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Photos from my phone from the past little while:

september 14 2009

– you can see two countries there, separated by that bridge
– love that driveway
– a bus mural I liked
– a flask 

Today was my team’s last race and first ever Time Trial.  That’s when your bike has solid disk wheels (which make an ominous sound) and Tron-esque helmets, and really you just go in a straight line as fast as you can for about an hour.

It’s very grueling, and one of my team said he was thinking of me during the ride when “your dream came true Keri and I barfed a bit in my mouth”.  Good work.  And for those of you just meeting me, click here to watch the episode “Exploring Cycling” and find all team mentions there, too.

The race was held in Plattsville, a cute little town of a few thousand one hour west of Toronto.

 
Bottom right I’m showing you an old mill in the middle of town, and bottom left is Mike Armstrong, professional race photographer for Extreme Road and guy I hung out with while we captured the race start where they fly down a 45 degree incline and take off. 

I also met Kelly and Phillip from my beloved Hamilton, and Kelly knows the location of the first ever Tim Horton’s there and will email me.

 
That’s me in an empty podium tent on the loudspeaker, welcoming you to ‘The Canadian Explorer Open’ featuring ‘The Canadian Explorer Flyers’ which will be taking place in Delusionville.   

I already miss my team even though it just ended.  Thank you for a fantastic season fellas, can’t wait till next year.

My friend needed a new couch so we marched along Queen Street West looking, and I was making us do this.

She found a couch and I found little chairs that fit me juuuust right.  It’s tough to get the perspective on them because I couldn’t get my arm out far enough when taking that photo on the right… go go Gadget dumb joke. 

They’re the size of this one I have earmarked, and one day I’d like to have only furniture that’s this size in my home; I have two already.

She always hands over her jewelry when I see her and let’s me wear it around; that one is white jade, popular in Asia but rare in Canada.  And on the right, well, you see one of those things, you stick your face in it, and take your photo, that’s what you do.

First to see Rannie aka Photojunkie who was kicking off his gallery opening of Sightlines: Toronto Panorama Images, two of which I’m in (click here and here), click here to see all 300 in a short movie, and all of which won him his car.  Congratulations dude, I hope you sell out (ha, see what I did there?).

At this party I met in real life a twitter friend Nico (on the left) and Jasin, a graphic artist who looked at me and said, “oh I know you, actually, I re-posted one of your episodes” and you know, I’m still not used to this, this people knowing me without me having met them and doubt I ever will be.  We’re gonna have coffee soon and he’s certain he can help me with my advertising pitch.

I skipped over to NotableTV’s TIFF opening gala at where I ran into my friend Duarte, we people watched for a second then before I left I said, “I will take a photo for my blog now, so try to look Southpark-ish again please”; he just sighs. 

I’d disembarked on the first boat in the morning (we were anchored), got to the jetty, hello Sarnia, now what?  My cab driver Gord was very helpful: no bus service, the next Via train wasn’t until 7pm and sure he’d take me to the airport so I could try my out my idea.  I walked into Huron Flight Centre:

Me: Is anyone going to Toronto?
Katie: Well, a student Matt might be coming in for a lesson, maybe he’ll wanna go, you can chip in on gas
Me: Okay
Matt: Sure I’ll go
Dennis: Keri I’ll need your phone number [he’s the chief pilot]
Keri: [gives number]
Dennis: Woah the last four digits are exactly the atmospheric pressure of [something something important in flight]… it’s a sign!
Keri: So pumped

And we’re off in this, and here’s me in flight.  Ariel views never get old:

 
In the middle photo is a house I swear is this house, and there’s something beautiful about cloverleafs, eh.

I sat quietly in the back with my headphones on and learned:

– it’s never good to navigate using roads as visual markers, instead use towers and lakes
– you can’t really get a speeding ticket up there
– not all airports have control towers
– the temperature drops a lot between 3500 and 5000 feet

We landed at the island airport and that’s Matt and Katie, the head instructor and who I’d like to lessons from because she has this calmness about her.

Me: Hey Matt, great job, I felt safe back there
Me: Is that your longest flight?
Matt: Oh ya, before this I’ve only ever been in a 5 mile radius around Huron
Me: You’re a natural

There’s something about Porter I just love, it’s just… classy.  Right down to their symbols like that of the ferry, which I’ve already I’ve told you about, and you can’t beat that view of downtown.