Easter Long Weekend in Winnipeg

Phase 4 of our Jet Set April took us to Winnipeg for Easter long weekend to see Shauna's family and friends. Flight times proved beneficial in maximizing our stay; 4 full days. I took Tannah to Mom's place after work on Wednesday because I knew I'd be pressed for time. Our flight left at around 8 pm and with the 2 hour time change I think we were in bed in Winnipeg by 1:30 a.m.

Needless to say, we slept in on Friday morning, then went to The Forks for awhile. Since it was Good Friday, almost everything in Winnipeg was closed for a stat holiday. I'd almost forgotten what that feels like; in the Vancouver area it seems everything's open all the time. It's been that way for years. That evening we attended a play called "John". And to tell you hardly anything about the play, one of the lines was "Everyone knows a John." That's likely true, at least in North America and probably Europe.

Saturday morning we met Michele for breakfast at Clementine's in the Exchange District followed by a trip to her apartment to meet her new spaniel, Finley (!).

I think Finley liked me after I played fetch with him for a hour.

Saturday evening Shauna had gotten us "Whiteout" tickets for the arena to watch Game 6 of the Jets/Blues series; an away game, but it was a good opportunity to be a part of a Jets playoff series. Unfortunately it was to be the end of the line this season for the Jets. But at least we came away with souvenir White-out towels.

Golf, Jets, Golf!

Anybody who is anybody was there for the White-out; even Princess Leah,
danishes and all.

Jim and Marlene even attracted the attention of the roving CTV sports news crew after the game. It must have been those new jerseys; they looked like hardcore seasons tickets fans.

Somewhere on the cutting room floor...alas we did not see them on the 11:30
sports review that night.

Easter Sunday morning we jogged a bit through Assiniboine Park. A bit of new construction has begun since I was last there: Canada's Diversity Gardens, housed in a new Conservancy building.

A new Conservancy coming soon.

After sleeping in it was almost too warm for comfortable jogging.

The Jet on Portage has turned a shade redder since that uncharacteristically
lackluster Game 6.

Weekendz

Talk about a busy April! To start with, the office workload is heavier because a colleague is taking a longer than usual vacation to indulge himself and his family in the cultural delights of Turkey. He’s originally from that region of the world so he wants his kids to experience the place. Can’t fault him for that. However, it translates to lots of overtime for the rest of us in the department.

So, to provide recreational breaks this month we’ve jam-packed our social calendar. The kick-off was a weekend in Whistler with Tannah. The focus for me was to be an exploratory hike to view the “train wreck”. However, we were a bit too early in the season as thick ice-crusted snow still covered many trails under the tree canopy. We’ll try again later in the Spring or Summer. 

Substitute aerobic activity then consisted of a hike from Nita Lake to Alta Lake followed by “Happy Hour” on a Whistler Village patio on whose perimeter patio Tannah was permitted to nap. 

Day Two included a short morning jog in the crisp morning sunshine.

Employment-wise, during the workweek I travelled to Prince George and Vanderhoof for two days of site visits consisting of a large mall and a dumpy hotel.

The following weekend was unfortunately dogless, but Tannah always enjoys her stays with my Mom and her dog. Our destination was Gibson’s Landing on the Sunshine Coast for the April Fool’s Half Marathon 4-person Relay with friends of ours from our Saturday morning running group. Weather was forecasted to be iffy, but in the end the rain held off and our team posted a finish time of 2:02:03. That's about a 1/4 of an hour faster than the two half marathons that I've done as an individual participant.

As I compose this post I’m on a plane en route to Fort St John, then driving to Dawson Creek for another site visit. Then this weekend is the Sun Run in Vancouver.

No wonder I’m tired. But not bored.

Let the Whiteout Begin

My latent hockey interest has been sparked once again. The comparison of a bear awakening from hibernation is not lost on me. As soon as the playoffs start I tend to get interested. At least since the Jets are soaring.

Last night I was pleased to witness the Jets first goal of this playoff season. I was in a restaurant in Fort St. John on a dinner break prior to heading to the airport for my flight home to Vancouver.

Wait a minute...Vancouver, you say? "Aren't you a Canucks fan?" Ah, the dilemma. During what could be a multi-year wait for the home team to rebuild and adjust after the Sedins' departure I have another option open to me. I simply adopt my inlaws team as my own: the Jets. I'm already stocking up on the merch, and we're going to Winnipeg for Easter this year. I'll be sure to dress warmly for the Whiteout.