Well… back from vacation, and what a vacation.

As usual, we drove back to Newfoundland for our vacation. What was unusual was that we decided to tow our trailer and bring our four-wheeler along. We knew it would cost a little more in gas, we knew it was going to cost more on the ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basques, and we knew it was risky to drag a trailer for such a long distance, but we tackled it anyway.

Just as we were about to hit the road, I realized our new trailer did not have a safety inspection completed. It was licensed and insured, but the necessary safety inspection sticker was not in place. I rushed the trailer over to a local business to get inspected, and luckily they were able to inspect it without forcing me to remove all the cargo. Loading the four-wheeler and other stuff, along with tarps and bungee cords stretched all over took me about two hours. The trailer got inspected and we were off.

We arrived in North Sydney a little later than we wanted to… around 9:30 pm. When we got there, we discovered that our boat, which was scheduled to leave port at 1:00 am, was going to be slightly delayed. It didn’t leave until around 3:30 am.

Leaving North Sydney late meant arriving in Port aux Basques late. We had hoped to make up the time, but we ran in to some issues with the trailer. (Side note… we had a 4×8 stake-side trailer that we sold so we could purchase a galvanized 5×8 trailer from Costco. The stake side trailer only had 9 inch wheels and the new one had 13 inch… more suitable for distance travel.) By the time we got to Marble Mountain, about two hours into a 9 hour drive on the Newfoundland side, I noticed that one of the tires on the trailer was low. I pulled it over the an air pump to fill it up and noticed that the problem was with the air filler stem. The metal was separated from the rubber. A quick check of the other tire revealed to me that it was also running a little low. I had one spare tire, but not two. So, Deer Lake was only 60 kms away… we hoped we could make it there to find a garage to help us with our issue. A little searching and we found a place to help us. They squeezed us in right away. Once they replace both (yes BOTH) valve stems, we were off again.

Luckily, there was no more excitement. No mechanical issues, no moose, no major construction delays. We arrived in Witless Bay around 7 pm, only about 3 hours later than expected.

RDF. Rain, drizzle and fog. That summarizes the weather for practically the whole time we were in Newfoundland. But that didn’t stop us from having a good time. In two weeks, we put 600 kms on the four wheeler (pretty good considering that much of those kms were at a crawling pace over very rough terrain). I managed to get it stuck several times, once REALLY good. My son had gotten stuck and needed to be winched out. When I followed in his path, I decided it would be best not to drive in his tracks. So, I figured I’d straddle them… my right wheels between his tracks and my left wheels to the left of his tracks. The right wheels were fine. The left wheels went straight into a deep puddle of water. It turns out that moss that is growing on top of water looks exactly like moss growing on top of the ground! I immediately jumped onto the right running board and leaned hard, holding the handle bars. I had to. Otherwise the bike was going to roll right over into the water… that would be disastrous. It took three bikes, pulling with engines and winches about 20 minutes to get me out. The new bike was officially christened.

Besides that, I found time to shingle a roof, install crown moulding, build a deck, fall off a set of scaffolding and generally kick the shit out of myself. Yes… I said fall off a set of scaffolding. It was a home-made set, screwed together, and attached to the side of the house. I was up about 6 feet and the scaffolding fell apart, sending me falling into a pile on the ground. I buggered up my ankle, both heels, my right elbow and my shoulder. The funny thing, is the sciatic nerve problem that has been nagging at me since April 2007 suddenly went away! I can hardly walk, but my back doesn’t hurt.

The whole trip, driving from Moncton to St. John’s and back and all around while we were there. 4500 kilometers of highway driving and didn’t see one moose. Ok, I saw one moose, but it was a baby and about 50 feet off to the side of the road. But driving up and down the dirt road of Gully Pond in Witless Bay, we saw 5 moose. I’d rather see them there than on the highway anyway.

And now… we’re back. It’s Saturday night and we have to go back to work on Monday. Seems like forever since vacation started but it also seems to have gone by in a flash. So, back to reality and looking forward to the next time we set foot back on the rock.

I’ll end my rambling now… and leave you with this: one of the coolest license plates I’ve seen.

My brother Bill and his wife gave birth to their daughter Hayley July 16, 2008. Baby Hayley was a healthy 7 pounds 7 ounces at birth. She’s a beautiful little girl.

Just over 25 years ago, my brother Bill and his first wife, Sharon, brought my parent’s first grandchild, Renee, into this world. Our father was 41 (my current age) and our mother was 38.

Now 25 years later, Bill (now 45 years old) and his second wife, Jennifer, have delivered what is likely to be my parents last grandchild, Hayley, into this world. Wow…gutsy!

Congratulations Bill and Jen! Enjoy your new bundle of joy!

Oh, and Happy Birthday Hayley!

Update: Check out some early pics here.

This Aloe Vera plant looks like it’s doing the limbo.

I couldn’t resist the punny opportunity.

Ahhh spring. I’ve made it no secret here that spring is by far my favourite season. I love it when the last of the snow melts away, the tulips start sprouting, and the buds start budding. This past winter was a particularly hard one and winter damage is plentiful across the province.

My place was no exception. While the damage around my house wasn’t major, it was still a little more intense than it usually is. Check out the slideshow below for a taste of my springtime woes.

That’s what’s in store for me to repair, aside from all the normal maintenance, spring cleaning and creative projects in the queue for this year.

Is it the same thing all around? What did winter do to your home this year?

We spent our Christmas in Newfoundland this year and a good time was had by all. However, when we were ready to make the 30-hour drive/boat trip back, the weather forecasts for Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and all the Maritimes was such that we were forced to delay our return. We were enjoying ourselves enough, that this inconvenience was anything but that.

However, that weather that prevented us from making our trek took its toll on our Moncton hometown. In our absence, they were hit by storm after storm… four in a week, with Moncton being the hardest hit in each. Check out the photo on the left. (Click for larger view.) This pic was taken by one of my neighbours while we were gone. Believe it or not, there’s a 1992 Camry under there! That drift is about 9 feet high. Here’s another view from a different angle.

You gotta love it when folks care enough to take care of your interests without being asked or expected to. While we were one vacation, enjoying our Christmas with our families, three of our neighbours took care of our driveway after each of the four storms that hit Moncton. They shovelled, snowblowed, and even paid a professional to keep a parking space open and our walkways clear. We arrived in Moncton and were able to pull directly into our driveway, and unload our gear. There was still about 4 hours of shoveling and snowblowing out there, but this inconvenience was far outweighed by the convenience of being able to pull directly in when we arrived.

And what have you done? Another year over; a new one just begun.

Another year has come and gone. Lots of stuff happened over the last year… from marriages to carriages, makeups to breakups. Our families have seen some good fortune and our families have seen some tough times. There have been changes in scenery, conflicts, disappointments, and challenges. But there have also been good times; love, laughter, reconciliation, generosity, support, and togetherness. All in all, we made it through, respectively, in one piece.

This year, my family ventured the highways to return to the rock for Christmas. We were supposed to return on New Year’s Eve, but the weather was fortunately uncooperative and we have been forced to stay for an extra few days. As I look out the window at the current blizzard, readying myself mentally for the road trip back home tomorrow, I reflect on the good times we had this holiday season. For your entertainment, I share some snapshots of the fun and frolic, the “hilites reel” if you will, courtesy of my digital camera and the wonders of YouTube.

Happy New Year to you all.