tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40559962011-04-21T23:41:18.205-03:00so much to explore...carlotanoreply@blogger.comBlogger2701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1163609871685537672006-11-15T12:53:00.000-04:002006-11-15T13:02:29.206-04:00

My attempt to create an entire recreation program is moving forward with baby steps... but at least it's moving. Last night we had about 8 people at the yoga class I've been teaching Tuesday nights. English class (don't tell CIDA) also has been popular, and next week I think I'll start teaching jiu-jitsu and guitar classes as well. Not that I'm an expert at any of this stuff, but it's better than

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1163377917570549142006-11-12T20:20:00.000-04:002006-11-12T20:31:57.940-04:00

Quick little update from Teguc... This evening I´m thoroughly exhausted and have a rather wicked sunburn from playing basketball and futbolito for about 5 hours in the fierce sun. What was I thinking... but dang, it was fun :) Ditto for the ride home in a pick-up truck with about 10 guys. Not sure if it´s better to be at the receiving end of catcalls or sitting in the same truck as the guys

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1162577042044878422006-11-03T13:55:00.000-04:002006-11-03T14:22:54.756-04:00

Halloween has come and gone with nary a trick or treater in sight. Instead, we had the Dias de los Muertos... everyone goes to visit their dead relatives in the cemeteries. One days is for niños and the other for adults. However, at times it´s hard to find the relatives, because apparently everything from tombstones to plaques gets stolen throughout the year. Speaking of thievery... There are two

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1162053817801406952006-10-28T13:43:00.000-03:002006-10-28T13:44:01.063-03:00

Experienced my first Honduran earthquake yesterday evening, strangely enough while praying at the end of a meeting with ACJ volunteers. Maybe the praying helped - nothing collapsed, the earth just sort of shivered for a bit. Apparently we had a few more wobbles last night, but I slept through it all. If even an earthquake won´t wake me, maybe that´s a sign that I´m too sound a sleeper! Fingers

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1162053563995343332006-10-28T13:35:00.000-03:002006-10-28T13:39:24.136-03:00

Experienced my first Honduran earthquake yesterday evening, strangely enough while praying at the end of a meeting with ACJ volunteers. Maybe the praying helped - nothing collapsed, the earth just sort of shivered for a bit. Apparently we had a few more wobbles last night, but I slept through it all. If even an earthquake won´t wake me, maybe that´s a sign that I´m too sound a sleeper! Fingers

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1161984392100030622006-10-27T18:18:00.000-03:002006-10-27T18:26:34.233-03:00

I´ve posted some pics - for some reason I can´t get them on my blog, but the link should work.What else to tell? I´m living in a new house, in Colonia San Francisco. It has running water and a little garden and no sewage running across the path to the house. Talk about luxury! I have my own little room and washroom, and feel like I´m in a different world. Also feel guilty, that it´s so easy for

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1161304184495660792006-10-19T21:28:00.000-03:002006-10-19T21:29:44.783-03:00

Warning: This is long! But hopefully entertaining :)So where to start?! I´ve been here for about 10 daysnow, and I´m delighted to report that I haven´t beensick as a dog yet. Inspite of eating more street foodand fruit than perhaps is recommended by the averagetravel doctor. No doubt it´ll catch up with meeventually, but for now I´m thankful for a strongbelly and to have spent my first week in a

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1160602918758736842006-10-11T18:26:00.000-03:002006-10-11T18:41:59.113-03:00

Here I am in Honduras. The hairiest part of the trip was the excessively long and complicated security process to get into the US... though yes, the landing at the airport was also quite interesting! The plane sort of swoops down across the mountains and makes a big low loop across rooftop so close that I probably could´ve thrown a rock at them, and then somehow miraculously lands on a tiny strip

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1159583660928574842006-09-29T23:30:00.000-03:002006-09-29T23:34:22.110-03:00

Hey all you phys. ed. teachers and backyard soccer fans, check out this list of Canadian stories that sell fair trade sports balls.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1159562867973620222006-09-29T17:13:00.000-03:002006-09-29T17:47:48.873-03:00

So I'm going to Honduras in 10 days. After years of thinking about that intrigueing list of CIDA internships, I started sending out applications earlier this summer. And somehow, all the stars aligned to bring me out of the wilderness just in time for an interview (in English, Spanish and French, nonetheless!) which led to an internship that's an amazing match for my experience and interests.The

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1151979981151733922006-07-03T23:22:00.000-03:002006-09-16T15:28:01.490-03:00

Petewawa Dawn Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1151977362887364362006-07-03T22:38:00.000-03:002006-09-16T15:26:10.330-03:00

petewawa2 Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1151364930429606392006-06-26T20:33:00.000-03:002006-06-26T20:35:30.500-03:00

Yeah, I've been a big ol' blogging slacker. Here are a few pics from my whirlwind trip out west in April. Maybe I'll eventually catch up to June...

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1151364559276349912006-06-26T20:25:00.001-03:002006-06-26T20:32:51.446-03:00

Biking near Banff Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1151364536335739112006-06-26T20:25:00.000-03:002006-06-26T20:32:19.073-03:00

A wild mountain beastie Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1151364498313374052006-06-26T20:24:00.000-03:002006-06-26T20:30:26.883-03:00

View of the Three Sisters from the Alpine Club in Canmore Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1144104207453113852006-04-03T19:31:00.000-03:002006-04-03T19:43:32.050-03:00

The snow and shenanigans of Thunder Bay have been replaced, sigh, by the serious life of a teacher candidate. Not that teaching automatically equates no fun, but that's sort of the impression I've been getting from the first half of my five week teaching placement in Brampton. While curriculum guidelines and rubrics may be trying to steal my soul, I won't go down without a ruckus! So far it's

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1142634931554583292006-03-17T18:35:00.000-04:002006-04-03T19:50:58.056-03:00

Winter camping at Quetico Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1139866832928447042006-02-13T17:40:00.000-04:002006-02-19T14:50:29.870-04:00

Skiing on Lake Marie Louise at dusk, the Sleeping Gaint in the background. Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1139866061421822142006-02-13T17:26:00.000-04:002006-02-19T14:50:04.006-04:00

Check out the Work Less Party.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1138804830079002922006-02-01T10:40:00.000-04:002006-02-19T14:51:47.766-04:00

crossing candy mt Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1137974250262058422006-01-22T19:51:00.000-04:002006-01-22T19:57:30.413-04:00

Yup, blogging has been miles from my mind these days. Instead I've been thoroughly occupied with a) playing outside and b) getting grumpy about school. In column A, we've had many fun hockey games, awesome xc skiing, a great weekend trip out to Sleeping Giant for some full moon skiing, and a crazy mission up Mt McKay - who knew I could jump with tele-skis!? In column B, school is just generally

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1136739518224806682006-01-08T12:58:00.000-04:002006-02-19T14:52:12.723-04:00

Old Woman Bay Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1136422152975481742006-01-04T20:49:00.000-04:002006-01-04T20:49:13.016-04:00

Chella and B Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Craziness... I'm blogging again! Enjoy the pics :)

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1135113708195249412005-12-20T17:13:00.000-04:002005-12-20T17:21:48.206-04:00

Clearly I'm failing at this blogging business! Meh. After a long day of teaching, spending a few extra minutes at my computer is the last thing in the world I'm interesting in! I finished my teaching placement on Friday. The staff took me out for a lively night on the town - dinner, foosball, tequila and massages, not necessarily in that order. The placement as a whole was wonderful - a really

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1134089127396490862005-12-08T20:26:00.000-04:002005-12-08T20:45:27.406-04:00

Wow. Who knew that being a teacher is so much work?! I mean, I always knew that teachers have a lot of stuff to do, but I never really understood... until now! For the last few weeks, my teaching placement has basically taken over my life. Partly because it really is a lot of work, and partly because I have high expectations for myself... For example, instead of simply teaching a few main

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1131913743254528062005-11-13T16:22:00.000-04:002005-11-13T16:29:03.263-04:00

I'm back in southern Ontario after a *long* drive from Thunder Bay. For the first day of the trip, we had a proper caravan of three cars... and stopped at just about eveyr pretty beach and lookout point ;) And ate insane amounts of fudge. On the second day, we had to split up to head in different directions, so the drive was faster but not quite as entertaining!Coming south is like going back six

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1131337234825608312005-11-07T00:02:00.000-04:002005-11-07T00:20:34.836-04:00

The last few weeks are a blurr of craziness, fun and not enough sleep. Beyond the flood of school work, every day there are one or two or three fun events going on - and I seem incapable of saying no to doing fun things with friends. Especially now that I'm heading south in a few days, the intensity of each day seems to have gone up a few notches.Last week we played our last soccer games. Our

carlotanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1130880168887205522005-11-01T17:22:00.000-04:002005-11-01T17:22:48.893-04:00

Jumping into a *very chilly* Kingfisher Lake Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Going for a dip in some very chilly water with some of the OE3 folks! Yup, that first person in the water is me... doesn't say much for my ability to be sensible!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1130879933597070382005-11-01T17:18:00.000-04:002005-11-01T17:18:53.603-04:00

Lunch break while hiking at Sleeping Giant with some OE3 folks Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Hiking the Sleeping Giant with various fun Oe3 folks and two very big dogs ;)

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1130879668338059612005-11-01T17:14:00.000-04:002005-11-01T17:14:28.386-04:00

Hiking at Sleeping Giant Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Looking down from the Giant's shoulders on our Thanksgiving hike. What a gorgeous part of the world!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1129569847130894532005-10-17T14:20:00.000-03:002005-10-17T14:24:07.136-03:00

This weekend I was off playing voyageurs at Fort William Historical Park with the OE3 class. This type of stuff is just worlds better than the dry textbook approach in my other courses. We played a lively game of lacrosse, paddled the big voyageur canoes, learned about the fur trade, shot a cannon, and played a crazy game of Cree/Ojibway/Iroquois vs voyageurs at night... pure chaos and fun!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1128988701695201292005-10-10T20:33:00.000-03:002005-10-10T21:00:46.940-03:00

What a wonderful weekend! The hills around Thunder Bay are just glowing with fall colours, and thanks to fun people with cars (and well-developed procrastination skills), I had the chance to see a fair bit of the area. Road trip to the local cheese factory, surprise birthday party on Friday night, day hike at beautiful Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, huge Thanksgiving potluck and campfire at our

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1128645593777216352005-10-06T21:18:00.000-03:002005-10-06T21:42:17.450-03:00

First snowflakes of the winter today! Not much, just a few lively flurries. I was giddy as a young horse on a windy day, and as soon as I escaped classes I went for a mad bike ride through the autumn trails. Beautiful rich colours everywhere, stinging air, and fast-moving storm clouds above the dark lake.Maybe I was lucky to come home in one piece, because injuries seem to be in the air. I'm

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1128393310783745382005-10-03T23:20:00.000-03:002005-10-03T23:35:10.790-03:00

Our first soccer game went well for me, but very badly for our team captain... he broke his leg a few minutes into the game. Not cool! Who knew that intra-mural soccer was so risky? Pretty scary. Freak accidents aside, I've really enjoyed running around madly with a crew of fun people. Between soccer and ultimate, I feel that all that classroom sitting is almost being balanced out.This weekend

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1127937071593682322005-09-28T16:37:00.000-03:002005-09-28T16:51:11.600-03:00

Yesterday Joce and I checked out a capoeira class in the park near our house. This beautiful dance-like martial art was developed by Brazilian slaves in the 1400s so they could secretly train together. It's fun and intense and I discovered all sorts of muscles I didn't know I had! As we were finishing up, a reporter from the local paper came by and took some pics, and this morning we were on the

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1127158924228159712005-09-19T16:32:00.000-03:002005-09-19T16:42:04.233-03:00

This always seems to happen... I finally get a bit of time to myself to relax, and BOOM, I'm sick! Yeah, biking to class in the pouring rain with a sniffly nose and fever isn't very fun. But on the bright side, it's only a 10 minute bike ride, and since I actually have enough time to sleep, I'll probably feel better soon.In more exciting news, Thunder Bay is a lot of fun! I've been biking at

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1126034706316506192005-09-06T16:22:00.000-03:002005-09-06T16:25:06.320-03:00

I'm in Thunder Bay! It's been crazy and busy, but now I'm here with my backpack, bike and guitar, and I think it'll be a good year! More soon.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1125458172053794712005-08-31T00:16:00.000-03:002005-08-31T00:16:12.056-03:00

La famille at West Point, Sandbanks Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1125458123304569312005-08-31T00:15:00.000-03:002005-08-31T00:15:23.360-03:00

Another family photo Originally uploaded by solfaxi.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1125425073990682392005-08-30T14:55:00.000-03:002005-08-30T15:04:33.996-03:00

Fourteen more hours till freedom! And sleep and peace and less drama... Yes, I'm excited! The last few days of work have been pretty intense. We stayed overnight at a beautiful farmhouse near Lake-on-the-Mountain for some last bonding/farewells etc. I had the whole group crying with my brilliant debriefing activitives. In biking news, I finally managed to ride 'The Tree'... a high tricky narrow

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1124988354167408832005-08-25T13:20:00.000-03:002005-08-25T13:45:54.173-03:00

I'm currently on the phone with Bell. I've spent about the last two hours getting shuffled around. I might become violent very soon. HOLY CRAP!!! Bell = The Devil.On the bright side... only six more days :) And as always when something becomes even more transient, I seem to experience life more intensely... and perhaps through rosier-coloured glasses. There have been lots of good moments -last

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1124463872731527102005-08-19T11:55:00.000-03:002005-08-19T12:04:32.733-03:00

Ahhhh, so much has been going on! First of all, only 13 more days of work and then, hello Thunder Bay! I'm just a little bit excited ;) Yes, I still like this job, especially the variety and challenges, but I won't miss the endless paperwork and the petty power struggles over dishes, doing group activities, etc. Last weekend the group and I did a trip to Ottawa. That much time together (plus

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1124223511446428262005-08-16T17:16:00.000-03:002005-08-19T11:55:05.693-03:00

At Nate and Jess' wedding in Ohio Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Various good Grebel folks at Nate and Jess' wedding. More lovely photos can be found on Andrew Harvey's website .

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1123466750179504122005-08-07T22:48:00.000-03:002005-08-07T23:05:50.186-03:00

Sometimes my job just rocks! Thanks to creative scheduling/group time off/working other 16 hr days, I was able to go on decently long paddles for the last three days! On Friday evening it was very windy and there were awesome waves at Sandbanks. I spent about two hours playing in the surf and my kayak handled like a dream. Some of the waves were really quite big, enough to feel a real drop as we

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1123249911441257022005-08-05T10:35:00.000-03:002005-08-05T10:51:51.446-03:00

I had an amazing day yesterday! It was my day off and I met up with a friend in Kingston to help sail her J 24 back to Picton. The trip took about 11 hrs, partly due to a strong headwind, and partly due to anchoring for a swimming/napping/lunch break. An hour or two out of Picton, an ominous wall of black clouds started towering on the horizon. It became so windy that the blowing dust from the

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1123248059709882992005-08-05T10:20:00.000-03:002005-08-05T10:20:59.713-03:00

Paddling in Soup Harbour Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Exploring along the west side of the County. Barely a house in sight, long beaches, clear water... it's a good place to be!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1123247847359019512005-08-05T10:17:00.000-03:002005-08-05T10:17:27.363-03:00

At Point Beach Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Relaxing at Point Petre, at the southwestern corner of the County, on one of the hottest days of the summer. The water also was unusally calm - more often the waves here are quite big and lively, resulting in all sorts of shipwrecks over the last few centuries.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1122381507007146232005-07-26T09:32:00.000-03:002005-07-26T09:38:27.013-03:00

Hmm, what's new? Not an awful lot. I've still been biking like crazy. My legs are going to be like tree trunks by the end of the summer. And of course I have a great collection of scratches and bruises from getting to close to trees and spiky things.Last week I tried to go camping on my 24 hrs off. I paddled out along the big sandspit by Wellington with my trusty kayak and only a sheet to sleep

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1121636488226636232005-07-17T18:32:00.000-03:002005-07-17T18:44:11.110-03:00

It's disgustingly hot in this part of the world. When I'm biking or kayaking, I can pretend that it's bearable... but sitting at my desk in my hot muggy house, it's just not very fun.On the bright side, I had a good time back in Milton this week. (At least we have a cool basement at home!). I picked lots of raspberries, cooked a birthday dinner for Jules, met my high school friend Soojin for

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1120743320864334432005-07-07T10:20:00.000-03:002005-07-07T10:35:20.870-03:00

Everyone's off to work, and the house is delightfully quiet for a change. Not that I mind noise, but this group has the ability to play fight/shout/listen to loud music at a rate that I can't always keep up with! Beyond the sometimes obnoxious music (I can only handle a certain amount of loud angry punk before I start needing something more mellow...), the new group is really solid and fun.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1120052452272630732005-06-29T10:12:00.000-03:002005-06-29T10:40:52.283-03:00

I'm tired and happy. Yesterday I had a great day off... It started with sneaking into the old military base at the crack of dawn with Andrew Harvey and his friend Dean to take pictures. Then they headed off to rally adventures in the Gaspe, and I loaded up my kayak to make the most of my day off. After much bumping down narrow dusty back roads, I found a good spot at Point Petre and went for a

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1119499866977238862005-06-23T00:55:00.000-03:002005-06-23T01:11:06.983-03:00

Playing the waiting game in Picton... My next crew of youngsters is supposed to arrive around midnight. I've been doing laundry, making cookies, watering plants and doing all sorts of wildly domestic activities to keep myself awake. Earlier in the evening I crewed for the weekly sailing regatta in Picton, and after a fun gusty race we won... again :) After a few post-race beers and some hanging

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1118846730660414612005-06-15T11:34:00.000-03:002005-06-15T11:45:30.666-03:00

Good idea: Biking instead of driving the smog-mobile aka monster van.Bad idea: Biking 50 km in 2 hrs on a bad ankle. Which wouldn't be bad if I hadn't stepped in a pothole while running in the middle of the night. Road bikes are dang fun and fast, as were teh lads I was biking with. Not that I'm the teeniest bit competitive... So, ice and rest for a day or two. Heal, damn it!Good idea: Going to

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1118148980083033382005-06-07T09:43:00.000-03:002005-06-07T10:20:16.026-03:00

So much has been going on around here... where to begin?! Let me see, there was the sexual harassment allegations (not about me, thank god), the attempted suicide that involved cops and paramedics, the gang confrontation/near-disastrous fight that I had to break up... plus all the usual teenage drama (loves/hates/the world is ending/my hair is frizzy/etc).Fortunately, a few months at this job

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1117489298917523942005-05-30T18:33:00.000-03:002005-05-31T09:52:28.216-03:00

What's happening to my sleep-loving self!? I got up at the crack of dawn today to go mountain biking and do yoga at Macaulay Mountain. Man, there's some fun twisty rocky trails in there! And best of all, I found a sneaky shortcut through the backwoods, so I don't have to bike along the road any more to get to the trails. I love this place.Last weekend the crew and I went on a trip to Toronto and

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1117027238019942122005-05-25T09:46:00.000-03:002005-05-25T10:20:38.026-03:00

I'm a little bit miffed. As some of you may know, my current group is not terribly energetic and I've been rather disappointed at their walking ability (snails pace, usually plus whining), dieting obsession (I can't really keep track, but it usually involves no carbs/normal meals for the morning and by evening quickly disintegrates into eating pounds of PB) and inability to play ultimate (running

carlotanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1116807122871779522005-05-22T20:40:00.000-03:002005-05-22T21:18:00.436-03:00

Apparently I'm doing everything backwards again... just as most people are enjoying the May long weekend, I'm starting back at work. Sigh. So far I've dealt with the large pile of paperwork on my desk by a) investigating all the prettiest backroads in the County, b) going on a 2 hr bike ride, and c) talking to various good people. And now I'm blogging... though the computer is at least a step

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1116264038957227152005-05-16T14:20:00.000-03:002005-05-16T14:20:38.960-03:00

muskoka sunset Originally uploaded by solfaxi. This is where I'm heading for the week... I took this pic last fall when I was working at Pinecrest, not going there to play search and rescue like this time. The pic was taken from the doorstep of the lovely little yak shack where I lived... what is it with me and ancient wonderful shacks by the water!?

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1116263796780186892005-05-16T13:54:00.000-03:002005-05-16T14:27:21.936-03:00

Wow, this past week flew by unbelievably fast! It's one of the best times of the year to be home - the apple trees are blossoming up a storm, the horses are thrilled with the the fresh young grass, Simon the dog is playing non-stop in the water, and there aren't not even any bugs out yet. Beyond doing a million big and small things on the farm and playing chauffeur and cook - I barely made it off

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1115441184509199352005-05-07T01:38:00.000-03:002005-05-07T01:46:24.513-03:00

Hurray, freedom! The youngsters are with billet families for a week, and I can be footloose and fancy free (or however that saying goes...) for nine precious days.My favourite Emily has come from Ottawa to kidnap me home tomorrow (want to meet for lunch, Bronwyn?). Tonight I introduced her to the joys of cruising downtown Picton and tasty food at the Waring House. And Em even brought my favourite

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1114971891430509122005-05-01T15:24:00.000-03:002005-05-01T15:24:51.430-03:00

First time on the water Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Here's that pic I promised. Now if only I had time to actually get out and paddle more

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1114742565542911602005-04-28T23:30:00.000-03:002005-04-28T23:54:43.956-03:00

Boat update - On Sunday morning after a week of marathon midnight varnishing sessions, my sleek Tern 14 finally made its maiden voyage in the Bloomfield millpond. It was bloody freezing and wet and windy, but the boat handled beautifully and I couldn't stop smiling all day. Pictures to follow.Escape to Ottawa - Somehow everything worked out (or, ahem, I happened to entirely re-arrange the group

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1113711072351958882005-04-17T01:02:00.000-03:002005-04-17T01:11:12.353-03:00

The new group is settling into life in Picton, and they're delightfully mellow in comparison to my last group who were permanently on mega-overdrive.Tonight was an evening off, and I'm just back from 5 hours of sanding my kayak. Yes, a wildly exciting way to spend a Saturday night :) So wonderful. The amount of fibreglass dust I inhaled, in spite of my mask, probably is going to take a couple

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1113453465770141852005-04-14T01:37:00.000-03:002005-04-14T01:37:45.770-03:00

kayak on side Originally uploaded by solfaxi. Here's the kayak I've been working on over the winter.

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1113453088186379342005-04-14T01:21:00.000-03:002005-04-14T01:43:38.646-03:00

The witching hour, and I'm waiting in our creepy old barrack of a house for the new crew of youngsters to arrive. After far too much running around (in between burning cookies and calling random friends), the house is finally ready. I guess it's a good thing that they're arriving more towards 2am-ish than the original midnight. Sigh.I'm feeling sick as a puppy who'd rather be playing (as decided

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1112567698408279202005-04-03T19:24:00.000-03:002005-04-03T19:37:12.646-03:00

Wow, how can it be so hard to put a few minutes aside to write something new for ye old blog!? Mucho hard to impossible, apparently.Between stopping participants from jumping off cliffs while hiking (mainly because of the rocks below, and because I really didn't feel like driving to Emergency AGAIN), handing out warnings because of various schenanigans (none as epic as the drinking escapade) and

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1110986601340439092005-03-16T10:57:00.000-04:002005-03-16T11:31:30.666-04:00

No major dramas and disasters to report... for now - though I probably completely hexed myself by writing that!The big fierce speech went well. There were many sombre faces and more than a few tears. I felt like I was watching another person, because who could ever imagine that I could have an entire flock of people in tears?! Not that I did a big angry spiel, more a subdued 'I'm disappointed -

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1110683977656060842005-03-12T23:09:00.000-04:002005-03-12T23:50:34.693-04:00

Back in good ol' Picton. I can't say I'm very excited about the big ugly empty house but once the crew comes back tomorrow, I'll be too busy to have melancholic moments. On the train ride back, I was practicing my 'stern face' in the reflection of the window. I seriously have a really hard time talking without smiling! Tomorrow night I'm doing a big 'laying-down-the-law' spiel, so hopefully by

carlotanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1110031831648918012005-03-05T09:58:00.000-04:002005-03-05T10:11:43.206-04:00

So it seems that the minor rebellions have turned major... or at least people have been making some very stupid choices... aka drinking in the house while I was innocently playing hockey in town. Plus some far funnier stories that I'm not sure I should ever make public on the internet, involving spin the bottle and much more... Best of all, I had the stomach flu through all this - so in between

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1109649114639540642005-02-28T23:36:00.000-04:002005-02-28T23:51:54.643-04:00

Wow, I'm exhausted. And I'm happy, because after an epic search I *think* I've found good billet families for everyone.... though no doubt some unexpected drama will ensue. It's just inevitable.What else did I do today? Hmmm, woke up bright and early, made some phone calls, completely re-scheduled (aka did some calling and sweet-talking) the week's activities to accomodate my stressed out

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1108967483793730632005-02-21T02:04:00.000-04:002005-02-21T02:31:23.793-04:00

So much going on... a few minor rebellions, enough poutine to give us all heart attacks, a crazy Picton swinger couple hitting on my innocent youngsters at the bar, wild gossip flying about me and another projetc leader (due to lack of other guys to link me to/lack of action for the crew?!), yours truly making some classic French bloopers... ie trying to translate a little rant about

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1108705405764785352005-02-18T01:27:00.000-04:002005-02-18T01:56:29.366-04:00

Wow. Who ever ever knew that so many things could fit into two weeks? I feel as if I can barely remember life BK... not a good sign!I thought that we would finally settle into a nice regular schedule this week, but these hopes were shattered by an unexpected case of scabies that one poor lass brought with her. Not cool. I organised a massive plan of action involving enough bleach to poison an

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1107811490382204492005-02-07T17:12:00.000-04:002005-02-07T17:25:46.746-04:00

They're here! Ten wide-eyed jet-lagged youngsters appeared around midnight on Wednesday, and suddenly every mothery instinct I never knew I had has been coming out of the woodwork. I even made cookies. Twice. No seriously, the group is really cool and I feel very lucky. They're fun, enthusiastic and committed to each other and the program. And best of all, they're always full of ideas and can

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1107229954440402712005-01-31T23:49:00.000-04:002005-02-01T00:09:14.600-04:00

Instead of cleaning the house and prepping workshops like I should be... I'm playing with my blog template, listening to Jacques Brel and baking enough oatmeal raisin cookies to feed several countries. Last week Tim and I went to Kingston to check out the fantastic Banff Mountain Film Festival at Queen's. Jon made us a fantastic curryfest and then had his arm twisted until he traded in his

carlotanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1106246705887574852005-01-20T14:24:00.000-04:002005-01-20T14:50:10.076-04:00

Exciting weekend plans - Roadtrip to Montreal via Ottawa avec Eric and Emily to visit Jen, complete a top secret mission, and enjoy the big city. Anyone else interested?! Gym rat danger - After going to our one and only local gym (yes, Picton is a bustling metropolis) for the past three days, do I qualify as a gym rat? (I hope not). The yoga, tai chi and swimming was pretty good. I tried a Stair

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1105647399875528602005-01-13T16:12:00.000-04:002005-01-13T16:16:39.876-04:00

it's strangely warm and wildly windy in the county today. i headed to sandbanks, wondering if with this kind of crazy wind there might be enough windswell to surf. didn't look big enough but maybe there's some secret sandbars or reefs i still need to discover. windsurfing would've been wild for sure! and when the bays freeze up again, i'm going to try a new sport - skating behind my 2m kite... i

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1105216831245651622005-01-08T16:29:00.000-04:002005-01-08T16:42:13.613-04:00

hey amigos... i'm process of moving into my new place in picton and everything is a little chaotic! so i'm taking a short break from the disaster zone unfortunately known as my house and have escaped to the lovely sanctuary of the local library. hmmm, what's new? it's snowing like crazy and driving the big white beastie of a van is an adventure that makes me never want to buy a ford. my house

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1102817038498465242004-12-11T21:56:00.000-04:002004-12-11T22:03:58.500-04:00

After a mucho intense week of Katimavik training in the Gatineau wilds, Jocelyn and I have made a quick escape to Kingston for some wonderful down-time with Jon and Jared. Non-stop knitting and dangerous amounts of ice coffee. Plus some fine movies and amazing apple pie. And it's so nice not to be surrounded by Policies and Procedues and Behavioural Standards and Leanring Programs and all that

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1102019481450924662004-12-02T15:59:00.000-04:002004-12-02T16:31:21.450-04:00

I'm back home for a one short day to catch up on sleep, swap backpacks, do laundry... and of course throw sticks for Simon, cuddle the horses, fight with the bro, get beaten in chess, read a few books when I should be sleeping, and catch up avec la famille. Working at the One of A Kind Craft Show in Toronto was fun and crazy. I worked 118 hrs in 9 and a half days... followed by more than one

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1101137353843888732004-11-22T11:19:00.000-04:002004-11-22T11:29:13.843-04:00

Hmmm, what new in these parts? The kayak is coming along beautifully - the hull is finished, and now I just need to glass teh deck and finish stuff like the seat, bulkheads and coaming. My dad has suggested I should try making an airplane next, but I've think I'll make a surfboard for my next project.... though perhaps a glider would be more useful in this wave-less part of the world... Last

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1100451166522961192004-11-14T13:33:00.000-04:002004-11-14T13:01:08.620-04:00

After far too little quality reading time over the last few months, I've been doing my best to catch up - at the rate of aproximately one book per day... and one book per night. Currently I'm utterly sucked into China Mieville's "The Scar" - it's surprising that I'm even managing to blog! After years of raving by Rhoda and Jared, I've finally read my first Guy Gavriel Kay - two thumbs up! For

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1099433505137796852004-11-02T17:58:00.000-04:002004-11-02T18:22:54.003-04:00

Trouble trouble... List of gear I want to take to T'bay for teachers college next year (assuming I actually get in and all that jazz): Kayak, bike, surfboard, xc skis, snowboard, hockey equipment.... Hmmm, will there be much time left for school? Je ne sais pas. Amazingly, i already have most of this stuff (even if it's just $8 Valu Village skates, ghetto snowboard, etc)... the only thing I

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1098935898407081602004-10-28T01:41:00.000-03:002004-10-28T00:58:18.406-03:00

This whole blogger business is hard work. Updates? Bah. Random fun goings-on: Briefly infiltrated Fort George at Niagara-On-The-Lake, watched "Saved" (very funny - and fundie!) and "The Endless Summer" (great trip back in time... as if people surfed Waimea without leashes - talk about a death wish/mega rush), started work on my sexy kayak (the first epoxy is setting as we speak... I hope), hung

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1098148119699564222004-10-18T21:55:00.000-03:002004-10-18T22:26:50.033-03:00

Contrary to all expectations, we didn't get poured on during the ARC adventure race, wind gusts were only up to about 40km (not 60km/hr), and the hail and lightning held off till just after the race. Thank you to the various weather and adventure gods/goddesses/guardian angels! Team Ke-Kindelin (Travis, Rumi and yours truly, [plus superstar support crew Mary) rocked the paddling section (

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1097885546185750842004-10-15T21:11:00.000-03:002004-10-15T21:12:26.186-03:00

Weather forecast for our adventure race tomorrow: "SHOWERS. RISK OF A THUNDERSTORM IN THE AFTERNOON. FOG PATCHES DISSIPATING EARLY IN THE MORNING. WIND BECOMING SOUTHWEST 30 KM/H GUSTING TO 60 LATE IN THE MORNING. HIGH 13." Hypothermia, oh baby!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1097620670561400662004-10-12T19:35:00.000-03:002004-10-12T19:37:50.560-03:00

Mega exciting news! I have a 9 month contract as project leader with Katimavik. Training starts in December, and then I'll likely be posted in the Bay of Quinte area. Lots of water... I think I'll build myself a kayak :) In other exciting news, Travis is adventure racing in the Kawarthas with us the coming weekend! Look out!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1097112191853434822004-10-06T22:06:00.000-03:002004-10-06T22:30:14.026-03:00

I'm still wiating to hear back about the Katimavik interview... It sounds really cool, I've got my fingers crossed! I'd love it if Jocelyn and I ended up in the same area! But if it doesn't work out, I have a sweet back-up plan of working at a YMCA camp/outdoor centre on the North Shore... Hello, big wave season! Work is fun and busy as usual! After an incredibly warm September, it looks like

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1096861319520410142004-10-04T01:29:00.000-03:002004-10-04T00:41:59.520-03:00

Back at CPC after an intense but awesome weekend of long interviewing for Katimavik, an evening of hilarious Shaw plays at the Waldorf school, catching up with friends (too short though!) and siblings (my sister is loving Grebel and my bro has developed Sam Roberts hair!), and not enough sleep! Exciting literary news of the week: Roddy Doyle's new book of "The Last Roundup" trilogy has finally

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1096246040851449362004-09-26T21:25:00.000-03:002004-09-26T22:50:48.923-03:00

Holy crap, as if September is almost over! Work and life has been crazy fun and intense, resulting in not much time for stuff like blogging... but whatevah. This past week we had a big group of 1st and 2nd year rec students from Fanshawe College in London. They were a really fun group to work with - high energy (and not much sleep/endless all night noise), motivated (mostly) and really into

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1095378376837099102004-09-16T20:40:00.000-03:002004-09-16T20:51:36.376-03:00

Spent the weekend charging across the Muskokas in the wee hours of the night, setting up the ultimate "Martian Mansion" aka green-glowstick-illuminated-checkpoint, manning the afore-mentioned checkpoint as the ARC race teams came by between 11pm on Saturday and 6:30am on Sunday, held various semi-awake conversation with random sleep-deprived race organizers who dropped by in amusing trippy states

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1094862935364266922004-09-10T21:28:00.000-03:002004-09-10T21:35:35.363-03:00

It's been busy busy busy... Fall at PineCrest: There's about 10 fall staff doing the jobs of about 80 summer staff. We're good... but that's still pretty intense! So in between doing high ropes, low ropes, kayaking, archery and evening games, we also cook meals, clean teh cabins, scrub the floors, fix random things and do whatever the heck needs doing. Fortunately, I like variety :) After a

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1094492804682999322004-09-06T14:29:00.000-03:002004-10-04T00:28:42.866-03:00

This afternoon some of the staff went to play on the water, and *holy excitement* I landed every Eskimo roll I tried. Sweet! And I can still do a sweet high brace scull. Now I need to make my roll bombproof in both directions. Rumour has it there's some sweet ORCA Moving Water Level II course at the end of October on the Ottawa River that staff can attend for a ridiculously small amount of money

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1094177030161546742004-09-02T22:32:00.000-03:002004-09-02T23:03:50.160-03:00

After exploring California - hiking redwood forests, crossing the giant Golden Gate bridge, riding San Fran street cars, exploring misty bootleggers' beaches, surfing at Santa Cruz, touring Google, and much more - and then driving 50+ hours with Rhoda, Joel, Jared, Zoe and Ezra in the sweetest '92 Accord ever across the continent - through the casino-spotted deserts of Nevada, past wild and rocky

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1093754151102443522004-08-29T01:33:00.000-03:002004-08-29T01:35:51.103-03:00

After many hours of driving across the long flat deserty hills of Nevada (and gambling away the grand total of 25 cents!), we've arrived safe and sound in Pocatello, Idaho. I'll tell more later. Tomorrow we're hitting Montana!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1093625370211436442004-08-27T13:42:00.000-03:002004-08-27T13:49:30.210-03:00

California living: Jared is lying on the empty living room floor and reading Chatelaine, Rhoda is wrestling with the vacuum clearner in her room, the cats are trying to hunt birds through the screen door, and Joel (the lucky bum!) is on a sailing trip in Santa Cruz with his Google team. And yes, today is the day - the 50 hr road trip is about to begin. 4 people, 2 cats, much stuff, one small '

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1093380436667284442004-08-24T17:45:00.000-03:002004-08-26T13:35:57.926-03:00

So yeah, suddenly we're in California! It's sunny and breezy and all around beautiful! So far we've wandered around San Fran (taking fun cable cars, people-watching, book-hunting, avoiding ugly postcards, infiltrating docks to check out cool police boats, and watching a large flock of sea lions), headed to Santa Cruz to find the perfect wave (Cowell's was too flat, the break at the Lighthouse too

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1093212780502289772004-08-22T19:08:00.000-03:002004-08-22T19:13:00.503-03:00

Guess what - I'm flying to California tomorrow with my favourite crazy Penner beast! We're staying with the wonderful Rhoda and Joel in San Fran, and then driving across the country with two cats. Details to follow!

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1093015333547863062004-08-20T12:01:00.000-03:002004-08-20T12:22:13.546-03:00

It's been a week of job stress and catching up with old friends = typical time back home, I guess! On the friend front, the old Grebel crew met at the Heuther on Wednesday night for one last big hanging out session before people run off to random Ivy League schools, seminary, teachers college, overseas, etc... I guess this is really it - no more dropping by dozens of houses when I come back to

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055996.post-1092630378983364092004-08-16T00:50:00.000-03:002004-08-16T01:32:01.383-03:00

During a random library ramble I found what may the most amusing book ever created... The Romance Writer's Phrase Book, featuring a plethora of priceless 'tags' such as: "the rich outlines of his shoulders strained against the rough fabric" "her soft curves molded to the lean contours of his body and the world careened on its axis" "his lips were more persuasive than she cared to admit and she

carlotanoreply@blogger.com0