Flippin’ crazy

Check out this video.  These guys (3RUN) are absolutely amazing!  Don’t try this at home!!

Blame it on the rain

There is something about rainy days, or even just the few hours after a rainfall, that just seem to make certain scenes seem more inviting, more colourful than they would ever be on a sunny day. 

Meandering streams, milky waterfalls, busy squirrels, and vibrant trees…the result - a contented sigh.  Yes, a little rain can settle the mind and sooth the soul.

On Top of the World

Ever feel like you’re on top of the world? 

I was having fun manipulating some photos on the weekend and came up with this planet-like image.  The original photo was a landscape shot I took of the Vancouver skyline as seen from a cruise ship coming into port.

You can click on the photo for a better view.

Pixels of Paint

Henry’s (www.henrys.ca) hosted their fall Imaging Show this past weekend.  It was three days of seminars, gadgets, and some deals on new and used equipment.  I picked up some some tips and tricks, saw my wish list get longer, and came home with a lighter wallet in the process.

What one might not expect to see at an imaging show is body paint – and it was spread liberally throughout.  Some say Avatar might have been the inspiration, but it also had a Cirque du Soleil feel to it…without the acrobatic manoeuvers (although, there were some amazingly athletic performers at the Sony booth).

Here’s a face shot I took of one of the models…

So, if you have a pint-size ‘trick-or-treater’ that needs some face painting done for Halloween, here’s a little inspiration from the floor of Henry’s Imaging Show.

Tour de Hans

If you’ve never been to an Oktoberfest event in Kitchener/Waterloo, then you are truly missing out on a ton of fun.  We have attended our fair share of ‘events’ and as is typical, beer is involved.

The inaugural ‘Tour de Hans’, a 100km cycling race held on Sunday, was no different.  A course of rolling hills, chilly temperatures, and some reasonable winds mixed in…all ended with some tired legs, a few laughs and of course, a tapped keg of beer with a round of wiener schnitzel and bratwurst.

What a great first-year event!

The overcast skies didn’t provide the best lighting conditions for photos, but I had fun being out on the course cheering on the guys and took a few photos:

Tour de Hans - photos by Tammy Rutledge

Centurion Canada

I am including a link to a few photos from the Centurion Canada hosted by the Town of Blue Mountains near Collingwood in September.  The 7systems/Bearing Capital/runningfree team were easy to spot out there on the course – great green & white kit guys! 

Centurion Canada - photos by Tammy Rutledge 

Kudos to Graham Fraser and his team (which included Paula Newby-Fraser, Heather Fuhr, Roch Frey, Paul Huddle, along with race director Dan Mainguy, Marc Roy of Sportstats, and many, many more) for such an outstanding event.  Can’t wait for 2011.

It was a treat to see some very recognizable faces, such as Canadian Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Simon Whitfield, out there sweating it out with the rest of the cyclists.  Some local riders had some amazingly stellar performances.  Here’s a shot of Ed Veal coming into the final turn to the finish of the 100 mile race with Robert D’Amico right behind.

What a fun weekend!

Writing

A short story that I had written in a recent ‘creative writing’ workshop has been posted online by Brian Henry (thank-you!).  He has been a book editor and a creative writing teacher for many years.  After taking one of his classes, it is understandable why they fill up so quickly.  I had a ton of fun – a great group of people.     

The story came from an assignment where we were given two pieces of information and one piece of dialogue.  It was up to us to put together a story from that.

We were given:

• a journal on a bench
• blew a tire (flat tire)
• “Don’t look in the trunk,” she whispered.

Feel free to check it out at:

Trunk Debunked

Newfoundland/Gros Morne – pics

Here’s a link to our shutterfly site.  I’ve uploaded just a few photos from the trip:

Exploring Ruts & Ledges – Shutterfly site

password (case sensitive):  africa

Storm damage

CBC.ca has a photo (photo credit Zachery1) of a house that saw damage from the high winds that whipped through late Saturday/early Sunday.  We saw this same scene when we drove to Woody Point (on Bonne Bay) which isn’t far from Rocky Harbour. 

If the people in this community are anything like those we met in our travels, I’m sure they will all come together to help the family affected by this unfortunate situation.

This is surfin’ weather

Very strong winds last night and heavy rains.  I think the worst of it went through around 2am…at least it seemed like it .  The hotel felt like it was rocking in the wind and I wondered if the glass window would hold up from those wind gusts. But it did and as you can see, we have power.

Online weather reports are definitely not reflecting the current wind conditions we’re seeing here.  It’s crazy windy this morning!!  But just checked airport schedules and flights out of Deer Lake are on time…so far. Great news!

If I were a crazy surfer chick looking for just one more Newfoundland adventure, braving the elements, chasing the perfect wave…this might have been a great way to end a vacation.  But, sitting in my pj’s with a hot cup of coffee , watching the waves crash on the rugged shoreline, while viewing some of the photos taken the past few days with my most awesome adventure partner…well, it doesn’t get much better than that!