Wasting Time

Time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted.

John Lennon

Do you enjoy it?

Catching Up

I am back in town and found my Mini USB cable, so I was able to download the pictures from Toronto.

Toronto was good. I enjoyed the big city - 3 days without a car, but getting around with public transit and walking, which seems a lot easier in Toronto than Calgary. Or maybe my destinations were just all in the right spots. I enjoyed some good exotic food, like at the Harlem: for the first time - I believe - I had Gazpacho, Caribbean chilled soup. Pretty tasty with the cornbread. And the art on the wall portrait was telling a strong story about the artists opinion in world politics.






David Suzuki was awesome. He inspired me. I loved hearing his story's of the history of the world, how we are completely dependent on nature. How without nature, we couldn't live on this planet. Nature gives us food and purifies the air we breathe. Oh, and water is an equally precious resource, that needs to be treated respectfully. Looking after our resources makes sense. It's like money: we want to keep some capital, and let the capital work for us and sustain itself. Keeping our resources strong and healthy is the right longterm thing to do. On day 1 they had a water break on the main pipe outside the building. So there were hundreds of people sitting in a conference, drinking coffee and then they said: sorry water is broken: you can't go to the washrooms. We had to go to the neighbour hotel. Funny, that that happened at a green building conference! At that point, it's good that you have good neigbours, that let you use their washrooms, otherwise it could have been a dilemma!




Yonge Street is lovely too. I went to a yoga class, conveniently located only a few stations north of downtown. And I got a little walk and window shopping in - that's the way I like it!

Some of the architecture caught my eye.

Good trip - and now I am enjoying the summer in Calgary. It's the best time of the year here in Calgary. It's been a rainy month, so it's super green right now! Lots of stuff blooming. The mosquitos, those little buggers, unfortunately also thrive in this climate. They have been brutal this year: They eat you alive ;) ! Well, they keep you active: they keep you moving...

Photos from beautiful, awesome, sunny California will follow soon!

Happy weekend! xo )

One the Roll

I am back in Calgary for a one day pit stop. Toronto was amazing. On Thursday, David Suzuki was speaking, and man, is he ever an inspiring speaker. The first time I heard of him was on the Queen Charlotte Island. Tante Sandy made me aware of him and told me about his Nature show. So I got his book "Sacred Balance". Highly recommended.

I won't get into in his speech too much at the moment. I just wanted to say hello and let you know, photos from TO are still to follow. Once I find my USB cable, that I knew where it was when I was in the old place, but now in the new place, we are still playing hide and seek...

Now I got to go back to packing my stuff. I am taking a week of work. Yeah - I love holidays! I am going to sunny California (surprise ;) a welcoming change after - what seems like a month - of rain in Alberta.

May your week be super - ueber - drueber - fantastic!

Shifting into the Mainstream

Greetings from Toronto. I am currently at the Canadian Green Building Council's first national summit and I am very grateful for having made the trip to the other side of the country. "Shifting into the Mainstream" - the title of the summit is very much to the point: within the last year - without doubt - the green movement has shifted from solely being in the minds of granolas, hippies, ecologists (and me) into the mind of the mainstream.

It's amazing what a room of like-minded people can do to refresh our vision of living in harmony with our planet. It's amazing how chatting with people who share the same values nourishes the soul, and makes me look forward to finding new opportunities to make a difference.

Tonight Ray Anderson was the keynote speaker at the celebration. (Check out Mr. Anderson's talk on youtube here) He reminded us: "Let us not celebrate too long. We still have a long way to go. There is no time for complacency. Our technology has to fundamentally change. Instead of "plundering" our resources - from the linear concept of TAKE - MAKE - WASTE, we need to to transform our technology in a cyclical concept of reusing renewable materials with as little waste as possible." So, true.

He finished his speech with: "One person at the time. It cannot happen without you and me. It's up to us."

And we need to act now. Let's move out of the competitive mind into the creative mind and let's make a living, create value AND have a zero footprint: all at the same time, they are not mutually exclusive. It might not be completely possible right now, but we can align our actions today, so that tomorrow we are one step closer to a more sustainable future.

Are you a dog person?

tristan

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog thinks I am."
- author unknown

Happy Weekend :)

The Life of Henri

Ever felt not quite content for no apparent reason?


Well, you are not alone: listen to what Henri is thinking...

Wasootch - Last Weekend

Family Reunion

It's great to come from a big family: I have got cousins in a lot places, mostly in central Europe though, but one of them is even here in Calgary sometimes. Robin is off to Europe right now, but will be back in Cow Boom Town later this summer.

We decided to go to the mountains together, before Robin went to Europe. We started at Wasootch Creek, which is one of the first parking lots along the Kananaskis highway (coming from Highway 1 shortly after Barrier Lake).

We weren't sure what the weather was going to be like, so Robin had two plans in mind: walking along the creek bed along the wasootch creek or alternatively, hiking up on a ridge.

It was rainy and foggy, but no snow on the ground. We were going to be in the forest for a big portion of the time anyway, and we are not make from sugar (and hence not have to worry to dissolve in the rain), so we decided to go up on the ridge. Up through the forest towards the ridge, and along the ridge into the clouds.

I still want to do the creek stroll sometime: there won't be much elevation gain or views, but it sounds like a great opportunity to experience the pristine and peaceful Rockies.


Who needs to a trail? Robin is the king of bush-wacking. What can I say: Der Apfel faellt nicht weit vom Stamm. Or: He's a chip off the old block: that's what LEO translates it to. Cousin Robin is just like his father Wilfried when it comes to exploring the mountains.

The Unnamed Ridge

The last hike for the Salomons! This hike took the last little bit out of them. They have served me well, they are great for hiking, but scrambling was a little bit too much for them. I have had them for a few years, so they got good use, but now it's time for a new pair (or maybe two: one for trail hiking and one for scrambling).

Robin's friend Marco, Italian mountain addict, was showing off some chimney scrambling, while I was chilling on the ridge. And chilling I mean literally here. The yoga sutras claim that a real yogi can withstand the cold without problem: well, I am not quite there yet.

Along the Ridge - in the Clouds

No - these are not easter eggs, but moose droppings. I was surprised to see them up on the ridge: I expected moose rather in the valleys and marshes, but apparently they like to hang out in th mountains as well!

Click here to see more pictures.