Blogs from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, North America - page 29

Well the count down is on I leave in less than a week pretty scary stuff. I will just try to summarize what I have been doing since I finished work on the 14th but I am bound to forget things. Well once I finished work I went to Bonnyville to hang out with friends and family which was a blast. Went wakeboarding a lot and finally landed the elusive tantrum (backflip) and had one of the best runs I have ever had. Went to a killer bash put on by Denis and Nigel who made a sweat hut that worked awesome despite wide spread skepticism (by me included) although the pre party party was also very good with lots of drunken antics. Then I went out to the lake and spent a couple days out ... read more

Hi there, Back in Calgary after a week in Edmonton coaching team Alberta at the National U19 championships. We had a great week, played some good cricket, and finished 2nd in the standings overall. In between we trained, ate at some good and not-so-good restaurants, hung out with the Canadian Coach Andy Pick, and laughed at the boys during their Ice Bath cryptotherapy (young guys screaming like little girls is seriously funny EVERYTIME!) On the Saturday morning we were leaving, the rental car place screwed up (despite a 3 month old booking and 2 confirmation calls) and we were stuck on a long weekend with no bus, or cars. Only one solution... Pick-up truck, yeehah! So I got to live out one of the Alberta stereotypes, driving my rental 8L Ford F-150 Pickup through the prairies ... read more

Hi guys, Been a busy weekend, got in late Sunday night from our 4 day trip to Edmonton to work with the new national coach Andy Pick and play the 2nd leg of the men’s intercity matches. It was a very successful trip in that we swept Edmonton 3-nil for the series (Inc a wash-out) and took a massive amount away from Andy's work ethic, vision for the future, and passion for the game. Beard is gone but I'm missing it and it WILL be making a comeback over the next couple of weeks. Have added a couple of photos to my last blog from the rodeo, and basically if you have little to NO interest in me babbling on about cricket then permission given to skip this entry! As always we were dragging our feet ... read more

Day 11 was a lost day. I slept it all away. I needed a break from the travel and the sightseeing and just relaxed in my hotel room and enjoyed the sheets and pillows a bit too much. Sleep is good. Sleep is our friend. Day 12 was Edmonton Mall Day! The Mall is HUGE! It even has an indoor water park! I also bid goodbye to Horty. I am on my own the rest of the trip and I already miss him sooooo bad! Part of it is being by myself, the other part being that I really enjoy his company. He's fun and listens to all my ramblings and questions. I hope to see him again soon!... read more

An 8 hour bus journey (in Ireland you can travel the length of the country in this time.. in Canada you barely manage to cross from Alberta to BC) in a van with no air conditioning in the height of a summer is an experience I will never forget. With backs sticking to the seat, legs cramped due to the minimal space available and literally drenched in sweat we were not a pretty sight. However, using the height of modern technology, we did manage to amuse ourselves by listening to Peter's ipod through the van's speakers and singing along to some classics such as "In the Navy, " "YMCA" and what would become an anthem for the trip "Hips don't lie" by Shakira. We got our first glimpse of the Rockies from the windows of ... read more