First Ski Day of the Year

While Brock was away with a friend for the weekend downhill skiing, the three of us went up to Villars and took advantage of the first real dump of snow this year. We went cross country skiing both days. The shot here was taken just about at the end of the trip. We had skied up into this valley toward that sunlit wall of rock and back. It was a gentle but challenging uphill slope the entire way there, and then a fast and hair-raising descent back down. I think we climbed about 200m in altitude. We saw an avalanche fall for quite a distance while we were up there... cool! We were also the first tracks of the year up there... very cool! Java was in her glory running and hopping through the snow the entire way. We all slept well that night!

Lenny Kravitz Concert

Lenny has a new album out this year, and he is touring for the first time in 3 years. He put on an excellent show!

ECIS Conference in Lisbon

Aside from the inspiring keynote speakers and workshops that run throughout the weekend, reconnecting with old friends and colleagues is a major reason for attending professional conferences. Here is a shot of us catching up with JIS colleagues. We also saw several other colleagues throughout the weekend but didn't manage to round them all up for a group photo.


In Lisbon, this street is a popular place to go for a few beers before the dance clubs get going. I took this shot at about 2am and it was still getting busier! This was the 'reconnecting and networking' part of the conference, not a workshop!

Villars Colors

Was driving home on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago and had to stop and take a couple of shots on the way. The autumn colors never get old...

Where the local wine is produced

Took this one through the window while driving

Rasnov Citadel

Rasnov is a walled fortress that has been restored and affords a great view of the surrounding mountains and plateau, not to mention a sense of what it must have been like to live back in the early 1200s when it was constructed. A popular story that is attached to this citadel is about a well situated in the center of the fortress. Two Turkish soldiers were captured and they were told their lives would be spared if they dug a well to provide water for the people. This way, they wouldn't have to travel outside the safety of the walls to fetch water. The two men took 17 years to complete the well, and then they were killed once they finished the job! Today, the well is still functioning and it is 143m deep.

Horseback riding

We took the boys for a trail ride one morning... very peaceful.

Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)

One cannot visit Romania without going to see the famous Bran Castle. It is touted as being the fortress of Vlad the Impaler who was the inspiration for Bram Stoker when he wrote Dracula. The funny part is that Bran Castle is not actually where Vlad lived. He may have passed by and stayed there before, but his fortress is in Bucharest and is just starting to be renovated and fixed up for tourism. Nevertheless, Bran Castle was very cool to visit. It was one of the residences of Queen Marie, and today the many rooms are furnished to show the royal residence in all its splendor.
Took this at night with my iPhone


Yes, that is Kyle breaching the fortress

Interior Courtyard

Romania by Quad

We were up for an adventure one day, so we rented 3 ATVs and two drivers for the day and took off to explore the back country in the Brasov region. It was a blast. I had Kyle on my quad, and Dunja and Brock went with the drivers. We covered about 80km in total, with stops at several places to enjoy the scenery, go for a walk up a canyon, and stop for dinner. It really did give us a window into the rural lifestyle of Romanians that we couldn't get from our rental car or walking around. It was also fun to rat around on small trails with 300cc of power under you!

Brasov, Romania

We thoroughly enjoyed our few days up in the Carpathian mountains. The fall colors were out in full regalia and the tourists were few and far between. The first day in Brasov, we walked around the walled medieval city, with the town square and the Black Church (so-called because it was burned some centuries back), before taking a gondola up to the Hollywoodesque sign up on the mountain and hiking back down to the city. It was a beautiful day and a nice combination of culture and nature.

Romania October Break

It has only been a month since we visited Romania, but it already feels like much more. However, I have very fond memories of our week there and will choose a few photos to try and show some of the highlights. We had a very active week in which we had a couple of days in Bucharest to see the capital and stay with the Clarkes, and then spent the rest of the time driving around the mountainous province of Brasov. Our impressions were that the people can speak quite directly and even harshly, but they are a friendly culture who are eager to catch up to the rest of Europe economically. They have a long way to go! At times it felt like we were driving in Indonesia with the horse-driven carts and tractors sharing the roads with modern SUVs and semi trucks. There were fresh produce markets in the towns and plenty of people setting up shop on the sides of the roads. We were frequently reminded that we were indeed traveling through Europe when we reached the mountains and took in the fall colors, the medieval castles, and the ski resorts. Romania is so much cheaper than the rest of Europe that it is only a matter of time before the masses discover its potential and start redirecting their winter vacation money to Brasov where the hotels, restaurants and lift passes are less than half the price of the Swiss, German, Austrian and French Alps.

Bucharest



Palace of the Parliament - largest government building in the world

Herastrau Park by pedal boat - downtown Bucharest!


Old Orthodox Church



Even Bucharest has an Arc de Triomphe

Stew and Julie's Pad

Another weekend in Paradise

Switzerland has enjoyed six solid weeks of blue skies and warm temperatures. We are now into mid-October and it is still 23-24 degrees in Geneva and around 20 degrees up in the mountains. I have been mountain biking a couple of times a week after work and playing tennis every Wednesday with my friend, Rick. We have been up to Villars almost every weekend, so we can enjoy the mild weather. It is really quiet up in the ski resorts during this time of year; we often go on 3-hour hikes and only pass one or two other people.
This weekend, aside from tennis and hiking, I built a protective cage for a freezer to go on the terrace, and then we had a load of firewood delivered. I may have stacked the wood a little high... will have to have some fires before the woodpile topples off the terrace!
I took a couple of pictures with my phone, so they aren't that clear. Trees are just starting to change color. Kyle has his cross-country skis ready for another season. I have a roast pork cooking on the bbq!

Tennis with a view

We have been up to Villars for three of the last four weekends, and each weekend it has been gorgeous blue skies with warm temperatures. Right around 20 degrees. We are still getting in some hikes with Java, but we have also been playing tennis every afternoon. The two tennis courts that were put in a few years ago just down the road from our house must have some of the most beautiful views of any tennis courts in the world. Placed on a small plateau at 1600m in a green pasture and surrounded by mountains, these courts are a super convenient for us to use... and they are always empty! It puts a smile on our face every time we play there.

Pure adrenalin (and fear)

I love this picture of us that was taken back in July in Montreal bobsled ride at Le Ronde amusement park. All four of us were surprised by the sudden drop and blast of speed right at the point in which the park had placed a camera to catch our expression. Cost of the picture: $8.00 Cost of admission to the park: $130.00 Look of sheer fear on all of our faces: Priceless!!

Judo Classes begin

Both boys are signed up for Judo this year. They look pretty vicious!

Sion Air Show

On my birthday, we drove down to Sion for their annual air show. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed watching the older private planes and the impressive military jets.
Wing-walkers

FA18 - Wicked!