February 2018 - First time in Calgary in 11 years! Heaps of Snow, Cold beer, Canadian dream!

February was full of snow and cold.  Shared a few after hockey ice cold beers, celebrated Tom's big bday, voting in italy crossed my path, meat Tuesdays and struggled to pick my next adventure...

This stuff really should be used, right?

Yes, we had snow, probably some kind of record and freezing cold...bring on the global warming any time now!  Of course this was my first February in Calgary since 2005 so I guess it was payback for all the snow I missed over the years.

Probably 30 cm over 24 hr period

still coming down

This was a different day

  

40 cm on top of the patio table

  

Look at that beautifully sculpted path

Let's not forget Canadians play hockey in the winter and drink beer after hockey.  Due to the ever adding rules of the world (Calgary specifically) beer is not permitted in the Arenas and actually not permitted in the parking lot either.  But at -25C who's really going to harass us.

Recommended: At -25 C you need to drink your beer with in 10 minutes before it freezes!

True canadians! But drinking Coors, disappointing...

Even me!

Some more moments from the second half of February...

Good on you Tom, you made it!

Huge traffic back up at 1:30am

I'd like to say this traffic was justified
but really it was just salting all lanes
on the main freeway through
Calgary at 1:30 am on a Sunday night
1 hour stop! and I had to pee!

Tuesday 1/2 price BBQ at Trolley 5.  Only $31 for the platter

So much snow people walked on
the streets

Oh ya!  Polish lunch.  $62 corrected to the real price $34.

The lowest score you can get on one
ball on Addam's Family Pinball

Good bye Z10.  Dirty sideloading
killed my BB.  Actually turned it
in to a brick!

Here's how I decided where my next trip was.

Recommended: Putting 3 travel destinations in a hat and picking one.  PDQ32 sailing trip Texas to Cancun, Cartagena Colombia or Motorbike Southern US to Mexico.  Stay tuned to find out... 

  
 Having my Italian citizenship means I need to vote (like every 6 months it seems) for provincial, municipal and federal and whatever else comes through.  "Free flights to Italy???" See video.

I need to live in this happy
little country

Ready

But where am I going???

Other Stuff

Lost Ring posters on telephone
poles, Wow that's a rare ring.

Found behind the dryer.  The past year I must have been
renting to one sock wearing people.

My my my. Gymtastics
We have to spend our money
somewhere Calgarians...

January 2018 - Cold as F! Slow finish to Winter Inspection, Oilers can't win

This month my final weeks of winter work finished up, saw the oilers lose as bad as possible, and enjoyed some wonderful sunrises and solitary hours on the road with podcasts and italian classes.

Yes, COLD AS F!  -34 Celsius

NYE who?  Back in to it again.  Hammer it all out in a few days and done, right? Cold weather may slow us down...

Although picturesque, perhaps a bad omen. 

I wonder which one will break?

And it broke in 10 minutes.

The driver for the alien shuttle

Blast off!

You have to appreciate the hand stacked skid support
4 pieces per row x 20+ rows!

What a spot

My mountain looking over Pine River

Pulling away

Automated hot cutting set up

Quick break back to Calgary.  Cold START for the Truck (no pun intended...) in GP...

Freezing cold truck during the famous cold snap my friends from Europe inquired about.

Only -32 C at 7am.

Damn that's cold

Sun's coming up again

So cold fog coming out of the
ground at -30 C, wow.

Making my way back North after a night in Calgary ...

Can you believe I have never
snowmobiled ...

A quiet spot back on site at the end of shift as I
try to get a signal for my phone to send daily report.

Two of our inspectors were done
Steffan was in such a hurry he
left all this behind, wtf!

Alright, last casing to extract, easy right...hahha

That is a snapped casing weld and
happens very rarely

  

Play us a song Gordo while we wait on welding

Making a big excavation to help
the pipe out - Stepping down!

Back to my shack, what's up here?

Must stay 6 m back, but this is my house!!!

Another good sign, more breaking

Pulllllllll!!!  Hammerrrrrr!!!!!!

That snow moved means we're done!
Casing finally came free.

Packed up and gone in 6 hours!

Good-bye Beautiful Pine River

Bye Hasler

And I am out of here!  Near the end of the the month we finally finished and smiles were bursting as I left the shack at 7am done for the winter.

And I'm out of here! A little sad

After 72 days (only 8 of those days off) the road home never felt so sweet and was truly enjoyed. A great experience behind me, lots of challenges on the project, tonnes of snow, but well worth the compensation that allows me to continue living The Life Of Brad...

Side Story: The Chetwynd area weather surprised me being almost exactly like Calgary even being 10 hours Northwest in to BC.  It brought virtually the same temperatures, including the famous mid winter coastal warm air that melts everything changing -30C to 5 C in a day Chinook winds.

Remarkable sunrises in the Great White North

Damn I love this train bridge

Would be wild if this was actually
for the rare to find Kiwi Bird in NZ
which I never saw living there

And a stop in to Edmonton for the night to take in yet another Oiler game to boot, yes! 

Let's not get hung up on the score...ouch... You can look it up Jan 23, 2018 vs Buffalo

Crash Hotel in Edmonton right in front of Roger's Place Hockey Arena

King Size bed

For the traveller who wants to have a few drinks!

Cheeky

Rogers Place right there

This type of beer requires Clamato juice mix

Absolute sea of people...And this
is a new design...I was not impressed

Here we go!

Ok, it was impressive to have
box seats!  No drink or toilet lines!

Recommended - Crash Hotel and both downstairs bars!  Hawkeye's bar a few blocks away is a great dive bar.

Not recommended - Annoying, Egotistical Arm Candy and Rogers Place which is now very corporate and has all the problems of an old old arena with out the charm. This place is brand new...WTF.  Also Bistro Praha is authentic and good for food I imagine, but overpriced for a quick drink ($9 bottle of beer, $13 boozy coffee, two shots for $8 ea).

Other Stuff

One month and this boring machine never moved.  BORING!

Grandpa's shares in Sask phone
company now worth ....  Nothing...

This is going to be a heavy night
20 min worth of drinks.

Fun 222,555 km.  Lucky glance at the speedo.

Lucky again, 223322 km
I'm a numbers nerd

Side Story: Bought this shovel for $25 on special in Nov.
Regular price $48.99. Hated it, fought to return it after 60
 days. Ass. Manager said "I have not seen any returned yet"
I guess that's why they are $10 now??? 

Why do I always think Honda is the
best...probably things like this...
Phone charging station in the form
of a car battery in the waiting area.