Parking In Tokyo

While I was looking into CurbNinja and searching for their site to help me write my last post I saw this crazy image of  some creative parking in Tokyo, Japan. As is my norm, I had to check into it some more and came up with a whole bunch of photos of various 'space saving' ways to park cars, as well as trucks and flat deck trailers. It certainly doesn't hurt to drive a micro car, as many seem to do in Japan, but based on the photos found, even that doesn't guarantee that you won't have to squeeze in to a really tight space or leave your car hanging out of your garage, maybe even going to a multi-deck system. And, as you might expect from the Japanese, some interesting technology in their automated parking systems that pick up your vehicle and deliver it to a shelf, to be retrieved later in the same fashion, like buying a can of soda in a big 'pop dispenser'.

Better trust the engineers on these setups

Not sure how these cars get set in place, but it seems to work

Whatever works

Compact car allows for compact parking spot

Drive onto the platform and get out of your car

The automatic delivery system places your car onto a shelf

No ramps, no stairs, no wasted space

Another two level parking spot

Probably a 10 point turn to get this car out of  its' parking spot

Tuck it away where it fits

Drive onto the spot, the orange metal plate pops up and traps the car, then you pay to get out 

The stacking concept works for these trailer units too

CurbNinja

How about this app for motorcyclists? It's a way to share the great parking spots for motorcycles that you know of in your city or town, and we all know they aren't always easy to find. Check out CurbNinja and see if they have anything set up for where you live, and if not, maybe it's time you got the wheels rolling and set it up yourself.

At least 10 motorcycles will fit in the same space taken up by a couple of cars

Why not encourage motorcycle riding by offering space to park

Of course, there will always be this kind of driver.

Another Day In Paradise

Early morning snow to start the day

Here's a few more photos from an awesome weekend spent in the Rocky Mountains just recently. Yes, there's still snow out there and even today, April 21, they are calling for more flurries. You always need to be prepared for that possibility when driving, and when venturing out for a hike.

For this part of our adventure, we just did a short trek from our chalet after spending most of the day in Canmore. 

As is our tradition when visiting Canmore, we always stop in at the Elevation Gallery but this time we were lured in to the Silver Tree Studio right next door when we saw some great artwork by artist Ric Fedyna. We inevitably purchased a beautiful piece titled "Wabbit Season", which you can see in my post April 12 2017.
We also popped in to The Grizzly Paw for one of their great burgers and a pint of their fine hand crafted brew. We even bought a few bottles to take home, though I was warned to not be "you are what you drink", since we grabbed a case of "Grumpy Bear"!! haha!
We wandered trhough town but also wanted to get in a bit of a hike, so we headed back to our chalet at the Banff Gate Mountain Resort and did a little wander around the area. Many of the trails in this area are closed due to wildlife breeding being sensitive to human intrusion but there was still some places we could walk to get some great views of the surrounding mountains and enjoy the setting sun.
It's pretty hard to not have a great day when playing in our big and beautiful backyard!!

Someone who stayed at the cabin had a sense of humour about this knothole

The sun did come out and brighten things up

Canmore....who wouldn't like to live in a town in the mountains?

We went to The Grizzly Paw for a great burger and a taste (or two) of their craft beer

This particular bear we encountered was friendly enough :)

Back at the cabin, with dusk fast approaching

A quick evening walk near the cabin

I liked the way Wind Mountain was framed by the trees on this trail

The sunset on the back side of Three Sisters :)

Small Town Smackdown

We went to the "Small Town Smack Down" in Caroline this weekend past and it was quite a hoot. There were cowboys from Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and, of course, Alberta, and there were also quite a few really nasty bulls that managed to wreak some havoc. A few cowboys got tossed, as did a few bullfighters who stepped in to protect those guys who got bucked off.
Those bullfighters are gutsy enough but i think you may just have to be a little loco to ante up for some "Mexican Poker". That's where you and a few other guys play some poker in the middle of the ring and they let 2500 lbs of muscle and horn out of the chute and invite him to join you at the table. Last guy to stay seated wins!! Oh, and we're going to need a new table and chairs for the next go-round.

Lotto 649 v.s. Two Wheel Sunday Motorcycle Raffle

Prize not exactly as shown

Two Wheel Sunday, in co-operation with Fresh Start Recovery Centre, is giving away not one, but two motorcycles, plus a third prize of full riding gear. The draw will be held this Summer, during the 12 Step Ride For Recovery Road Rally, taking place August 26th, 2017.  With only 2500 tickets sold, odds are really great for ticket purchasers to get a shot at winning either the Indian Scout 60 or the KTM Duke ( at least, I believe it's a Duke), supplied by our good friends over at Cycle Works Calgary.
As for the title of this post, think about these statistics and then e-mail me at paul@gobluecircle.com when you realize that the odds of winning one of these fine machines is too good to pass up and you want to purchase a ticket!!

649......$2.oo gets you a 1in 14 million chance of winning a few million $$
TWS Raffle Ticket...$20.oo gets you a 1 in 883 chance of winning a motorcycle or some riding gear

Of course, odds of winning if you don't have a ticket is zero, so get one today or come by the BlueCircle booth at Two Wheel Sunday and get the ticket from me in person. Also, keep an eye out on the BlueCircle Facebook page as we'll be giving away a few tickets in a contest TBD.

400 Drunken Rabbits

If you happen to be a tequila aficionada like me you may find interest in the bizarre tale of 400 drunken rabbits from the ancient Aztec civilization.

Last week I wrote some posts about rabbits and hares and their relation to the occasion of Easter. While researching that topic I stumbled across some other crazy stuff about rabbits and hares in the process and the Aztec tale of 400 drunken rabbits was both interesting and bizarre.

Typical of many ancient civilizations, the Aztecs had a god for everything and one of them was Xochitl, the Goddess Of Flowers. One of the flowers was of the maguey, or agave plant, and from this plant was made 'pulque", which was used in many Aztec ceremonies due to it's intoxicating and mind altering qualities (think...tequila!!) 

Unfortunately, Xochitl gave too much pulque to the King Of Tula, who in a drunken frenzy, raped her, causing her to become the Goddess of Early Sexuality and Prostitution (harsh punishment for a victim of rape), and ultimately demonstrating to the Aztecs that intoxication was something to be strictly controlled.  

Enter a new Goddess in charge of pulque, Mayahuel, who along with her husband and the God Of Fermentation, Petacatl, had 400 children who, strangely, took the form of rabbits. Mayahuel fed her babies the pulque and such became the belief  of 400 drunken rabbits, with each higher number being a further state of intoxication until the infinity (which happened to be 400 to the Aztecs)

The goddess Mayahuel, mother of the 400 drunken rabbits

In other words, if you were as drunk as  2 rabbits, you may have had a bit of a buzz, and if you were as drunk as 400 rabbits, you were totally smashed! Some of the rabbits had specific names, like Tezcatzoncatl, who was known as Straw Mirror, as in, so drunk you could see as much as if you looked into a straw mirror (whoa!). 

There was also Macuil Tochtli, or 5 Rabbit, who was the God Of Hangovers, and Tequechmecauiani, or Hanging Rabbit, since some Aztecs became so drunk that they actually hung themselves. 

Tezcatzoncatl

Also interesting to note that getting intoxicated was strictly forbidden to youth and the penalty for being caught drunk was possibly strangulation. You'll never do that again!! Yikes!

So, the lesson in all of this might well be of finding some moderation, as in,  one or two rabbits strong is fine but anything after that and you could end up in big trouble!

Spring Hare v.s Easter Bunny

Spring has always been celebrated as a time of rebirth and new beginnings so is it any wonder that in Paganism, the rabbit or hare served as strong symbol in their rituals.

Hares and rabbits, as well as eggs, have always been symbolic of fertility and highly associated with Spring, since many animals give birth at this time of year. Many Christian celebrations were hybrids of (or downright hijacked versions of ) Pagan beliefs, and it would seem logical that Easter is one of those occasions. 

The Easter bunny probably has about as much to do with Easter as Jesus Christ

The Germanic people celebrated what was called Eostre, which means dawn and has purported to be named after the Anglo Saxon goddess of the same name. The symbolism of Christ dying and being reborn in what was Spring time is akin to the pagan rituals of Winter dying and Spring bringing new life to the earth.

Of course, Christians aren't the only peoples celebrating these traits at this time of year, as Hindus hold their Holi festivals and Japanese have what is called Sakura, when the cherry tree blossoms.

Rabbits and hares also figure prominently in many cultures, and throughout many centuries, as far back as the Sui Dynasty in 6th and 7th century China. This is particularly true of the three hare symbol. which has shown up in Mongol metalwork, Iranian coins, an Islamic built shrine found in southern Russia, cave drawings and pottery in the Orient, and many churches and cathedrals in parts on the U.K. and Germany.

Paderborn Cathedral

This wooden carving is found under the eave of a medieval roof in Devon England

This motif is found on a tombstone in the Ukraine

Rabbits and hares have also shown up in Mayan and Aztec cultures, often associated with other gods/goddesses relating to fertility, such as Ixchel. Interestingly, the Aztecs also had a belief in the 400 drunken rabbits, which is the subject of a future post.

Mayan goddess of fertility, Ixchel, with a hare

Wabbit Season

While we were away on our little 'staycation' in the Rockies nearby, we went in to Canmore to stroll around, check out some shops and have a beer at the Grizzly Paw. Yes, great burger and tasty beer at that place,as discussed in a previous post!!
We also stopped in at a couple of local art galleries to have a look, but unfortunately they were close, being Monday and all. However, there was a painting in the window of Silver Tree Studio that really just grabbed us so i phoned to see if i could determine their opening hours on Tuesday. To my suprise, someone answered and said they'd come over and let us in if we wanted to see the painting, so how great was that?! And, 5 minutes later, a nice lady rode up on her bicycle and showed us inside, where we chatted at length and subsequently bought "Wabbit season" by artist Ric Fedyna. Thank you so much to Lynne, aka LL Harrison, for not only taking time out her day off to help us, but for bringing this amazing artist into the gallery.
And, by the way, LL Harrison is a pretty amazing artist in her own right and has a fair bit of work in the gallery too. Well worth a visit in our opinion.

A small detail of 'our hare'

Hike

On our way into K-Country

Wow, what a weekend past! Actually, an extra long weekend to be truthful, where we rented a chalet out near Dead Man's Flat, Alberta. We stayed at a place called The Banff Gate Mountain resort, which seemed like a strange name considering the Banff National Park gate is about 25 km further west. Who knew that the original Banff Park gate was, indeed, at Dead Man's Flat and only was moved to its' current location to facilitate the commerce that goes on in this area and nearby Lac des Arc.

Anyway, we got a great deal on our place and though there were a few signs of aging and wear and tear on teh palce, we were happy with everything. Roomy, with space for 6 people to sleep, and a beautiful view out the windows. A kitchen and BBQ on the deck to do the cooking, and a pool and hot tub to soak in after our hikes.

And hike we did, with the whole family along to enjoy our beautiful big back yard!! Here's a few photos of our day on an unmarked trail up Grizzly Peak, made possible with the help of my son's awesome GPS system. Not only is the trail unmarked but there was still a fair bit of snow up there and we were often searching for the route. I guess that just adds to the adventure!!

What a great way to spend the day with family, get some exercise, and enjoy some of the best scenery in the whole world!!

These exceptional women did an amazing job on the hike up Grizzly Peak!

It was a steep climb!

What a view!

Now we're getting high enough where the snow hasn't melted yet. 

Our destination seemed elusive at times

This fine young man did the hike with an extra 35+ pounds on his back. Note the bear spray, since it is called Grizzly Peak for a reason.

The 'Silver Set' did well that day too, possibly spurred on by the thought of a nice hot tub when we got back to the chalet! haha!

There really wasn't much of a trail to follow

Three generations on top of the world!! And we saw a furry little 'bear' too.

What goes up, must come down. Tricky stuff with the little guy on your back!

The old guy (me!) is doing well but thankful not to be carrying the grandson in a backpack

Gravity helps the descent, sort of, as going downhill is tough on the knees.

Someone followed us home to the chalet! haha!