So this year is slow to start as most years for anything but working out, I am not a fan of cold weather anymore and with the depression it’s even worse. They say that there is more clear skies in the winter then any other season but I don’t think this rings true I am sure there’s only been 4 blue skies days this month so far.
On the camera front I got a shot of a coyote finally but only the back end as the minute I lined up the shot he turned but this was the first time I saw one in a long time and the first time in Kingston. I also have to stitch my latest pano of the windmills being erected on Wolfe Island. Also I am starting to learn the G10 pretty good as well not as crisp as my D300 but handy for the pocket.
I have finally for the first time in many years been able to complete a 50 km workout with very little pain and problems so my knees are holding out on the machines so far this winter. Next week the sit-ups are going to be re-added to the workout as well.
I think we will be diving a new shore dive from Wolfe Island as well this coming season, I am working on getting the location of a burnt coal steamer in 38 feet of water in the Barrett Bay area of Marysville.
I am fighting with the insurance company over the payout of my motorcycle they think that a 8 thousand dollar deductiable is a good way to go to keep them happy, I turned it over to the broker and am hoping for a resolution soon so I can get the new bike up and going the way I want it.
Sean and I have been hitting the gym on a regular basis and today I hit the 32km mark not the 40 km’s I was doing before the dive season started but getting there. Today was a little different as Both Polly and my buddy Tim showed up today as well.
Today’s picture is from the fort of the Wolfe Islander III passing by with 21 windmills in the background. The tugs started crossing today as well so I think there will be more coming soon as well. Another good thing that my computer parts came in today and like always Altair fixed it in a regular fashion great customer service at that place best computer service in town. Not a large selection but the service is well worth the wait.
Sean has started getting it together and has returned to school which is pretty cool anyone that finally decides to get a highschool diploma after 20 years deserves some attention, with any luck the class will be full of snuggies for eye candy.
Day 5 of nothing to report on the drive by scene as well very very very quiet down there.
The gang at the boat launch on west street hanging around looking for people to feed them.
So the year went on like last, but finally a great amount of drug changes and tweaking XMas was bearable and not even good ole fashioned fight on and off the net. So I have to say it was a good one.
So here’s the hightlights of the year according to me
- I lost alot of weight and the ongoing battle of the bulge continues into this year as I have still a lot to go, It was very weird to go from a 3xl to a med up to Large and bordering on a med again and still have a beer belly but it’s work and lots of it.
- I got back into technical diving and completed the GUE level one course then immediately dove the Jodery and Picton wrecks on Helium. My good friend Chris who is vacationing in Africa kept me going so this year I have to concentrate and help him finish.
- I bought the motorcycle of my dreams and rode out to California with my best friend Dan all went well till I got ran off the road by a kid in a sports car.
- I met a certified member of the nazi party in Illinois, a christian biker in Kansas during a hurricane, a vet on a bridge drinking a beer, a member of the banditos in New Mexico, Flo from the movie Cars, Rob the photocopy guy in San Francisco .
- Learned Macro photography in a two week trip in Bonaire.
- Got the camera of my dreams as well with a 500mm lens.
- Retired from the military after 27 years with the last the hardest on the mind
- There is more but my mind is slowly being fried for the night
So to end the year I purchased 4 hours of tattoo time in which Polly took 30 mins in getting her first Tattoo but I have a bigger one coming starting tomorrow.
So to all my friends and those I missed the most I hope this year will even be better for all of us. Have a safe night and if you drink let someone else drive you home it’s not the eighties anymore. 
So I am just getting over a serious cold for the last few days and made it to the Gym to day for a pretty good work out. The thing is when this happens then the drugs that I take to control my mood and sleep go out of whack and so does the depression therapy and of course during the holidays. So I went out tonight to take a few pics and play with the high ISO set up on the D300 which I am pretty impressed with.
I plan to go out and try it with a tripod when it becomes a bit warmer the -20 temps tonight were just a little to much for my liking today. Even with the cold weather I haven’t had any problems with my arthritis which I am grateful and hopefully it will get better with the health.
My cat has a new hobby attacking are removing Santa Claus from the window and slapping it around, Polly is not impressed and spends most of the time in the living room scolding poor smokie. I don’t think the cat is listening to her anyway 
Three days of snow in Kingston has netted us about a foot on the ground and people are in shock and awe over this. I remember when I first moved to Kingston 20 years ago the lake effect would bring a foot over night and no-one would even say anything, A sign of the times I guess.
So after two weeks in Bonaire photos under travels for those interested, it is offically cold. On Monday night after a long workout and chilly day Sean and I went to the flicker roundup at the Merchant Tap house for a drink and evening of shooting the shit. Best meet up so far and no freak-outs or panic attacks. The interesting thing like military guys most of the younger members are now seeking employment new cities after 4 – 8 years in Kingston.
Bonaire was very rough mentally for me as my depression was working over time and coupled with lots of indecision it was raging the first week but as long as I was diving and taking pictures it was very doable.
Good news from VA as they approved a heart monitor for me to monitor my heart while working out which is a great aid for losing weight and making workouts longer. So far this week I have logged in about 60 KMs and lots of hot tubbing .
The Christmas spirit is all about in town now and lots of homes are light up even more then the usual from what I think so I have to get Polly out for an evening of photo taking of them. So hopefully stayed tuned.
Tomorrow apparently my bike comes home from California and I have to teach a nitrox course as well so I will be busy tomorrow and off to the states with Sean and Vinnie on Friday. Seems that I am always riding around somewhere.
So after a so so workout only 10 kms today 
, Sean and I mert up with Ron. One of the weird things about depression is that you end up hanging with some others suffering from the same. So after timmie’s we decided to hit some of the locks for picture taking.
The first lock was Kingston Mill’s and Ron wanted to go to the top so still suffering a bit from gout in a toe I climbed the hill where we saw some climbers doing the rock face. Then over to the tracks to get some train shots no trains until we started to go. Life is just like that.
Next to the lower brewers and upper brewers for some shots and I found a cabin called the ARK, the cool thing about this ark is it is a canal boat pulled onto shore and converted to a cabin. Ron had to go so Sean and I headed to Barriefield for some sunset shots and home for dinner.
Perhaps tomorrow if the weather stays the same off in a different direction, I still want to hit Picton for some shots.
In Kingston harbour there are around 8 hulls that were left over from the days of wooden steam. They have rotted to the water line through ice, time and even the poor using them as firewood. The ones that could have been raised were taken out to the graveyards for discarding, An added bonus for divers as we have lots of wrecks to choice from.
Today was day three in the run to become fitter and smaller, I am a little behind due to the great dive season, a couple week bike trip and the last 6 weeks in bed due to an accident and medical problems.
I also had gotten to the Dr today, I am grateful for my GP as she is on the ball and between us we chartered a new course of action for my heath problems and a drop in blood pressure meds which was a welcome sight to me as I take to many legal drugs now.
Sean and I did 3 hour on the stair climbers and another 45 mins in the sauna and hot tub, Sean is starting to like these high tension workouts so I hope we can keep it up to spring when he has to participate in the RTW program.
For lunch we went to the legion for group and was greeted by free food, cake and lots of pins which I gave to my GP, NP and the call staff.
I also got a head start and got the flu shot early this year so I am good to go. I took this shot from the city park on the rideau and got the Whig building and a hull that has become a haven for birds.
So I finally made it back to the gym, even with having a bad day. So I am hoping to return in the am with Sean. All I could get out was 8 1/2 kms so i now have a start anyway.
Harold and the gang removed the rest of the moorings in the lake today despite high winds, it is funny how only the short hops get done by others and we do all the distance ones. But at least we got help this year so thats a great start in the right direction.
today other then being down quite considerably i still managed to work on my pics and get some more up for public viewing.
So over at the store the docks and boats are all out for the season and plans are being made for winter training.
Happy Halloween everyone
So alot the last few days Sean graduated from his course as well as Tim from his, so some days it looks like the depression loses a battle here and there. The gout is only in a toe but wearing shoes aggravates it pretty good so tonight’s round of photos were all taken from the seat of a car.
David and Vinnie spent the afternoon at queens with the scuba club after pulling Vicky Marie out of the water so only Ashley-Dawn and Seaducer remain in the water to pull the remainder of the markers out this weekend. Vinnie is going to hold a pumpkin carving contest tomorrow and hopefully I can make it, but Cable is finally going to fix the problem here though.
Not alot of munchkins out tonight in the hood, but those I got to see had lots of different costumes on and the security patrols were in full force. No more cheap plastic masks and sheets for ghosts, a lot of thought are in them now and some pretty complicated ones as well.
Sean looks like he’s doing quite well compared to the summer so thats a great plus and he’s off for a couple of months so some diving and workouts for the both of us will do us good. I am hoping Monday I csn go to the stairclimber and shed the 20 lbs I put on this summer. We did start today with a long sauna which knocked the life out of me for most of day.
The shot I took at sunset as well as many one of the sun over the Invista plant which I will post later, not a ground breaking shot but one I have been trying to take for some time now. This one was a lucky shot as I was passing by and there was some sun left so I pulled into the lot and got it off.
