Ten Surprising Things...

[Steve Vernon]

Moved to Prince Edward Island and did nothing for a year and a half other than relax and enjoy the peace and beauty of the place while living on savings earned previously from working in the big city. Main goals during this time were: A) learn a few programming languages during the days, and B) try every single restaurant in Charlottetown during the evenings. (goal A was accomplished but not goal B).

* Went to Yellowknife, North West Territories to visit family and check out the midnight sun. We later decided to drive from Yellowknife to Edmonton but neglected to check the ferry schedule for crossing the Mackenzie river and arrived just after the last ferry had left. Three adults and a two year old child had to spend the night in a hot car in the remote northern Canadian wilderness. We couldn't put the windows down even a crack because of the ridiculous amount of mosquitoes and other assorted blood sucking critters waiting outside the car to attack us.

Hey Ziguezon -

I was in Charlottetown at the last Milton Acorn Festival, (about twelve or thirteen years ago), and ate at several restaurants - a very lovely city and some very fine eating. The thing I remember most about Charlottetown is that the cars would actually slow down and let you cross the street - even if you were crossing without a crosswalk or lights. They'd actually wave and smile at you. Here in Halifax, you're dead meat in a situation like that - as in roadkill.

As for Yellowknife, I've never been but I've always wanted to go. I had family up there and saw a prehistoric 8mm video of the countryside once and it looked gorgeous.

Being born and raised in Northern Ontario I can verify the voracious nature of the mosquito and blackfly. Very nasty critters indeed.

[Freeshadow]

*sigh*
and I tought other bookworms were calm and boring people like me.
*hides under his stone again*

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Ziguezon

..... We couldn't put the windows down even a crack because of the ridiculous amount of mosquitoes and other assorted blood sucking critters waiting outside the car to attack us.
....

Not really funny, but....

[astra]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

*sigh*
and I tought other bookworms were calm and boring people like me.
*hides under his stone again*

We are what we are. The rest doesn't matter.
Climb out.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by nohmi2

...
10.Never been in debt, nor owned a credit card.
...

WOW! That's something to be very proud of!

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by astra

We are what we are. The rest doesn't matter.
Climb out.

Karmic worthy.

Freeshadow given the same chances as the people you think have had such adventurous lives you would probably have done the same adventurous things. A very famous photographer (who I don't remember right now) said that being in the right place is the most important thing when after a photo.

I for one grew up close to the mountains and had little else to do other than learn to climb them

[Freeshadow]

Nay I'm sure I wouldn't - (and won't if I can avoid it)
I'm pretty lazy you know.

[Ziguezon]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Jasper National park? I did that very same thing in 1983


It's a Canadian thing



Well I am impressed, thats not a drive for the feint at heart, especially with children, but then again, yo u can always use them to distract the wildlife




Now I am jealous

No, not Jasper National Park by a long shot. Try Mount Carleton Provincial Park in Northern New Brunswick. The mountain was substantially smaller than anything you might find in Jasper.

The drive from Yellowknife to Edmonton was very stressful because of all the wildlife standing near the road at night. Not squirrels and bunnies either... we saw bison, bears, and loads of elk. I stopped counting those after I got to around 25.

As for the Mobileread meetup, I had a great time. It was in Montreal's charming old port, and I got to meet pshrynk, vernencat, yvanleterrible, tompe, and a few others. Not too shabby, eh?

[Ziguezon]

Originally Posted by Steve Vernon

Hey Ziguezon -

I was in Charlottetown at the last Milton Acorn Festival, (about twelve or thirteen years ago), and ate at several restaurants - a very lovely city and some very fine eating. The thing I remember most about Charlottetown is that the cars would actually slow down and let you cross the street - even if you were crossing without a crosswalk or lights. They'd actually wave and smile at you. Here in Halifax, you're dead meat in a situation like that - as in roadkill.

As for Yellowknife, I've never been but I've always wanted to go. I had family up there and saw a prehistoric 8mm video of the countryside once and it looked gorgeous.

Being born and raised in Northern Ontario I can verify the voracious nature of the mosquito and blackfly. Very nasty critters indeed.

Yes, Charlottetown is a lovely place indeed. I couldn't believe how many restaurants there were in such a small city. We nearly got to try them all before moving away, but missed out on a handful.

By the way, Halifax is one of the cities I lived in. Twice in fact. I worked in one of the towers at Purdy's Wharf and frequently went for walks on the waterfront boardwalk early in the morning before starting work. What a nice memory!

[jinlo]

I adopted four dogs from shelters and took another from a neighbor that was going to give her up.

I've thrown more tennis balls for them to retrieve than I can count.

I've dug out walking paths through the snow longer than my driveway.

I've gone to the vet more than I've gone to the doctor.

I've slept on the very edge of the bed because they wanted the middle.

I've slept on the floor after one had surgery.

I've purchased rawhide bones by the case. (My Max went through 2 a week.)

I've given up vacations to stay home with them as they got old.

I've watched four of them pass on to a better place.

I thought I was doing it all for them, but I finally realized I was also doing it for me.

Having a dog is having an adventure.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Karmic worthy.

Freeshadow given the same chances as the people you think have had such adventurous lives you would probably have done the same adventurous things. A very famous photographer (who I don't remember right now) said that being in the right place is the most important thing when after a photo.

I for one grew up close to the mountains and had little else to do other than learn to climb them

F8 and be there.

http://www.matthewsmeal.com/articles/F8.html

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Ziguezon

...

The drive from Yellowknife to Edmonton was very stressful because of all the wildlife standing near the road at night. Not squirrels and bunnies either... we saw bison, bears, and loads of elk. I stopped counting those after I got to around 25.
...?

My son recently hit a moose and calf in his patrol car in the Kenai, AK area...

I guess the moose are one of the biggest road hazards in the great white north....

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by jinlo

I adopted four dogs from shelters and took another from a neighbor that was going to give her up.

I've thrown more tennis balls for them to retrieve than I can count.

I've dug out walking paths through the snow longer than my driveway.

I've gone to the vet more than I've gone to the doctor.

I've slept on the very edge of the bed because they wanted the middle.

I've slept on the floor after one had surgery.

I've purchased rawhide bones by the case. (My Max went through 2 a week.)

I've given up vacations to stay home with them as they got old.

I've watched four of them pass on to a better place.

I thought I was doing it all for them, but I finally realized I was also doing it for me.

Having a dog is having an adventure.

[Ziguezon]

Originally Posted by kennyc

My son recently hit a moose and calf in his patrol car in the Kenai, AK area...

I guess the moose are one of the biggest road hazards in the great white north....

Yes, it is very dangerous. Here is a quote from New Brunswick's "Think Moose" safety campain:

http://www.gnb.ca/0113/moose/think-moose-e.asp

This year, roughly 300 New Brunswickers will collide with a moose. Most of these crashes will happen between dusk and dawn when visibility is reduced and moose are hardest to see.

More people are injured or killed in moose-vehicle collisions in New Brunswick than in crashes with any other animal. In a car crash, a moose is knocked off its thin legs. The moose falls on top of the car and its 450 kg (1,100 lb) weight crushes the passenger compartment.

300 collisions is quite high for such a small and sparsely populated province.
Yet strangely, New Brunswick is one of a few provinces whose major highways feature speed limits of up to 110 km/h. (68 miles per hour)

[Mortis]

I unfortunately have had the pleasure of having an elk ride shotgun, for a very short ride. I was lucky, the elk survived but was unconscious and didn't kick me to death in the cab of the truck. Ruined a brand new (was on the way back from the dealer) company truck, it wasn't for me, I was just the driver picking it up. Wrong place, right time so to speak.

Kenny I liked "F/8 and be there". At one point in my life I wanted to be a photographer, a new Canon AE-1 and all the kit a summer job would buy and a desire to take breathtaking pictures, this I'm afraid does not make a "Photographer", it did make some film processor very very happy If we had digital cameras in those days I think there would have been more great photographers. My uncle who is a professional photographer, has said that many many times. He owned the first digital camera I ever saw a Nikon F3 body with a digital back, from what I remember it wasn't the success that he thought it would be, or hoped