We make a little getaway to the mountains on Fathers’ Day weekend. As a part of that we venture into Kananaskis to enjoy the alpine air, stroll by wild strawberries and feel the spray of an early summer waterfall. The Troll Falls loop near the currently green Nakiska Ski Hill is about an hour drive from Calgary. … [Read more…]
We take a hike in Calgary a couple weeks ago based on a trail in the book Calgary’s Best Walks by Lori Beattie. Amber decides on Edgemont Hills and Ravines which takes us just north of where we live. We climb up to the ridge on the prairie scrub, golden grasses dotted with glistening violet crocuses. … [Read more…]
A couple weeks ago my longtime friend Jeff “no relation” Robichaud took me up in a Cessna west of Calgary. Jeff and I have known each other since 1983. All those years, he’s demonstrated that he likes to master things. I think getting his pilot’s license a few years back is a vestige of having … [Read more…]
So one of my other pastors is also a published author (The Day Metallica Came to Church is the book by my other pastor). Our church recently merged with another church for a variety of reasons and one of the great benefits is that Rich is one of my new pastors. He geeks out on church … [Read more…]
I was first moved this season by a Christmas carol at Blaise and Acadia’s school Winter Celebration a couple weeks ago where home schoolers presented their various talents of martial arts, dancing, singing, comedy, sketches, and playing instruments. Two young brothers played their violin and piano duet of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Still reeling from … [Read more…]
My friends Curtis and Julie have hop bines in their backyard. They have never harvested them so they let me! After work today I came over with some giant ziplock bags and filled four. I wasn’t able to reach most of them, but there were plenty for my purposes. One of the challenges I have … [Read more…]
Big changes in Zaakistan. After 7 years at Bearspaw Christian School I have left to teach at Calgary Christian School. At the same time, 15 years after graduating with my bachelors degrees, I am entering graduate school through a distance learning program through the University of Waterloo. Calgary Christian School offers many benefits over BCS. It belongs … [Read more…]
On Blaise’s 10th birthday, I took him to his first football game. As we were walking into the stadium I learned it was also his first time in a stadium too! The first 15 minutes of the game were focused on catching a mini-football. Turns out we could have gotten a half dozen of them … [Read more…]
I started at Bearspaw Christian School about 6 weeks after our family returned back to Canada after serving 3 years in Guatemala. The adjustment was rough. The overwhelming sense of entitlement as compared to Guatemalan students, the enormous wealth and luxury of the families connected to the school, my varied teaching assignment. My colleagues and … [Read more…]
Just west of Calgary is this very new provincial park. We had never been until last weekend. I can say that I really appreciate the beauty that the prairies and foothills possess. The multitude of grasses. The expansive sky. The trembling aspen. The Rocky Mountain frame.