8r4d The local canola crops are in full bloom already: I guess using black dirt from local fields to fill the curbs up for landscaping after the construction means that we’re gonna need a farmer to harvest the crop soon. #flower

8r4d I was neither #running nor #volunteering but I did ride my #bike down to one of the turnarounds on the 5 Peaks #race course this morning where RM was manning a road crossing and waving some flags at the cars trying to show the runners who’s im charge. I mean, c’mon tho. I was there about an hour watching the race and another hour cycling there and back, about 15k round trip.

pixelazy #sky scenes from a saturday hammock hang

pixelazy Scenes from a #rivervalley #hike

8r4dsfeets Who needs to carry a map when they put one right on the bridge deck?! #rivervalley #hike

8r4d Technically we’ve got a couple months until our mountain #hike and backpacking adventures but we we’re down in the #rivervalley again this Saturday morning doing another practice slog with C&A thru the woods. I took them on a winding trek through the snaking trails of Flat Pete where every cyclist in the city had also decided to visit today. But the sun was out and the birds were chirping and the dog was having the time of her life, so all the twists and turns were less dizzying and more captivating. And the ladies climbed a big pile of rocks to replicate a photo of their daughters from more than a half decade ago.

8r4d The final day of May inevitably arrived and with it the thirty-first and final (windy) day of my #running streak. [read more...]

8r4d Day thirty and with one day left in this month long #running streak I drove all the way across town to run #trails with the gang over in Goldbar. We got a little lost in the woods, but in a good way, and ended up doing a 180 flip and going back the way we came when we realized the trail was going to be closer to an marathon than a Thursday run. Everyone else had pretty much had a busy week of running and racing to, so a bit of a slower pace was not unwelcome.

gamerdad Of course it may just be a case of new game syndrome but I played another couple hours into the story until I rightfully found myself in the true open world part of the gameplay. As it was there was another hour or so on rails as the story plodded you through a couple more quick tutorials on a few more of its myriad of systems. There are the standard mechanics of levelling and item management, but there’s also a little card game with odd and tricky rules to learn as you challenge npcs in the world. Luckily I won my first real game so I must have followed the explanation well enough. Either way, a few more rails guided me out into the plains and now I’m doing the usual stuff like fighting random encounters and collecting ingredients for portions as I reveal chunks of map. Onwards.

gamerdad I relented and as the second instalment of the Final Fantasy VII remake series went on sale this week I decided to take the plunge and begin my inevitable journey. Ive read and listened to a few reviews by this point so my understanding is that the first act is very much a transition from the on-rails story of part one into the more open world adventure of part two, so playing for the first couple of hours of the game, finishing the familiar story of Nibelheim, I think I’m almost into the open world play that I’ve been hearing so many good things about. I’ve played the original so many times in the last 25 years there was little surprise in the story, though as usual it was pretty neat to see it fleshed out so much more as a kind of extended tutorial rather than just a mid game exposition stage. I was a little confused at the outset by the into step with Zach so I may need to read up on what I missed in bailing on the last game half way thru. But either way, I think I’m enjoying it so far… more than part one as far as my initial vibe check goes.

8r4d Another shot of the #mushroom about 5 hours later when the cap opened up a lot more and right before I plucked it from the soil along with a big scoop of contaminated soil. It was kinda cool seeing some fungi in one of my #houseplants bit I really don’t need it in all of them!

8r4d The end of the month creeps ever closer and on day 29 of this #running streak I found myself contemplating running with a sparse run club (cuz basically everyone bailed) or parsing out yet another solo gauntlet route. I chose the latter, and dodged yet more local construction and post rain puddles as I eked out a quick afternoon 6k.