#58 Complete 10 Hikes (20% Complete)

Hike number two, what a view!

Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better
~Albert Einstein~ 

On Aug 3rd my dear friend Mike came for a 3 day visit with his girlfriend Lisa. Mike and I go way back to my college days (feels like a long time ago now). We met during my 3rd year when I lived on the KLO campus. Mike and I shared a dorm with 3 other guys and we hit it off instantly; we have lots in common and get each others sense of humor. After our school season we decided to get a two bed room apartment of our own, which lead to the famous KLO bachelor pad. The KLO pad was by far the closest thing I have lived in to a complete man cave. Pizza boxes and tacky posters everywhere, we even had the signature worn in futon. Mike was the founder and the first of 4 roommates that I would soon live with at the pad..so all the good times that were had at the pad, we had Mike to thank!

Last year Jenelle and I met up with Mike on Granville Island where he introduced us to his his girlfriend, Lisa. To great surprise when Mike and Lisa visited for the second time, they announced their engagement, which is great news as they are a perfect match for each other.So once again, I'd like to say congratulations to you two love birds!

When Mike told us that he was coming for a visit, I saw it as a great opportunity to cross something fun off my list. I knew it had been a long time since Mike had been in Kelowna and I also was very aware that he was probably missing the amazing mountains we take for granted every day. Needless to say, it was a perfect chance to go for a hike at the new Kelowna Mountain Park I had been hearing so much about.

At first glance Kelowna Mountain is a bit of a eye soar as it truly scars the landscape, but from the development that has been done so far they do make a decent attempt at keeping somewhat of a natural element.  For example we have the man made waterfall in the picture above.

They are also in the process of building a vineyard, which stays true to the Okanagan culture, but the most impressive attraction is the 400m suspension bridge; which is the longest in North America. 

The hike consists of 4 suspension bridges representing each of the 4 elements, each bridge gives a breath taking view of Kelowna and its surroundings.  The Hike also has a board walk that circles a freshly developed Koi pond. 

Some of the more interesting features are the giant size sundial, the lights for night walks, and the gazebos to escape the harsh sun (it is very hot up that high!)

My two favorite parts of the hike were probably the impressive giant outdoor amphitheater that over looks the Okanagan Valley and makes for a impressive rock concert venue and the hollowed out giant bolder that appears to be the making of a wet cave bar.

So I picked this hike thinking it would be much like other hikes I have done, but it was definitely unique and I know it was an amazing site for Mike and Lisa.

Interesting fact: Okanagan Mountain is apparently in the process of also building a golf course, ski hill and a spa resort that will offer fancy picnic packages that can be used anywhere on the grounds. So for final words, I've never seen something like this and I plan to do it many many more times!

Hike like a rock star sincerely Combat Wombat!

#43 Fix Old Chair (Complete)

One Man's Junk is Another Mans Treasure


                                                                      BEFORE

                                                                           AFTER

Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working. 

~Pablo Picasso~

Completing # 43 was a pleasure, I had no idea that working with wood and restoring my old chair would be such a rewarding and enjoyable process. This chair has a lot of sentimental value to me, it was one of the first things I bought for myself when I moved into my own place. I bough the ugly old beast for $20 at a garage sale, at the time is suited my college bachelor lifestyle perfectly.

 Needless to say it was time for my famous chair to get a face lift. The steps i took to fix it up were as followed: 1) dismantled it 2) sand it down (this took a bulk of the time!) 3) Apply stain 4) Rounded the edges to give a highlight effect 5) Apply 4 coats of varnish 6) put back together 7) screw in a bottle opener (BAD ASS) 8) New fabric for the pillows 

Looking at it now I feel it strongly fits into the style that Jenelle and I have created for our place, and I am glad to have a piece that sparks discussion. One of the best parts about this is that I have realized that I quite enjoy working with wood and have plans to work on two new projects. 1) A Catan case 2) A shelf unit for behind our couch.

So time to go sit in my chair and open up a beer and watch the game

Cheers, Bretzgy 

#31 Play on a Multi-Sport Team (Complete)

To be able to play a sport is one thing, to be able to play all of them....that's IMPRESSIVE!

If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?

~Vince Lombardi~

So I have completed #31 on my list, which is to play on a multi-sport team. In fact I didn't just play on a team I RAN it! The team was a great group of people in the picture above starting from left to right on the top row we had Dave, Tyler, myself, Steve and Geoff on the bottom starting on the left we had Jess, Nicole, Amy, Jenelle and Mallory.  

Although the league was fairly unorganized I still had a lot of fun and we got to play a wide range of games such as soccer, football, volleyball, rugby, ultimate frisbee  kickball and capture the flag. The games I enjoyed the most...other then soccer, were kickball and capture the flag, both amazing games that I had not played since high school.  Capture the flag was extremely fun as we had approximately 80 people playing all at once, which created such amazing chaos!

Despite being not officiated all the games proceeded fairly well with the exception of one. I also have to note for a first time team we did extremely well finishing second in the league! We have currently entered our team in a beach volleyball league and are on track to make it into playoffs, which is exciting, We are planing to play indoor volleyball in the fall and then go back to multi-sport again in the winter.

The best part about creating this team was not just the exercise and the ability to try new sports but also the socialization and the starting of new friendships. I am glad to say that our team is running strong and it looks like we will be continuing onward and trying new sports.

Captain Kool-aid signing out 

Change of Plans

So when I set out to make this blog it dawned on me that I would be working on this over a number of years, and being the type A person that I am I took measures to make sure that the list always reflected what I wanted to accomplish. In other words I realized that my desires and goals would change with time and so I built a "back up plan list" that had some ideas for replacement items.

So why am I mentioning this you ask? Well, the reason is that I plan to replace item #40 Become a Movie Critic. As you can see I already started by building the "Hollywood Hits page" but what I found is that as I continue this process I found my self not really enjoying it. I love movies but could careless to critic them...I guess it because deep down i strongly feel every movie even a bad one has something to offer.

So what will I replace it with? The new idea is...drum roll please....Fly a Kite. I saw some guys at Bear Creek doing this the other week and it looks like a ton of fun.

note: I will be deleting the Hollywood Hits page and changing #40 to Fly a Kite

Cheers to all!

#17 See a Play (Complete)

A little bit of Broadway in a little town

An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.

~ Sanford Meisner 

So I have to start by saying that this blog entry is very outdated. I saw this play back in December and sadly never got around to writing about it. I have to say when I came up with the idea of #17 I presumed that I would be watching a big play in a big urban city somewhere, but none the less the opportunity came up and it seemed to make perfect sense for me to take in the grand theater in the little town of Peachland.

It all started when I was out for beers with my coworker and friend Sherri and she told me about how she took on the roll of the wicked witch in a musical version of Snow White. Now, knowing Sherri and her wacky personality and ability to sing I knew this was a no brainer! I bought tickets for myself and Chelsea. Chelsea used to do tiny plays like this when she was a little kid and I knew she would enjoy it..... PS Chelsea's old plays HILARIOUS!

Overall I really enjoyed the play, it was a very small venue in a community club in Peachland. The best parts about the play were the children actors and their exaggerated dramatic behaviors. Sherri was pretty amazing herself, for the most part she carried the play! The best costume and funniest character had to be the girl who got to play the magic mirror, she constantly got to rhyme bad jokes and burns towards the witch, aka Sherri. The kids that played the dwarfs were pretty awesome too, I believe they were Chelsea's favorites.

Now, I know what everyone is thinking....why not wait for a actual big production play before crossing this off my list. I know a big play with all its "glam" would be very incredible but this small community play is actually what I wanted and i didn't even know it. There is something heart warming about seeing a community come together during the holidays to have a little fun and I got what I wanted, which was to be entertained and have a good laugh. I surely wont forget it, in fact I am likely to remember that night as well as I would the night I see a big Broadway play....thus #17 CHECK!

Lights, Camera ...ACTION... KOOLAID!

#53 Snow Skiing (Complete)

                                                 Big Boys on Big White

Great things are done when men and mountains meet.

William Blake 

 So I have crossed off number 53 on my list down hill skiing...I'll start by stating that above is a great picture of Geoff and Elliot riding the chair lift.

This was the first time that I've gone skiing in God knows how long, it was amazing I forgot how much fun the rush is of flying down a snow covered hill. Elliot, Geoff and I partook in Big Whites Friday night skiing, I left work early to get up and buy my pass and gear, shortly after the guys met up with me. Its impressive how cheap it was to go...a lift ticket and all my essential gear was only 20 bucks!

The guys were a little late getting to the hill but that was find it gave me some time to practice on the small hill and warm up and make sure I wasn't going to make a complete fool of myself. I find skiing to be a lot like riding a bike or lacing up hockey skates once you have learned how to do it, it doesn't take long to pick up again, I was coasting down the hill in no time. I did a couple runs of the small hill and road the lift with strangers and struck up interesting conversation. One person told me about how their grandmother died of dementia and she felt what I did was noble  (typical). Another lady told me that her and her girlfriends go up to the hill regularly stating it is their night away from the kids ( sounds fun). 

When the guys showed up I was ready to go down the big hill, when we arrived at the top I was immediately impressed with the view...even a night. One thing I really enjoy about skiing...besides doing it with good friends...is that you can choose to do the hill however you like...you can do slow long cuts making a smooth path down the hill....you can try to gun it and catch as much wind as you can...or you can zig zag in and out of trees....In a way it feels like art as you truly are painting the path that suits your mood in that moment.

We rode right up until closing time, when the hill got dark and the winds got cold. Before heading back down the hill we stopped in at the pub to have fish and chips with beer. It's a great way to replenish the body after a hard work out on the legs (did i mention I wiped out really good at the end?). Overall a great night, I'll have to go more often.

The one and only...Koolaid

#16 See a Favorite Band Live (Complete)

The Killers Killed It!

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato 

Wow this entry is just a bit late, its one of two entries that I forgot to enter, but none the less let me tell you about my night with the Killers! 

When we talk about #16 and seeing a favorite band, it doesn't get much better then the Killers! Sure there's bands I listen to more like the Black Keys (who I also saw) MGMT, Kings of Leon or Monster of Men but I'd have to put Killers at the top of the list. A lot of there tunes remind me of great times in my life, especially the epic trip with my dad down the 101 coast line....."I've got soul but im not a solider!" So needless to say I was dangerously stoked when Jenelle and I got tickets.

The concert started off with Tegan and Sara as the openers, which was surprising disappointing. I've always loved the sister duo and the tunes they produced but it was evidently clear that in a stadium setting there voices can't match the needs of a loud crowd. So its obvious now that to see Tegan and Sara at there best you really need to be looking at small venues. None the less still a fan, you go girls!

When the Killers hit the stage it was everything that I expected it would be. When you think about the Killers you think about Vegas and their roots there. So its to be expected that a Killers show has all the glam of a Vegas act...and they defiantly do deliver. The show was full of amazing lights and fire displays that kept your eyes engaged and entertained, as most concert do, but with Vegas flare. 

The dazzling lights weren't the only treats thought, the sound quality in the Giants arena was very good! The Killers sounded clear and crisp which made it easy for the crowd to sing (or should i say yell) along.

I left the show with a great smile as I reminisced about the memories that the songs drew out of me. Music has always amazed me, its ability to create emotions, and awaken the mind and heart is truly unique. To me music may well be one of humanities greatest creations. 

Anyways I took a few videos and I hope you enjoy them, the sound quality sucks on my camera so my apologies

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 Rock on!!! Combat Wombat!!!