How to make friends in Newfoundland... NOT!!!

Anybody who knows me well enough is completely aware of what kind of person I am. Somewhat assertive (which can also be called "bitchy"), passionate, caring, understanding, demanding... yeah yeah... Y'all know this already.

So the other day I noticed a pair of motorbikes zooming around on the hill over the ridge. For the record, the ridge, while a public-right-of-way, is on our property. There's tons of blueberries growing up there! There's also tons of blueberries growing flat on the ground all over the property next door! Seriously, good pickin'!! These bozos are not only trespassing, but they're squashing all the lovely blueberries!!! Aaagh!!!

The bozos drove off after a couple more swoops. They just ... vanished...

A day later as I was walking the trail to the Big Beach, I found where the bozos entered and exited the hill. From Lower Street, onto our property, up the hill. They're trespassing!!! Aaaaagh! I'm going to have to get more of those big rocks put down there to stop the damn trespassing bikers!!

Well, yesterday the damn bozos were zooming across the hill on their motorbikes again. C'mon, Paul... come with me. I don't normally think I need a man, but I wanted an "INTIMIDATOR" with me. Paul makes a good one cuz he's big and brawny.

I dashed over our hill, across and up where the damn bikers had laid tracks through our place, caught sight of the devastated hillside they've been ravaging with their damn bikes and just gasped in dismay! Flattened brown grass everywhere! They must've been there for weeks trampling everything in sight! The blueberry plants don't stand a chance! Damn those bikers!!!

I wave my arms as the bikes turn in my direction.

"STOP!!!" I shout.

They stop. "Where are you from?" I holler. "Do you even belong here? Do you even know that you're destroying somebody's property?"

I may have thrown in some F-sharps and other assorted sharps. Hey. I was pissed!

The bozos remove their helmets. They're kids. A boy and a girl. Maybe 10 to 13 years old. They point shakily to the south. Right at the faded green house on the property in question.

Oops... New neighbours.

Daddy comes roaring up the hill in full bellow (no, not on a bike). "What're you doing to my kids?!?!"

Oy...

I have to admit that I let my temper carry me along for a little while. I was so totally pissed at the destruction on the property, the loss of the blueberries (those lovely blueberries!!!) that I'd very proprietarily taken an interest in for the last 4 years. (The house has been vacant and up for sale since before we moved here.)

Also, myself and the guy on the other side of the green house have been the de facto neighbourhood watch committee, making sure that nobody vandalized the place or set fires on the property!

For all I knew, these were trespassers. I hadn't seen any signs of life other than the bikes!

I justified my actions. Apologized a couple of times. Not with any real degree of skill or grace, mind you. Have I mentioned that I was pissed?

Father of children expresses his desire that we get off his property. Points out the property line, saying that he owns the hillside up to the top. It seems that he's implying that he owns the bushes... No no... The  top of the hillside is ours! Not his! Yes, it's a public right-of-way, but it belongs to us. Pedestrians are okay, not bikes. (blueberries proliferate on the rocky soil up there!!!)

We turn to leave. Paul tries to lighten the situation by speaking gently to the man. I glower. I'm good at it.

Uh-oh... here comes grandma! Grandma is the woman I'd met last fall on the hillside. (She was on our side, picking blueberries. We'd been friendly, I thought.)

She's roaring. The kids are traumatized. Some crazy lady was swearing at them. *sigh* I apologize again. I explain myself. Again.

She doesn't care about the blueberries. "Blueberries are the last thing I'm worried about!" she says.

Looking at the destruction of their property, I guess she's decided to turn her place into a trail biker's training ground. *sad*

Not finished, Father mentions the public right-of-way. Pointing at the rocks. Paul gently points out that the rocks and right-of-way intersect at the fence of the house down on Lower Street. No more public access through since somebody built the house.

Grandma says that's stupid. I say "welcome to Newfoundland."

Kids aren't to be on our property with their bikes. Father and Grandma look at each other and agree to talk to the kids about it.

Paul and I trudge down the hill, then around and back to our house. I wish he'd been quicker on his feet so he could've prevented me from putting mine in my mouth so firmly.

I think I'll bake some pie and deliver it to the house along with a crazy-lady apology card.

Not blueberry though.

The new storage container...

We decided that we'd like to have a "new" set of patio-type furniture for our back deck. The old plastic adirondack chairs we brought with us from Manitoba are faded and a greenish residue rubs off on clothing. No need for brand spanking new. We were going to look for used stuff. We found some at a yard sale. Yahoo! Metal chairs and a glass-topped table. The chairs come with comfy cushions! Very nice.

Problem arises. They're cloth and not water-resistant. Hmm... we could put them in the house. No... that's not a good idea. We could put them in the extra-large-humongous dog crate that's still sitting on the deck. Hmm... it's got holes for ventilation and the cushions are still getting wet... I know!! We should get a box for the deck! Yeah!!!

So... off to Kent Home Hardware. I know they've got just what I need! Tra-la-la... skipping happily into Kent and checking out their storage bins. I played a version of Three Bears with the display models. This one is too small. This one is too short. This one is just right, but it's real flimsy. Hey! Looka there! This one is beeyootiful! It's big. It's solid. It will easily take on the job of blocking the wind from the barbecue (the only reason the dog crate is still on the deck).

I'll take it!

I get it home. The Mook and I wrestle the light but unwieldy box from the SUV to the deck. Unload groceries, eat lunch, go back outside to ... Da-da-da-daaaaa!!! Build the storage box!

Open the box. Remove pieces and lay them out on the deck for assembly.

One base - check
One lid - check
2 doors - check
2 doors - ... wait a sec...
Where's the sides???

Read the assembly instructions again. Yup. I'm supposed to have 2 doors and 2 sides.

Look at pile of pieces on the deck.

4 doors.

Houston, we have a problem.

Phonecall to Kent.

This was the last box, aside from the floor model. None available at the other Kent location.

For me, the solution was easy:

"Fire that floor model over to me this afternoon and your boys can pick up the defective model."

Success.

It's raining cats and dogs today. I'll check the cushions tomorrow. See if they're still dry.

Go Hero HD Helmet Cam Durability Field Test

Paul got a sweet little camera that comes with a waterproof case and some very interesting mounting hardware. He's used it a couple of times while dirt-biking. This excerpt is from his first trip out (I think?). The editing was done using iMovie on the Macbook. Too funny! I've gotten a giggle out of it every single time I've played it... like half a dozen times by now!

Enjoy!

Weird and randomness... nothing special.

You know you're weird when you're excited to find a link to something that most people couldn't or wouldn't be bothered with...

http://blogsearch.google.com/

THIS is how to find people in blogger!!! I'm EXCITED!!! Surely people I know are on here. Surely!

lol...

So, the sun has actually been shining off-and-on during the past few days. We actually have the pool heater on (it's @ 84 degrees F) and have used it a few times during the past week. The other day I grabbed the GoPro and took some video of Sean, Miranda, and Kyle goofing around... dumped the dog in too, for good measure. (she's not that keen on swimming - weird for a spaniel, no?)

I edited the video today, on the Macbook (YAAAYYYY!!!), but need to shrink it down a bit and perhaps add some nice muzack for the background. It wasn't a very sunny day, so I might decide to scratch it down to a mere smidgen of its size and re-video on a sunny day. Add a few still photographs for good measure and it should look sweet. I've got an account in YouTube, so I'll post the link and you can watch it if you want. I'll pass the word when I've done that. Could be a while... this is Newfoundland, remember. Sunshine isn't an everyday occurrence!

Did I mention that the painting is done. Hmm... Yes, I do believe I did mention that. Robbie picked it the other day (last Thursday) and couldn't wait to give it to the recipient. She was thrilled and amazed... she cried. (I do hope it was emotional tearing up and not "Oh my god somebody did a crap-ass job of my dogs in this god-awful painting that I must somehow pretend to really love") Robbie loved it. Paid good coin for it, too.

I enjoyed it so damn (I can say that!!) much that I signed up for a diploma course in pet portraiture through the London Art College. It's a distance ed. program and it's taught by a marvellous artist whose work I really admire! It's in the mail and should be here soon. It's coming from the UK. Give it time... I want to start NOW!!! It starts with the basics of drawing animals and moves along to the more tricky bits of composition and actually painting them. It also goes into marketing and advertising yourself and your work. You work at your own pace, sending the work in either electronically or via snail-mail for a critique. They send you an audio-video of the crit with in-depth advice. Altogether, they figure a year to completion, but allow up to 2 years. After that, they want you to shape up or pay more. Makes sense.

Ah well... I have to allow my deltoid muscle time to heal. The week "off" should help. I'm going to have to look up some yoga stretches on YouTube. The description of the injury is amusing, but helpful in a visual way. My chiropractor said that the muscles are bundled up like a handful of spaghetti. Typically they run smooth from stem to stern. When they're injured, they act like over-cooked spaghetti and clump up in a bunch. The idea is to smooth them out so that they lay properly (aka smoothly) again. The horrible part is over, but I have to keep smoothing and strengthening them. Annoying that Paul can put me on the floor just by dint of taking my arm and hoisting it shoulder-height... Okay, it's annoying that Miranda can do the same. Argh...

Oooh! Hot tub time! Sunset over the ocean. Love you guys! Talk again another time. Soon.
~ Chris

Finished the painting today!

Thank blooming heavens!! It's been a long project. Who would've thunk that a couple of dogs could be so darned difficult to paint? I mean, really!?! Ah well. The colours in the coats are what gave me conniptions. The first dog was my practice piece. Shiloh got worked over and over and over again... I'm embarrassed at how those turned out. Finally... FINALLY I got some good advice from a dog artist, Kathryn Beals, and watched a couple (okay okay... several... ) speed painting videos on YouTube. YouTube is my new bff... yup... They're still only my first animal paintings, so I'm going to have to keep practicing in order to get better. I think I'll clear off the kitchen table for now though. Move stuff back into the studio. Start doing laundry and other assorted housework... cooking, errands. We need a new weed whacker and I hear the lawn mower needs a new blade since the old one ate a rock. Stuff.

This is Shiloh


 





And this is Ginger.

 And last but definitely not least, Maggie.

Ginger and Maggie are full sisters, while Shiloh is the mother of Shamus, one of the dogs living next door to us.

Enough about painting for now. I'll be working on the painting of Niki soon, but not until I've let my deltoid heal for at least a week without exerting it.

Moving on...

Miranda and her friend had a marvelous time in the swimming pool today. Fi rst swim of the year! The sun was shining, and there was this rumor of heat. 10 o'clock this morning I was standing outside in a sundress and a windbreaker, cleaning the bugs out of the pool. By 11:30, the girls were swimming! Hooray!!! There's still sun on the pool now, and it's almost 6:30. Maybe I should toss a suit on and get out there for a few minutes. Who knows when the sun and heat will appear at the same time again!




Oooh... This is also the first day that I've worn a sundress. I was so impressed with that fact that I decided to record it for posterity. So... I'm attaching a pic of me wearing my sundress.

                                                        Woohoo!!! Summer sunshine!!!

Father's Day was GREAT!!! (and I'm not even a father... )

Paul and I rode out to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve on Sunday. It was a really great day for a ride. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, there were lots of bikes out on the roads... really nice to see. Paul and I have these wonderful gadgets called "heated vests" that you plug into the bike and, with three settings, give you all the heat you could possibly want. Because I was sitting behind Paul, I kept mine on Low. Paul had his on Medium. Honestly though, I think we only used them because they were there. It was a gorgeously warm day!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Newfoundland, I should include a bit of geographic location information. :)  We live in Torbay, which is on what is called the Avalon Peninsula. It's that little axe-head shaped thing dangling from the south-east corner of Newfoundland, and connected by a narrow spit of land (is that called an isthmus???) to the larger portion of Newfoundland. We drove along the TCH to Whitbourne and then south to Dunville (a really pretty one-road town) and Placentia (not so pretty but it's a fishing village from way back so what do you expect? wtf?) and then down a series of (Holy shit the scenery is amazing!) coves (some of which had cows grazing at the beach's edge), until we got to St. Bride's followed shortly by Cape St. Mary's. Just FYI, we also drove through Patrick's Cove which is where Paul had one of his most spectacular wipe-outs (which probably took one of his 9 lives) on the bike two years ago. A "decreasing radius, descending blind hairpin" turn that he used to demonstrate the durability of his armoured biking gear. Gear worked. It took him the better part of the season to get a new jacket to replace the torn-up one. He took the turn in a much more moderate manner with me riding pillion.

From there we drove out to Point Lance. A sandy beach! What a sight for sore eyeballs. White sandy beach stretching as far as my admittedly weak eyes could see. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't shining so strongly by then, but the picture... *sigh* Yup. I'll be posting it asap. If the connection isn't too slow, I'll attach it here.

Okay... we drove some more. I took more pictures, some of which turned out, some of which didn't. We passed through Branch, Colinett, St. Catherine's, and then arrived back at the TCH where we fully intended to fill up with gas in Holyrood. We were supposed to go straight. Paul turned left. Oops. 10K short of our destination we ran out of gas on the side of the road. You know something? It's nice to know that people will stop to check on you. Okay, so not many of them actually carry a jerry-can of gasoline in their trunk, but still... They stopped. I finally got a ride to Avondale, 15 minutes from the off-ramp we were stranded at, and back. The guy paid for my gas and refused to accept anything (I hid ten bucks in a pair of sneakers in his back seat), and even broke a glass Coke bottle to use as a funnel. Ahhh... the kindness of strangers. Paul had several people stop off while he waited, and one, a biker, actually offered to siphon gas from his tank!! Wow. Paul apologized to me several times... I'm not sure why. It was all part of the adventure. No harm. All part of the game. We phoned home to explain our delay, dinner delayed on our behalf. All's well. Happy Father's Day.

350 K round trip. (My arse was numb just before we ran out of gas so I was glad of a bit of a hike) 6 hours riding. I found out that the bike can easily do 220kph with a passenger on board. Don't ask me how I know. Just trust me on this.

This is a really great trip. It took us a couple of hours to drive from Torbay to Cape St. Mary's.

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlacesToGo/ScenicTouringRoutes/TheAvalon.aspx?route=2

This is how to get there... sort of.

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlanATrip/Maps/Default.aspx?route=2&region=1

Here's a couple of pictures from our ride. It was a bit awkward holding the camera in the breeze, but that's what the strap is for, right? 

I passed my motorcycle training course!!!

Now all I have to do is go down to the DMV out in pack-a-lunchville, aka Mount Pearl, and do my written test. That'll get me my Class 6, Level I license. Woohoo! I meant to get out there this week... might do that tomorrow. I spent a few minutes studying the section on "signs" in the driver's handbook.

Funny thing there... my instructor told us that people go to write the test, fail the section on signs, and hop back in their cars to drive home! Um... failure to recognize what the signs mean?? Huh? They're allowed to DRIVE?! Ack! No wonder there's so many g.d. weirdos on the road!!

Anyway... Paul let me (okay, he encouraged me) drive his KLX 250 up and down the road beside our house yesterday. There I was, all geared up and ready to go for the 1-minute up-and-down jaunt. Stalled the bike. Stalled the bike again. And again. and again and again and again... I totally couldn't seem to get the hang of the clutch! After about 10 minutes solid of standing there poking the starter with my thumb, holding the clutch, releasing the brake, giving it gas, letting out the clutch... bike would lurch then stall... I FINALLY managed to get up the road! Woohoo!!! Up the road to the church parking lot, turn around and go down our road to Dominion Hill where I turned around in the muck (eww), managed to get about 20 yards up the road, tried to gear back down to first, *cough* die. Damn. I spent another 10 minutes trying to move up the hill under the bike's steam. 

I should mention that the part I enjoyed most about the riding was the actual riding. I mean, wow... it's so much fun to be tooling up the road, legs tight against the tank, swaying with the curve in the road in perfect  harmony with the bike. Definitely an enjoyable experience that I'm looking forward to repeating!

Now to move on the less enjoyable part.

Paul made me do exercises in going and stopping and going again. You know, pretend like I'm at a stop sign or red light... brake the bike, idle, go again. Hah... not happening. If I were really in traffic with a truck barreling up behind me... let's just say that I should probably be practicing a dump-and-jump manoeuvre. Well, I did manage to get it up as far as our driveway via the lurch-and-go method, then finally managed to get it cruising once more, so up to the church again. By this time I'd been out for an hour or so, it was starting to get dark (just starting, mind you) and my hands were cramping. It was fun while it lasted. Time to go inside.

Kyle told me that it took him a week of trying to get up to the church. I guess I'm doing well then.