Life

What a weekend. Dinner out on Friday, Saturday yard work, then a Tour de Victoria training ride, then a BBQ at the neighbours. Today some more yard work, then some time at the beach. All this in the warmest, sunniest weather so far this year. It actually hit 30 today.

My ride was pretty good too. I dropped my saddle a millimetre, and that made a huge difference in my comfort. My knee didn't bother me at all and I felt pretty good. I went from my place downtown along the water to Cattle Point, then back again. Not a huge ride, but it was wonderful to be out on the bike, and not all bundled up in cold weather gear.

View TDV 2013 Training in a larger map
Total distance: 38.00 km (23.6 mi)
Total time: 1:36:33
Moving time: 1:34:01
Average speed: 23.62 km/h (14.7 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 24.25 km/h (15.1 mi/h)
Max speed: 49.99 km/h (31.1 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.54 min/km (4.1 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.47 min/km (4.0 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1.20 min/km (1.9 min/mile)
Max elevation: 82 m (270 ft)
Min elevation: -49 m (-162 ft)
Elevation gain: 839 m (2753 ft)
Max grade: 42 %
Min grade: -42 %

Today I went around the yard a took a few pictures of the garden.

The apple tree looks amazing this year.

More apple blossoms.

Lilacs

Mock orange

More Mock Orange

Peony about to burst

More peony

Sheba is visiting, and her and Heart had a great time at the beach. The kids did too, and Sue and I got to sit and enjoy the sun.

Dogs galore

Heart and Sheba

Heart cannot swim. Here she is flailing wildly.

Mt Baker was very clear today.

Yesterday I took the kids to Highrock Park to go "rock climbing". This just means letting them scramble over any rocks they want to, but it really is an easy way to convince them to go up to the park. The goal was to get Heart out for some exercise.

We had a good time up there, and I think I got some nice pictures. Of course while I was taking pictures and watching the kids, Heart disappeared on me. I soon learned she had made her way down to the field where other dog owners congregate and retrieve.

After collecting Heart we started making our way back home. Once we got out of the park, the rain started and poured for a few minutes. Good timing!

Last weekend we took Heart for a walk at Island View beach. It was a nice day, and the kids and the dog had a great time. Sue and I even got to sit and relax a bit while the kids played.

Saturday was a gorgeous day. We decided to take the kids for a hike at Thetis Lake. Once there we gave them the choice of the hike with a nice viewpoint and lots of hills, or around the lower lake. Surprisingly they took the hilly route.

Must say that it was a great time for all of us, including Heart. The kids did great on the walk, even though we were out there for close to two hours. At one point we were up high looking out over the lake and Elliot says in a hushed voice that the view was "breathtaking".

Last weekend there was an airshow here in Victoria. It was dubbed the Biggest Little Airshow in Victoria because it consisted of model aircraft. Some of the models were insanely detailed. I can't imagine how many hours somebody put into those creations. My favorites were the A10 and the Mars water bombers.

The incredible part was how well these planes flew. Many acrobatic maneuvers, inverted passes, low height passes. All done to scale.

The event was a fundraiser for a couple local charities which made any money we paid go to a good cause. They also had a full concession so we had some excellent burgers and hotdogs for lunch. They even had a face painter there, and Amy chose to get some flowers done. The lady did an amazing job.

Such a fun event. I can't wait for next year. Here are some pictures I took.