Category Archives: Saskatchewan

Around here

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I haven’t posted much lately about life.  Maybe because until this week it was still winter in Saskatoon and I was just tired of it.  That being said, we have been busy around here.

  • As Mark posted, he is in the process of leaving Caswell School and heading to Westmount where he is applying to be part of the Let’s Lead program.  He is really looking forward to exploring Saskatchewan and pushing himself.
  • I posted about the deck box.  Jordon, Mark, and Oliver ran it up to the cabin last weekend along with some supplies that will go a long way in opening up the cabin.  Oliver was mad they didn’t stay long but was placated when they let him play with Mark’s TouchPad.
  • We are spending Mother’s Day up there.  
  • We did manage to get the lawn raked and mowed.  It isn’t looking that bad but it does need some warmer weather and fertilizer.  After that is done we start painting and fixing the fence.  Then once June comes, we hit it with weed and feed to stop the onslaught of dandelions that will be coming from the abandoned lot behind us.  Somehow the city’s infill guidelines need to ban dandelions as an option.
  • The picket fence on the house needs to be repainted.  Both Jordon and I want to just get rid of it but that will be a pain as well.  I think we will fix it, paint it and then hate ourselves for doing it.

The deck box

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219776 Enlarged 1

After wanting one for a couple of years for the cabin, we finally picked up a deck box today.  After looking around at a bunch of places and finding ourselves unimpressed with what $100 will get you, we decided to get a Rubbermaid Roughneck Jumbo Storage Tote for $20.  I realized that I didn’t want the kids to get into it and the racoons often wreak havoc at Arlington Beach.  The last thing I wanted to do was buy $100 wicker deck box and have something eat through it.  It’s big enough to keep balls, nets, and outside stuff out of the way and organized and cheap enough that if it gets wrecked, I won’t feel bad about it.   Plus, this is water proof and the fake wicker boxes are not.

Once we close the cabin up for the winter, it will come inside so as long as I can keep Oliver off it, I can’t see it taking that much abuse.  Of course the bad part about not purchasing a fold down box is that it won’t fit in the trunk of the Mazda and has to go in the back seat.  I have to work on Saturday so the guys plan to take it and a load of clean bedding up to the cabin on Saturday and start the process of opening it up.

Dr. Larry Beasley talks urban planning with The OurYXE Podcast

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Dr. Larry Beasley

Famous urban planning Dr. Larry Beasley was in town last week.  While I had to work during this talks (I did get to see the famous Hilary though), he sat down with The OurYXE Podcast.  It’s worth a listen.  I walked away thinking how much more Saskatoon could be and how our politicians need to step up and do a better job in leading up to what we need to become.

Kudos to Sean Shaw for setting up the interview

Happy Birthday to Jordon

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Project Red iPod Nano

Jordon turns 39 today.  I gave him a Project (Red) iPod Nano (and case) while the Mark gave him some Monster NCredible NErgy headphones to go along with it.  Oliver got him a Jose Bautista McFarlane action figure and a Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays shirt. Maggi gave him some speakers and I tossed in a copy of Contagious and a new field watch.

On Friday I invited a bunch of friends to Winston’s Underground Cellar (which is downstairs from Winston’s and only open on weekends). While Winston’s is the loudest pub in the entire world, downstairs was nice and we were all able to sit, chat, and make fun of each other.  Jordon got some great books from friends down there and everyone seemed to enjoy the Sam Adams Boston Lager.

Tonight we are celebrated with Lee and Brittany at Jerry’s Food Emporium on 51st.  The food was good, conversation was fun and Lee and Brittany gave Jordon a great birthday card and Sport Chek gift card.  Jordon used the gift card to get himself a new badminton racket for the cabin.  It’s graphite composite with flex weave technology that will be completely useless to him when I beat him this summer.

OurYXE

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Jordon has been acting weird lately.  Text messaging people all hours of the day, spending a lot of time at OTV and on their website, walking around saying, “testing, testing, testing”.  It all started to make sense when I saw that he has launched a new project called OurYXE which is a podcast about life and politics in Saskatoon.  Their first interview with Councillor Zach Jeffries is online and it’s pretty good.  I feel sorry for Zach and his council colleagues because not only do they have to put up with Jordon, Sean, DeeAnn, & Hilary in person and online but now they have to put up with them on the record.  Good job for Zach for not flipping out on them.  Not only do they have a podcast but you can find them on iTunes.  What has happened to Apple now that Steve Jobs has gone.

I am told that there is a new interview coming up every week.  Charlie Clark is up next Monday.  I won’t hold it against him if he gives one of them a DDT.

The 2013 Grey Owl’s Cabin Expedition

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A trek to grey owls cabin

Jordon has posted about our planned expedition to Grey Owl’s Cabin on his blog.  To be honest I wasn’t totally thrilled with the idea.  A 40 km back country hike is well out of my comfort zone but as I checked out some video, read about other people’s hike and basically got over my own fear of the unknown, I started to get excited about the idea.

We are going up in mid-June with the idea of getting out there early and making camp at the Northend campground before pushing on to Grey Owl’s Cabin that afternoon.  While it could be hot, I have full confidence in Kingsmere Lake providing all of the chill that I need to cool off and stay hydrated.

Now we need to get the gear for the trip and start getting in shape to handle the walk.  Walking for 6-8 hours makes for a long day and of course for most of that time I am carrying a full pack.   Here is description of the trip.

The good news is that I went out and bought some shorts, top, and even a new summer jacket.  I may die on the trail but I will look good.  I am looking forward to it.  Who knows, maybe the Boreal Trail is in our future.

I resolve | 2013 Edition

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Here are my resolutions for 2012, I didn’t do that bad on them except for the losing weight and being more active.

  • I do need and want to lose more weight and get into shape.  I am going to double down on last year’s goal of biking a total of 750 km’s a year.  I need to use Run Keeper more but I will definitely start hitting the bike trails around Saskatoon, no matter how unfriendly the city is to cyclists.
  • I need to get more organized.  I have some tools and plans and I want to both implement but document the process.  Last year I underwent a massive decluttering exercise (which I should start again today to get rid of the 2012 stuff that has accumulated).
  • I will write and blog more.  Last year I wanted to write daily but that isn’t going to happen.  Expect 3 posts a week here.  Not quite Kottke-esque but not really slouching either.
  • Read 12 books this year.
  • Paint three paintings this year.
  • Listen to more current music.  I love my jazz and blues but it’s time to discover new music.
  • Plan a date with Jordon every two weeks.  I am terrible at this but 2013 is the year it will change.
  • Play tennis weekly this summer.  I know the City of Saskatoon has let it’s (west side) tennis courts deteriorate (like our roads, snow removal, and a lot of other things) but I do want to develop a decent tennis game this summer.
  • Pick up a winter sport.  I don’t know what this will be but I need to be more active starting tomorrow.
  • Spend more time with friends in 2013.  I am horrible at keeping up with friends and it is a part of me that I want to change.
  • The Cooking Blog was either feast or famine in 2012.  I want to be more consistent with it including shooting some video and a lot more photography.  It should be fun.

So those are mine.  What are your resolutions in 2013?

The Foodie Scene in Saskatoon is pretty good

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A great review of the restaurant culture in Saskatoon

Saskatoon was originally founded in 1883 by a small group of prairie settlers who wanted to establish an alcohol-free colony. Of course this failed, but a few years later the railroad came to Saskatoon and changed this town in the middle of Saskatchewan forever. The city boomed and though its had its ebbs and flows, the city is booming once again thanks in large part to the natural resources found in the province. With this new boom has come a boom in restaurants, from saloons to fine dining and everything in between. That was part of the surprise when I first wandered around Saskatoon.

I expected steak and potatoes my first evening in town, which would have been fine with me. But as soon as I walked through the threshold at Weczeria, I knew this was not a place for the mundane.

The word Weczeria is an homage to chef/owners Daniel and Nicole Walker’s roots. Daniel is of Ukrainian ancestry and Nicole is of Polish ancestry; together they chose Weczeria, the Ukrainian word for “evening meal.” Although the restaurant’s cuisine is not Ukrainian, the couple’s heritage influences their preference for local ingredients and their desire to feed people the way they were fed growing up, how good Ukrainians feed people: with heart and hospitality. This approach blends with Daniel’s exposure to Vancouver cuisine of the late 1990s, his foundation in the French style and his appreciation of the highest quality local ingredients. Daniel uses this as his basis to interact with different schools of cuisine and emerging ideas in the culinary world, which results in the unique expression of place and cuisine that is Weczeria.