Sunday 13 January 2008

It's a Happy New Year!


Well, the first week’s done and dusted. The kids are all back at school and actually seem pretty happy to be there!

The highlight of the holiday was a ski trip to Sun Peaks ski resort, near Kamloops. We went up there with two other families and had a great time skiing, visiting and having the occasional glass of wine. The photos in this entry are from the trip and the red toqued skier is me.


I have been continuing my commute on the Vespa. The past week was good for teaching but not for weather. Rain, slush and cold have been the order of the day, but I still get that great feeling when I zip on down the road.

One bump on the road - there’s construction on my route to school and a couple of times I’ve cleared the flag ladies only to find myself heading onto big steel sheets that cover the road for 20 or 30 metres. They scare the pants off of me! Although I’m going slow, I don’t think that there’s hardly any traction on a metal sheet. Could be yet another near death experience!

Today, happily, was great day. It was sunny, clear and cool and I was happy to buzz around town for a couple of hours on the Vespa. My gloves are really working out well as my hands were nice and warm, and my down vest is becoming a stand-by, not only on my scooter, but when I am watching my daughter’s soccer game or walking the dog, etc.

I unfortunately forgot my camera but I am still smiling inside from the good feeling that sunshine and scooting create.

3 comments:

Orin said...

Uh, fag ladies?

A rubber tire on dry boilerplate actually has much more traction than on pavement. Wet boilerplate, another matter, though if you approach it straight and upright you should be fine. In Seattle, they paint the boilerplate with a fluorescent orange coating that not only makes it more visible, but results in a rather rough surface. I think the bigger potential danger is the abrupt edge of a 2" thick sheet of steel, though in Seattle there is usually at least a token bit of asphalt poured around the edges.

__Orin
Scootin' Old Skool

Heinz N Frenchie said...

Put your glasses on Orin! It's Flag Ladies. We run into those metal sheets in construction areas sometimes and they are a reason to be cautious. There is an edge and 2" sounds small, but on a scooter wheel it matters.

Happy to hear that you had some sunshine to ride in. Nothing beats a sunny day on a scooter.

Dave Dixon said...

Orin
Thanks for the correction. Done!

I make sure that I show a lot of care and respect to those big metal plates. Very scary.

Heinz & Frenchie
Orin was right - I just made a change!

I guess you guys get a lot of sun to ride in. I ride lots here but definitely have to be waterproof....