Cal's Journal

I moved to BC sixteen and a half years ago. There are very few things I miss about living in Calgary. One thing I do miss is going to CFL football games. I loved the passion and excitement that would fill the city when The Stampeders were in the playoffs. Football was a big part of my life every weekend from late June through mid-November when my team went all the way to the Grey Cup, lost out, or even Read more…

It started with a trickle of white flakes drifting to the earth. In mere moments the pace increased and snow began circling in the cooling air. Only to disappear in miniature puddles as they hit the ground. Inevitably the first snowflakes gathered upon the grass and stayed. The pace of the falling snow increased. Until it was a deluge of white reflected in the streetlights and the sky was filled with a crystallized dance. Winter has finally descended upon our Read more…

Mmmmm chocolate… I think I love, no hate, no love, Halloween. If only because of chocolate. The struggle is real. For the last fourteen years, Halloween has meant trick or treating with my daughter. This year we stayed home and I thought I was free of the temptation to steal her chocolate. But nooo, my beautiful wife had to go and buy a box of little Kit Kat chocolate bars. She bought them because last year we had some neighbour Read more…

October 31… Halloween used to be one of my favourite days of the year. Many of my best memories of fatherhood come from taking my kid trick or treating. I can still see her in her first costume dressed up as Tigger from Winnie The Pooh.  But like all good things in life, this too has come to an end.  But I still have my memories. I can picture my dad coming from Calgary all proud and excited to see Read more…

It was Saturday night at Snowshoe Sam’s, a night to remember – the gang was all there. There was a couple from the day of the dead, a hippy rock star, a lady riding a horse, the devil, a priest and even the Pope showed up. It was also Juliette and Ian’s last Halloween Party at the iconic slope side bar at Big White Ski Resort. It was the end of a thirteen-year run by the owners of Snow Shoe Read more…

The plan was to go to Big White to do some work. The plan was to leave Monday afternoon. The best-laid plans don’t always work as we want them to. Monday ended up being a garage cleaning day. Thanks to Captain Rob, I got motivated and with his help, I got the garage to the point where we could park a boat and a car inside. Getting ready for winter was the name of the game.  Soon enough I would Read more…

A glassy sheen rippled off the lake and reflections of the mountains glimmered across the valley. It was a surprise late-season fishing trip, and I was showing the two men the beauty of Okanagan Lake. We had three lines in the water and were enjoying the peace of an October afternoon. Until it almost crashed in a sudden collision. I saw the boat approach from the north. At first, I wondered if it was fish cops coming to check us out. Read more…

The driest 90 days on record. That amazing statistic caught my eye this week. Victoria recorded under 2 mm of rain since July 19. That is less moisture since record-keeping began in 1898.  2 mm would barely cover the bottom of a child’s sippy cup.  And yet some people deny that climate change is real. June and July were very wet so there is that… We, as a society, continue our culture of consumption as if we have an unlimited Read more…