Killer Cross Over Tour

So Melissa got tickets, for this basketball game, from work. It's a street style game that was held at the MTS Centre. We decided there was no better way to spend a wednesday evening than to watch some epic b-ball.

The only problem was our seats were up here and Tim's was down there. But I've got a twenty dollar bill and tunnel vision.
Melissa was stoked to get her cup, but I think this girl was more stoked to give it.
Melissa's pretty stoked on her fun camera settings. I'm pretty stoked on these standard "get a shot of me at the game" shots.
Now that's just rude.
The rest of the evening was spent trying to capture how out of place I was here.
Epic "lonely" shot.
"People are strange when your a stranger"
Melissa proudly displays her ticket with the authentic basketball crowd.
On a completely different note. Last Christmas Cory, Tristan, and I spent a day baiting hawk owls. I fed this guy two mice off my head, and Tristan fed him one. These are really fast birds, and it's quite exhilerating watching them fly at your face with talons out. I finally got this shot from Tristan, so I thought no better time then now to share it with you.

I never claimed to have anything on you Dr.

So this weekend is the edge volunteer retreat at Cedarwood Bible camp. I am one month in on the stache, and I managed to drag Cliff and Phil down with me. We are officially the dirtiest crew here. Most of the time we stand around looking tough. When we do get time online we are all eager to check our PBR stats. 8 seconds, that's what it all comes down to.

Life with a mustache

So I dressed as a cowboy for halloween this year. And I guess since I no longer feel the need to impress girls, the 'stache has stuck around. It is amazing, however, how insecure you become with one of these on your face. Like everytime I do something stupid I know exactly what the person I'm dealing with is thinking. "What are you doing, crazy mustache man?"
Like the other day, I paid for gas while talking on my cell phone the whole time. You know that guy was thinking, "who are you talking to dude, nobody wants to talk to a creep like you." Or yesterday, Melissa and I went to the mall. I saw a girl that looked familiar to me, so I waved. It was not who I thought it was. You know she was creeped out. "Let's get out of here before that mustache man comes and tries to talk to me." She probably said to her friend.
So if you ever want to test how secure you are in yourself just grow a 'stache. For now here's some images from this evening to keep you entertained.

I look creepy and my mom looks drunk. She'd have to be to spend time in the presents of that mustache.
How's that for terrifying. She's the one that raised me, I am the product of my parents. So, it's there fault.
Leave it to me to make a mustache look good.

Oh ya! I went to Churchill.

This lady was crazy, once you got her talking there was literally no stop. Cory met some relatives of hers, that work at loewens. Apparently the family refers to her as "machine gun".My friend George. We met him on the train up and ran into him daily in Churchill. He's from Australia, touring around the world. Ya, he's pretty much been everywhere.
Sleeping the Via train way. Most comfortable travel I have ever had.
I think our conductor wishes it was still the 1800's. He was quite the cowboy.
Welcoming us back from a break in a northern town.
Cory didn't get much sleep on the way up. Greesy and tired, he's ready for churchill.
And just like that forty hours have passed and we've arrived.
The arctic landscape. Day one tundra buggy.
Our first animal of the trip (besides the black bear, and fox seen from the train). This arctic hare was really chill, we photographed him and moved on without him changing positions.
Then we came across our first polar bear. He was chillin' on the shores of the hudson bay. Five buggy's gathered and he could care less.
He did move a little to eat some grass.
" That bit there looks quiet good."
This shot of Steph looks like she's at the helm of a ship plotting our course.
I forget this girls name, she was on the train ride in. I know she's a german exchange student studying humans impact on polar bears, but I forget her name. Anyway, here she is bringing supplies to the buggy on day two.
Polar bear number two was not interested. He mulled around a bit, but stayed this far away, then sat down in the willows and disappeared.
Our crew plus at the end of day two.
Winter moved into town with a force. The winds were awesome, like cross the icy street with one small push. I think they were 80km/hr gusting to 115.


Cory on the main drag trying to dodge flying shingles.
Hey I've got an idea, lets all pack into the tiny train station then wait on the floor for like five hours. Cory and Steph at hour number four, Cory didn't get much sleep all week so he's in pretty rough shape. Steph took the wait like a troopper, my back and hips were killing me, and I'm childless. Don't even get me started on the discomfort of a spontanious four hour bus ride from Thompson to the Pas. Ya, a freight train derailed.
Jody on the other hand loved waiting in the Churchill train station. Cory laying down some knowledge back in southern Manitoba.

So there it is my trip to Churchill. We only saw three bears, but those are wild animals truly awesome creatures. We saw one on the bus ride back to town from the tundra buggy. He was huge! Just walking along the side of the road, that was pretty exciting. But, he too had little interest in us, and peaced out as soon as we pulled the bus over. I know now the next time I go back will be in late october/early november, and I'll fly or take the train from Thompson. But, until then I regret nothing.