How to get rid of fruit flies

How to get rid of fruit flies.

We had a fruit fly invasion.
The culprit - was the withering bananas in the fruit bowl.
Trying to get rid of them can be tricky.
They reproduce quickly and abundantly.

I search, I Googled, a solution.
Syrup in a bowl - didn't work. Sugar water in a bowl - didn't work.
Threw out the bananas. Still they stormed.

I inadvertently found the most effective solution thus far.
We consumed a bottle of our homemade wine
- though there was an inch or so left in the bottom of the bottle.
It seems the flies enjoyed it just as much as we did.
They consumed, they became intoxicated and they drown.

I recommend using a coloured bottle.
Ours as you can see from the photo was blue.
An attractive and inconspicuous fly trap.
Guests commented on the bottles colour, none noticed the dead flies.

Castle Mountain

Castle Mountain Hike/Scramble

July 30, 2009 25km round trip. 10 hours.
Elevation Gain: 760 m
(to Rockbound Lk).

Wildlife seen: one mule deer, many squirrels, marmots,
and when we arrived back at the
trail-head another hiker told us a black bear and two cubs
had just made an appearance then then disappeared again.

We got a bit of later start than anticipated. Sleeplessness from the heat the night before prompted us to hit the snooze button a number of times. But with the right amount of coffee and a little 'morning dance' we were able to comfortably make the drive to Banff National Park. We started out on the at 10am.

The trail was nice and wide. The grade was steady and was not too grueling. The trail to Rockbound lake is 8.4km. First we came to Tower Lake - thinking we had arrived at our lunch destination, we soon remembered that Rockbound Lake is beyond Tower Lake. A very steep trail on the West side of the lake brings you to Rockbound Lake. We stopped there for a half hour lunch before moving on the scramble.

At Rockbound Lake the West side of the mountain, the 'back side' - the side that faces away from the highway (see photo). Our Goal - to reach the summit. This meant climbing some rocks to the ridge. The day was getting on and we had to turn around prior to reaching the summit. Our estimate is that reaching the summit will take approximately another 3hours. Our late start had set us back. Next time....

Above: This is us in the morning.
Happy little granola munching back-packers.
Castle Mountain in the background.
The 'front' of the mountain, as viewed from the highway.

Above: Rockbound Lake

Above: To the right is the North side of Castle Mountain.
The lone tower at the end of the range is called Eisenhower Tower.

Above: The scramble up to the ridge.

Bourgeau Lake - Banff National Park

Bourgeau Lake - July 27

Round Trip: 15.4km
Time: 5 hours total - 2.5 hours there, 0.5 hours for lunch, 2 hours back.
Elevation gain: 747m

We stopped at the Bourgeau Lake turnout on Highway 1, 11.4km west of Banff. From here we entered the Jurassic park-like gate. Keeping the riff-raff out and the bears in. The first 2/3 of trail is gradual and follows Wolverine Creek. About 3/4 of the way, to the lake, the trail comes to a spectacular set of cascades. Past the cascades the trail gets increasingly more steep. Once at the top the trail opens into a large meadow full of wild-flowers. The lake lies on the far side of the meadow.

We took a half hour break at the lake to eat, where we were bombarded by fat, hungry, and greedy rock chipmunks (see the video).

The weather was great - hot hiking in, much sweat. On the way back it rained which was rather refreshing.

Three Isle Lake - Backpacking

3 Isle Lake: July 17-18

The hike in to 3 Isle Lake totaled about 12 km. We packed our tent and all our gear and planned for a two night trip. Two nights at 3 Isle Lake with a day hike on the second day.

We started at Upper Kananaskis Lake and from there the path goes around the north side of the lake. At the far end it branches off and heads into the pine woods.

From there the path was fairly level and eventually reached the Kananaskis River where it followed along westward to The Forks. The Forks is a picnic/rest/overnight camping spot with several picnic tables and bear bins for the food.

Just beyond The Forks there was a young grizzly standing upright on the trail. To which (I was told on the way home) I exclaimed "Oh S#*$ !". We started making some noise and he walked slowly away.

I was ready to head home right then and there but the bear gave us the trail and went from where we just came. Head back and he would think we were stalking him. So we carried on our way.

From here to 3 Isle Lake it was only about 2.5 km but it has an elevation rise of close to 2000 ft. On the way up there was a waterfall, a good place to rest before tackling the switchbacks and final climb.

The rest of the hike was all uphill and even required some climbing in spots. Once at the top it was downhill thru the forest again until you reach the lake and the campsites.

There was a lot of evidence of bears in the area. Trees with the bark scratched off, fresh bear dung, fresh prints in the mud, and fresh prints on the bear boxes where the food is store. After one rather sleepless night on my part (Peter slept like a baby) we came back to civilization.

Eating oatmeal and dried blueberries for breakfast. So Yum.

There was plenty of evidence that bears were in the area.
The tree above is only one of many trees
where the bottom 12ft of bark has been stripped away.
Used for sharpening claws, rubbing backs,
and finding bugs to eat under the bark.

Man this post is old. The photos are so cute that I still had to post them.
Back in May our nephews, Lucas and Rowan, came to stay at our house for a few nights.

We had fun making noise at the park.

We had fun slashing in the tub after a hot day.

Weekend in Rocky

We spent this past weekend at Peter's grandma's near Rocky Mountain House.

Anna's goats had kids.

Who nose?

Llama.

Lucas with his new bike.

Rowan trying to tie his own shoes.

Play Ball !

Excuse Me For Laughing

Some co-workers and I went out for breakfast this morning after a night shift. I can imagine that to those sitting around us we probably sounded like a triplet of heartless jerks. Discussing the precarious and delicate state of our patients and laughing. And catching up on "nursing stories" from the daily grind on our unit.

Yes I laugh at my patients. If I didn't laugh and try to see the humour in it all - I would cry. The sad situation of a dementia patient. Someone's mother, someone's sister - losing their mind and no longer able to recognize their family member. But to me they're a pleasantly confused lady who speaks her mind (however socially inappropriate and embarrassing to her family) and I find her funny and frankly - refreshing. But I keep her safe.

Sometimes I even ignore what you say. If I didn't let things slide off my backs - I would become an emotional wreck. The patient in with alcohol withdrawal who was raped and evicted from her home for not paying rent. You are mad at the world and tell me that I am bad at my job. I don't hate you for telling me that - I'm pretty sure you don't really mean it. And I'm still here to listen about how much your life sucks at this point in time and to tell you're still loved (by the way your daughter called looking to talk to you).

So excuse me for laughing, or turning the other cheek, but it's probably the only emotion I have left; all my emotions of sadness and remorse have been depleted.

Last Sunday, February 22, we were invited to an "Oscar's Party".
We were asked to dress up as character from one of the nominated films.
Peter and I dressed up as "Kung fu Panda". Peter was Po (aka Panda) and I was Master Shifu.
It was a lot of fun.

Sarah and James dressed up as as Robert Downey Jr., as Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder.
Great costumes guys.

Brunch Theatre

In celebration of our first anniversary, Peter and I went to a dinner theater today. The tickets were a lovely gift from my mum. Having never been to a dinner theater, it was a first.


The Show: One Hit Wonders - we often hear great hits and hum along to familiar songs, but often those songs and artists come and go. Ever heard of 'Katrina and The Waves' or 'Buster Poindexter'? Neither had I, but I know their songs and could probably sing along. I made our reservations weeks in advance to ensure we got top-notch seats. Score! Front-row. This is going to be great.

Front row, I didn't know at the time, meant that your chin would be resting on the stage. Male singers would kneel down, asking for your hand, as they sang love ballads. People hopping-and-a-bopping on stage would drip sweat on you. When they rocked out, screaming the words with all their might, you would be spit upon. And you could see the knickers of the girls who wore short skirts. Front-row was a little more than I bargained for.

None of the above however put much of damper on my enjoyment of the show. Made for a different perspective of the show, an experience for sure. It was fun rocking out to familiar songs I have not heard in a long time. There were a lot of grey-haired people there that were shaking what their mama gave them, to songs of their generation. It was great. But, if I go to dinner theater again (and some advice from new-found knowledge) I would choose a seat a little further from the stage.

Our Humble Home

This is our Humble Home:

It is so nice to have a place of our own.
A place to entertain and a place of refuge from the world.
Our little sanctuary.

When the house was built, pink was all the rage.
We're still in the process of painting.
I took this photo and then realised how pink it really is.

The small spare room is currently in the process of being painted.
A smoky blue (quite dark in this photo).

The spare room.

The master bedroom and ensuite with jacuzzi tub (mmm nice).
The beautiful wallpaper border will be going.

The Kitchen.

And the living room.