2009 - 2011 Selected Photographs

Due North

Recently we have been actively working on finding our next job and in the end we opted for Japan.  This means that our time in Canada is swiftly coming to an end.  We decided to take one last trip and head North on a snowmobiling trip and here are some of the highlights...

The cottage where we stayed.

The cottage as seen from the lake.

By all accounts the fishing is fantastic in the summer.

Inside the cottage which was basically like a house, we certainly weren't roughing it.

We arrived pretty late in the evening on the first day so we went out for supper.

The lakes were frozen pretty good and had a nice layer of snow on top for snowmobiling.

Our first day snowmobiling.

I took a few pictures of Brady playing in deeper snow.

This time on a hillside.

The tracks varied a lot in condition but the area was stunning.

First evening and making sure the boots are dry for the next day.

Earlier in the morning it would be around -15 although it got quite a bit warmer throughout the day.

This guy was just outside the cottage.

Chef Brady making a good Canadian breakfast to start the day...

It doesn't get much better than crispy bacon...

and eggs!!!

Good morning Baileys!! (Making coffee taste even better)

A typical ice fishing hut for softer folk who cannot stand the cold.

The traditional way: dig a hole and sit around until you think of something better to do.

Or improvise and use the hole as nature's cooler.

Keeping things light - the trip was sponsored by Coors.

Setting sun on the adjacent lake.

We took off for a quick evening ride which turned into a four hour round trip.  We traveled some two hours home in the dark, through forests and over frozen lakes without seeing a single other person.  It was surreal, slightly eerie and completely captivating. 

The different locations in the area that can be reached by the trails.

A reminder that the ice can move causing these types of breaks which are the snowmobiling equivalent of a) a speed bump or if you're going fast b) a death trap.

On the third day, we headed down the worst track ever made to see these ice caves.

Cassandra with her brother Brady and father Bill.

Brady found some water and wanted to 'puddle jump' so I got the other side and took some pictures.

Here is the outcome...

It was a fantastic trip offering everything that is fantastic about Canada - Good company, the great outdoors and a whole lot of fun. 

NHL Hockey Game: Detroit Redwings vs Nashville Predators

A few days ago we headed over the border to Detroit for what would be my first NHL game.

After an over-complicated border crossing having to answer ridiculous questions presumably designed to entertain the morons asking them, I arrived stateside and soon saw why Detroit has gained a reputation as being America's dying city.  It took me less than a minute to walk from the bus to this view over the Detroit River and when I turned around, I was confronted by a guy asking me for money for his brother who had just got out of prison. Welcome to Detroit.

Inside the 'Joe Luis Arena' it felt above all else a little safer.

The stadium is named after the boxing legend 'Joe Louis' who was born in Detroit.

The Arena which holds approximately 20066. It is also the fourth oldest venue in the NHL.

The Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships (11) of any NHL franchise based in the United States, and are third overall in total NHL championships.

In 1932, the NHL let grain merchant James E. Norris, who had made two previous unsuccessful bids to buy an NHL team, purchase the Falcons. Norris' first act was to choose a new name for the team – the Red Wings. Earlier in the century, Norris had played on one of hockey's early powers, the Montreal HC, nicknamed the "Winged Wheelers." Norris transformed the club's logo into the first version of the Red Wings logo as it is known today.

Nick Spaling competing against Darren Helm.  

Anthems before the match.

The game was made more interesting by the fact that Cassandra's cousin Scott (an NHL referee) was officiating.

After a very close encounter, Detroit scored with 5 seconds on the clock to give the Red Wings their record-breaking 22nd consecutive home victory.