Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Banff wildlife: Bighorn sheep (aka Rocky Mountain sheep) and a goat
Of all the wildlife we saw in Banff, the bighorn sheep were the most plentiful. They were everywhere! They appeared mostly in groups but sometimes flew solo. They were able to climb the steepest of rock with ease and were most frequently seen mineral deposits from the rocks and roadside.
Here are a few of my fav sheep pics, plus the one goat we saw.
In case you're wondering, both the males and females of the bighorn sheep have horns.
Here are a few of my fav sheep pics, plus the one goat we saw.
In case you're wondering, both the males and females of the bighorn sheep have horns.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Banff recap
It's been a while!
My summer has been busy but great. B and I spent the start of summer in Banff, a glorious 2 weeks of jaw-dropping jocund days, misty mountaintops, and...I don't know how I'm going to work in standing tiptoe into that one. Apologies to R&J fans for my inadequate allusion.
We landed in Calgary and hopped in our rental car, a Hyandai Accent that we affectionately called the Silver Bullet, though it resembled a bullet more in size than in speed. No matter; it was an adequate vehicle for which I have greater fondness than is rational because of the wonderful adventures we enjoyed in it. Now I see these silver (and green and blue) bullets everywhere and feel wistfulness and nostalgia for our journey.
The drive between Calgary and Banff crosses unremarkable cow country. If you're heading east, it's dull. (I can confirm this fact because we did it on our drive back to the airport at the end of the trip.) If you're heading west, the mountains peak through the far-off clouds and promise great aventures ahead.
And we did have great adventures. We visited 4 national parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay) and one provincial park (in Kananaskis Country), walked on a glacier, saw countless waterfalls, rode up a couple mountain gondolas, saw turquoise-blue lakes, were chased by bees, saw the continental divide, and waded into 40-degree water. Ok, only B did that last one.
There aren't many roads out there, and they're mostly highways, but they have a set of rules and expectations that are wildly different from what we have at home.
First of all, bikers ride in the breakdown lane of highways because, as I mentioned, it's the only road available. There was very little traffic on the highway so it wasn't a big deal.
Second of all, stopping on any road is commonplace and expected. Everyone tries to pull over and put their hazard lights on, but everyone who comes behind them stops, too, because we all are there to see wildlife. And we saw a ton of wildlife.
We saw grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, moutain goat, mule deer, white tail deer, hoary marmot (dressed in a scandalous pink and lace outfit - haha just kidding), regular marmot (attired much more conservatively), porcupine, big-earred rabbit, and maybe a wolf. We saw the wolf on our first afternoon there; he was running down the median of a highway, and I assumed he was a big, black, wild-looking dog. Oh, to go back in time and take a picture!
We saw so much wildlife we became complacent about it. "Oh, it's only one elk," we would say dismissively, having seen many groups of elk previously. Or, "Oh, it's just some more bighorn sheep," since we saw over a hundred of them over 2 weeks.
We have the Silver Bullet to thank for all of our wildlife spotting. People on big-bus (and even smaller-bus) tours see much less wildlife. We know that because we spoke to some such people and their wildlife counts were significantly less impressive than ours.
Not that it's a contest. But if you're interested in seeing lots of animals and being able to choose your daily adventures, consider going it alone.
We had a solid itinerary to guide us through our trip, and we mostly stuck with it. It ensured that we didn't miss the best sights and provided us with back-up options for when the weather was less than ideal.
The weather was good. Most of our days were overcast; a couple days were beautiful and sunny; and a couple days were rainy. Temps were on the chilly side most of the time, 50s and 60s, and cooler at night. Days were long enough that we always had to fall asleep in the daylight and never saw a single sunset. We did see a sunrise on the day we flew home. Early flight.
I recommend a trip to the area to anyone who wants to see beautiful vistas and wildlife. There's a peace of mind and a level of relaxation that come with a nature-oriented trip, a feeling that you can't get in a city. It was a great change of pace from our usual trips.
My summer has been busy but great. B and I spent the start of summer in Banff, a glorious 2 weeks of jaw-dropping jocund days, misty mountaintops, and...I don't know how I'm going to work in standing tiptoe into that one. Apologies to R&J fans for my inadequate allusion.
We landed in Calgary and hopped in our rental car, a Hyandai Accent that we affectionately called the Silver Bullet, though it resembled a bullet more in size than in speed. No matter; it was an adequate vehicle for which I have greater fondness than is rational because of the wonderful adventures we enjoyed in it. Now I see these silver (and green and blue) bullets everywhere and feel wistfulness and nostalgia for our journey.
The drive between Calgary and Banff crosses unremarkable cow country. If you're heading east, it's dull. (I can confirm this fact because we did it on our drive back to the airport at the end of the trip.) If you're heading west, the mountains peak through the far-off clouds and promise great aventures ahead.
And we did have great adventures. We visited 4 national parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay) and one provincial park (in Kananaskis Country), walked on a glacier, saw countless waterfalls, rode up a couple mountain gondolas, saw turquoise-blue lakes, were chased by bees, saw the continental divide, and waded into 40-degree water. Ok, only B did that last one.
There aren't many roads out there, and they're mostly highways, but they have a set of rules and expectations that are wildly different from what we have at home.
First of all, bikers ride in the breakdown lane of highways because, as I mentioned, it's the only road available. There was very little traffic on the highway so it wasn't a big deal.
Second of all, stopping on any road is commonplace and expected. Everyone tries to pull over and put their hazard lights on, but everyone who comes behind them stops, too, because we all are there to see wildlife. And we saw a ton of wildlife.
We saw grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, moutain goat, mule deer, white tail deer, hoary marmot (dressed in a scandalous pink and lace outfit - haha just kidding), regular marmot (attired much more conservatively), porcupine, big-earred rabbit, and maybe a wolf. We saw the wolf on our first afternoon there; he was running down the median of a highway, and I assumed he was a big, black, wild-looking dog. Oh, to go back in time and take a picture!
We saw so much wildlife we became complacent about it. "Oh, it's only one elk," we would say dismissively, having seen many groups of elk previously. Or, "Oh, it's just some more bighorn sheep," since we saw over a hundred of them over 2 weeks.
We have the Silver Bullet to thank for all of our wildlife spotting. People on big-bus (and even smaller-bus) tours see much less wildlife. We know that because we spoke to some such people and their wildlife counts were significantly less impressive than ours.
Not that it's a contest. But if you're interested in seeing lots of animals and being able to choose your daily adventures, consider going it alone.
We had a solid itinerary to guide us through our trip, and we mostly stuck with it. It ensured that we didn't miss the best sights and provided us with back-up options for when the weather was less than ideal.
The weather was good. Most of our days were overcast; a couple days were beautiful and sunny; and a couple days were rainy. Temps were on the chilly side most of the time, 50s and 60s, and cooler at night. Days were long enough that we always had to fall asleep in the daylight and never saw a single sunset. We did see a sunrise on the day we flew home. Early flight.
I recommend a trip to the area to anyone who wants to see beautiful vistas and wildlife. There's a peace of mind and a level of relaxation that come with a nature-oriented trip, a feeling that you can't get in a city. It was a great change of pace from our usual trips.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Good hair
I get my hair cut and colored every 4 months because (a) I'm still growing my hair out from the last big chop, and (b) Such visits aren't cheap, but I am (about some stuff, anyway). This weekend, at my thrice-annual salon visit, my hairdresser tempted me with a new texturizing treatment called Keratin. She said it eliminates frizz and will leave my hair straight and easily manageable.
Another stylist at the salon had just had it done. She said she went from spending 120 minutes (!) blowdrying her hair to only (!) 45 minutes, and her hair was now straight. She was clearly blissfully happy with her new frizz-free hair.
"Just think of all the time you'll save!" she said. I kept to myself that my blowdrying sessions rarely reach 10 minutes, but I was tempted by the treatment anyway. The older I get, the wavier my hair gets, and sometimes I wish for the bone-straight hair that is all the rage these days.
"Does it hurt?" I asked of the treatment.
"No, not at all," my stylist said.
"How long does it last?" was my next question.
"On your hair, probably 6 months," she answered.
And then, the all-important question: "How much does it cost?"
She paused (for dramatic effect?). "$470."
You might think that the price tag was a dealbreaker. Instead, my first thought was, "How can I convince B that a $470 hair treatment is a worthwhile way to spend our money?"
"How can I convince my husband that I need this?" I said aloud.
She said that she had it done, and her husband was thrilled with the results--not so much with the appearance of her hair, but because he no longer had to help her blowdry her hair, and they could leave the house in a reasonable amount of time.
Because I am able to get ready in a reasonable amount of time as it is, I didn't think this argument would hold water with B. However, surely he would understand that the opportunity to get the hair I've always dreamed of was worth $470, maybe even more. (Ok, it would definitely have to be more, especially when you considered the tip that would be required for such a treatment.)
I told my stylist I'd seriously consider the treatment, all the while calculating how long it might take for me to save up my monthly allowance for such an extravagance, and whether I would be able to stop spending for long enough to do so. Plus I decided that perhaps I ought to research this magical Keratin treatment to determine whether it was actually safe.
The research idea turned out to be a good one. My initial review revealed only happy customers who loved what the treatment had done to their hair. But, as with any beauty treatment, Keratin had its naysayers. I paid particular attention to them and dug deeper.
The main problem with Keratin is its active ingredient, which you might remember from biology class--it's formaldehyde. What you might not remember from biology (or perhaps chemistry) class is that formaldehyde is a carcinogen, and that you're supposed to wear a gas mask if you're anywhere near it. Since my stylist didn't mention a gas mask accessory to the treatment, I determined that safety protocols with this treatment were perhaps not the best.
Some companies advertise formaldehyde-free Keratin treatments, but it seems that most, if not all, contains other variations from the aldehyde family, which is essentially the same ingredient with a different name. It's no less dangerous, and perhaps even more so because people think they're opting for the safer product when they are not.
The question of how to pay for this treatment no longer needs an answer, as I have decided that I'd rather have wavy hair than cancer. But now I am even more concerned because I will have no way of knowing in advance whether my salon is performing the treatment on someone while I am there, and just being in proximity of it is dangerous. Luckily, I am no wallflower and will speak up should I see it being performed.
Speaking of spending enormous sums of money on hair--if you haven't seen Good Hair, the Chris Rock documentary, I highly recommend it. It opened my eyes to a hair world that I didn't even know existed and raised great questions that people ought to think about. The documentary, along with the formaldehyde revelation, are convincing me that being happy with what the hair that you have leads to a simpler and easier life.
Another stylist at the salon had just had it done. She said she went from spending 120 minutes (!) blowdrying her hair to only (!) 45 minutes, and her hair was now straight. She was clearly blissfully happy with her new frizz-free hair.
"Just think of all the time you'll save!" she said. I kept to myself that my blowdrying sessions rarely reach 10 minutes, but I was tempted by the treatment anyway. The older I get, the wavier my hair gets, and sometimes I wish for the bone-straight hair that is all the rage these days.
"Does it hurt?" I asked of the treatment.
"No, not at all," my stylist said.
"How long does it last?" was my next question.
"On your hair, probably 6 months," she answered.
And then, the all-important question: "How much does it cost?"
She paused (for dramatic effect?). "$470."
You might think that the price tag was a dealbreaker. Instead, my first thought was, "How can I convince B that a $470 hair treatment is a worthwhile way to spend our money?"
"How can I convince my husband that I need this?" I said aloud.
She said that she had it done, and her husband was thrilled with the results--not so much with the appearance of her hair, but because he no longer had to help her blowdry her hair, and they could leave the house in a reasonable amount of time.
Because I am able to get ready in a reasonable amount of time as it is, I didn't think this argument would hold water with B. However, surely he would understand that the opportunity to get the hair I've always dreamed of was worth $470, maybe even more. (Ok, it would definitely have to be more, especially when you considered the tip that would be required for such a treatment.)
I told my stylist I'd seriously consider the treatment, all the while calculating how long it might take for me to save up my monthly allowance for such an extravagance, and whether I would be able to stop spending for long enough to do so. Plus I decided that perhaps I ought to research this magical Keratin treatment to determine whether it was actually safe.
The research idea turned out to be a good one. My initial review revealed only happy customers who loved what the treatment had done to their hair. But, as with any beauty treatment, Keratin had its naysayers. I paid particular attention to them and dug deeper.
The main problem with Keratin is its active ingredient, which you might remember from biology class--it's formaldehyde. What you might not remember from biology (or perhaps chemistry) class is that formaldehyde is a carcinogen, and that you're supposed to wear a gas mask if you're anywhere near it. Since my stylist didn't mention a gas mask accessory to the treatment, I determined that safety protocols with this treatment were perhaps not the best.
Some companies advertise formaldehyde-free Keratin treatments, but it seems that most, if not all, contains other variations from the aldehyde family, which is essentially the same ingredient with a different name. It's no less dangerous, and perhaps even more so because people think they're opting for the safer product when they are not.
The question of how to pay for this treatment no longer needs an answer, as I have decided that I'd rather have wavy hair than cancer. But now I am even more concerned because I will have no way of knowing in advance whether my salon is performing the treatment on someone while I am there, and just being in proximity of it is dangerous. Luckily, I am no wallflower and will speak up should I see it being performed.
Speaking of spending enormous sums of money on hair--if you haven't seen Good Hair, the Chris Rock documentary, I highly recommend it. It opened my eyes to a hair world that I didn't even know existed and raised great questions that people ought to think about. The documentary, along with the formaldehyde revelation, are convincing me that being happy with what the hair that you have leads to a simpler and easier life.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Coming up for air
This month, we have two house-related events to celebrate: first, the fourth anniversary of our closing, and second, the paying off of our second mortgage.
We took out a second mortgage rather than pay PMI, or rather, B did all of these things, since we weren't married when he bought the condo. The second mortgage was necessary because we didn't have a 20 percent down payment. It wasn't due to general slackitude - real estate prices around here are high, and they were even higher 4 years ago.
You would think that we would now have equity in our home--but if you thought that, you would be wrong. You see, real estate prices have also dropped about 20 percent. So we've worked very hard these last few years to...not be underwater anymore with our house. 'Tis a bittersweet accomplishment.
I thought that an appropriate reward would be a little refinancing action so we could lower our rate and make our payments toward our primary mortgage count even more. However, a call to a local mortgage broker turned up only bad news. First, our mortgage is not through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so we don't qualify for the government programs that require only 5 or 10 percent equity to refinance. Instead, we'd have to wait to refinance until we had 20 percent equity, or refinance now and pay PMI.
Yes, PMI, even though we've already paid down 20 percent. If we refinanced, we'd essentially be starting from scratch, as if we were taking out a loan for 100 percent of the value of our condo. All of our efforts for the past 4 years would not count. And we'd be stuck with PMI for 5 years or until we paid down 20 percent of the new loan.
Now is a good time to remind myself, as I have been reminding myself since real estate prices dropped, that life can still be great even when parts of it aren't fair, and that expectations of fairness in life will lead only to disappointment. And technically, we won't realize a loss on our condo until we sell it, and we don't plan to sell for several more years at least. By then we'll have more equity.
On the bright side, my Dunkin Donuts index tells me that the economy is coming back. People are back to paying for their daily morning coffee. Parking lots of local area shopping complexes are full again. The bargain basement hotel deals of last year are difficult to find this year.
That last one isn't really part of the bright side, but I appreciate that it is a sign of a recovering economy.
We took out a second mortgage rather than pay PMI, or rather, B did all of these things, since we weren't married when he bought the condo. The second mortgage was necessary because we didn't have a 20 percent down payment. It wasn't due to general slackitude - real estate prices around here are high, and they were even higher 4 years ago.
You would think that we would now have equity in our home--but if you thought that, you would be wrong. You see, real estate prices have also dropped about 20 percent. So we've worked very hard these last few years to...not be underwater anymore with our house. 'Tis a bittersweet accomplishment.
I thought that an appropriate reward would be a little refinancing action so we could lower our rate and make our payments toward our primary mortgage count even more. However, a call to a local mortgage broker turned up only bad news. First, our mortgage is not through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so we don't qualify for the government programs that require only 5 or 10 percent equity to refinance. Instead, we'd have to wait to refinance until we had 20 percent equity, or refinance now and pay PMI.
Yes, PMI, even though we've already paid down 20 percent. If we refinanced, we'd essentially be starting from scratch, as if we were taking out a loan for 100 percent of the value of our condo. All of our efforts for the past 4 years would not count. And we'd be stuck with PMI for 5 years or until we paid down 20 percent of the new loan.
Now is a good time to remind myself, as I have been reminding myself since real estate prices dropped, that life can still be great even when parts of it aren't fair, and that expectations of fairness in life will lead only to disappointment. And technically, we won't realize a loss on our condo until we sell it, and we don't plan to sell for several more years at least. By then we'll have more equity.
On the bright side, my Dunkin Donuts index tells me that the economy is coming back. People are back to paying for their daily morning coffee. Parking lots of local area shopping complexes are full again. The bargain basement hotel deals of last year are difficult to find this year.
That last one isn't really part of the bright side, but I appreciate that it is a sign of a recovering economy.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ice cream iniquities
Some things in life aren't fair, and I've recently discovered another injustice to share with the world. This iniquity is among the worst because it is related to ice cream.
B and I have a favorite ice cream stand that offers reliably large portions and delicious ice cream. However, after our last visit, I noticed that one of our portions was a bit more generous than the other. Tonight's visit confirmed my hypothesis.
The teenage girls who work at our ice cream stand appear to have taken a fancy to my husband and have decided to show their appreciation through extra large scoops of ice cream. We both order the same size, but his ice cream is noticeably larger.
I proposed a number of experiments to test my theory. B proposed several of his own that mostly consisted of his acting silly without attempting to prove anything. Sniff.
I'm going to have to continue to ponder the best experiment to prove my theory, but until then, B is going to place both of our orders, and then we'll see who gets the bigger ice cream.
B and I have a favorite ice cream stand that offers reliably large portions and delicious ice cream. However, after our last visit, I noticed that one of our portions was a bit more generous than the other. Tonight's visit confirmed my hypothesis.
The teenage girls who work at our ice cream stand appear to have taken a fancy to my husband and have decided to show their appreciation through extra large scoops of ice cream. We both order the same size, but his ice cream is noticeably larger.
I proposed a number of experiments to test my theory. B proposed several of his own that mostly consisted of his acting silly without attempting to prove anything. Sniff.
I'm going to have to continue to ponder the best experiment to prove my theory, but until then, B is going to place both of our orders, and then we'll see who gets the bigger ice cream.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Finally, a camera decision
You might recall that I've been camera shopping for some time now. I've been taking my time because digital cameras are big investments. I wanted to be sure that I got the right model.
I'm partial to Nikon because they created my film SLR, which took dreamy pictures despite my limited photography skills.
I had been trying to decide between a superzoom point-and-shoot model and a digital SLR. The most appealing aspects of the superzoom were its size and weight. It would be an easy camera to schlep around the Canadian Rockies. On the other hand, I suspected that I'd be paying a lot of money for a good but not great camera that might not do those scenic vistas justice.
An SLR, on the other hand, was amost guaranteed to take amazing photographs. However, I dreaded the back pain that would reliably come from carrying around a heavy camera, and I couldn't ignore that an SLR would be a more expensive purchase.
I found myself unable to decide, and so I ignored the problem for several months and waited for my mind to make itself up. And this weekend, my mind decided, and off we went to the mall to buy the DSLR.
The Nikon D5000 was our camera of choice. It's a step up from Nikon's entry-level model (the D3000) and has an overwhelming number of options. I'm not sure if I will ever understand all of them, but I've figured out the basics since yesterday, when we brought the camera home.
At the store, we bought the camera, a couple of memory cards, and a UV lens cover--all I needed to get started. After we arrived home, we bought a camera bag, a backup battery, and another memory card from Amazon.
I've taken lots of pictures, all indoors due to the enormous raincloud that has settled over the area this weekend, and am really happy with all of them. As soon as our bag arrives, we'll venture outdoors and really see what she can do.
I'm partial to Nikon because they created my film SLR, which took dreamy pictures despite my limited photography skills.
I had been trying to decide between a superzoom point-and-shoot model and a digital SLR. The most appealing aspects of the superzoom were its size and weight. It would be an easy camera to schlep around the Canadian Rockies. On the other hand, I suspected that I'd be paying a lot of money for a good but not great camera that might not do those scenic vistas justice.
An SLR, on the other hand, was amost guaranteed to take amazing photographs. However, I dreaded the back pain that would reliably come from carrying around a heavy camera, and I couldn't ignore that an SLR would be a more expensive purchase.
I found myself unable to decide, and so I ignored the problem for several months and waited for my mind to make itself up. And this weekend, my mind decided, and off we went to the mall to buy the DSLR.
The Nikon D5000 was our camera of choice. It's a step up from Nikon's entry-level model (the D3000) and has an overwhelming number of options. I'm not sure if I will ever understand all of them, but I've figured out the basics since yesterday, when we brought the camera home.
At the store, we bought the camera, a couple of memory cards, and a UV lens cover--all I needed to get started. After we arrived home, we bought a camera bag, a backup battery, and another memory card from Amazon.
I've taken lots of pictures, all indoors due to the enormous raincloud that has settled over the area this weekend, and am really happy with all of them. As soon as our bag arrives, we'll venture outdoors and really see what she can do.
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