Timbits are the Champions 

The 2004 Champions unleashed...

I am presently messing around with Picasa2 in conjunction with Hello to try to get some photos on this %$*&# blog...

Sterling Elysian in Montreal 2004 

Sterling Elysian Verses Unleashed...

One the occasion of the 2005 Memorial Day weekend...I would like to present a little something by Sterling Elysian... FREEDOM.......Ink black darkness permeating the stillness ...Hot, humid, depressing night at best....Familiar sounds of the night not there...Makes me suspect, makes me fear...That the ennemy is about to attack...Before too long, my suspicions turn to fact...The stillness is erased by deafening screams...The darkness cancelled by the light of a bad dream...I only wish it was all in my head...But the sight of the blood and the dead...Tells me different , I'm about to meet with certain disaster...But before I do , a few of them are going to meet their maker...Friends falling all around...Their bodies littering the bloody ground...Can't hold them much longer...The impending end seems to make me stronger...Ten feet in front of me... I see the strange face of the ennemy...As I pull the trigger and hear the shot...I see his head split like a broken pot...Burning pain in my chest...As I look down , I see the mess...A gaping hole in my body...My lifes' blood flowing away...Can't stop it , can't go on...I've just bought and paid for FREEDOM...

Termination unleashed...

well, well the end is quickly upon us .....after leaving The Banff Spring brunch we went back to the hotel and changed into our hiking clothes....in a flash, we were off to Johnson canyon for a nice hike on a trail that gradually would take us to an elevation above the tree line....the trail was very manageable... well kept and clean...the distance to the lower falls is 1.5km....then to the higher falls another approximate 1.5km and if you're really sadistic, it's another 4.5km to a spot that is lovingly called the "inkpots" ... I guess because of the color of the waters flowing from the spring fed underground sources...all in all, we managed to get to the high falls and then were too fatigued to go the distance to the "inkpots"... along the way thru the canyon, we were amazed by the natural beauty of this setting....deep gorges .. white water flowing with amazing power and tunderous emenations... some spots still had ice on the walls of the canyon....there was also many visitors stomping along the trail ..huffing and puffing as they went along....I was surprised by how many were from various countries.. a real melange of languages...it took us almost 2 hours to make the trip and I guess that was pretty good time since the sign at the head of the trail announced that it was a 3 hour endeavor....after an afternoon of physical sightseeing, I was ready to relax when I returned to the hotel...I did exactly that and settled in to watch Canada and Chechoslovachia play for the gold in the 2005 hockey competition...The girls went out to find something to eat....as for myself, I was still working off the brunch...next morning after eating breakfast at the hotel, we grudgingly left Banff and and hit the road towards Calgary....along the way we would experience more scenic beauty as we drove thru the Canmore area...a series of 3 peaks lovingly called the "three sisters" appeared on our right and were admired as we drove past them on a clear day with the sun shining ... an awesone sight...we pulled into Calgary around 10:30 and dropped Jennifer off at her appartment....then we checked into our hotel which Susan had chosen for its closeness to the Calgary International airport...if anyone is going to fly out early in the morning, I suggest the Marriot Inn.... a brand new place and within a 10 minute drive to the airport.... If there was one down moment to the whole trip, I would have to say that it was the Calgary downtown casino...a place that no one should to experience...because of its totally bad condition due to lack of cleaning ...cigaretted smoke.....lack of professionalism exhibited by the staff....and the general clientele , most of whom resembled homeless people.....WARNING : CALGARY CASINO BADDDDD......All in all, the trip was really enjoyable and went without a hitch due to the meticulous planning of my dear Susan..... she could really do this for a living.....THE END

End of story unleashed...

Those of you who have been following this mini novel will be glad to hear that we are now at the end of our vacation but not at the end of our "excellent adventure"....After taking a small rest Saturday nite, we walked across the street from the Banff Park Lodge and had a nice supper at Melissa's....a convenient place to eat...on Sunday we had reservations at the Banff Springs Hotel for a midday brunch...from all I had heard, this was the place to eat a Sunday brunch... We were not dissapointed as we walked into this historic hotel...A hotel where many famous personalities had visited ( Marilyn Monroe for one ) and played golf on its famous and scenic golf course... just being inside the great hotel made me feel special... the rich woodworks... the marble... the floor to ceiling windows offering an unobstructed view of the glorious Rockies...the way the brunch was presented..with special care to create a feast for ones eye...from ice sculptures to a liberal amount of fresh cut flowers..even as we were being led by our hostess past the many stations of the brunch and given a short explanation of the fare available... then, as we were seated, our hostess placed three fresh cut roses on our table which was located next to a large window near a courtyard....we would take to roses with us when we left...this was probably one of the best parts of my trip..sitting here with Susan and Jennifer and experiencing something that I will probably not experience again....The price for this delightful brunch was in my opinion pretty steep ( $160C for 3 persons including tip ) but it was well worth it...let me relay some of the offerings to you... braised duckling in orange sauce...bison medallions in a mushroom and wine sauce... eggs benedict ... queen anne eggs... succulent grouse in a special sauce...shrimp with hot sauce....mussels in wine sauce and mussels by themselves and of course clams...then there was the usual roast beef...chichen... ham...all cut to order for you as desired,...potatoes of all sorts and arrangements ....soups...beverages of all sorts poured on demand...we ate slowly and had several courses keeping in mind the voluminous assortment of dessert which was waiting to be sampled....for dessert we had such items as sugar pie (my favorite) cakes of all sorts...pies of every description...some exotics servings for which I have no description...all in all, anyone who visits Banff should make a reservation at the Springs Hotel for Sunday Brunch and don't forget to skip breakfast on that special day....next blog will cover sunday afternoon and the next day as we wind up our vacation....

Lake Louise and Icefields unleashed...

Geeez....It's taking me as long to relate this story as it took to take the trip itself....Ok, last time we were in Banff taking in the sights....next morning we were on our way to Lake Louise....Off we went on 1-A taking in the wonderful sights as we went along... we came to an area where the whole side of the mountain had been denuded by an intentionally set and controlled fire....that was back in 1997 ...the sign mentioned that this was done to promote "new growth"....they really take good care of that National Park....everywhere you look you can notice the cleanliness and condition of the park roads and every aspect is well taken care of....As we pulled into the parking lot of Lake Louise... I noticed that everyone was dressed fairly warm...and as I stepped out of the car wearing shorts I realized the reason why.....the temperature was near freezing and as we approached the lake we quickly saw that it was still fully frozen...so much for that canoe ride Jen and I wanted to take on the lake....we did'nt waste any time heading for the hotel.....after taking a couple of photos outside and presenting Susan a small necklace pendant ( 18k gold maple leaf ) to commemorate our 30th anniversary we went inside and as we walked towards the lounge we could hear the meliflous sound of someone playing the harp.... we sat down in the overstuffed chairs and ordered some wine..... just sitting there listening to that wonderful music and looking out the huge window facing the lake and taking in the sights was very relaxing..... Then, it was back on the road and on to the Icefields on route 93 heading north towards Jasper....we really planned to make the trip to Jasper but it was getting late and we still had to drive 150km .... so we decided to push it as far as we could and then turn back....we made it to the Bow glacier and Bow lake which was still frozen .... stopped at the gift shop on Bow lake , took some photos and then started our drive back to Banff.... On the way back we would come upon a sight that I did'nt think we would experience.... A grizzly bear and her cub feeding not far from the road...needless to say, we did'nt venture outside the car....we took some photos while the bears mostly ignored us.....By the time we returned to Banff it was late and we were pretty tired....it had been a wonderful day........

Senior moment unleashed...

Ha yes...it seems like one of my hardcore follower is thirsting for the specific details of that 3 second moment...well...here it is...I might add that everytime I relive that moment, it reafirms the fact that there really is a STATISTICAL CARRIER CHARGE FLUCTUATION OF 1% and in my case on that particular instance it may have been closer to 50%..... OK...here it is....the game had just started and I had just come off the ice after my first shift...the line we had put together was not working too well...so we talked it over and decided that I would switch to left wing... the line change came and unfortunately as I later thought about it, the puck was I our own end... so, I jumped over the boards and took a couple of strides inside our zone and immediately received a pass in the high slot....then quickly wheeled around and took a snap shot from around 20 feet out and cleanly beat our goaly who just kind of stood there with a confused look on his face looking at me as I pumped my fist reapetedly in the air to signal my "great" accomplishment...soon after the laughter died down I skated to the bench with my head down as the scorekeeper put up the goal on the opponents side of the scoreboard....It's going to be a long summer!!!!!!!

Banff unleashed..

Ha yes...monday..monday...today feels like a red day...for the color of my eyes...played hockey last nite and scored two goals...that's good right..."not"..you see, I had the misfortune of having a senior moment and actually beat our own goaly for my first goal.... I will now have to spend the summer getting razzed by the guys until someone make a greater blunder....although, I can't imagine anything worse!!!!!! Ok...last blog covered the ride to Banff...and now that we have actually arrived I can proceed with the continuation....As we pulled into Banff, there was a couple of mule deer feeding along the sidewalk....it's not uncommon to see wildlife right in town....yes, the two legged kind too...we drove right thru town and got acclimated to the surroundings before arriving at the Banff Park Lodge....I nice place that I would recommend to anyone...but a bit pricey during the season...we got in just under the deadline and payed the offseason price which in my opinion was still pretty expensive....but what the hell ...how many times do you get to Banff....we settled in and while I was taking a little nap, the girls grabbed their bathing suits and went down to the pool...the nap did me some good after a half a day of driving route1-A and keeping my eyes peeled for the abundant wildlife roaming around the road....That nite we ate supper at a small Irish Pub not far from the hotel...the atmosphere was wonderful and relaxing...I had some great shepards pie.... Next morning Saturday, we ate at the hotel and hit the road to Lake Louise...still taking 1-A in search of the elusive wildlife....not far into our ride, we came around a bend and saw three or four cars stopped at the side of the road...we quickly realized that the reason for all the fuss was a beautiful Ram (mountain goat) about 50 feet from the road and walking towards us....I shot him a couple times as he obligingly stopped and looked at us as if he was acting the part of an actor in our very own production ( I shot him with my trusty Kodak digital camera ) .... more later....

West of Calgary unleashed...

Let's see....today we have a new color....my favorite color I might add...The last post covered the "Badlands" of Alberta and I seem to remember that we had left Drumheller and were on the way back to Calgary...The following day, we picked up Jennifer and headed West... our first stop as we slowly traveled route 1-A was the small town of Cockran...We had breakfast at Smitty's which was quite delicious and before we left Cockran, we went on a memory tour so that Jennifer could show us the local sites...including where she spent the summer a couple years ago...all in all it was a nice clean little town...I now appreciated the walking that Jen had to do , just to get to her work...We left Cockran and the memories behind us as we got back on 1-A and in search of local wildlife... as we drove along at around 50 km/hr we saw an occasional mule deer munching on the newly grown vegetation... the highlight of our day was the appearance of a ram grazing a few feet from the road...it conveniently stayed long enough for us to take some great photos....that would be the only wildlife that we encountered on our way to Banff....the scenery was spectacular .. the snowcapped Rockies displayed in their full glory...We made a stop at Canmore for some coffee and munchies and also found a nice liquor store that had reasonably priced wine....Then, it was back on the road west to Banff... I was surprised that there was a 14.00 a day per car admission to the National Park but nevertheless it was well worth it......More later.....

Alberta badlands unleashed

Moving on the "badlands".. as we were driving along heading east, I really did'nt see why these were called "badlands"...everything was quite flat but nice to look at...the first time I realized that there really were "badlands" was when we arrived at Horseshoe canyon... just outside Drumheller...this thing looked like a mini grand canyon or a huge drainage ditch that had been carved by an unimaginable amount of water flow...as a geological fact it was indeed carved out by the outflow of an inland sea many eons ago..what we were looking at was the result of forces beyond our imagination...quite impressive...we then proceeded to Drumheller, a small town totally dedicated to dinosaur fossils and artifacts...the town is built inside the canyon...we actually drove down about two or three hundred feet and reached main street...the whole effect was quite neat...everywhere we looked we could see the canyon walls..which gave me the illusion that I had shrunk in size and was in a miniatue town inside a drainage ditch...in any case, it was pretty neat and everywhere we looked, there were dinosaurs..the firehouse even had a dalmation dinosaur...at the far end of town there was a huge dino ( 60 feet tall) that we could even climb up in...with an observation deck at the top...from this venture point, the whole town of Drumheller could be observed (that would take a total of two blinks and a yawn)...we stopped at a small gift shop and perused the available offerings.. I bought a small momento to solidify the reality of our short visit...then we sought out a place to have a small meal...we found a great place called the "Whistling Kettle" if you're ever in Drumheller, you have to stop there and have a piece of peanut butter pie...it is simply out of this world...since I don't have a picture to show you the place, I will try to describe it and you'll have to use your "minds eye" to put it together...The Whistling Kettle is located about 100 yards east of the huge Dino...as you walk towards it you'll notice that it is a small one story wood frame house with nice curtains draped in the white laticed windows...walking around to the front you will come to a small wooden porch with a three step staircase...as you approche you can see the inside through the small glass panes of the front door...as you enter the premises you can smell the mixtures of aroma...first from the food being prepared and then from the variety of different items such as candles and a mishmash of items all over the one room dining/display area....quite cozy..you will notice that the menu is displayed on a large chalkboard affixed to a support beam in the middle of the area...also there are a half a dozen tables...some with seating for two and some with seating for three and all of them are surrounded by knickknacks and other sale items...readily touchable...the owner, a pleasant woman in her early fifties ( I assume) will come over and take your order...probable ask you where you're from and offer you a guest book that is filled with names and addressed from all over the world...all in all, if you ever get to Drumheller, you've got to go there, it's the only place in the whole town that has not been corrupted by the commercialiZed Dino theme of the town... we then got back on the road and headed on the Dino trail..( a 30 mile loop ) that take you thru the canyon and past The world famous Royal Tyrrell museum of Palientology ( I think ) where you can take guided tours of actual dinosaur fossil areas being excavated....this is the primo place for dinosaur fossils known worlwide...as we drove back out of the cayon and left Drumheller behing us, I can trutfully tell you that it's a great place to visit but I doubt if I could live in such a place....The rest of the story in the next posting...

Continuation of Western Canada unleashed...

Ha...yes I'm back and taking advantage of my lunch hour to continue this quasi epic description of a wonderful holiday to Calgary with my life partner "Susan"...Still in Calgary...while walking around the city we found out that the whole of downtown is linked by what is referred to as the skywalk...this is a series of glass covered walkways that link many buildings to each other...so that during the winter or inclement weather, no one has to venture outside...they merely go from building to building using the skywalk and can practically cover the whole of downtown this way...I guess that is Calgary's version of the subway in Montreal..all in all I thought that it was a great idea...and very convenient....Next morning ( Thursday ) we headed out of town in an Easterly direction and hightailed it to the Alberta " Badlands "....as we drove out on the TransCanada highway (route #1 ) we noticed that there's a reason why this is called "Big Sky " country... since the land is so flat, we could see from horizon to horizon... a vast amount of land...all of which is used for the growing of wheat..grazing of cattle and of course the ubiquitous gas or oil wellhead...the people who live here own so much acreage that it's not uncommon to drive miles between different ranches...the land is totally flat and it seems that whatever trees there are have been carefully planted around the various ranchers homes...quite a contrast from what we are used to in New York.. I must now leave you but promise to continue this story soon...

The wonders of Western Canada unleashed...

What better way to initiate my new blog with a few words on my just completed trip to Calgary...We (Susan and I ) arrived in Calgary after a short flight only to be greeted by newly fallen snow...After picking up our Red Cherokee jeep we hit the road and was surprised by how easily the road system is to assimilate...we found our hotel and settled in...that night we ( Jennifer and us ) ate supper at The Keg...a great steak place not far from where we were staying...next day we spent in Calgary doing such things as going up the Calgary tower and taking in the surroundings...if you're ever in Calgary you must go up in that tower for a wonderful view of the Rockies and also it serves as a great point of reference to lock in your compass on the surrounding area...that afernoon we took a walking tour of Calgary downtown... spent some time on Stevens avenue...which is closed to traffic and is mostly used as a promenade... at lunchtime it is alive with people and street entertainers...a wonderful place to take in the sights and also find a nice place to have a snack....We also visited an indoor garden which included some small ponds with carp and turtles...a nice place to rest and also to read a book which we found many of the locals doing as we walked about... During our walking tour we found a great area called The Auclair Market...where there are a number of very nice restaurant and shops..we would return many times for some meals and general relaxation.....well, I'll have to continue later... work calls me ...







S

A new day has dawned....

Yes...that's right, this previously tech ignorant Rasputin has stepped off the edge of past history to leap fearlessly into the unknown of modern communication...look out world, Rasputin has been unleashed upon you....