Lucas is my hero!

The Strathmore parade was pretty good this year. Lots of candy!! Haloween and the Stratmore parade replenish my yearly stocks. Doodle bug did an excellent job in filling what everyone thought was her bucket including her.

Next year I will have to come up with some brilliant idea of how and what I can be to participate in the parade. So I was sitting on the side when "The Gentlemen Plumbers" van came by blowing bubbles accompanied by the dude in the bathtub (which totally should have been me) and Lucas on the toilet. It was hilarious and totally a good idea.

One of my "Red Neck" desires........

Crop sprayers have always intrigued me. The ultimate 4x4 machine. I have often thought if I ever had enough money I would purchase one like you see here (Strathmore Parade), remove the sprayer booms and tank and replace them with a camping trailer. Just think no more tree stands for hunting!

Just playing with the girls.........

Curiosity Killed the Cat and nearly killed me!

Last weekend I was in the Crowsnest pass fishing the many creeks and rivers including (Racehorse,Vicary, Lynx and Lost creek and the Oldman river). The fishing was so fantastic that it was hard to sleep at night. Cutthroat trout on nearly every cast averging 12 inches in length.

On Saturday August 8th after fishing all day Janay and I headed back to our hotel. At approximately 7:30pm I ventured out by myself to fish a few more places near Coleman. After fishing parts of the Crowsnest river and Allison creek I headed back.

I stopped in at Flumerfelt park looked after by the Lions Club of Coleman and decided at about 9:15pm to hike the Miners Path approximately 1.2km to see Rainbow falls. I have herd that this is a very nice hike and it was. The trail is said to be the old Miners path used every day by the miners of McGillivary mines. The trail follows Star Creek upstream to rain bow falls.

Rainbow Falls

After looking at Rainbow falls I continued upstream in search of some more mine ruins before it became too dark. On the way up to the falls I had taken a slight detour and was marveling over some ruins that may have been a part of the McGillivary coal mine operations. I absolutely love old and historic structures especially abandoned mines.

Looking to the east near the top of a rock face I could see some sort of structure. It appeared that the only way to get a closer look at it before it was too dark was to walk out on a 2 inch wide piece of slate approximately 30 feet above the ground while holding firmly onto some bear berry shrubs. Sounds crazy, believe me I know!!!

Never the less some brilliant thought came into my mind saying it was possible even though it had started to rain and now the rock face was all wet. I remember thinking I won't be on the ledge long enough to worry about it. Famous last words!!! I slipt and while I was falling to the rocks below I remember thinking this is going to hurt, and it did! In fact it hurt alot!!!!!! As I laid their in the mud my first thought was "Get up you idiot, your jacket is going to get dirty!" and second "This better not hinder my field work!" I was exstremely lucky no broken or fractured bones just scrapes, cuts, bruises, and hurt pride. The worst thing was that I had a 1.2 km walk back to the Jeep.

I painfully manged to make it back to the hotel. Initially when I walked in I gave it everything I had to walk as though nothing had even happened so Janay wouldn't suspect anything, until I could get in the bathroom and check out what I had actually done to myself.

The picture above shows a swollen/brused portion on my left shin with a large open approximately 1/4 inch deep wound

Here is a picture of my right leg thigh. It doesn't look all that bad, just a few scrapes but I knew it would bruise. It felt like getting the most painful "Charlie Horse" you could possibly imagine.

Here is the same leg 3 days later. Ouch!!!!!!!!

Hunting 2008

I have always wanted to take my boys hunting. It is one activity that many of them have had an interest in, but never an opportunity to participate in. Out of the five young men I asked this year only two were able to go.

Like the previous two years, I was not able to take off more than one day to fill my tags this year (Whitetail buck and doe, 2-Mule does). I have been really busy with remediation projects. The plan was to leave thursday night and come home saturday night. Johann and Brody had to skip school on the friday.

Johann with his first 4x4 Mule Buck and Brody with the 4x3 Whitetail buck I shot

Friday morning we had a good early start. We headed out to area # 108 to try and fill the White tail buck and doe tags as they are the most difficult to fill because white tailed deer are so skittish. The Mule does were for area 108 as well but I didn't want to waste my time on them initially because we know of many sites where you can drive right up to them.

Levi and Dad were at school while we were shooting up the country side. We pushed bush in the morning at a few locations I hadn't been to before and manged to scare out two little bucks, After an un-succesful chase with two other bucks we headed to another location. Upon arriving two does and an enormous 6x6 whitetail buck came up out of the old irrigation canal and started running west towards the St. Mary's river located approximately 6 miles away. We were in hot pursuit until we ran out of area to drive on. We observed that the deer joined up with approximately 30 white tailed does and three other big bucks.

We all sat on a hill and watched them at well over 1200 yards. Brody and Johann were now fired up more than ever ("Buck fever"). We packed up and headed in that direction. One mile from the coulee edge we spotted the herd 2 miles north making making they're way to the river. One of the bucks was off by himself about 800 yards from us. I aimed and shot! Missed and sent the dear in a frantic run straight for the river. We carefully walked to the coulee edge, looked over and could see all the deer just at the base of the hill. Between the base of the hill and the river was a stuble field on the flood plain about 600m wide. We tried to walk/crawl without being seen, but it didn't work. We were spotted by the deer and they all bolted to the river except one doe. We waited as the doe made her way right toward us, then I lost sight of her looking. Brody started mumbling and poking me to turn around, as I did there was the doe not more than 30m from us standing broadside looking right at us. I shot the doe straight through the heart.

Here I'm explaining to Johann how to remove the membrane separating the heart and lungs from the intestins and the trachia of the whitetailed doe we shot.

Shortly after field dressing the doe, I noticed this whitailed buck that Brody is holding making his way south through the willows along the bank of the river. The only clear shot I had was a neck shot. Following the shot the buck headed for some thick brush, while in pursuit the 6x6 and a 4x4 whitetail buck ran 15 feet in front of me. Fear of loosing the one I shot in the bush and not having another tag I cut my losses and focussed on finding the one I shot. Following sometime we finally found him in some thick willows. No snow on the ground makes it quite difficult to track any injured game. Broken twigs and impressioned grass is virtually all you have to go on.

Not the best buck, but he will do, considering we only have one day left and two more tags to fill, not to mention skinnig, butchering and bagging.

Following an exilerating day of hunting comes the fun part of skinning and buchering. Brody and Johann did an excellent job with the buck, while I worked on the doe.

Almost complete.

The shooting never stops. Leland has a bullet trap on his dresser filled with army men. Brody and Johann made mince meat of those army men.

Saturday morning we headed out to fill the mule doe tags. We managed to get one of the two. Johann really wanted to have an opportunity to hunt a buck and so I took him to a spot where you are gauranteed a 4x4 Mule buck at less than 400 yards. Here is Johann the proud hunter of his first 4x4 mule buck with one shot using a 308 Semi-automatic Winchester rifle.

Levi was with us this day and had an oportunity at the 6x6 whitetail we saw on friday, but it got away. Too bad it is an awfully nice animal. Next year we will get them!

The end of a long day............ It is going to be a long night, so I was happy to see them get some sleep. These two day hunting trips are not worth it. There is no time to relax and visit, it is all go... go.... go!! Next year in November 2009 I will ensure I have a minimum of 1 week off so as to have an opportunity to get both Levi and I a Big buck.

Oh Brody........ He cracks me up!

Earthships

I have always been intrigued over the idea of an Earthship. These remarkable structures offer a life of sustainability and independance unlike our traditional ways of life. Over the last few years I have researched and looked into many self reliant and sustainable options to everyday living. It just doesn't make sense, and in my opinion is a waste of moneyto build a traditional home with the advanced technology of today regarding sustainable living. Take a look at the link and watch the video regarding Earthships.

Halloween 2008

Ahhhh yes Halloween. I really enjoy Halloween, mainly because I have a sweet tooth and all the good candy can be found in bulk and is relatively inexpensive. I wanted to go Trick er Treating this year (I totally could have pulled it off). The last time I went was when I was 19. Ten years later, I firmly believe I could fill the old pillow case again and escape the apples with razor blades hidden in them.

I dont' remember who's idea it was to have me dress up in tight long johns with a piece of fur pinned to my chest but I think we did pretty good for ourselves this year with the whole Bow hunter and White tail buck idea. In fact we were awarded the best couple costume at the Strathmore ward Halloween party.

Janay the mighty Bow Hunter (the bow is on her back) has claimed the Hanson white tailed buck. I'm sure glad it wasn't the Hanson buck, the antlers from my first 4 x 4 white tail buck were heavy enough.

I'll be looking for you in the bush this year Chad!!!

(Chad aka Clint is a co-worker)

Fairmont Hot Springs

In October I had the opportunity to enjoy the natural water pools of Fairmont Hot Springs. It was very relaxing and a nice break from the heavy remediation project I was involved in at work. Fairmont is located in British Columbia (BC) just SW of Calgary AB and is south of Radium Hot Springs. Though many of the other attractions in the area were not open the cool temperatures and lack of snow made it a perfect time to visit. October is a slow time of year for the resort and so we virtually had the whole place to ourselves. I'm not much of a tourist and do not enjoy crowded areas and so this was perfect timing not to mention the reduced rates.

Up slope from the resort is a small ski hill that I would have really liked to have taken advantage of but the snow was not yet sufficient. The resort is surrounded by a golf course, Campground/RV facilities and a large lake for other recreational activities is not far off.

This water fall and natural mineral pool below is a result of mineral water overflow and discharge from the resorts modern pools above. Approximately 10 feet up from the top of the water fall is a 6 inch pipe discharging the warm mineral water.

At the base of the falls is a pool formed from the minerals within the water approximately 8m long x 2m wide x 1m deep. The water is still pretty warm and anyone can access this area.

Here is the second point of discharge from the public mineral pools. I'm positioned in front of another pool slightly smaller then the one mentioned above but half a meter deeper.

Here is a view of the Fairmont resort looking west. The resort is quite old and the room we stayed in was interesting with its pink walls and rose pictured wall paper. There is a private pool for resort guests only which was quite nice. Not far from the private pool were sauna facilities and 2 natural inside mineral pools. One was regular ice cold water and the other scalding hot water. Much warmer than the outside mineral pools.

Dining room and restaurant facilities were nice but ridiculously expensive and the food was not that great. I know it is a resort but come on!!! Breakfast for two would cost on average nothing fancy approximately $ 30 and Lunch $ 30 and Supper $ 60. The hamlet of Fairmont does not have a lot when it comes to amenities. Their is one grocery store (expensive) a hick restaurant and a small mall full of nick nacs etc. We ate at the resort once and then traveled 20min. north to the town of Invermere to shop and eat. Our favorite spot was the Lakeside Grill and Pub. The food was good and the prices were less than half of the resort.

This is a picture of the traditional spa house when the resort was first established. It is located above the resort on the west side. Water temperatures are slightly less than the temperatures in the modern pools. Anyone can enjoy these facilities and we observed many locals coming and going. Not far from the resort is an LDS Chapel.

Here is an inside view of the stone tub traditional spas. The water is continuously flowing in and out of the tubs. The stone spas are approximately 2 m long x 0.50 m wide x 0.50 m deep.

This image shows the East side of the traditional spas and discharging mineral water.

While passing through Radium we encountered a herd of Big Horn Sheep. I think this ram and one of his girl friends would look great on my wall.

This is how I feel about Consulting sometimes.

Some people's kids.........

Building Fires

Having the ability and confidence to build a fire with or without matches and at any time of the year should be considered a great accomplishment by anyone. I strongly feel that fire is one of the most important skills to learn and become proficient at, especially if you enjoy being in the outdoors. Fire in many respects is necessary for every day life and survival when you least expect it for obtaining food, clean water to drink, warmth, and protection.

Over the years I have attended a lot of fire training and instructional seminars put on by my youth leaders, Scouts Canada, and other related hunting/survival courses. In Scouting this is one skill as a leader you should never cut corners on when teaching your young men. It gives your young men a sense of accomplishment, and believe me over the last 10 years in scouting it is nice to be able to sleep in a little bit without having to get up in -30 degree or pouring rain weather to start the fire.

I have made a number of changes over the years to my fire building seminar/field day of fire challenges and skill sets. I found that it is important to balance the training with skills, models, demonstrations, knowledge of natural environment, rewards, and competitions. The first part of the training includes a 5 page handout review 3 to 4 days before the field day which covers off everything. When the field day comes chocolate bars are awarded during the model demonstrations to the young men who can remember the info from the handout. I spend an entire day in the field for the training and competitions.

The location must be natural with trees and shrubs and have a water source close by. It is highly unlikely that you will find a 2x4. newspaper or nicely split wood in the bush just waiting for you. In fact these were the training courses that I despised, because you knew full well the instructor put it together at the last minute. Face it all young men are "Pyro Maniacs" when it comes to fires! I know I was. Take the time to plan correctly, it will save you so much pain and agony in the long run. The outcome you are seeking is an urgency and excitement for the young men to sharpen up on their skills on their own time and teach each other. This minimizes work on your part as the leader.

Fire Model set-up

The first step to the field day is to build all the model fires from the handout previously reviewed and to present and prepare a number of fire starters both man made and environmental based on their surroundings. Starting from the right and heading left the first is gas (Scout water). This is a controversial subject with some parents who feel that I may be giving their young men ideas of how to burn down their house. Every young man including myself at one point and time will experiment with gas while building a fire. If you demonstrate the effects but also outline the safety behind using gasoline at the activity the overall outcome and response is relatively low. Second gas-line-antifreeze (small, light weight, will not blow up in your face). The other fire starters consisted of tea lights, flint and steel, bow and string, matches, lighters, shredded paper, drier lint, fuel sticks, bark, squaw wood, fuzz sticks, cattail heads, weed tops, fox tail grass, cotton from cotton wood trees, and dry bunched up grass etc.

Next are your three piles of tinder, kindling, and fuel. 100% of the time this is where people miss the mark. If you ensure you have these three piles you will never fail at building your fire. I always laugh when the young men skip the first two in a panic and try to light their fuel with a match and then wonder why they cant get their fire going. It happens every year.

Then you get into your fire models and their uses. Basically you are repeating the handout, but instead of looking at a picture the young men are getting a demonstration of how to actually build the fire. Right to Left (Tepee fire lay, Criss Cross/Log cabin, Rock fireplace, Hunters fireplace). After going through all the models and their uses the young men are to choose a location to build their fires. They are responsible for choosing a safe location and to clear it of twigs, grass, leaves etc. based on what they have learned.

Their next task is to gather their (tinder, kindling, and fuel) into three separate piles. Once completed the leader will inspect the piles to make sure they have gathered enough. They will then proceed to build a Tepee fire. If they are successful in lighting their fire with one match they receive a chocolate bar. If their one match goes out they receive no prize and must continue until they have successfully built their fire.

Once completed they will safely put out their fire with water or soil and take all their half burnt sticks etc. and place them in the leaders fire. They will then return to their location and repeat the same steps for the Criss Cross/Log Cabin fire. Again having a chance to win another chocolate bar.

Right to Left (Rock fireplace, Hunters fireplace, Trench fireplace, Rock reflector)

Right to Left (Mud reflector and Ceremonial camp fire)

In September 2008 we had 8 boys participating in the field training. They were spread out underneath these aspens and populars.

Once everyone has completed laying, lighting and extinguishing their fire (Tepee/Criss Cross) safely we move onto the flint and steel and bow and string demonstrations. The leaders will demonstrate it first and then the young men have the opportunity to do it themselves. When every one has completed it the competitions start.

The first competition is to lay, light and extinguish your fire safely using only flint and steel. The winner of this competition is awarded with something substantial (pocket knife, hatchet, flash light, multi tool etc.). This same style of competition is then repeated for the Bow and String.

This is Micheal trying to light his Tepee fire with Flint and steel.

The last challenge involves the first one to boil (1L) of water over the fire of their choice. The young men really enjoy this one and usually it is repeated several times but with limits as to what you can use to start the fire (Flint/Steel, Bow/String, Matches etc.) and in teams. Here Tyler was working on the second try to win a prize. At the end of the day have enough prizes to award for best attitude, team effort etc. so as to include every one.

Happy Team mates

*If you are interested in the handout or would like assistance with your fire training I would be more than willing to help out. Please email me at tim.stanford@hotmail.com

Beauvais Lake Provincial Park

During Labor day in 2008 I decided to head south towards Pincher Creek and go fishing at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park. When I was younger my Dad and Uncle Irel and I used to go fishing here. Beauvais Lake is stocked with Rainbow trout and is one of the best lakes for ice fishing and summer angling that I know of. I have never been disappointed. This year I decided to take my father in law Ken. Next time I will re-think that decision as he was pulling out fish left right and centre.

Beauvais lake isn't just known for its fishing, but also it's hiking trails and RV/camping facilities. We spent a lot of field time during school up here for (Rangeland Mgmt., Ecology, Zoology, Aquatics, Wetland Mgmt, and Forestry etc.)

We spent approximately 6 hrs. fishing and caught 14 Rainbow trout and kept 9 of them.

We found that the fish would hit our lines every half hour. Pickerel rigs and sparkly pink/orange/yellow marshmallows were the bait of choice. Initially in the morning till about noon the fish were fairly small. Early afternoon to 5:00pm the size of the fish caught kept increasing. We were positioned at the SE end of the lake just north of one of the tenting areas. I had never fished in this location before. Off the island and in the SW corner near the beaver pond areas are really good, but their is a lot of debris in the water.

Maybe the red rain poncho was the key to catching all the fish. Whatever the case Ken can go by himself next time. Oh and keep his comments to himself about being the mighty fisherman.

Just another hard day at work.

Mmmmmmmmmm............

Garnet Hunting

When I was attending college in Lethbridge, I had the opportunity during our Physical Geology & Hydrogeology class field season to explore a formation known as the Crowsnest Volcanics. The formation is located in the Crowsnest Pass off Hwy # 3, just west of Coleman. Here embedded in the formation were a number of black diamond shaped garnets surrounded by feldspar and other minerals.

Garnets in appearance look like a dark diamond and belong to the isometric crystal class producing symmetrical cube based crystals. They are a group of minerals relatively common in highly metamorphosed rocks and in some igneous formations. They form under high temperatures and/or pressures. Compared to gem stones garnets are typically not the most preferred choice and are not worth allot of money due to their relative abundance throughout the world.

This is an actual picture of the formation with some of my fellow classmates competing in the race to find the biggest garnet. The garnets in this formation are not very large, but are easy to get at and are very nicely shaped. The use of a pocket knife will help you find the perfect garnet in this formation.

Here are some of the garnets I found out of this formation.

This was the largest one I found. Christie found one approximately twice as large.

In August 2008 I accompanied some fellow colleagues from work on a Garnet hunt in the interior of BC. We encountered some deep red garnets which are their typical color. These garnets were a lot larger but had to be chisled out of a Muscovite/mica schist formation. The garnets were embedded in the mica schist and although they were relatively easy to obtain they were covered in a mica schist/Muscovite shell hiding their symmetrical edges. Currently I'm still trying to figure out how I can remove this coating without rounding off the edges and/or damaging the garnet. The picture above is of the formation that had the red garnets embedded in it.

Here you can see the red garnets embedded in the muscovite/mica schist. I also found that many of the garnets had been weathered quite badly.

Here is the end product. Now all I have to do is figure out how to remove the muscovite schist etc. and I will have some nice looking garnets.

This is what muscovite schist looks like. It is quite nice actually. Very shinny/silvery,smooth (soapy), soft, breaks in layers, and is very crumbly.