Grey Cup Parade

Growing up in Newfoundland the CFL seemed like a myth.  Of course I'd heard the existed but I'd never actually met anyone who supported a team or seemed to care about it in the least.

Things didn't get much better in any of the other cities I've lived in in Canada.  I guess I knew that the BC Lions existed while I lived in Vancouver though they didn't seem to be as significant a sporting venture as the Canucks - who just happened to be having a particularly good season the year we lived there.

In Montreal I eventually learned that I'd lived about a block a way from the stadium in which the Alouettes played.  While I lived there I had no idea where the Alouettes played.

The impending arrival of the then unnamed Ottawa franchise seemed to be of little consequence to the locals.  I can't recall even a single person I spoke to expressing either interest or disgust at the thought of there being a team there.  It just didn't seem to rate in the face of the LRT talks or Senators trade speculation.

Of course, in Nova Scotia, though there is university football, the CFL seems as distant to life as it did in Newfoundland.  It just wasn't on anyone's radar.

When we arrived in Regina last year we immediately got to see that the CFL certainly does have a fan base, and it seems to be based in Saskatchewan.

You can't go out in Regina without encountering people wearing Riders gear.  Hats and jackets are probably the most common forms of attire, but mitts, scarves, and jewellery aren't uncommon.  And lets not forget the provincially issued Riders license plates.

This overwhelming level of support means that even when it's -21 (or -33 when the wind chill is taken into account) fans done up to the max will be in attendance for a Saturday morning Grey Cup Parade.

The parade route was lined with people of all ages.  We saw dozens of strollers and more adults in snow pants than I've ever seen anywhere else.  There were also quite a number of cars with handicap parking badges parked in intersections facing the parade route.  I think it's fair to say that those in attendance were a pretty representative cross section of the Regina population.



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And though it took a while to get to us, we did eventually to get to see the horse-drawn championship trophy.

If anyone had asked me as a child if I would one day stand in frost-bite capable weather for over an hour to see any of this I likely would have laughed (or the very shy child equivalent of public laughing).  Apparently, spending a year in Regina has a strange effect on people.

It's still snowing

Though there may have been intermittent short breaks, it has more-or-less been snowing since before I woke up yesterday morning.  Not only has this meant that my attempts at shovelling were a little less long-lived than I would have hoped, but that I'm witnessing the most substantial snowfall to occur since I moved to Regina.

This may be somewhat surprising for some of you given the reputation for putting on a good winter that Regina has.

It seems rather than having large snowfalls each winter, Regina secures it's "Winter Wonderland" status by having a number of smaller snowfalls that just don't melt until the spring.

Yes, it's entirely possible that the base layer of snow that's been deposited this weekend will actually be around until May (only March if we're lucky).  Of course, by the time things start to melt it's likely that several more dumps will have been piled on top, helping to ensure the longevity of the initial dump.

Because we've spent the past weeks in Regina and watched the temperatures and their steady downward trajectory none of these developments are particularly surprising.  What is much more surprising to me are the photos of the rest of Canada that seem to suggest that large swaths of the country may only be experience fall-like conditions.

Regina, quickly and silently, has tricked me into considering November a wintery month.

One way to pass the afternoon

It was my first rodeo

Earlier this week I attended my first rodeo.  Now that we're living in the 'west' it seems appropriate that I've seen a rodeo, though I'm not sure if I'll have to attend too many more in the future.  Of course, Jeannette, as a militant (her preferred word is 'passionate') vegan, is "absolutely disgusted" that I've even seen one rodeo and insists that it will be my last (if she has anything to do with it).

While there I managed to snag a few hot vids.  Of course, they're posted here only for educational, not entertainment, purposes.

The steer riding was almost a little hard to see.  I suspect the more technical manoeuvre is typically blocked by the horse the cowboy is riding.



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The 'bull fighting' was something I didn't expect to see.  My guess is that this event was created to give the rodeo clowns a chance to shine/get worker's comp opportunities?



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Barrel racing was the only 'cowgirl' event of the rodeo.



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For one event, kids were even involved.  Not surprisingly, I managed to get one of the less successful riders (though I did get the one with enough foresight to equip himself with a helmet cam).



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Calf roping also took place.



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Some bull riding also happened.



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It was definitely an experience.

A Few Quick Notes 603

-After a few false starts, we've finally had a full-fledged snowy winter's day in Regina.  At the moment I'd say that we have somewhere between 5 and 7 cm of snow on the ground, though I guess my estimate could be a little off due because zero-ish temperatures are leading to some simultaneous melting.

-Because of the snowfall I'll have to head out for some shovelling later today.  I tried to do some shovelling a few weeks ago when we had another small snowfall but there wasn't enough to really clear.

-Last weekend we purchased a discount vegetarian Indian cookbook.  The night we purchased the book we prepared about four of the dishes in the book.  They were great.  The only problem with the book is that it has lead us to over eat.  Of course, this overeating hasn't discouraged me from fantasizing about preparing even more dishes from the book this weekend.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

-A few months ago we purchased a food dehydrator.  Since that time we've been really into dried apples and fruit leather.  Turns out that with a few hours of dehydrating time you can turn a dozen apples into nothing more than a few grams of dried apples/fruit leather.  The problem, if you can say there is a problem, is that the dried fruit can be consumed almost instantly and without the feeling that you're chewing through multiple apples in a matter of seconds.

-Turns out I should probably do some fish tank cleaning today.  Do Saturdays get more fun?

-Last weekend, while socializing with neighbours, one of the guys recommended a pomegranate de-seeding technique.  When I finally got around to trying it last night I was amazed that it was actually as easy and effective as promised.  You really have do the whole thing in less than a minute.



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