Snow day - in response to a comment in Wilma's Blog

I was reading Wilma's blog and realized that I'm one of those relatives sitting somewhere in Canada who can't empathize with her regarding the spring snow.  Its now officially spring but we woke up on Sunday morning to about 30 cm (or about a foot) of snow.  That almost broke a record for a one day snowfall in Calgary for March - the record is 38cm.   The  average snowfall for all of March is 21 cm.  And the forecast is for more snow this week.

I had early morning meetings on Sunday.  I went to my first meeting (6:30am)  and only 3 of us made it - there should have been 7.   The roads were a mess.   Just by our house the bus couldn't make it up the hill and was blocking the road.    I just about didn't make it.  I didn't make it up the last hill to the Stake Center.   I went back down to try again and got stuck.  Luckily a nice young man in a pickup truck stopped to help push me out.   We were the first ones there and there was a foot of snow on the sidewalks so our meeting consisted of shoveling snow.   We do have a snow blower at the church and I went to get it out but it was out of gas.  Luckily there was a 5 gallon gas can there - no wait - it was empty too.   We didn't want to go get gas on Sunday - plus with the roads the way they were we didn't even know if we could get out and back in our cars.    No one showed up for the 7:30 meeting because of the snow.   Some people couldn't get out of their driveways or out of their neighborhoods.   I heard of one of my friends who took 3 hours to dig out of his place.   At our 9am start time, there were about 10 people at church.   The ironic thing is that at least 3 of these were single senior sisters.   People showed up all through the meeting.  

We should have had a snow day.

I took this picture as Judy as she came home from shopping Monday afternoon.  You can see that the pile of snow on our lawn from shoveling the sidewalk and driveway is still about 4 feet high.  Its never been like that in Calgary since I can remember.  In Calgary we have chinooks - warm west winds that melts the snow in hours.   There are stories of the temperature going from -20C to +20C in an couple of hours when a chinook blows in.  The record for a one day temperature change due to a chinook is from -48C (-56F) to 9C (49F).  Usually when we get a heavy snowfall within a week or two a warm chinook will come and melt all the snow.  This year we haven't seen these extreme chinooks.   We've had snow on the ground since December.  

Just on Friday I was commenting on how the snow was finally all melted from our deck.   Here's what it looks like now.

I'm not complaining - okay maybe I am a little.   Why do we live in a place where you have to spend hours shoveling snow to get your vehicle out of your driveway only to drive somewhere that takes an hour (instead of the regular 10 minutes) only to get stuck or slide off the road so you can spend a couple more hours digging out so you can spend another hour driving back home?  

I can think of a few reasons.

1. Cockroaches and rats don't like it either so they don't hang out here.
2. We enjoy the summer more (winter is like hitting your head against the wall - it feels so good when it stops).
3. We're crazy.

On a totally different note.   People wanted to see pictures of my new glasses being modeled by me.

These are my $23 glasses (I referred to them as $27 glasses in my last blog entry, but that was with the $4 clip-on sunglasses).   I'm also wearing a Columbia shirt from NPS.  

My new glasses

    
I love a deal.  I don't like to pay more than I have to for anything.   Wilma has ruined me by introducing me to NPS in SLC.   Now I can't see paying more than $5 for a running shirt or $10 for a dress shirt or $29 for a pair of shoes (all brand name of course).  Just today I was wearing the Levi Dockers pants that I found at NPS for $4 ( they had footprints on them like they fell on the ground and were stepped on - I just washed them and they were fine).    On my feet were the $29 Rockport Shoes I found at NPS (one of the more expensive things I've purchased there)

So when Candi told me about this place where you can order eyeglasses online starting at $8 - that includes the lenses - I was interested.   She found out about the place from our friend Chris.

    

But I must admit that I was skeptical.  What kind of glasses could you get for $8.  I figured they would like the plastic sunglasses with plastic lenses you get at the dollar store.  I needed proof.  I checked the internet and there were tons of people who complained about this place and how it took forever to get the order if they even did get the order.   Based on the complaints, it didn't look good but Chris had heard good things about them.   I needed more proof before I would try them.   

    

Candi decided to order 2 pairs of glasses.  She splurged and went for a $9.95 pair and a $19.00 pair.   She figured that for $30 she couldn't go wrong.   She ordered online and about 3 weeks later they arrived in the mail.

   

Here's what she received

This is a $9.95 pair of glasses.  Comes in the cheap (but sturdy) plastic case with the cleaning cloth.
       

This is her $19 pair of glasses.

     

I must say that I was so impressed that I decided to give them a try as well.  My prescription has changed and I needed to get some new glasses anyways.   The last time I got glasses I had to go with the multi-focus lenses so that I could read.

These are my old glasses.   About 4 years ago I got these at Costco.  I shopped around and Costco was the cheapest by far.    With the progressive lenses the price really goes up.    I found the bill and these glasses cost me $416.  At that time I looked around at other places and could have easily paid $700 - $800 or more.   

So I went to the Zenni website and starting shopping.  I  found a couple pairs that were wider than most (all the specifications are listed).   You see, I have a problem when it comes to getting glasses.   I have a hard time finding ones that fit my big fat head.  And to make it worse, I have that oriental nose bridge (or lack of nose bridge) so I need glasses with nose pieces that are adjustable.   Sad but true.  In the past when ever I got new glasses it would take several adjustments to make them fit right.

Well I ordered 2 pairs to see what they would be like.  I went with one pair of single vision and one pair with progressive multifocal lenses.

People complained that the glasses were made in China.   Chances are the frames you buy locally are made in China as well.   People complained about the customer service and how long it took to get there orders.  I can't complain.   I placed the order on Feb 28.  They sent me an email when they received my order and another one when they shipped my order complete with a tracking numbers so I could see where it was.   It left China on the 11th and arrive in Vancouver on the 13th (Friday).  They arrived in Calgary on the 16th (Monday).  16 days isn't bad if I can save 85% over getting them here in a couple days.

In the package were 2 eyeglasses cases. 

    

I ordered the clip-on sunglasses as well.

  

Here is my single focus pair.   The quality seems great.   The base cost was $19 but I added the anti-glare finish and the clip on sunglasses so it came to $27.   I checked some eyeglass places around town and adding the anti-glare finish alone could cost more than that.   The amazing thing is that they fit right out of the package.  No adjustments needed.

  

These are the expensive glasses.   I went with a $27.95  base pair of glasses but I had to add $29 for the progressive lenses.  I could have stopped there but I added the anti-glare finish and the clip-ons so it came to $65.    I'm wearing these glasses right now and they are great.   The amazing thing is that they also fit with no adjustments.   Maybe its because they are designed in China where they have more fat headed orientals.

So $416 for one pair or less than $100 for 2 pairs?  

Does the bottom pair look $335 better? 

(not now - they're pretty beat up)

      

To me, if I they fit and I can see they are a good pair of glasses.  

If I didn't pay an arm and a leg for them, they are a great pair of glasses.

   

   

Happy Birthday Jamie!

   

I can't believe you're 16.  

   

Angie and Alana did some great birthday post with lots of pictures so I don't want to compete.  I'm taking a different approach.   We've gone to some neat places together over your 16 years.   (Unfortunately I only have pictures since we got our first digital camera.)

   

Thought I would share some pictures to remind you of some of these places.

  

Utah  2003

(Notice the shirt she's wearing)

    

Disneyland 2004

   

Disneyland 2004

(notice the shirt she's wearing)
      

The Calgary Stampede 2004 

(Could it be the same shirt?)

    

Banff 2004

(Notice what she's wearing)

   

The Logan's Pass in Montana (that's a huge dropoff to her right)

   

Shave Ice at Matsumoto's in Hawaii

(Pose based on picture of a famous Japanese movie star on the wall at Matsumoto's)

   

Hukilau Beach in Hawaii

    

Back to that shirt.   She did have other shirts but this seemed to be a favorite.  Here's a better picture of that shirt.  It says Basketball and it has a bunch of basketballs.   

(This picture is of Jamie and her friend Jessica at Disneyland - we just happened to run into her family there.  Another coincidence - Notice they are both wearing red shirts.  They also had matching shorts and shoes.)

  

Fast forward to Dec 2008.   Here's Jessica and Jamie at the airport going to a basketball tourney in Victoria. (Notice the matching outfits again.)

   Jamie played for the High School Jr. Girls team this year.   Her team made the Div 1 playoffs.   She did great.  I wish I had some good video of Jamie playing basketball but when I tried to video I got so much into watching the game that I would forget about the camera and would miss all the good stuff.   I have lots of video of Jamie driving or shooting but we don't see what happens.    Some time I'll have to figure out how to edit some of that video and post it so you can have a good laugh.   Here are some screen shots from the videos.

   

Jamie, you've always been original.

Love Dad

Survivorman

There's a show on TV called Survivorman.  Its about a guy who goes to out into the wilderness with little or no provisions and 50 pounds of camera equipment to film his adventures.
  

  

On Friday night I  had my own little Survivorman experience (minus all the camera equipment - just 1 digital camera that froze up).   There was a Stake Young Men's winter camp that has been scheduled for some time.   It was in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis country at a group campground.   Initially the plan was to leave early in the afternoon and get set up before dark but Jenelle's school basketball team was in the league final.  I didn't want to miss that so we headed up after the game (we being me and 4 young men from our ward who also had to leave later).  It was dark when we left.   We were able to set up camp quickly when we arrived thanks to our trusty headlamps.

The weather last week was cold (-20 C) but the forecast for Friday was to warm up to above freezing.  Perfect for a winter camp.  But who can believe the weatherman?

To make a long story short, we estimate the temperature overnight went to between -25C and -30C (a few of us checked the thermometers in our vehicles in the morning and they are all around -23C at about 8am).   I've been on winter camps before but nothing close to this cold.   I didn't have a high tech sleeping bag that's good to those temperatures so I was a bit concerned about being cold.  I went with 2 sleeping bags.  Thanks to Judy for throwing in an extra blanket in with the sleeping bags.  Some of the young men were pretty cold and didn't get much sleep.  (If anyone was really cold, there was an enclsed camp kitchen with a fire going all night but no one needed it).  I was surprisingly toasty warm in my 2 sleeping bags.   The problem with me is that at my age its hard to get through the night without having to get up to relieve myself.    Around 2:35 am nature called.  I tried to ignore the call - but before long nature was shouting at me and I had to make the commitment and got out of the sleeping bag and bundled up to go outside.   It was sooo cold but it felt sooo good to get back into my warm sleeping bag.

We all made it through the night and everyone was in good spirits even with the cold.  Now we have a story to tell.  I'm sure the temperature will go even lower as time goes on.   I'm sure we'll someday talk about the night we were out in a blizzard at -65C.

Here's some pictures that I took the next morning after I thawed out my camera.   I had to leave it in the heated camp kitchen for a while.

Survivorman - Kananaskis 2009 version

   

The fearless leaders by their first class accommodations.

     

They're all smiling after a wonderful sleep.

    

There was a fire pit but in the morning most of the youth and leaders were hanging out in the camp kitchen to get warm.   

    

All the other wards cooked in the camp kitchen as well.  Only one ward cooked breakfast outside.  Guess who the crazy ones were.....

     

  

     

With the condensation from our breathing and the cold weather it actually snowed inside our tent.   This is my sleeping bag in the morning.   There was more but I brushed most of it off before I thought about taking a picture. 

      

   There was some beautiful things about being out in nature.   The stars were incredible.  Living in the city we miss that because of all the lights.  

The mountains and trees are fantastic.

If you look closely you might be able to see a mountain between the trees.

        

One of the neatest sights was the perfect snowflakes.  It was so cold that some snowflakes kept their shape if they landed on a metal surface.   In the following pictures everything that looks like a snowflake is a real snowflake.

  

Snowflakes on a Coleman Stove

    

Snowflakes on the lid of a pot.