McPherson Trail

Our walk today took us along a trail I know well.  My back yard used to back right onto this trail.  It was in McPherson subdivision.  We stopped at the lookout where I snapped a photo of Gail.  It was an easy walk that took about 2 hours.  The temperature, -6, was perfect for a hike.  An this was the snowy day we have been looking forward to for a while now.

Looking at the snow covered Takhini River brought back memories.  And as an additional treat, at the end of the walk I was able to visit my old friend Helen who used to be my next door neighbour.  All in all a very productive day.

Allied

We don't get a good movie here for months, then they come fast and furious.  Don't usually go to war stories but heard the acting in this movie was excellent.  It was.  The cinematography was excellent as well.  As for the story line, it was slow and not very exciting.  I am glad I watched it on the big screen as I think I would have been bored had I watched it on my TV.  3 out of 5 Stars.

Gold Panners

Every year there is a Geoscience Forum and Trade Show.  I don't know if they have it every year, but this year there was a KIDS' DAY and SR & I took kids.  One of the tables had gold panning so Emerson and Alanna both tried their luck.  They came away with a gold flake although they preferred picking up the bigger stones with their hands and throwing them, with a splash, into the water.

Today's walk was a simple one - from the Roundhouse, around the Millennium Trail and back.  Only about 1-1/2 hours. It was about -15C so we kept at a faster pace to stay warm.  On the way home I saw my first sun dog of the season.  Would have taken a photo of it but my phone packed it in, in the cold weather.

Grey Mountain/Twin Towers Walk

Our walk this week was on Grey Mountain.  And it literally was along a mountain.  The ups and the downs were extreme and long, especially with a bit of snow and ice on the trail.  Now, having said that, we all make it with only one slight casualty (and it wasn't me, thank heavens).  

The sun was brilliant.  We surely got our Vitamin D today.  And the temperature was cooperative as well, around the -3°C .  There were two EXTREMELY beautiful viewpoints.  These photos are from the second one.  When looking to the left, you could see all the way to Carcross and when looking right to Whitehorse.  That is an expanse of 75 kilometres.

This is the view towards Whitehorse.

Nancy & I ended up walking at the front of the crowd.  Here she is taking a snap of the view.  In the distance, along the trail is little Ginny who came with us on the walk.

I bought the Farm

I saved some of SR's toys and now have the opportunity to put them to use once again.  You may remember the Fisher Price Farm.  Many more animals were added to this set including a giraffe and hippopotamus (not shown here) and a few were lost but for the most part it is very playable still.  The new Fisher Price Farms are not as well made, as is the case for most toys these days.  This set is currently about 30 years old.

The barn door still "Moo's" when you open it.  A great toy and one we will save for little Emerson and Alanna's future children.

Doctor Strange

Dr. Strange, a movie based on the Marvel Comic Book, is the story of a Neurosurgeon, Dr. Strange, who texts while driving (we all know that that is a no-no) and has a horrific accident, injuring his hands, making them useless to his all important trade.  He goes on a journey to return his hands to full use and stumbles on a world of alternate realities.  This movie stars Benedict Cumberbatch, a reason to see this movie if no other.  As well,  Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams play major roles.  It is visually stunning (see it on a big screen, probably the bigger the better).  They could have left out a bit of the fighting but that is my personal preference.  I enjoyed this movie and give it 4 out of 5 Stars.

Inferno

I know it only got 28 tomatoes (out of 100!!!) but as I saw the first two in this series and Tom Hanks does star in this movie and Ron Howard (another of my faves) directs it, I went to see it last night.  No surprises here.  Dan Brown's books are all kind of the same - a quick read and forgettable.  Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) awakens in a hospital with amnesia and people are trying to kill him.  He must follow a series of clues to escape tragedy.  The movie is mostly set in Florence, a city I have visited a few times so it was a pleasure to re-visit the city through this film.  A quick visit to Venice was also great.  If you saw either one of the previous two films in this series, you will know exactly what to expect.  As I said, no surprises here but glad I saw it.  I give it 3 of 5 Stars.

Wolf Creek Loop

Joined Elder Active this week.  My first walk was the Wolf Creek Loop.  This is a trail I walked in the summer with the Senior's Orienteering group but now we needed ice cleats (and the poles came in useful too) for traversing the hills.  There was quite a few in our group on this warm winter day (around 0 degrees C) ranging in age from about 55 to about 80.  The 4 Kilometre walk took us along Wolf Creek, through the Boreal Forest then the Yukon River.

Summer or winter, the views of the Yukon River are always breathtaking.

It's Neverland

October 31st transformed my home into Neverland with Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook and the Alligator.  

Here's Tinkerbell.

A family portrait.

And the kiddos on the run and having fun.

All costumes thanks to the talented Brooke who sat at her sewing machine and by the glue gun for weeks.  Great job once again Brooke!  

I live on a "kids" street.  Last year we had about 100 Trick or Treaters at the door.  This year we had about 150!  What will next year bring??