Devauld.ca

Rarely does a weekend come across where the balance between work and play can be struck so perfectly. A great deal was accomplished, and time was still found to play.

Saturday morning we went around town and picked up a new tent and sleeping bags to help facilitate our backpacking adventures, and our upcoming trip to Europe. No longer will we need to hump a tent with double digit mass up a mountain, the new tent weighs in at less than five pounds everything included. The sleeping bags are duck down, and compress reasonably well, so no longer will half my pack be half filled with bedding. Instead, perhaps I can bring some more luxury items, like food.

The afternoon was spent fixing a chunk of fence that has been in disrepair since I dropped the bobcat bucket on it last year. The gate was falling apart and skewed to a degree where it took three hands, two feet and an elbow to open or close it. It took very little time to rip out the old gate and section of fence, and as expected, considerably longer to put it back together. I went away from the original manufacturer's nail fastening and put the equivalent of another gate of screws into the aging woods. I splurged on a gate latch that is self adjusting, and now have a wonderfully greased, functional gate.

After the work was completed, we went out to take in Pixar's newest movie: Ratatouille. I really enjoyed the tale and would recommend it to anyone, young or old. Not to let the fun stop, we spent Sunday afternoon floating down the Elbow River. It was a wonderful way to spend a hot afternoon, but it wasn't without it's perils. It appears that if you raft down the Elbow without a life preserver you face receiving a $500 fine. Funny, because if you walk down the river, knee deep in the water, you are no longer rafting so you are no longer eligible for the fine.

Now, I'm just waiting for the 204th day of the year to roll in and I return to the grind.