Sandcut Creek

Despite Bronwyn's obvious pregnancy, Peter, Bronwyn and I went camping. We were trying to get into the interior of the southern island backcountry, but the logging companies have completely gated off the area (BOOOO!!!) citing it is too much of a liability to have people in there. (I say it's crown land and you can't sue for hurting yourself on crown land.) So our only alternative was to camp at the beach, which isn't a bad alternative.

Sandcut creek is named for the creek that has carved it's way through relatively flat sandstone. There is a waterfall onto the beach (which I forgot to photograph) and then it flows into the ocean. A great getaway for a quick camping trip.

Our cat is on the pill

Ok, well not THE pill, but a pill, about the size of a capital O. Our cat is a teenager in human years, and in his declining years he was diagnosed as having Hyperthyroid. I don't know exactly what that means. But basically, if he doesn't get his pill twice a day, he starts meowing a LOT, and that becomes very annoying. So we must feed him this little pill to keep him from going crazy. I call it his sanity pill.

A tip for those who have to medicate their cats: My brilliant mother, determined that our cat likes strawberry yogurt. So twice a day we crush the pill and mix it into the yogurt (a very small amount of yogurt mind you, it barely covers the surface of the spoon). The cat thinks he's getting a treat and we know that he will be sane for at least 12 more hours.

Reg

A tribute entry to my good friend Reg (don't worry, he's not dead).

Reg has been good friend and buddy since Myron went to Bible school back in 1995. We all went to the same high school, but I only knew Reg through Myron up to that point, but with Myron gone, I decided to make an effort to get to know this guy. A move I have never regretted. Reg has been a close friend, a confidant, and a guy I can do stuff with. Reg and I both like an adventure. We both like hiking and camping. We both like to do stuff spontaneously and it has been SO nice to always have someone to be able to get together with, either to go mountain biking or to just to kick back and talk about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. We have been able to challenge each other in our Christian walks.

Indeed our personalities are as different as night and day. Our interests only intersect in a few key areas. No doubt there have been difficult times of conflict (road trips :-P ), but fortunately the conflicts are short lived and we are able to move on and keep our friendship going. The fights are forgotten and the memories of good times live on. I have learned a lot from Reg. The things he values are VERY different than the things I value. He sees the world from a completely different point of view. I struggle to understand that point of view and struggle even harder to accept it. But it has taught me patience and endurance as we keep our friendship going despite our differences.

As I write, Reg is in Thailand. He is now a full time missionary, currently studying the Thai language. He is a gifted people person, and missionary work fits him like a glove. This is one place that I can't join him. He was called to Thailand, I was called to... well...Abbotsford I guess. His people skills and leadership skills have impressed me. It's one thing that he does naturally that I struggle to do. For crying out loud, he can be program director for an entire camp with one hand tied behind his back. I wouldn't even know where to start. It is those skills that God is going to utilize, to win souls to Christ in Thailand.

I miss ya man.

Why I haven't Blogged

Well it has been a time times half a time* since I last blogged. It's not as if my life has been so dull that there has been nothing to blog. Quite the opposite, which is actually one of the reasons why I haven't. As Stephen Colbert once said "Being me is a full time job, and I haven't missed a day."

I have blogged very little since I got home from Thailand, mainly because I talk to a lot of people in person. So those who really need or want to know what's happening, already know. Not to mention that it is a burden to know in the back of your mind that everytime you do something fun, you need to write about it (with pictures). Blogging can start to feel like homework.

I'll admit that facebook (a.k.a. "crackbook") has taken up some of my precious blogging time. And when there is the choice of sitting on the couch watching Simpsons, or blogging, well...Simpsons takes less effort, and therefore wins. TV is indeed a blessing and a curse. Not to mention that most of my adventures were with Reg, who is a very faithful blogger. No point in double blogging. (for more of my adventures see regisonamission.blogspot.com)

Another reason I slowed down on blogging is that it is no longer the latest craze, and in my opinion, it is slowing down (there are several blogs that I have read who's last entry was in 2006). Now people just use facebook.

BUT now more than ever, I have a lot of my friends are not within arm's reach. I don't see them on Sunday anymore, and timezones make phoning an exercise in coordination. My friends are peppered across Canada, and now the world. So suddenly blogging is actually an easier way to keep them up to date.

So I'm back in the blog world. And for the sake of chronologically documenting my life (for those that care), I will be retroblogging (writing about some past events).

*A biblical phrase, found in Daniel 7:25, Revelation 12:14 (NIV)

Kenyon Lake

I took a trip to Kenyon Lake on the August long weekend. This lake has an island on it, and it has a couple of campsites. Unfortunately a family was using it for the entire weekend and pretty much took over the entire island (grrrr). I was left with one small corner. But a private corner with a view, so I was happy. The one thing I've noticed about Kenyon lake at night is that it is QUIET. Dead quiet. The lake is in the bottom of a valley, so there is plenty of room for noise. But at night I'm sure I could have heard a pin drop from across the lake. There was not a whisper of wind, not a cricket, bird, frog or bear. So quiet it makes your ears ring. Yes I'm going on and on, but it's just amazing to think that a place that large can be that void of noise.

In the morning I went boating around the lake. Good times had by me.