Author: gfox (old content)

Header Out

Ulti tonight was a little weird. We had a double header and with sox still being away I decided top hire a sitter for the kids.

At the fields I knew something was up when game time rolled around and we only had 5 healthy players. We picked up 1 woman, and had 1 more guy join us who couldn’t run due to injury. Great, no subs.

I played hard this game, and felt like ip made a good contribution. I was never called as a handler tonight which suited me fine. More running for me. The tone of the game was off too. The other team accused us of taking too long and asked us if we were going to take a timeout. There were a few calls on the field that got a little heated too.

In the end, with time running out, we were tied up. Universe point. We played hard, and managed to score. This then lead to a couple players getting into an argument about the game and some of the calls on the field. Ugh, crapy way to end the game. In the end we decided to forfeit the game giving the win to the other team.

The second game we agreed to only play to 5. We picked up one of their players and had a great exhibition game. I played harder in this game than in the first since I knew I didn’t have to leave anything in reserve, and I knew it was going to be a short game.

I laid out for one point. I’m still not sure if the disk was catchable, but I made a good bid, and a solid lay out. I actually slid too which helped me avoid any injury. I threw for a couple points which was good. One of them my teammate had just made a huge diving D block to cause a turnover. I saw him streaking to the far corner and put it out in front of him. It was a little too far though,which made him lay out for it. I even got a good interception at one point which is a good thing in any game. 

Nearing the end of the second game I sat off. My feet were done. Blisters on both big toes. I really need to by some new cleats soon.

Camping Sparkle

Camping. This is what I remember from vacationing as a child. Camping with my parents at various places like Long Beach, Rathtrevor, and Gordon bay on Lake Cowichan.

I’ve always loved camping. Something about being in the woods, the campfire, the dirt. Roughing it, sleeping on the ground. Cooking outside, and eating outside. It is fun, but is a reminder of how good we have it at home.

This weekend was supposed to see Sox, myself, the kids and two other couples go to Gordan Bay for a camping weekend. Sox ended up having to go to Toronto, and one of the other couples had to cancel.

I couldn’t take both kids and the dog camping, and have us all come home sane and in one piece. Instead my mom took Amy for the weekend, and I got to take Elliot camping.

It was awesome. He is old enough to appreciate things like staying up late, getting extra treats, and doing something special with dad. He go to poke a stick in the fire, eat marshmallows, have extra cheese on his pasta. Simple things, but I could see a sparkle in his eye each time he got to do something new.

He was a big help in setting up the camp too. Elliot likes to help, so helping dad set up camp was a big deal for him. He helped me set up the tent, and then unload the car of all our sleeping gear.

I didn’t take enough things for him to do. I should have taken his bike. I instantly regretted it as soon as I pulled into the campground. The only reason I didn’t take it was sure laziness. Getting Heart into and out of the car when the bike rack is on is a pain. I should have done it anyway. I also forgot to take any coloring supplies, or any activity books. I did have a few cars and truck for him to play with, and my iPad. We also played cards, and board games.

Saturday we went to the lake, but not at the beach in the campground. We took a gravel logging road for about 10km, then took an over grown trail down to the lake. He liked 4x4ing in the car.

Saturday night was pretty cool too because when dinner was done, our campmates broke out dessert. The brought for use chocolate cake. Not pre-made though, they cooked it in the campfire in hollowed out oranges. Very, very tasty, and not really orangey either. Then after that we made popcorn over the campfire. Again, super yummy.

Today we had to break down camp and come home. I think that three nights is the ideal amount of time to go camping. Maybe four.

I hadn’t planned on this turning into such an amazing time, but it was actually very special to me. Elliot is at an age where I can really start sharing some of the things I love with him. He has the attention span to listen and learn. I think I might try to do this boys camping trip once a year. I will definitely balance this with a special weekend with Amy too.

I am definitely glad my mom was able to take Amy. I would have been way more busy and wouldn’t have been able to enjoy camping as much if both kids had been there. Also, Elliot wouldn’t have gotten to do some of the things he did if Amy was there. She doesn’t have the skill or attention to be careful around fire or other situations. Camping would have been a totally different experience if both kids were there.

Stag Day

What a weekend. I’m exhausted, covered in mosquito bites, feeling burnt, and have a huge smile on my face.

This weekend was the stag for a buddy of mine, and we rented a cabin up on Cowichan River. The place was awesome, and we spent all of our awake time outside (even when it was pouring). There was a gazebo that had a woodstove in it, picnic tables, wood piles, bbqs, pretty much everything you need to have a great weekend.

The best man stocked the place with all the snacks and food you can imagine. There was also a bit of beer (4 kegs and a flat of cans).

Killer, killer weekend. Friday night I went a little too hard and finally hit the sack around 2:30. I unfortunately woke up at 6:30 then dozed a little bit. I was very hungover, very tired. Sunday I need to jet out pretty early, so I didn’t drink very much at all. This was actually fine with me, until the beer pong started. I had to flat out refuse to play, even when the groom to be asked. I felt bad about that, but I couldn’t afford to be hungover when I was leaving at 6:30.

Sadly, this may be the last stag I go to. I can’t think of any other friends of mine who may get married one day. This was definitely a good weekend to go out on though.

Blast Whole

Ulti was a blast tonight. Unlike last week, I felt like I made a difference. Sure I had a couple bad drops, but for the most part I felt like I made a positive difference.

I was a handler for most of the night which was pretty fun. I was throwing well, and I was very careful with my catches. The other team threw on the zone a lot, and we picked it apart. Lots of throws, lots of movement, lots of swing passes. When we saw a good up field throw, we broke the zone wide open and made for the end zone. 

It was a tight game though. The score was tied, or close to tied the whole night. Right at the end we scored a couple extra to take the lead and win the game. It felt good. We played well as a team.

Imagined Spin

What a spectacular ride today. No wind, sunshine, excellent temperature. Couldn’t have imagined better conditions.

The original plan was to head up the Malahat until we ran out of time, then turn back and head home. Instead we headed out to Millstream Rd and took that to the end. This was a long gradual climb. At the end we turned around, made our way over to Ross Durance Lake road for some more climbing. Then, to add some more climbing we took Prospect Lake Rd back. My legs were pretty fried after all that. An easy spin home after that.


View Millstream Road Hill Workout in a larger map

Total Distance: 65.46 km (40.7 mi)
Total Time: 2:51:47
Moving Time: 2:41:59
Average Speed: 22.86 km/h (14.2 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 24.25 km/h (15.1 mi/h)
Max Speed: 63.00 km/h (39.1 mi/h)
Min Elevation: -11 m (-36 ft)
Max Elevation: 235 m (771 ft)
Elevation Gain: 671 m (2203 ft)
Max Grade: 9 %
Min Grade: -13 %

Pinged Entertainment

I went out to Hecklers last night for the first time ever. Gotta say I had a good time. Sox had the kids out at a friends so I pinged a bunch of people to see if anyone was free and a buddy suggested Hecklers.

We showed up early, grabbed a table and ordered some food. The burger I had was excellent and the fries that came with it were perfect. We chatted for a bit until the show began.

There were three comics that were all pretty good. The second guy was my favorite. Something about his demeanour. The last guy was just way over the top. Too much energy, and he messed up the punchline on a few of his jokes.

Good, inexpensive entertainment. Can’t wait to go back.

Group Outcome

Last weekend we went camping at Rathtrevor with a large group of our friends. It was the first time in 3 years that we had gone with them. The last time we went it was such a disaster (Amy was only a few months old and not sleeping) that we went home after the first night.

This year was much different.

The kids slept very well, once they got to sleep. They had a great time playing with friends, and for the most part were pretty hands free. The singalong was lots of fun with them too.

One thing Elliot was looking forward to for a long time was during the camping trip he wanted the training wheel taken off his bike. We talked a bit about what might happen (falling), and how we would teach him to ride (start by coasting down a hill with no pedals on the bike). After a couple coasting runs he was game to try pedalling. The video below shows the outcome.

It was pretty amazing to see him take off like that. He did three or four laps like this, then suddenly he wanted the training wheels back on. He can’t start riding on his own yet, and I think that he likes the freedom of being to just get on his bike and ride. We also need to work on stopping and dismounting, but that will come later.

The rest of the camping trip was great. It was a lot of fun to catch up with friends I haven’t talked to in a while. Drinking beer, standing around the campfire is always a good time too. When Sunday rolled around I was a little sad that we had to pack up and head home.

Header Note

Last week at Ulti there was a double header. I was looking forward to it so much, that I hired a babysitter to be with the kids while I played (Sox was out of town). Gotta say that I don’t feel like I am playing that well these days. In the first game I certainly felt gross and wasn’t running all that well. Sure I had a couple decent plays, but it felt like every time I went to make a cut, someone else would cut into my lane. Whenever I would wait for a good time to cut, I would get yelled at for not running. Certainly makes for a crappy game when you feel awful, and feel like you are wasting space out on the field.

The second game was a little better. I was handling alright, my catches were good, but I still didn’t feel like I was doing much good.

I did have one great breakaway strike. I got away from my check and hauled ass for the end zone. The huck was put up for me, and unfortunately the disc started to hover over th

e end zone. I went up for it and so did my check. As I was about to grab it, he attempted to hit the disk, but got my hand instead, preventing me from catching it. As I landed I yelled foul way, way too loudly. I promptly apologized for being so loud, and he didn’t contest the fould

This weeks game was more of the same. I wasn’t handling as much as in the past (which is kind of nice) meaning I am running more. My cuts weren’t very good, and the one good cut I had, I totally flubbed the catch and dropped the disk. I suffered from too much watching things happen (ie a long bomb and I stop running only to see my check get away from me, and the disk get caught outside the end zone). I’m really trying to step up my game for this league, but I am really feeling outclassed by the rest of my team. At least I am getting a workout.

The bright side was that for most of the game I was play D pretty well. I held the force pretty strong, and manage a good interception that could have cost us a point. In the end we still lost the game, but we did score the last point to end on a high note.