Christmas 2010

Once again we had a super fun Christmas; the only downside was we did not get snow but we did get a little today. Below is an uncut and unedited video of the kids opening their presents and then a few minutes of Cohen playing with his Iron Man robot. As always follow the direct link to Youtube below the video for the best quality movie.

Direct YouTube Link Here

The Kids Christmas Play

Today the kids had their Christmas play at pre-school. As you can see from the video below it didn't work out too well for Cohen and Kyah, but atleast they tried. There was more to the show then I taped as I only recorded the parts where Cohen and Kyah had a starring role; you will see why!

Direct YouTube Link Here

I Can go Riding Again!

A couple months ago I made the pledge that I will not mountain bike until I caught a fish, I now say I can go ride! This past weekend we spent a couple of days in Campbell River for an early Christmas dinner with Chelsey's Dad. On Sunday Nick and his Dad took me out fishing just south of Quadra Island and I am proud to say I caught 3 salmon and we also hauled in a bunch of prawns! Yay me! The pictures are a little iffy as Chelsey and I forgot the camera so I had to use Nicks iPhone.

Me with next weekends dinner

Me with guide Dave aka Nicks Dad



Kyah Sleepy Head

On Friday night I took the kids to the Chilliwack Bruins hockey game so they had a very late night. I know you have all seen this play before but Kyah once again fell asleep at the dinner table on Saturday; here is a video of me trying to wake her up. On a side note, she loved the ribs!

Direct YouTube link here

Family Fun Day

Chelsey and I both had the day off today so we had a family fun day. I was allowed to pick the activity so it was decided we would go to Manning Park and find a Geocache. This served many purposes as we were also able to check another park of our list on our quest to do the 50 Things to do in BC Before You Die. I had taken the kids Geocaching this past weekend as there are a couple in our neighbourhood and they really liked it as we called it treasure hunting. Today we spent 3.5 hours and hiked just over 10km but did not find our treasure. I had veered us off course slightly and we had to double back which took up some time. We made it within 50 meters of our target but the kids were getting too tired that we were unable to bushwack a bit and find the treasure. We told the kids a Troll beat us to it and high tailed it back to the truck as it was starting to snow. Everybody, even Chelsey, had a good time in the outdoors and considering the distance travelled the kids did really well. Here are 30 pictures from our day and I hope you like them.

Little Goofers

It has been awhile since I posted any video clips of the kids. With that in mind I thought I would shoot a clip of the kids getting ready for bed to show that Cohen is still a terror and that Kyah is becoming more like her Mum every day. It turns out the battery was almost dead in the camcorder so all I got was a few minutes of footage. It is unedited and uneventful but the kids are always fun to watch and listen to.

YouTube Link Here

Halloween Pictures are Here!

I know you have all been waiting anxiously for the kids halloween photos so here they are; I hope you enjoy them. Don't forget you can click on the pictures to get the full size.

Birthday Wishes

I suck at birthday's, I suck at wishing people happy birthday, I suck at celebrating my own birthday. With that in mind, Happy Belated birthday Jenn & Aunt Margaret. I found you guys a date courtesy of our friends at http://www.latenightmistakes.com/

Halloween 2010

I fully intended to post some pictures of the kids in their halloween get up but I can't find the camera. Pictures will be delayed until I find the camera; sorry folks. While you wait you can check out this beauty courtesy of http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ Not sure if that is a mullet or what, but it is sure a "party in the back" kind of hairdo.

No Luck Chuck

I got up super early this morning in an attempt to catch a fish before the month was out. I made it to the river before sun rise in the pouring rain. Hooked a big one on my second cast but my line broke; the weather cleared after 30 minutes so I still had a good time. I am giving up my pledge not to mountain bike until I catch a fish because I really want to ride. Atleast I got some nice shots of the snow on the mountains. Next up, Halloween Fun! 

Pumpkin Carvin' Creatures

A couple of shots of our 2010 Pumpkin Collection. Not to toot my own horn but I am happy with the way my Batman logo turned out!

Pumpkin Head Inbred Jed

This Sunday we had decided to go to the Aquarium as the weather was the craps. As we were driving through Langley at 1:00 Chelsey informed me it closed at 4:45; we determined there was no point in going. Instead we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Langley with some Kinnear cousins. Kids had a good time even though it was cold (the snow is falling on the mountains around Chilliwack!) but I think our Chilliwack pumpkin patch is better. Pictures after the jump.

Early October

It has been a busy few weeks with the kids soccer, my folks being here and Thanksgiving - hence the non posting. After the jump there are a few summary pictures of the past 2 weeks. First shot is the kids getting ready to walk to school, then a couple of shots of the Chilliwack River on one of my recent fishing trips, a couple shots of one of the kids soccer games and then some photos of a day trip up to Jones Lake for a weiner roast and some more fishing. Enjoy!

Where Art Thou The Phamlee Blogger

I must apologize for the lack of action as of late but all my free time has been spent putting new shocks on the Jeep. As it was my first try at doing anything on a vehicle it took me a while to figure out the tricks of the trade (i.e. loosening rusted on nuts) and then I had an issue getting a nut off when a screw snapped. Needless to say it is done now, I saved a tonne of money doing it myself and the Jeep is all the more safer now. The two prior blog posts below are new ones with some pictures of our trip to Salmon Arm and the kids and I hiking up at Cultus.

BC Parks: Cultus Lake Provincial Park

Last week the kids and I decided to go hike up Tea Pot Hill in Cultus Provincial Park. All in the kids made it going up for 45 minutes and then we had to head home; I found out the next day we were two minutes from the top.
I took a couple of shots as seen below:

BC Parks: Yard Creek Provincial Park

A few weeks back we all went up to Salmon Arm to see Kim and Nick and their new baby Easton. While we were there we thought the kids would like to see the salmon spawning so we took them to Yard Creek Provincial park. Pictures after jump.

Whistler Trip 2010

At the start of August Chelsey and I left the kids with Grandma for a few days and nights and took off on our second annual trip to Whistler for the Crankworx Mountain Bike festival; plus a few other things. The trip was awesome. As much as we love the twins it is nice to spend some time alone, sleep in and sit on a patio and drink beer! We were able to hammer two things off the 50 Things to do in BC Before You Die list and visit another Provincial Park.

I love heading up to Whistler for Crankworx as it is fun to check out all the new gear coming out and the vibe in Whistler is pretty good. We ate at some pretty good restaurants and had breakfast at the Wildwood Bistro in the Whistler Raquet Club which has the best breakfast at the best price in Whistler; we have been their every visit to Whistler and any first time has to try the banana loaf french toast!

The three prior blog posts on The Phamlee is about the highlights of our trip: Hiking the Chief, Zip Trekking and the Peak to Peak.

Feel free to add comments so I know you are all looking at this; it takes a very long time to upload all the pictures etc. so I just need to make sure you all enjoy our blog!

Whistler Trip 2010: Zip Trekking

As someone who is afraid of heights I was not super stoked on scratching Zip Trekking off the 50 Things to do in BC Before You Die list. We asked at the activity centre which of the two zip trekking tours were better and we were directed to the Wildplay Elements Park on Cougar Mountain; after seeing video footage of the other tour I think we made the right choice. The zip lines take you through the forest from one side of the canyon to the other and you reach speeds of up to 60mph 400 feet in the air. They warm you up with an easy one 10 feet above the fire road and then throw you in the deep end! Once you get going it is easy to enjoy the view and have fun. Stopping at the end is a bit violent, especially on the last line, but that is part of the fun; if you want a softer landing check out Zip Trek Eco Tours in the village. All in we had a blast; pictures and video after the jump...

Whistler Trip 2010: The Chief

On the drive up to Whistler we decided to knock another thing off the 50 Things to do in BC Before You Die list and make our up the Stawamus Chief in Squamish. The return hike took us 2.5- 3 hours to complete and we were lucky as the clouds cleared enough when we got to the top that we were able to get in a decent view of Squamish and Howe Sound. The hike to the top wasn't too bad but I sure am one sweaty bugger! Pictures and video of the view and the friendly chipmunks after the jump.

Whistler Trip 2010: Peak to Peak

We had scheduled for me to spend Tuesday mountain biking in the Whistler Bike Park. I felt a tad bad going mountain biking and leaving Chelsey in a spa for the day but we packed the bike on the truck and headed to the village. I offered to spend the day with Chelsey and do the peak to peak but she said no; I think she wanted to do it though. Once we got to the village we realized I was having mechanical issues with the bike and decided it was a sign for me not to ride; yes, I was in Whistler for 4 days and did not ride my bike! So we decided to do the Peak to Peak...

August Long Weekend Family Fun

We have more pictures then video clips from this past weekend so I couldn't justify a Woods Chronicles for this past week.

After our recon. mission to Jones Lake on Saturday I thought we would hit it with a full assault on Sunday and go camping! Chelsey had to work so the kids and I snuck up there early Sunday and scooped a good spot opn the lake. I had never seen the kids as dirty as they were by Sunday night; it didn't matter though as they had a good time. After setting up camp we had some lunch and embarked on some fishing, like always we never caught a thing. We followed that up with a little hike through the woods and then tried to build a raft on the beach; it took about two seconds to sink. My biggest concern was whether or not the kids would sleep and that turned out to be a non issue. They were asleep by 8:00 and slept right through to 6:15. While they were sleeping I did some more fishing and watched the buggers jump all over the lake and still not eat my bait. The coolest thing was an owl landed on a log about 15 feet away and sat there for 10 minutes watching me fish.

Jones Lake Recon. Mission

A little birdie told Chelsey that Jones Lake is a good spot to camp so the kids and I scooted up there this morning to check things out. The road up is a tad bumpy but when you get up there it is bloody gorgeous; you get a wicked view across the lake of Mt Cheam. I think this would be a nice spot to go to early fall when the snow is starting to fall on the mountains. I am pondering taking the kids up there to camp tomorrow but it looked pretty busy and there were some people heading up as we left so I am not sure if we will get a spot or not. Also, with the camp fire ban on it takes a lot of the fun out of camping if we can't have a fire. Pictures after the jump...

BC Parks and I Always Forget the Camera

In the past two weeks I was able to hammer off another two parks from The List but we forgot the camera both times. Since I am forgetful I have stolen other people's pictures from the net.

Last week we drove out to Silver Lake Provincial Park. It was a very cold lake but had a decent camp ground. We just drove out there for the day to check things out; I think it would be too cold for the kids to swim so I am not sure how much fun it would be to camp there.

Yesterday I spent the day fly fishing the Skagit River, within the Skagit Valley Provincial Park, with a couple of dudes from work and I must say it was awesome. There is something about standing in a river in the middle of nowhere fishing that is very relaxing. It was hot enough that we didn't need hip waiters and were able to stand in the river in our shorts and flip flops - the river was a bit cold at first but got nice after a few minutes. The drive out to the fishing holes is about 45 minutes to an hour on a dirt road so make sure you don't mind a few chips on the paint. The area is very scenic and well worth the drive. We drove the extra 2km to Ross Lake which has a wicked camp ground; there is also a park for the kids and a large grassy area. The weird thing about Ross Lake is that it is part of the hydro system in Washington so it only has water in it a few months of the year; the border, which has a US Park Ranger Station, is only a hop skip and a jump from the lake. I am not sure of the full history but apparently we almost lost this lake/park due to the dam. We didnt catch any fish but the scenery and the relaxing fishing were well worth the drive. Pictures after the jump.

REDO: The Woods Chronicles - Episode Three

I just made a clip less then 10 minutes long as the last video did not work as it was too long. I did not edit it at all so if there are pictures of boobies or fat people I apologize. Original post on new video below...

In this, the third installment of The Woods Chronicles, I am able to turn a business trip to Kamloops into more of a fun trip to Salmon Arm. Chelsey had to work most of this past weekend so I took the kids up to Salmon Arm Thursday night for some fun and to give Kim some company. We spent the weekend there, I went to Kamloops Friday, and did some fishin', swimming in the lake, went to the water park and spent time in Kim & Nick's pool.

The kids were great the whole weekend, they saw LOTS of trains, ate like crap, stayed up late and caught some little sucker fish. This episode shows us doing some of that fishing and the kids running around the water park! Hope you enjoy!

Video via Youtube here

BC Parks

Those of you who have been following this blog since its inception will recall one of the original posts regarding the 50 Things to do in BC Before you die; those who missed that post can find it here. My goal was to start from the beginning as of mid-last summer and scratch them off as we go. One of the things to do was to visit all of BC Provincial Parks. This post contains a list of all of the BC Provincial Parks. I will cross them off as we visit them and link to the post with the pictures from the visit. So far this year we have only been to Sasquatch Provincial Park. I am sure we have passed through others but have no pictures to prove it. I was mountain biking on Silver Star two weeks ago but don't have any pictures. I will say Silver Star is by far my favourite bike park - the trails are comparable in quality to Whistler but at a 20% less cost and NO LIFT LINES!!! Enjoy the journey, I am sure we will!

Sparkling Hill Resort

The weekend of June 26 we spent 4 days in Salmon Arm/Vernon again as we had a wedding at the Sparkling Hill Resort at Predator Ridge in Vernon. Needless to say the place was not my type of joint but I could understand the need for 8 different scented sauna's and one that goes down to negative 110 ?!?! The food at the wedding was good and I must admit it was one of the better weddings I have been to. The room we were in was pretty cool, except for the dirty handprint above the bathtub (somebody got lucky!). After the jump there is a videoclip of the room and some other random pictures of the pool and saunas.

Fishin' at Hicks!

I have been lucky enough to discover Hicks Lake which is located within Sasquatch Provincial Park. I have taken the kids fishing their a couple of times now and this past weekend Chelsey, Colleen and Darcy came along too. If it wasnt for the fact that one of the reels went flying and I had to strip down to my boxers and go for a swim to fetch it the day would have been perfect. We hope to take the kids camping here within the next couple of weeks! Yes we are wearing sweaters on July 4th, summer didnt start until today this year. It is supposed to be in the mid 30's for the rest of the week. Pictures after the jump...

Buffalos, Bikes, Bugs & Brides

No edition of The Woods Chronicles this week as we left the camcorder at home when we went to Salmon Arm. We spent the past weekend up there as we had a wedding to attend in Vernon and Kim's baby shower in Salmon Arm. The kids had fun at the lake and we took them to the animals at one of the local attractions. I was able to sample some of the local mountain bike trails and the views were great and the trails were fast and flowy; thanks for the drive up Marc! Below is a slideshow of some of the pictures. Sorry about the poor choice in music but I havent figured out how to add songs from I-Tunes yet. If anyone wants a copy of any of the pictures let me know and I can fire one off. Pictures are a bit bigger if you go directly to the You Tube page here.

A Fish Story

I took the kids fishing today at a little lake. We did not catch anything but the kids had a good time. I believe I am in the running for the worlds worst fisherman, I never catch anything and I think it is because I don't know what I am doing. It is probably good that I never catch anything because I wouldn't know what to do with the fish if I did. Pictures after the jump...

The Woods Chronicles - Episode Two

In the second installment of The Woods Chronicles Cohen and Kyah play outside. This enjoyment is followed my Chelsey shuttling Mike up Vedder for the first time so Mike can ride down the trails and Cohen can try his hand a filming; I cut a lot of Cohen's filming out as it was so wobbly it would make you sick. The final segment is the kids enjoying the rain storm (will spring ever come?), while Cohen falls, again, when not doing what he is told. I have tried a few things to make the quality better, hopefully it works. Episode Two after the jump...

Cowboy Cohen & His Sidekick Kyah

A few pictures of the kids after the jump...

The Woods Chronicles - Episode 1

In this, the first episode of The Woods Chronicles, Kyah falls asleep while eating dinner and Cohen tries to grab the spot light but falls in the process resulting in a curse word from Dad. Stay tuned for more episodes. Potential better quality video here

I am an Arteest...

Check out my cool Rain Art. I am thinking of applying for patent protection on the process, what do you think?

Floyd Landis is an Ass Hat!

Floyd Landis won the Tour de France in 2006 only to have it taken away shortly after when he failed a drug test. He then spent the next 4 years, and two million dollars, denying the charges and trying to clear his name. Now he finally comes clean and admits to doping but at the same time accuses Lance Armstrong of taking performance enhancing drugs.

I don't know if Lance Armstrong is innocent or guilty but if you are going to accuse one of the most drug tested athletes in sports, as well as somebody who supported you and trained with you, then you better have some hard data to back it up, not just your own tarnished word. Landis, your a dick.

A Couple of Pictures of the Twins

A few photos of the little ones after the jump...

Quality Control

I am trying to make the videos better quality. When uploading through the blog they have to be no more then 100MB which meant I had to skimp on the quality for some of the longer clips. I am going to try and upload some via YouTube and then embed the clip into the blog. The first youtube version is the one of Kyah dancing. The quality did not seem much better but I will try and play around with the next one more. If you cant view it let me know!

Kyah's Turn

While Cohen likes to beat me like a red headed step child, Kyah prefers to dance. For a better quality clip try this link.

Mount St. Helens - 30 Years Today

On the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens we have these cool pictures from our friends at the Boston Globe. Enjoy! I remember it like I was 1 and a half years old!

Cohen Being a Boy

Just a nice two minute clip of the abuse I take as a father. The last 10 seconds may not be suitable for the young ones as it contains a curse word!

Phil Collins

Who needs to ride the train when you can play the drums like this; this DJ has got some rythm. This song makes me think of Mike Tyson in The Hangover!

Funny Commercial - Big Rock Brewery

I am a huge fan of micro breweries and a big fan of Big Rock Brewery out of Alberta. The following commerical was from a contest they ran and is quite funny. Not recommended for the little ones.

Photos of Icelandic Volcano

Ok so I suck at blogging because I never post anything. Anyhow...The following link is to some unreal pictures of the volcano in Iceland, they are a must see. Link here!

Confessions of a Flake Addict

The kids like to have a bowl of "flakes" as a snack before bed; looks like someone has an addiction. Pictures after the jump.

Be A Superhero!

Once again I am raising money for the BC Childrens Hospital Foundation through the Be A Superhero Campaign and the Upper Fraser Valley Golf Tournament with ALL proceeds going to the BC Childrens Hospital Foundation. This year the top contributor to my campaign will receive 8 hours of my hard labour and good looks. Click here to donate and Be a Superhero!

Vancouver 2010

Last week we were lucky enough to spend some time in Vancouver checking out the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic festivities and it was awesome. People were everywhere, everyone was happy and it was an overall great time. We were able to visit a couple of pavillions but line ups were long and we had the twins so were somewhat pressed for time. If I was able to take two weeks off I would have spent the whole time in Vancouver checking stuff out. Pictures after the jump...

The Banking System

No wonder the banking system blew up; check out the screen of the dude in the background. This is an instant classic!

Ridin' Seymour

This past Sunday I was lucky enough to ride two runs down Mount Seymour. We rode CBC to Neds Atomic Dustbin and out. I felt some guilt for riding CBC in the Winter as it was technically closed but I rarely have the chance to ride this hill and when I do I kind of what to get the full experience. The reason for this post is to showcase CBC. This is more then a mountain bike trail, it is a piece of art. The clip below is not mine but it is a good helmet cam of CBC top to bottom. CBC is not a trail full of stunts and booters but is loads of fun!When you watch the clip take note of the rock work and wood work, the footage does not do this trail justice but gives a good example of the quality of trails here in BC.

Apple IPad

Follow this link to a good description of the new Apple IPad. It has been getting mixed reviews. In my opinion it looks kind of cool but I am no techno geek.

Salt Mine Vs Oil Rig

The video after the jump is a great example of what happens when man does not think things through. Let me explain...Oil rig in lake drills too deep, breaches salt mine, water fills mine, lake disapears, whirlpool sucks water wrong way up river, 150 foot water fall forms...You have to watch the video after the jump which shows all this in action; it is kind of funny.

Finally Got a New Bike Rack

About 5 months ago I was driving up Vedder Mountain with two bikes on my rack. It was a Thule rack I got from MEC. The rack is a decent rack but not really designed for car rides up Vedder where you often need a 4x4 to make it up. Long story short, the rack could not handle the movement of the bikes while driving through the cross ditches, etc.; it snapped and the bikes fell to the dirt.

New Years Reso 2010

So I weighed myself the morning after my jumbo bowl of fruit loops and I had actually lost 4 pounds, we are down to 210! If I keep eating salads and ride my bike a bit more I should be under 200 in no time! Now I just need to keep it up and focus on my bike skills because as easy as trails are to ride at a moderate pace they are quite a bit harder when you are pinnin' it as fast as you can. Will keep you posted.

Filed Under Stupid

Watch the dude walking in from the left, he see's the writing on the wall and just freezes; rumour was nobody was hurt.

The US Caused the Haiti Earthquake...

You Aussie readers may have seen this clip already as it seems to be from an Australian newcast. For those who haven't it is a must see. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is accusing the US of using a tectonic weapon to cause the earthquake in Haiti, I guess it is due to the abundance of natural resources and wealth in the country??? Why in the world would the US want to take over a country run by slaves? Video here.

New Years Resolution - REDO!

As I sit here eating a jumbo bowl of Fruit LoopsI have decided to try my New Years Resolution again; we will call the first 3 weeks a warm-up! That being said, my diet has improved as I have eaten more salads in the past few weeks then I did all of last year so I like to think I now have a more solid base to build on. As far as the Wii fit is going - Mum and Dad can attest to my skills on a set of skis!! I will weigh myself again in the morning when there is no Fruit Loops in 'ma belly.'

The Twins are 3

Chelsey threw an informal party for the little ones. I will post some pictures in the coming days. It is hard to believe I am the Dad of 3 year olds. It seems like just yesterday kids were not even in the picture. We have lived in Chilliwack for over two years now and when we moved here the kids could not even walk...weird.

Arrogance at its finest...

It is amazing that US corporations pay Rush Limbaugh to be on their airwaves; almost as amazing as the fact that people listen to him. Follow this link for a sound bite of what I mean.

Sam Brown Snitch Revealed

As mentioned in previous posts here and here Sam Brown was a great mountain biker and a phenomanal trail builder who got caught up with the wrong crowd which led to his untimely death. Seems they may have figured out who snitched on him, story here.

New Years Resolution

Is it easier to keep a New Years Resolution if you make it public? There is only one way to find out and that is to make my New Years Resolution public and to track the progress.

Like 99% of the population my New Years Resolution does not make it past January 5th and it usually involves something to do with my health. Well after gaining 50 pounds since I got married 51/2 years ago and being told by the Nintendo Wii that I was overweight I figure I will once again make a resolution about my health.

The goal is to lose atleast 35 pounds this year and do my first Downhill Mountain Bike race. I am not sure what race it will be and it will be in the citizen class (aka The Beer Leauge). So I guess I should start off by listing my weight...214 pounds! No more beer for this belly!