Back to back wins!

Holy cow! The Riders won again! This time the kids and I got it witness it. Well, we almost made it to the end of the game. It wasn't the best weather that's for sure but it didn't stop us from cheering loud for our beloved green!

Good times hanging out with these two amazing kids!

D

Peculiar books

It's a collection of short stories that is linked to the series of books. Quite good!

Looking forward to seeing the Miss Peregrine movie coming out at the end of the month!

Darryl

Popcorn nights

Popcorn nights

Busy day at school, daughters football game after school, run when I got home, quick supper, trip downtown, and a craving for popcorn!

Not the microwave stuff either. It's gotta be the hot air popper with butter drizzled on top. Turn on a ball game, crack a can of Coke, and enjoy. Mmmmmm!

Satisfied.

D

Cross country running

Technically I'm the coach. What that really means is that I drive a couple of kids to the start and cheer them on as they go by my marshalling station.

I could certainly think of worse things to do on a beautiful late afternoon!

Coach Darryl

Squeezing in a bike ride before the sun goes down

It was close but I managed to get a nice bike ride in last night before the sun sunk down. It's getting tougher as the days get shorter and we approach the first day of autumn. Here's to enjoying the last official days of summer!

D

When the home team wins!

Ok, the Riders seasons is pretty much a write-off. 1-10 going into the game, most of Rider Nation didn't think there was much of a chance of the Riders getting their second win of the season. But, that's why hey play the game isn't it?

It took overtime but the Riders managed to pull it off! Woohoo!

A win!

Sweet!

Still a Riders fan!

Darryl

Hikes in places you've never hiked before

Echo Lake in the Quapelle Valley. A beautiful mid September day in southern Saskatchewan. What better way to spend the day than exploring a hiking path in one of our many beautiful Provincial parks.

A fork in the path...which path to take? My guide said left...I followed!

A view from the top.

Picturesque 

Pretty fall colours. 

The road back. 

Just a walk in the park! 

Awesome day. 

Hiking Darryl

Friday's

TGIF! 

Nothing else needs to be said!

D

1 on 1 time

Just me and the little guy tonight while Abi is at outdoor school with her class. 

Picked him up at cross country, stopped and got some Pizza Hut for supper, choked down and then went off to watch my high school team play football for a bit.

Was great to see an awesome turnout at old Mosaic stadium by the kids to cheer on the Trojans!

Capped the night off with some 1 on 1 tennis under the lights!

Awesome night with an awesome son!

Love you Noah!

Darryl

The sore you get after using some muscles you haven't worked out for a while

Abs of steel! Ok, not quite but let's hope they at least get to be more like a decent quality hard plastic. 

With the start of the school year, it's time to get back into a bit of a workout routine. Not that I didn't exercise over the summer but it was a different set of muscles that were used. Time to dust off the yoga mat and get working on the core again. It's always a challenge getting started but I know that once I have a few weeks under my belt, it'll all be good. 

Don't make excuses, make the time instead!

A little softer than I'd like from the summer,

Darryl

Evenings in the park

A little basketball game followed by some football in the dark! Enjoying the fall nights where it's still nice enough to be outside in shorts.

D

Math that Makes Sense

There's a lot of criticism of the latest math resources that Saskatchewan is using in their curriculum and I do understand some of the concerns. That being said, I'm teaching a modified grade 10 math class this term and I've got to say, this is the math that really makes sense. It's real life application of math for those who don't need to understand and will never use some of the more challenging mathematical concepts that are taught to students. Sure they still struggle with the math itself, but at least they see the real life application of this math.

Good job Saskatoon school divisions for creating, implementing and sharing this resource with us!

Darryl

Awesome Sunday's!

It started off with tennis this morning, followed by a couple of hours at my school gym his afternoon. A little bball, volleyball and some working out in the fitness zone. Set up our newest toy in the garage and had a fire and wiener roast in the backyard for supper!

I guess Abi needed a little workout after supper!

You go girl!

Capped it off with a quiet night relaxing together. What a super Sunday!

Darryl

Helping my dad out

Quick trip up to Saskatoon to help my dad with a kitchen cupboard install. 

Everything went smooth and I was hopefully able to save my dad some heavy lifting. 

Gotta say, this guy really knows what he's doing and I'm pretty thankful that I was able to help him out today.

And, I learned a lot! I even got to use some of my math that I'm teaching my grade 10's!

Darryl

Busy library days

Grade 9 orientations all day! It was full and I tried to squeak in a few other things too! Somewhat successful...

D

Emoticons

There's some really good ones out there!

😘😊🍺🏈⛳️🌠🤓🐸🐵🙈🙉🙊🐣🦄🌵⛈🌪🍆🍟🍔🍪🍻🏀🏈🏌🏓🎻🎸🏜🕹💰🚽🗿📐❤️💛💚💙💜♻️🔱🆒💱◼️🗯💭🇧🇧🇨🇦🇨🇭

And that's just a few!

Use one tomorrow! Something you e never used before!  I'll bet it'll out a smile on someone's face when they see it!😉

🇨🇦❤️⛳️🗿♻️🏜

(Darryl)

People who make me laugh

Tonight it was my brother. I love to hear about the crazy things input lives that make us belly laugh. Funny stories that remind me of how important he is to me.

Sometimes it's when you need it true most and sometimes it just happens. Regardless, you walk away with a big smile on your face.

Thanks Craig!

Your little brother,

Darryl

The Labour Day Classic

I've seen many on tv but have never had the opportunity to make the trip to Mosaic Stadium watch the classic between our home team Riders  and the visiting Winnipeg Bluebombers. This one was special for a few reasons. First of all, it will be the final Labout Day Classic at the old Mosaic Stadium aka Taylor Field. 

Next year the new Mosaic Stadium opens as the new home for our beloved Riders. Fans got a sneak peak at the new facility on Saturday, and I can say that it will be nothing short a spectacular venue to cheer on the home team next season.

 I've gotta say, the nostalgic part of me is going to miss the old stadium. I was there to watch the Riders win the Grey Cup in 2013 and it may not ever happen again in my lifetime. The kids and I shivered through the cold in an amazing playoff game where our Riders came from behind to knock off the visiting BC Lions. I got to coach a school touch football team where we fell 1 okay short of advancing to the city finals on the turf at Mosaic Stadium, and the memories go on. It'll be a sad day when the Riders take the field for the last time this October at their home for so many years. But, like anything, new memories wil be made when they move across the street to new Mosaic Stadium (and the bathroom lines will be shorter!)

Another reason this game had a little extra special feel to it was because it was the return to Regina for the now Bluebomber, former Rider standout receiver, Weston Dressler. Our team has lost a few great players over the years and Dressler was one of the greats. A great player, an ambassador of the game and an active member of the Regina community. Rider Nation misses you Weston and that was clear on Sunday.

12 years in a row. Yup, the Riders hadn't lost in 12 straight years on Labour Day to the Bluebombers. Until yesterday. It was a typical slow first half for our Riders green, but they turned it on in the 2nd half and cold have/should have made it 13 in a row. Instead, we lost a thriller with a last second field goal. Well, congrats Winnipeg, it took you a while but you did it. I'm already looking forward to next years tilt where we'll get our revenge in our new building.

Regardless of the outcome, it was a great day for a great game.

Thanks for the game Cindy!

Licking our wounds,

Rider fans everywhere,

Darryl

Hidden gems in southern Saskatchewan

Hiking at Wascana Trails this morning/afternoon. Beautiful weather and picturesque as the leaves are starting to change.

It had been quite a few years since I'd been out that way and I'm glad I had the chance to go for a hike. 

Thanks Cindy!

Darryl

Birthday cakes with money in them!

HECK YEAH!

Woohoo!

Birthday boy Darryl

Family birthday suppers

Happy birthday to me!

Grandma, grandpa and the kids out for an awesome early birthday supper at Moxies "Classic Grill" as Abi likes to call it. I couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening. And, home made brownies made by Abi and grandma for dessert!  

Another year richer!

D

Hockey camp

Hard to believe but hockey season is just around the corner! 

Pre-evaluation hockey camp for Noah. It's been a good one for him!

D

1st day of school

Hard to believe the summer is over but it's that time again for kids and dad!

As it is every year, there is nervousness, anxiousness, and excitement when it comes to that first day.

It's time to catch up with friends, meet new teachers and learn all kinds of new things. I've been blessed that my kids have had some amazing teachers and experiences at school over the past several years and I'm sure his year will bring more great experiences. It seems like just yesterday I was taking them to kindergarten for the first time and now, in the blink of an eye, Abi is entering grade 8 and Noah grade 6!

Wow!

Here's to another great school year for all of us!

Darryl

Grandparent and grandkids time

Golf weekend followed by back to work meant some serious, uninterrupted grand kid time for my parents! Cinnamon bun making, art, boat store browsing, shop helping, playtime for everyone. I'm so grateful that the kids have the best grandparents that a son could ask for! These times they'll cherish forever, all of them!

D

Catching up after the summer

Back to work today after 2 months off. Not excited about getting back to work, but it was nice to catch up with everyone after the summer holidays. 

And, the work part was ok too..

Mr. B

Golf weekend with the boys

The annual Smith Sauer Bussiere invitational was once again a success. 18 holes at Shellbrook followed by 9 at Memorial Lake, 18 on Sunday at a tight Spiritwood course and 18 this morning at Memorial Lake. 3 great days of golf with some great guys! Thanks Troy & Trev.

And as a bonus, Noah played for Troy this morning who had to run back to town for his daughters bday party. Great job out there today Noah!

 

Think he was excited to play with dad and Trevor today?

Darryl

Small town golf courses

18 holes at Shellbrook yesterday. Nice little course. $34 for 18 holes. Followed by 9 at Memorial Lake. $15 for 9 holes. 18 at Spiritwood today for $34. Nice little tight course. 

Not busy and in great shape!

Looking forward to 18 more holes tomorrow morning at Memorial Lake.

Bogey golf Darryl

Aurora Borealis

The northern lights.

If you've never seen them dancing across the northern skies, you're missing out on one of natures beautiful mysteries. 

Coming back to the cabin tonight from my buddies cabin, the skies were illuminated by the northern lights. I had to pull the car over and watch them for a few minutes. And when I got back to the cabin, my dad and I went down to the dock to watch them. I hadn't seen them in a while and it was awesome to just stand there in silence and watch them among the sky full of stars.

Awesome!

Star struck,

D

Awesome drives to the lake

4+ hours of interesting, intriguing, and insightful conversations with a boat crazy 11 year old and a thoughtful, sweet 13 year old.

Rewarded with a milkshake in Martensville!

Looking forward to a great weekend!

Putting the miles on,

Darryl

Fantasy football draft night

Always good to get together with the boys and Fantasy Football Draft night is as good of a reason as any. 

7:00pm start...technical difficulties delayed that by 2+ hours. Relocation to my basement.

Mini-sticks were pulled out while the crew assembled. The Icemen were in fine form!

A few cases of wobbly pops showed up and the draft eventually began. A couple of hours later, teams were selected and many empty cans had gathered at various places throughout the basement.

Who's on my team? I wouldn't be able to list them off for you but as of right now, I'm undefeated!

Good times with the boys!

Darryl

Yummy leftovers that you almost forgot about

Noah's spaghetti and meatballs.... Yum!

No longer hungry,

Darryl

Free firewood!

Bin diving was required! 2x4 scraps will have to do for a city fire.

D

Perfect lake days

Perfectly calm morning.

2+ hour paddle board and swim

Hot dog roast over a campfire for lunch

More paddle boarding & swimming in the afternoon.

+30 Celsius

BBQ steak supper with garden carrots!

Perfect lake day!

Sun soaked D

The opportunity to see the Hip live on their farewell tour

Tonight marks the final show The Tragically Hip will play in their farewell tour in front of their hometown crowd in Kingston Ontario. It would have been amazing to have been there! That being said, I'm very thankful that I was able to see them in Edmonton a few short weeks ago. Definitely pioneers in Canadian music and I'll never forget the many times I've been fortunate enough to see them live over the years.

Looking forward to watching their final show that I recorded on CBC tonight.

Thanks for the music and the memories Gordon, Paul, Rob, Gord & Johnny!

Loyal fan through the years,

Darryl

Paddle boarding @ Beaver Flats on a perfect evening

The temperature was perfect.

The lake/river was like glass.

The scenery was picturesque.

The company was awesome.

Perfect evening for the maiden voyage of paddle board #2.

Handled like a dream!

D

Hockey equipment shopping

It ain't cheap, that's for sure but it's kind of fun!

And, it's even better when you get a good deal!

The little guy is now ready for the upcoming season.

Skates, helmet, neck guard, pants and elbow pads all new!

Ready to be a rink rat again!

Darryl

Tubing at the lake

It took a while, but I finally bucked one of them off the tube! Crazy waves and fun had by all!

Hours of fun on the water with these crazy, wave bouncing kids!

Darryl

Photogenic kids

Boys will be boys! Noah and his buddy have never looked so good! Haha!

As for the girls...a little better (you can definitely tell which one is mine!).

D

Little things we take for granted

My time at the lake is always special. Whether I'm on the lake or just relaxing at the cottage, there are so many gongs that help me reconnect with nature and help me refocus on what my priorities are.

1. Family first

2. Slow down and appreciate the little things

3. Life doesn't need to be complicated 

Enjoying the finer things in life,

Darryl