the truck story

Hello loyal readers! I have really been slacking on the blog lately, just haven't really been in the mood I suppose. Anyway things are going well. We decided to trade in our old 5th wheel and pick-up truck on a new truck, I am going to miss the trailer this summer, as I was anxiously waiting for the cold, grey winter to lift its' chilling grip and allow us to enjoy our wonderous habitat without first wrapping up with multiple layers of wool. We will still spend alot of time out and about, but may have to haul the big tent out of the closet and go back to roughing it for a couple camping trips this year. This should give us the motivation to pull out all of our old camping gear and decide what needs to be upgraged, and what needs to be tossed or recycled. I have restored our old 12' aluminum boat, it has a fresh coat of paint, new wood in the transom and I replaced the rotting plywood seats with some knotty pine that I clearcoated. I also replaced all of the rusted out bolts and screws. The boat looks looks much better and will get alot more enjoyable use in its' refurbished condition. So what about that new truck you ask? Well most of you might know that I am a pretty loyal GMC fan as three of my vehicles have been GMC, the other being a Chevy. For those of you that don't know my previous vehicles have been as follows, '86 GMC s15 Jimmy 4x4, '88 Chevy Scottsdale 3500 regular cab long box 4x4(i loved that one!), '98 GMC Sierra SL 1500 reg. cab short box 4x4 and a '91 GMC Sierra SLT 2500 ext cab short box 4x4. All of these vehicles served their purpose quite well and I must say they were mostly reliable for the crap that I put them through.This time around I decided to broaden my research base and gave the other manufacturers a look. I knew that with the higher payload and towing capacities out there in the half ton pick-up sector I no longer had to look at purchasing a three quarter or even a one ton. We can easily tow a new 23' travel trailer with any of the new light duty trucks and the HD models are a little more money than what I wanted to spend. I had already driven the new chevy, and the dodge, both trucks were comfortable but their options packages didn't really fit my needs and the salesman at the chev dealer was uncertain of the towing capacity of their truck. The new f 150 was a nice driving truck, with plenty of power and good numbers, except for the price tag, and it lacked a few important features, like a bed liner and the stock tires were crap. I knew some of the guys at the local Nissan dealer so I took a trip up there to see what they had to offer. I was on my way to the airport and didn't have much time so Brandon was quick to grab a D plate and introduced me to the Titan. The truck we took out that day was a 2012 Titan SV crew cab long box 4x4. I had been attracted to the Titans stocky stance and brawny design since they were first introduced in 2004, but never really saw myself ever driving one. This truck impessrd me right away. It had all of the features we need as a family and it handled very well for its' size. The test drive was short and sweet. A great truck, however not the one for us on that day. A month or so passed, Was this something we really needed to do? Well the old truck was almost at 300,000km, it had no modern safety features and the lack of rear doors was getting very frustrating for everyone. Yes, it was time. So, on another trip to the airport I stopped by Comox Valley Nissan to see what was on the lot, by this time I had already given their service department a trial run with our Honda Civic, just to see how they handled their customers and to get to know the staff. Turns out one of my high school buddies is still turnig wrenches in their shop! They met all of my expectations. This time Brandon had a used model to show me. This truck looked really nice, a 2011 Titan Pro-4X. It was also a crew cab model, but had almost every option. Power heated leather seats with red stiching and embroidered badging, and new BFG all-terrain tires, a Reese brake controller and tube steps. The stock 350 watt Rockford Fosgate 10 speaker stereo is awesome. This was the truck for our family. I have to thank the love of my life for doing all the paperwork and cleaning all of our gear out of our old truck and trailer while I was away at work. I was totally surprised when she texted me the news that it was ours. We took it done to Victoria for a day trip last week and it was an absolute pleasure. The kids don't even fight in it! I am looking forward to many new adventures in Titan, and will keep you posted as they happen!

my semi-paleo diet, and stuff

As I type, a snowstorm whisles outside my window. -21 windchill, three days ago it was +11. Alberta is a land of extremes this is certain. Anyhow, I haven't had a sandwich for over two months, no cookies, cereal, pastry (a couple pieces of birthday cake only), pasta, crackers, basically anything wheat based. Also very little refined sugar. I have not been pushing myself in the excersize department, just a few good mtb rides so far. I eat a large breakfast and a large dinner. Usually no lunch, as I don't really build up an appetite at work, just an apple and some nuts to keep the growlies at bay. I have lost 14 lbs in two months and I feel pretty darn good to boot. I no longer find myself craving food throughout the day, nor do I worry about portion control or counting calories. So, for now at least I shall stay the course on my semi-paleo diet, and will do my best to buy more locally grown foods, luckily the "Land of Plenty" has an abundance of selection.
Life has a funny way of keeping you humble if you pay attention the the cues, it seems when things have been going real good for a while, you will undoubtly lose someone or something near and dear to you, when this happens there is always a lesson to be learned. Things have been going well for myself of late and for that I am grateful. I owe alot of my new happiness to a very special man, he is my inspiration to live my life to the fullest and to love and care for my family and friends the best way that I can. Thank you, Grandpa. You will forever be in my heart.
So, what else is there? I really hope we all sit back once and a while and give thanks, I try to at least once a day, this world changes so fast it's easy to get caught up in the race...personally I'm in no hurry to get to the finish line.

good times, bad times

Well, it's days like today that re-affirm my love for the Comox Valley. It wasn't a nice lazy day, but a it wasn't to stessfull either. After my first sleep in my own bed in a couple weeks I was glad to be greated by a sunny, but frosty morning. After a confused few moments of half alertness I loaded the truck and proceded to drive to north on Hwy 19A to Courtenay. This is a good twenty minute drive and I was in dire need of a GOOD coffee. Luckily we have a terrific coffee roasting company in Royston (Royston Roasting Company) and they have recently opened a coffee shop. After a quick pit stop for a large Americano for myself and a homemade gingerbread man and an apple juice for my little buddy we were off to town to drop him off at his twice weekly pre-school. I parked at Lewis Park, took my bike out of the truck and walked Corb over to his pre-school. The sun felt great and frost was all but melted away. I hopped on my Giant Trance, and hit the road. Of course my tires were under-inflated for road riding so I cruised into Mountain City Cycle for some air, they noticed a bit of a squeak in my front disk brake so he put the bike on the stand adjusted this and that, checked out the drivetrain, aired up the tires and all with a smile and a few good trail recomendations. No charge. Lets see your car dealership do that. The downtown core really has everything you need in a few blocks, but is a nightmare to navigate in a vehicle. I made a few stops on fifth street, some hard times have come to many of the local shops and being forced to close out. I talked with three of the store owners and they all shared similar reasons for their new found misfortune, it all boils down to competition with the big box stores that have started to dominate our once quaint landscape. It's too bad because they all sell far superior products than the big box and their prices are typicaly at par and I always find at least one bargain when I shop the downtown core. Last Christmas I shopped exclusively local businesses and saved money and actually enjoyed my shopping experience. These people work hard to make you feel good and truly mean it when they say have a nice day. So next time you have a spare bit of time, use a big box store as a drop off point for your car or truck and walk or ride downtown. Re-discover shopping as it was meant to be and support your neighbour!

down to earth

Hi everyone! In the waning days of winter, at least on the south coast of BC, I really start looking forward to the promise of spring and a chance to enjoy a lazy afternoon overlooking the sea and the coast range. Recently I have gotten some frightening news about a family member that was in a major car accident. The details of which at the time I do not know much. I am aware however that he was the victim of a drunk driver. As a person that struggled with alcohol addiction for many years I understand the inability for a person to make sane decisions when they are intoxicated. I can only ask from the bottom of my heart for those of you who do consume alcohol to arrange for your transportation before you start drinking. I made the mistake way to many times of making it easy for myself to drive when I shouldn't have. How many times have you done the same? Alcohol is an extremely dangerous drug, disabling your ability to make rational decisions, while at the same time giving you a sense of immortality. Not a safe combination when you are behind the wheel. The only answer for some of us is to give it up all together. If you think you could be in this group don't worry, there's many of us out there that share alot of your fears and problems.

A new project?

Well there goes January! The closer we get to spring, the more I start thinking about and preparing for the bounty of outdoor activity that blooms with the season. I was listening to a program on good 'ol CBC radio the other day that had a topic that caught my attention, as many of the fine programs do on the CBC. This one stood out because the guests were outdoor types that had recently given up some of their sporting activities due to the dangers involved and or severe injury sustained during them. This got me thinking about a new system to help outdoor enthusiasts plan for the best and prepare for the worst. I need to do alot of work to advance my idea. I believe it will help reduce injury rates and also could aid search and rescue opperations. The best part is it is very low cost and the technology is extremly simple. I don't really want to talk about it much more until I have done some more research and shopped around my idea, in case it has already been done. Keep an eye on my blog for more news on this idea.
I need to check the long range forecast for the island, I may de-winterize the 5th wheel a little early this year to try some late winter rv'ing. Corbin has been bugging me since November for us to go to Comox Lake, but now he asks me almost every day. I would like to see how the old rig performs in the cooler months as well. I'm sure the furnace would keep it plenty warm, however the solar panel may not be able to keep up with the load on the batteries from the furnace fan. The great thing about the lake is it's only 20 minutes away from home, so if worst comes to worst we can always pack up and be infront of a glowing warm woodstove within an hour. Hopefully we get an early spring, we can only wait for the groundhogs to pop up tomorrow, they seem to have a pretty good hold on the weather forecast. Hmm, suddenly I have a craving for campfire roasted meat on a stick.

freedom of speech

Greetings from the epicenter of climate change! The last few weeks of weather up here have been strange indeed. Radical temperature swings, higher then normal temps, freezing rain. Alot of folks are talking, and maybe finally accepting the onset of climate change in Northern Alberta. I wrote a shote post a few months ago about an early snowfall up here and my expectation of the last plus temp day for a while. Boy was I wrong. Many days have been warmer here than back home on Van Isl. To me, this is slghtly problematic as much of our business up here depends on freezing temps. We end up pushing through most of it and some of our best days have come during the worst of conditions, it says alot for the abilities of our operators to put out the production we do during adverse weather. I really do enjoy this work, I think every little boy at some time in his life wants to drive the big trucks, and for good reason, it truly is a fun job. That being said there are negative aspects to the industry that I am not very happy with at the present.I am a West Coaster, I consider myself to be a slight conservationist (not to be confused with conservative), and I rely on a spiritual relationship my surrounding environment to help me remain level headed. I believe in protection of sacred lands, and respect for those who we borrow this land from. We must leave some areas unspoiled to show appreciation for the land, water and air that we use and in some cases expliot on a daily basis. I beleive in a fine balance between nature and human necessities. Canada is losing this balance. We have a government that is blindly steering the ship into the rocks. I was going to say that I am shocked, but kind of predicted this during the last election. We are in the early stages of economic disaster, the government knows it and the only way they can right the ship is to sell the wind that pushes it forward. To them this cannot happen soon enough and they are willing to override any law, person or organization that stands in their way. I like to call this "oppression by legislation". Thay see anyone that is not in agreance with their agenda an extremist radical. The nation has never seen such a vulgar display of disrespsect to it's native people by a federal government since the residential schools. I am disgusted and ashamed to know that my tax dollars are funding this utter irresponsibilty shown by our leaders over the past days. I have written a letter to Premier Christy Clark explaining my stance on these issues and would like to ask of you all to follow suite. You can email her at premier.gov.bc.ca. Or go to the BC Liberal website and leave a comment there. She has stated that she wants accountability and openness in government and is the only leader with an election coming up. Her re-election depends on her stance on the Northern Gateway pipeline and the Oil Tanker Moritorium that is and has been serving the coastal BC waters for 30 years. This moritorium must stand and our first nations people must be respected. Our children deserve a clean, healthy environment as does the wildlife and the millions of people that travel from all edges of the earth to marvel in the pristine beauty and awe-inspiring ruggedness that so many of us take for granted. I cannot ask you enough, please get involved, educate yourselves, take a stand. This could be our last chance.

2012

A few days in to the new year and back to work after a good holiday break. As someone that lives life for today I was quick to nullify any notions of any new years resolutions, rather I strive to take the best out of the situations that can throw us off course from time to time. These little annoyances and things that slow us down are there to keep us in check really anyway. I almost reached my goal of running a mile in eight minutes, but fell short by 18 seconds, I am ok with that, I tried hard and managed to knock a whole minute of my first timed session in only a month. I will keep training, but have started to use the rowing machine more than the treadmill. I still find it tough to keep a regular gym schedule, the work day is long and rest sometimes takes precedent over exercise. I have recently learned a few things about the way we deal with certain foods and some that are much more damaging than I ever thought. I will now be avoiding grains, such as wheat, soy, barley and brown rice. These foods are rejected by up to 80% of us and contain many protiens that are linked to thyroid problems that can lead to obesity and diabetes. I have had stomach problems and discomfort in the past after comsuming most types of grains and cereals, so it only makes sense to omit them for a while and see if it helps out. The bonus to omitting these foods is you also drop most of your refined sugar intake at the same time, another major contributer to health issues down the road. I guess I have reached that stage in my life where I have to start caring more about my overall health, both mental and physical. I know you can't turn back the clock, but with a few of the choices I have made over the past few years I feel better today than I have in a long time. I look forward to some new adventures and life lessons that are sure to come in 2012. No resolutions, no regrets, may everyday be as good as it gets.