Meandering through life beyond the pavement.
Over the Easter holiday (a four-day weekend, here in Canada), my partner and I headed up to Quadra Island, one of the Discovery Islands wedged between central Vancouver Island and the mainland. Quadra Island is my favourite of the Gulf and Discovery Islands: it embodies the true west coast island style, with funky hippie houses … Continue reading Easter Weekend Rock Climbing on Quadra Island
36 hours is not a lot of time to decompress between two long, intense weeks of business trips; one must be focused and intent on having some serious R & R. Being left in Houston, Texas with a car and a credit card, I took myself on a road trip, hitting Natural Bridge Caverns (Part … Continue reading Going Rogue: Texas Edition, Part 3
I was left unattended for 36 hours in Houston, Texas, with a car, a credit card, and a mandate to relax and decompress between two intense, week-long training sessions. So I took myself on a road trip, hitting Natural Bridge Caverns (Part 1), Pedernales Falls State Park (Part 2), and Austin, Texas (Part 3). Part 2 … Continue reading Going Rogue: Texas Edition, Part 2
I recently had 36 unattended hours in Texas. My only constraints were to drop my colleagues off at the Houston airport at 0500 Saturday morning, and be on a flight at 1700 Sunday evening. It was glorious. I had been in Houston for five days, completely occupied with boardroom meetings and wrangling maritime captains and … Continue reading Going Rogue: Texas Edition, Part 1
Sometimes we get injured. It sucks, and it happens. As discussed in a previous post, I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago. My usual, busy schedule has been thinned to a few sedentary activities. Needless to say, I'm going a little bit stir-crazy. I always try to make the most of such non-optional idleness … Continue reading 12 Things To Do When You’re An Injured, Active Person Who Loves Lists
Last weekend I had a wee mishap, that could have been a major mishap: I gave my ankle a wretched twist on a piece of simple, flat trail. My intention was to head out early with my dog for an excellent hiking double-header: Maple Mountain and Mount Tzouhalem. Both mountains are a brisk two to … Continue reading A Wee Mishap on Maple Mountain
I travel a lot. My job demands extensive travel so I spend a lot of time on airplanes, at hotels and Airbnbs, and in boardrooms. Recently I have repeatedly found myself in the American south east which, coming from an island on the Canadian west coast predominately populated by wealthy hippies, is more alien than … Continue reading Finding Vegetables in Houston
"Pardon me thou bleeding piece of earth that I am meek and gentle with these butchers" - William Shakespeare I grew up on Vancouver Island during the early 1990s, as the environmental movement was just gaining momentum. The environmental activists in Carmanah Valley, Walbran Valley, and Clayquot Sound were heroes protecting ancient forests from irreparable … Continue reading Bearing Witness to Changing Landscapes
I admit it: I'm the mythical 'morning person' who is cheerful and bubbly before their first cup of coffee. I reliably wake up perky and enthusiastic, I love meeting friends for coffee before work, and on weekends I am often home and showered from a decent hike by 11 am. Granted, my enthusiasm for morning … Continue reading Early Morning Habits
What is the point of a New Years Resolution? I ask myself this a lot. The year from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 is absolutely no different than the year from March 26, 2018 to March 25, 2019; the same seasons flowing into each other in the same order, the same days, the … Continue reading Why I made a New Years Resolution
