Life...

Monday really was a great day!

Morning started by me waking at the unusually early time of 9am. This is much earlier than the usual 11 am and 1pm that I had been waking up the preceding two days. After breakfast, I went out to the driving range for 2hours of hitting a small yellow ball as far as possible with as much control as possible. Sometimes my shots were pretty good… most of the time though, I would take an almighty swing, look out into the distance to look for the ball, and then realize that the ball is still at my feet. I had missed completely! It happened with enough frequency that I got used to it…which kinda sucked! It was still fun though. I can totally understand why Alvin is so addicted to this sport.

Jason meanwhile, had taken the kids to the river and, using our inflatable boat, had taken them river rafting. It was their first such experience, and though they were apprehensive at first, they really got hyped up after. Think they enjoyed it tremendously. Nannudi and I went to pick them up downstream, then went to pick up the car at the parking lot at their start point. We had our lunch there too…which was a small disaster as they kept losing our orders or mixing them up, resulting in a super long lunch, and the kids were hungry. Still they didn’t complain (they are amazingly well-behaved) and the food, when it did arrive was good.

After the kids rafting, it was supposed to be my turn with Jason, but I wasn’t too keen. It looked like a really bad storm was coming in from the mountains and I did not want to be caught out in the middle of a river when it hit. The kids also needed to change into other clothes as they wanted to play mini-golf, so we decided to go back home.

On going home, Jason asked me whether I wanted to go rock climbing instead of rafting.

Hell yeah! So while the kids went to play mini golf with the kids, I went with Jason to pick up his friend Mark, before heading to the Calgary Climbing Centre for my first stint at rock climbing.

Now I’m terrified of heights, but there is something very special about rock climbing. You know you are harnessed in but that doesn’t stop you from feeling a bit of vertigo as you look down on the way up. Yet, going up that wall, you feel focused but relaxed. You joke and laugh with the belayer even as you reach for the next hand hold or foot hold. Tried to climb four faces, but succeeded only in 3. Still, I was quite satisfied, seeing that it was my first time climbing. Should do this more often.  Eventhough I am aching in some places I never knew muscles existed.

Came back to a dinner of prawn curry and rice. Watched the sunset outside, and spent time looking at the mountains and the flowers. The setting sun can sometimes seem to set the trees aflame. Its magical, because after the sun sets, the trees are still there, like the mythical phoenix, born again from the ashes of its predecessor.

I finished the day by doing some ironing, watching southpark and the dave chappelle show(hilarious), and doing some reading (I’m reading Guy Gavriel Kay’s the Lord of Emperors, Book 2 of the Sarantium Mosaic). A very different yet enthralling fantasy book, one that’s become a page turner. Below are some of the photos of the day, and of previous days.