Otter Tail Paddle for My Birthday!

Today is my birthday! I’m 33 years old and received a gift related to leisure living that I am very excited about using. It is an otter tail oar for my canoe. The paddles that I got with my canoe have aluminum shafts and square plastic fins. They really aren’t all that bad, but I wanted to get a better oar for two reasons. One, I wanted to make it look like I knew what I was doing! Having a nice wooden paddle will make others think I’m an experienced paddler. The second reason and main reason is that the otter tail paddle should help me control the canoe when I’m steering. Anything that will help me steer the canoe is going to make my outings a lot more enjoyable.

Otter Tail Paddle

I probably won’t get out on the water for the rest of this year so I will have to wait until next spring. Until then I will read up on paddling strokes and just admire the beautiful piece of woodwork that is my oar.

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Proline Week 10 NFL Football Picks and Odds

I’m on a roll now with my third winning week in a row going 4-2 in week 9 to bring my overall record to 23-25.  Well the big game came and went.  The Patriots showed that they are the best team although the Colts aren’t far behind.

Here are my picks for week 10 of the NFL.

New Orleans Saints to win by 4pts.  The Saints are back to .500 after winning 4 straight games.  They are at home this week to face the, now healthy, St. Louis Rams.  The Rams are a much better team with their starting QB and RB, but they won’t be able to stop the offence of the Saints. Odds 1.15

Jacksonville Jaguars to win by 4pts.  Jacksonville has won a game and lost a game with their backup QB.  The Tennessee Titans are at home this week and riding a winning streak, however their wins have not been impressive.  I’ll take Jacksonville for the upset. Odds 3.00

Indianapolis Colts to win by 4pts.  The Colts lost the battle of the undefeated teams last week and are in San Diego this week.  The Chargers had a terrible game against the Vikings.  Look for the Colts to take out their frustration on the Chargers. Odds 1.40

Buffalo Bills to win by 4pts.  The Bills have recovered their season by getting back to a .500 record and face the Miami Dolphins in Miami this week.  Miami just doesn’t have the talent to compete in the NFL and will not win a game this season.  Take the Bills. Odds 1.70

Green Bay Packers in by 4pts.  Minnesota had an amazing and surprising win last week setting a single game rushing record.  However they are on the road this week and Green Bay is an amazing 7-1.  There won’t be two miracle weeks in a row for the Vikings.  Go with Green Bay. Odds 1.50

Pittsburgh Steelers to win by 4pts.  Pittsburgh is at home again this week and facing the now dangerous Cleveland Browns.  Cleveland might be good and getting better, but they will have their eyes opened this week as they face a complete team on offence and defence.  The Steelers will win again. Odds 1.30

This week’s payout based on a $2 bet is:  $2 x (1.15x3x1.4×1.7×1.5×1.3) = $32.00

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Mantracker

The last post I wrote, Addicted to Reality TV, got me thinking of a reality show that I figure most people don’t know about. It’s called Mantracker and it’s on the Outdoor Life Network. Set in remote areas of Canada two contestants, the prey, will be hunted by Mantracker and have 36 hours to travel 40 kilometers without being caught. They are given a map, a compass and have a head start on Mantracker. Mantracker has a horse, that he must stay on, an assistant and years of experience tracking prey.

No two shows are ever the same because the locations are different and the hunted contestants have different strategies as to how to cross the finish line before time runs out and without getting caught. I’ve seen episodes where people have hitched a ride to get across the line in time and others where they simply run day and night. It’s truly amazing how good this Mantracker is. He can spot partial boot prints in the mud and notices things like how his horse keeps looking back down the trail, maybe the prey have double backed on him.

Here is the shows website http://www.mantracker.ca/ check it out and maybe even sign up to see if you can out whit the Mantracker!

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Addicted to Reality TV?

It appears that not only are reality TV shows not going away, but they are a major part of our TV lives. Personally I have grown tired of many of reality shows and completely tuned out others because of the sheer stupidity of them. But many of my friends continue to watch as many of the reality shows as they can. Shows like American and Canadian Idol, Americas Next Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, and The Bachelor continue to get high enough ratings that they are on season after season. There really are only two shows that I watch now, Amazing Race and Hells Kitchen. Amazing race is getting a little tiresome too because all the teams have to be strange or different in some way or I guess the producers feel it won’t be interesting enough.

Regardless reality TV isn’t going anywhere soon so I thought I would do a quiz by Quizlee – How addicted are you to reality TV?

The quiz asks a number of questions about reality game shows and contestants of the past to see how closely you’ve been paying attention. As you can see from my score I’m not the biggest fan and even that score is bloated because I guessed correctly on some of the questions. Give the quiz a try to see how addicted you are to reality TV.

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Scary Trend for Great Lake Water Levels

A concern for cottage owners and potential cottage owners on small lakes is water level during the summer. Many lakes drop considerably during the summer when there isn’t much rain. It makes a huge difference for swimming, boating and aquatic life. The long term outlook doesn’t appear to be good as even the Great Lakes are being drastically affected as described in this article from the Toronto Star.

When Julie Woodyear was a kid, she and her brother raced each other around their family’s Georgian Bay island in dinghies.

Thirty years later, a dinghy race would involve dragging the boats over land because her island is no longer an island. It’s become part of the mainland.

Hers is a familiar story around Lake Huron where, over the past decade, water levels have dropped about a metre. Docks that stretch more than 100 metres now lead to land. Boats have been abandoned in boathouses 300 metres from water. Tanker owners complain they can no longer get their ships to ports. Wetlands have turned to meadows. And marinas, like Brian Ramler’s in Waubaushene, have had to cut business by half because boats can’t land in knee-deep water. Read More

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Saving Canadian Traditions in Southern Ontario – The Ice Rink Kit

A common trend in Southern Ontario recently is making ice rinks in your backyard. Now that idea isn’t exactly new because my father made a rink for me when I was a kid, but today they are selling rink kits.

The advantage of the kit is that it has a vinyl liner that protects the grass from damage and the kit is able to accommodate uneven and sloping backyards. Some kits also provide coloured lines to represent an actual hockey rink.

The backyard ice rink kits are so popular because there are no lakes, ponds, or rivers to skate on anymore.

The Ice Rink Kit - Avon Lake

My dad used to tell me stories of playing hockey on the river by his house when he was a child. Today in Southern Ontario all the land is owned by housing developers. Where there was once an open field that would flood and freeze in the winter is now a row of townhouses. The river that everyone once had access to is now part of someone’s backyard and is private property. Of the few community lakes or ponds that do still exist they don’t freeze over until the end of January due to global warming and even then parents don’t let their kids skate on it in fear that the ice will give way.

Ice rink kits are a way of keeping our Canadian heritage and traditions alive. They are safe, easy to make, and give the kids hours of fun and exercise outdoors.

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Proline Week 9 NFL Football Picks and Odds

Another winning week for me going 4-2 in week 8 to bring my overall record to 19-23. Week 9 is the big week everyone is talking about. Clash of the Titans week! Two undefeated teams go head to head. I’ll make my pick and tell you why below.

Here are my picks for week 9 of the NFL.

New Orleans Saints to win by 4pts. The Saints have finally figured it out and are on a 3 game winning streak. They are at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars who are still without their top rated QB. Home field advantage and momentum will win this game for the Saints. Odds 2.00

San Diego Chargers to win by 4pts. The Chargers are on a roll like the Saints and are visiting the Minnesota Vikings this week. The Vikings are trying anything they can to have some sort of a passing game. That includes bringing back Jeff George. Retired football players are not going to help the Vikings this week. Odds 1.30

Seattle Seahawks to win by 4pts. Seattle is coming off a bye this week and are visiting the hot Cleveland Browns. Everyone seems to be on the Browns bandwagon, but with 2 weeks of preparation and the probowl caliber players on the Seattle I’ll take the upset in this one. Odds 2.60

New England Patriots to win by 4pts. The media is hyping this one up just as they did with the Dallas vs. Patriot game and that was a blow out. Indianapolis Colts are at home and are undefeated and the Super Bowl champs, but New England has been perfect this season. Their perfection will continue this week and show everyone that this is the best team football has ever seen! Odds 1.50

Dallas Cowboys in by 4pts. Dallas is in Philadelphia this week and are coming off a bye. The Eagles have struggle every week just to put points up on the board and Dallas should handle them easily. Odds 1.60

Pittsburgh Steelers to win by 4pts. Pittsburgh is at home this week against the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh’s rushing style of offence makes them the favourite team almost every week. They control the time of possession by pounding the ball and wearing out the defence. Look for them to win again this week. Odds 1.25

This week’s payout based on a $2 bet is: $2 x (2×1.3×2.6×1.5×1.6×1.25) = $40.56

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Underwater Bone Conducting MP3 Player

Underwater Bone Conducting MP3 Player

This underwater MP3 player allows you to listen to music by using bone conduction to transmit sound waves. The sound waves travel from the cheek bones to the inner ear which provides sound clarity.

The two cheek pad transmitters fit onto the cheekbones and attach to swim goggles or a snorkeling mask. The MP3 unit, which is 100% waterproof has 256MB of memory and rechargeable batteries providing 4 hours of music. Sound and song controls are located on the left cheek pad. The package includes a USB cable and software. $199.95 US

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Halloween Scary Beer Story

Alert! May not be suitable for some beer drinkers.

SUNNYSIDE, Wash. – Fans of Snipes Mountain Brewery’s cloudy Hefeweizen relish the subtle wheat flavour of the bright, summery brew and like beer drinkers everywhere, they know when their favourite brew tastes a little too hoppy or bitter.

Connoisseurs could be in for a surprise this year and they may not be alone.

Small brewers from Australia to the U.S. face the daunting prospect of tweaking their recipes or experimenting less with new brews thanks to a worldwide shortage of one key beer ingredient and rising prices for others.

Oh, and one other thing: beer prices are likely to climb. Click Here to Read More…

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Festa Brew Double Oatmeal Stout

Guinness Beer Stout Dark Ale

Festa Brew has a new stout recipe that I haven’t tried so I thought I would pick some up and see how it is. I’m not really a stout drinker and not a big fan of Guinness, but I like to try different beers to appreciate the taste. In my haste to get the beer ready to drink this weekend I over carbonated it leaving me with an entire glass of head. An interesting note was that the head was cascading similar to draft Guinness.

Regardless, I left the lid off the keg for a day to let the CO2 escape making the beer closer to drinkable so I had a couple of pints on Saturday during the Leaf game. The old stout recipe that Festa Brew used had hints of chocolate in the after taste which was very enjoyable, but it didn’t go down easy. I found after one pint that was all I wanted of it. The new recipe called Double Oatmeal Stout is much easier to drink. The beer is very dark, light does not pass through it, and the head is a nice toasty brown. The head is made of tiny bubbles and laces the glass as you drink it down. The smell is that of a typical stout with roasted malt and coffee scents. It isn’t apparent on the first pint, but after a couple the beer becomes sweet. It’s a nice contrast to the dark roasted flavour.

For someone who enjoys stouts this is a great ready-brew recipe. For those that don’t enjoy stouts this might just get you started on asking for a pint of the “Black Stuff”.

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