Cobras Softball Team!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Winter's Comin On, Summer's Almost Gone
The leaves have started to fall and change colours, the nights are starting to get chilly and school has started for everyone except me-- that's how it feels anyways! You know Fall is around the corner when men get more excited than usual about women wearing skirts and shorts. Men realize that skirts will be shunned for the next six months as pants, jeans, boots and layering take over the fashion scene. They can instinctively feel Fall creeping in and compensate by creeping a slightly longer than usual stare knowing that any skirt could be the last they see until next spring.
Fall is literally a day away and I decided that before I embrace this new season, with all its splendors like Apple Cider, orange leaves and endless layering possibilities, I need to first take a moment to reflect, maybe even wax nostalgic, on the amazing Summer I had.
The summer months flew by and there is no way I could or would want to write down everything I did. So instead, I've decided to narrow it down to a few key ingredients that made my Summer so much fun!
1) Biking
In case you weren't aware already, bikes are the new coolest accessory for Spring and Summer. As usual North America is almost always trailing behind Europe when it comes to whats hot. Bikes are hot! I remember when I was in Amsterdam it felt like literally everyone in the entire city had a bike, they even had whole parking lots devoted to them. Somehow all of the people managed to look uber cool and fashionable while riding their bikes as well-- men wore dress pants, women wore cute skirts and dresses. I wish I could say that I mastered the uber cool biking look, but that is miles from the truth. I always end up having to bring a change of clothes wherever I go because a bike ride leaves me looking disgusting and far from the cool and collected Europeans I wish I could emulate.
While they have small vintage inspired road bikes with banana seats, I have a big heavy guys bike. I tried to make it feminine by adding a basket to the front but now it really just looks like a bad cross-dresser. On the other hand, what my bike lacks in looks it totally makes up in style. My bike has been decked out with a bubble machine! It feels very 'Pimp my ride: Bike Edition'!! When I ride down the street bubbles come out the back of a bubble machine which is attached to the back wheel. Eight year olds all over Ottawa have ooeed and awwed over it. Bubbles along with the endorphins from exercising pretty much make me the happiest girl around. Its great exercise, I get to enjoy being outside and every ride is an adventure. Its given me a tan, countless bruises, a couple scary close calls and some good stories --- Seriously, give bikers space when you're passing them, we need more than two feet!! I still havent figured out the gears and I had to google the turning signals but for the most part I have really liked biking and will be sad to see the weather turn and force my bike into storage.
2) Camping
A group of friends and I spent the weekend Camping in Algonquin Park this Summer. We rented a couple camp sites, packed up a couple canoes and a kayak, bought the most delicious camp food you can imagine and had a blast. We planned kind of complicated meals so it ended up feeling like by the time we finished a meal we were starting to get the next one ready, but it was totally worth it. We ate like kings--- Perogies, pancakes, baked potatoes, ribs! The rest of the weekend was spent hiking, canoeing, fishing .. trying to catch a chipmunk that I nicknamed Chippy because he kept stealing our food! Definitely a memorable weekend away!
Group shot on the beach in front of our campsite!
This is Chippy!! He was so used to humans that I could click my tongue and hold out my hand and he would run right up!!
We took clams out of the lake to cook on the fire! They were delicious with ketchup-- but seriously what isnt?!
3) Fishing
I only got to go fishing a couple of times this Summer and I think what I realized is that I'm a huge suck. Growing up I only ever fished a couple of times and because I'm the youngest, someone else would always bait the hook for me. Somehow the idea of ripping a worm apart and then sticking it on a sharp hook is not my idea of a pleasant time. I think the reason I like to fish is so that I have an excuse to sit outside and do nothing-- when you fish, not only is it acceptable but its expected! Luckily Brynne was around to fish with me, she baited my hooks so that I could enjoy the rest of fishing. Next year I think I will get a license and make sure we go more often!
Me with the Catfish that I caught!! Did I mention that I caught the biggest fish of the night?!! Ya baby!
Jess caught this one by the dorsal fin!!
4) Sauble Beach
A trip to the beach in the Summer is an absolute must, a trip to Sauble Beach in the Summer is Heaven!!
Sauble Beach is the second longest fresh water beach in the world and is about 8 hours away from Ottawa. My family has had cottages there for a couple generations and there are only a few summers in my life that have gone by without at least one visit there. This Summer Jessica, Derek and I spent a few days on the beach and I would recommend it to anyone! Of course I fell asleep on the beach the first day and looked like a lobster for the rest of the trip-- but really since I don't tan I'll never look like one of the beach's regulars so the only way to fit in is to be a burnt tourist! This Summer the beach was most memorable because of the HUGE waves! Seriously I have never seen waves that high in a lake, they would go far over my head.. knocking me and sometimes even my bathing suit down!
This picture doesn't even come close to showing the awesome waves!!
Sauble Beach thrives off of tourism so there's soo much to do there!! We went to the Sauble Beach Funland and had a blast on these Bumper boats that sprayed water at each other!
This is a fairly new sport called Kite Buggying that Derek and I watched on the beach. Basically the person sits in this buggy and holds onto a giant Kite, once it catches wind it pulls them all over the beach. It looked like so much fun!!
5) Softball
Finally, probably my absolute favourite thing of the Summer was the Softball team I joined. The last time I played any type of baseball was in elementary school, I played T-ball. Every time I was up to bat, it ended up being more of a bunt than anything because I would only ever hit the T so the ball would just kind of roll off. Another time my parents tried to stick me in a league, they neglected to explain the rules (I should write a blog about the neglect that happens when you are the youngest child-- seriously my parents never took me to the zoo until three years ago, and that was only because they were sick of me complaining that I had never gone before!) Anyways, the coach stuck me in the outfield because usually the ball didnt get that far. During one of the innings the ball was headed towards me, my dad yelled from the sidelines that I needed to put my glove up in the air (so that I could catch the ball). Without moving or even noticing that the ball was coming toward me, I put my glove in the air. Another kid from the outfield had to run over and grab the ball that was a few feet from me because I just stood there, ever the obedient child, with my glove in the air just like my dad had asked me to! With this in mind, I started this summers softball league with a little trepidation. The first few games were a bit rough, many of us didn't know each other and had never played softball before. By the fourth game we were all pretty comfortable around each other and were playing great. That game marked the beginning of our summer long winning streak. We ended up in the championships and came third over all! I'm pretty sure I was the teams weakest link, but seriously I had so much fun being a part of it! During our last game while I was playing second base, the batter hit the ball right at my calf causing an awful spasm and a massive bruise-- which a couple weeks later, has still not completely healed.
(This was taken over a week later, I really wish I had gotten it in all its blue and purple glory!)
Its a reminder of the fun I had playing this Summer being part of a team. Now I have to live vicariously through Major League Baseball on TV, and find something to do with my Thursday nights instead of missing Softball! I guess I'll have to find a new sport to tide me over until Softball season starts next year.
At the same time I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about Autumn! Walks in Gatineau Park alone vindicate the Fall for stealing Summer's place. Its a beautiful time of year .. and if it was Summer all year long I wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much!
Fall is literally a day away and I decided that before I embrace this new season, with all its splendors like Apple Cider, orange leaves and endless layering possibilities, I need to first take a moment to reflect, maybe even wax nostalgic, on the amazing Summer I had.
The summer months flew by and there is no way I could or would want to write down everything I did. So instead, I've decided to narrow it down to a few key ingredients that made my Summer so much fun!
1) Biking
In case you weren't aware already, bikes are the new coolest accessory for Spring and Summer. As usual North America is almost always trailing behind Europe when it comes to whats hot. Bikes are hot! I remember when I was in Amsterdam it felt like literally everyone in the entire city had a bike, they even had whole parking lots devoted to them. Somehow all of the people managed to look uber cool and fashionable while riding their bikes as well-- men wore dress pants, women wore cute skirts and dresses. I wish I could say that I mastered the uber cool biking look, but that is miles from the truth. I always end up having to bring a change of clothes wherever I go because a bike ride leaves me looking disgusting and far from the cool and collected Europeans I wish I could emulate.
While they have small vintage inspired road bikes with banana seats, I have a big heavy guys bike. I tried to make it feminine by adding a basket to the front but now it really just looks like a bad cross-dresser. On the other hand, what my bike lacks in looks it totally makes up in style. My bike has been decked out with a bubble machine! It feels very 'Pimp my ride: Bike Edition'!! When I ride down the street bubbles come out the back of a bubble machine which is attached to the back wheel. Eight year olds all over Ottawa have ooeed and awwed over it. Bubbles along with the endorphins from exercising pretty much make me the happiest girl around. Its great exercise, I get to enjoy being outside and every ride is an adventure. Its given me a tan, countless bruises, a couple scary close calls and some good stories --- Seriously, give bikers space when you're passing them, we need more than two feet!! I still havent figured out the gears and I had to google the turning signals but for the most part I have really liked biking and will be sad to see the weather turn and force my bike into storage.
2) Camping
A group of friends and I spent the weekend Camping in Algonquin Park this Summer. We rented a couple camp sites, packed up a couple canoes and a kayak, bought the most delicious camp food you can imagine and had a blast. We planned kind of complicated meals so it ended up feeling like by the time we finished a meal we were starting to get the next one ready, but it was totally worth it. We ate like kings--- Perogies, pancakes, baked potatoes, ribs! The rest of the weekend was spent hiking, canoeing, fishing .. trying to catch a chipmunk that I nicknamed Chippy because he kept stealing our food! Definitely a memorable weekend away!
Group shot on the beach in front of our campsite!
This is Chippy!! He was so used to humans that I could click my tongue and hold out my hand and he would run right up!!
We took clams out of the lake to cook on the fire! They were delicious with ketchup-- but seriously what isnt?!
3) Fishing
I only got to go fishing a couple of times this Summer and I think what I realized is that I'm a huge suck. Growing up I only ever fished a couple of times and because I'm the youngest, someone else would always bait the hook for me. Somehow the idea of ripping a worm apart and then sticking it on a sharp hook is not my idea of a pleasant time. I think the reason I like to fish is so that I have an excuse to sit outside and do nothing-- when you fish, not only is it acceptable but its expected! Luckily Brynne was around to fish with me, she baited my hooks so that I could enjoy the rest of fishing. Next year I think I will get a license and make sure we go more often!
Me with the Catfish that I caught!! Did I mention that I caught the biggest fish of the night?!! Ya baby!
Jess caught this one by the dorsal fin!!
4) Sauble Beach
A trip to the beach in the Summer is an absolute must, a trip to Sauble Beach in the Summer is Heaven!!
Sauble Beach is the second longest fresh water beach in the world and is about 8 hours away from Ottawa. My family has had cottages there for a couple generations and there are only a few summers in my life that have gone by without at least one visit there. This Summer Jessica, Derek and I spent a few days on the beach and I would recommend it to anyone! Of course I fell asleep on the beach the first day and looked like a lobster for the rest of the trip-- but really since I don't tan I'll never look like one of the beach's regulars so the only way to fit in is to be a burnt tourist! This Summer the beach was most memorable because of the HUGE waves! Seriously I have never seen waves that high in a lake, they would go far over my head.. knocking me and sometimes even my bathing suit down!
This picture doesn't even come close to showing the awesome waves!!
Sauble Beach thrives off of tourism so there's soo much to do there!! We went to the Sauble Beach Funland and had a blast on these Bumper boats that sprayed water at each other!
This is a fairly new sport called Kite Buggying that Derek and I watched on the beach. Basically the person sits in this buggy and holds onto a giant Kite, once it catches wind it pulls them all over the beach. It looked like so much fun!!
5) Softball
Finally, probably my absolute favourite thing of the Summer was the Softball team I joined. The last time I played any type of baseball was in elementary school, I played T-ball. Every time I was up to bat, it ended up being more of a bunt than anything because I would only ever hit the T so the ball would just kind of roll off. Another time my parents tried to stick me in a league, they neglected to explain the rules (I should write a blog about the neglect that happens when you are the youngest child-- seriously my parents never took me to the zoo until three years ago, and that was only because they were sick of me complaining that I had never gone before!) Anyways, the coach stuck me in the outfield because usually the ball didnt get that far. During one of the innings the ball was headed towards me, my dad yelled from the sidelines that I needed to put my glove up in the air (so that I could catch the ball). Without moving or even noticing that the ball was coming toward me, I put my glove in the air. Another kid from the outfield had to run over and grab the ball that was a few feet from me because I just stood there, ever the obedient child, with my glove in the air just like my dad had asked me to! With this in mind, I started this summers softball league with a little trepidation. The first few games were a bit rough, many of us didn't know each other and had never played softball before. By the fourth game we were all pretty comfortable around each other and were playing great. That game marked the beginning of our summer long winning streak. We ended up in the championships and came third over all! I'm pretty sure I was the teams weakest link, but seriously I had so much fun being a part of it! During our last game while I was playing second base, the batter hit the ball right at my calf causing an awful spasm and a massive bruise-- which a couple weeks later, has still not completely healed.
(This was taken over a week later, I really wish I had gotten it in all its blue and purple glory!)
Its a reminder of the fun I had playing this Summer being part of a team. Now I have to live vicariously through Major League Baseball on TV, and find something to do with my Thursday nights instead of missing Softball! I guess I'll have to find a new sport to tide me over until Softball season starts next year.
At the same time I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about Autumn! Walks in Gatineau Park alone vindicate the Fall for stealing Summer's place. Its a beautiful time of year .. and if it was Summer all year long I wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much!
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