see Joe Bonamassa later this month. I've been listening to him for just over a year but his music dominates my choices.

Thanks one and all. I almost can't wait to get to 70. Again I must emphasize, almost.

Call 911...They're Lighting the Candles

60, It's just another number, or that's what I keep saying when asked. But it's a number that says another decade has passed. Approaching 50 had me looking back with regret over things undone, or done with less than a 100% effort.

I'm sure most people would admit that there are things left on their bucket list. I still want to write a book. I'd love to start camping. If I have to work, I want to work for myself. I want a comfortable retirement for Sal and myself. And I have no idea how any of these things will come to fruition. But now's the time to start figuring it out, looking ahead instead of back.

Summertime Entertainment

Summer tv is bad, for the most part very bad. Yes we have streaming services and a few shows we watch that air in the warmer months. And the Blue Jays, at least until they sell the farm in hopes of future success. But sometimes you just want to put something different on and be entertained.

Enter the grizzly bears at Katmai National Park...

Over the last month we have tuned in to the live cameras that explore.net has at Brooks Falls and the river below the falls to watch the annual event. I have watched online for maybe the last 5 years but now I'm casting the live youtube action to our tv from my phone.

We have seen one mother with her 3 cubs return almost daily. She is the most skilled salmon hunter I've ever seen. Whether standing in the knee deep water at the far bank or on the lip of the falls, she has a wiggling fish in her mouth within minutes of finishing off the last one or passing it off to one of her cubs. Last night she stood on the lip and we watched as at least 6 fish jumped right into her waiting jaws in less than an hour. From 9-11pm there were up to 8 bears at the falls as we watched, including one huge male that sat above the falls staring into the frigid water. Never saw him eat or even try to catch anything. Other than his head and neck, he never moved.

Maybe we're just starved for entertainment but we both find the bears fascinating as we try to understand their behavior. Check it out at the link above.

Evening Walks

After spending most of a beautiful Sunday indoors with a headache we had a great supper of roast and veggies. I suggested going for a drive and we went to the Marina for a walk.

Despite all of the controversy, the place is a very nice spot for a relaxing stroll. We walked along the pier, sat at the furthest point watching sail boats and then returned back to the car the long way. It was unfortunate that the lone security guard we saw was sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot rather than dealing with the 6 obviously inebriated folks in the center of the park. We gave them a wide berth.

Monday evening we decided to repeat and went to Mission Marsh. The water in Lake Superior is much higher than normal, judging by the walkway that now goes out into the lake. Mosquitos chased us back to the car. On the way back we went through the few homes where deer are always lounging. In one yard there were 10 of them grazing. A few other cars stopped to watch as the family in the lead vehicle fed one of the largest adults some carrots.

Sal suggested for Tuesday we walk over to Intercity to check out the 360 video being shown in the red inflatable igloo as part of Canada150. I drove over to check the size of the crowd and we were shocked to see only a handful of people waiting. We decided to take in the event rather than face a crowd later.

The dome handles about 80 people for each run that lasts about 25 minutes. We watched with maybe 50 others. It's a shame that more people aren't taking it in. Hopefully as the week goes on and more hear about it, they'll get some crowds. The experience is definitely worth it.

 

My Selfie Stick

Here's my new selfie stick. It doesn't take pictures but pity anyone that sticks theirs in my viewfinder. Snip snip.

Features

• Blades rotate 360 degrees for easy trimming at any angle
• 91.4 cm handle eliminates stretching to cut interfering obstacles
• Sharp, precision-ground blade edge
• Hardened steel blades hold sharp edge longer
• Water based rust preventative resists corrosion
• Strong lightweight aluminum handle
• 11.4 cm. cutting length

Fiskar's 'Rockpile' Selfie Stick Trimmer

Something To Look Forward To

Mel sent some pictures yesterday of the boys hiking in the mountains at Kananaskis. Nothing could have warmed my heart more. I'd never really thought of future trips west beyond their 'little kid' years. But now thoughts of getting out with them in their big, beautiful backyard excites me.

Mind you Campbell wanted to turn off the falls because they were too loud and Cullen just wanted to ride a bear. Clearly they need some seasoning.

I know it's only July but hockey season is in full swing. Northwood registration has been live for a week and we have 44 players registered. It's going to be a busy start to the season. I'm neck deep in the Lakehead Minor AA draft this year as my spreadsheeting skills that were used for payroll have been recruited to manage the registration and draft. I'm sure I'll have some late nights when I'll wonder why I didn't keep my big mouth shut.  

Mike, Cullen and Campbell at Troll Falls

Dedicated To Letdown

The Blue Jays managed to lose another game last night, or rather this morning. When they got their young closer in the game with a 1 run lead in the 9th I though they had sealed the deal, nope. His streak of 22 straight saves ended when the Bosox tied the game with a fluky bunt over the head of Donaldson and a couple of singles. At somewhere around 1AM, they lost to a walk off homer.

In all honesty I would sooner watch a good baseball game, whether pros or kids, than any other sport. The pace is slow at times but the twists and turns that take place during a tight battle and the skill of the players keep me dedicated.

I can't imagine being a Leafs fan through all of their tough years, the Jays are killing me. They remind me of golfing, they never seem to have all facets of the game working. When you are putting like Jack, you can't find the fairway. When they get a good start from their pitching staff, they can't buy a hit. I think it's time to face the music and look to the future, this year is lost.

Just one more request, if you have to lose, please do it in 9 innings.

One For Dad

After more than a week at home I finally got the 500+ pictures from my DLSR to my pc. Now the fun begins with saving, editing and if something really stands out, printing.

Digital photography means a lot of things. Freedom to damn the torpedos and snap away without worrying about the cost, ever improving technical advantages and literally a mountain of post-processing software. Even my phone has software that can change images drastically or subtly depending on the intent.  

This shot from Moraine Lake was taken with my phone and then converted to black and white. Dad is already thinking about a trip to Banff and the mountains, will a b+w shot be the tipping point?

Moraine Lake, June 2017

Catching Up

Since my last post was more than a year ago I won't bore you with trying to explain why I haven't been posting. I really have no idea but when I started writing for Quest2theWest every morning in Calgary, I found I was enjoying the process again. Adding a picture or a sidestory with some research was a fun way to spend the early morning before everyone was awake.

Who knows, maybe I'll even start plunking some words here again.

Three Sisters, Canmore Alberta
LG G5, procsessed with Perfectly Clear & Prisma