Focus

Happy Father's Day!

Fun at the Toronto beaches rib fest!!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Game 7

Tonight's what it's all about. One game, winner take all. Lord Stanley's summer residence is about to be determined.

The wee man will in bed before the puck drops but let's hope he witnesses some victory parades down Jasper Ave, through The Forks and maybe even up Yonge Street after tonight wraps up on Robson street.

Go Canucks!

Don't Feed the Animals (on purpose anyway)

Over the past couple of weeks the wet weather has receded and we are finally basking in the warm sunshine of summer. Take one part sunshine, add a patio set gifted by a generous neighbour and all of a sudden we have an extension on our house: a new dinning room! Mealtime has been permanently shifted to the back deck (remember to ask me in November how it's going).

Aside from the obvious benefits of Canadian summer (see any one of a hundred beer commercials for specifics) taking our tea outside is tremendous for one simple reason. Evenings spent on our hands and knees scraping, wiping and chipping away at foodstuffs have vanished. Prying molten cheese from the gaps in the hardwood is no more. "Flow on!" I say to the rivers, lakes and pools of water, juice and milk. Quickly cementing mashed potatoes, individual grains of quinoa and sticky smears of peanut butter? Enjoy young squirrels, raccoons and neighbourhood possum. Your clean-up services are greatly appreciated.

Now I can enjoy a beer, have a conversation with my wife and let the wee man experiment in his food laboratory to his heart's content. Summer. Let's hope it's endless.

Mr. Uppity

In true toddler form this fine Saturday morning.

Ride For Heart

At the starting line

Yesterday Mum-mum, Dada and Ollie joined 13,000 other riders participating in the 2011 Ride For Heart . 25kms up and down the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway traffic-free and in support of a great cause. It was a lot fun riding on highways that normally fly by and the weather was gorgeous.

All told The Ride almost reached its fundraising goal of $3.9 million. You can still help get to that amount as fundraising remains open until June 12th with funds going to leading-edge research to extend lives, by improving existing treatments and developing new ones as well as meeting emerging challenges - such as childhood obesity, women's risk and a rapidly aging population.

Pit Stop at the halfway point

Raising over a thousand dollars meant we were designated VIPs (Very Important Philanthropists) - note our fancy riding jerseys. Unfortunately they didn't come in quite the right size for the wee man, but he really dug the free Becel sweatbands. I think he may take his everywhere from now on (congrats markerters!).

The little man's ride

We had a blast, even if the little man expressed his displeasure with a portion of the ride in fine toddler fashion. It was a public service really, inspiring the riders near us to pedal just that little bit faster. Dada hauled the little not-so-little-anymore man the whole way, although Mum-mum offered to share the load (but that would be a lot like asking for directions). The downhills were great, but Dada definitely felt some of those uphills. Let's just say that this week's commute will be a breeze.

Mum-mum

We had so much fun and raised a good amount for this great cause that next year we might have to do the 50km or even go for the 75km. Maybe the little guy can do some of the work himself too. I wouldn't mind taking a nice rest in his luxury cabin. Or maybe I just need a fancier bike to make it that much easier (one has to blame the tools, no?).

The CN Tower from the Gardiner

Once again, A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause. 

You were with us for every kilometer of the route.

On the DVP

We made it!

We completed the Ride For Heart! High five at the finish line.