Silo Sweet Silo

Living in and around the prairies, seeing a silo is an every day experience and it's quite common to see multiple units, large and small, together on the same farm.

Given the normalcy to have a silo on one's property, how easy would it be to have one on your farm as a home? Of course, I'm talking about a nicely retro-fitted version of a silo, as was done in Utah with "Monte-Silo".

Check out these great photos of this custom designed and built silo home and I'm sure you'll agree that it would blend in seamlessly with it's surroundings when placed on a rural acreage.

Cars and Bicycles Sharing the Road

I'm always a bit leery about riding my bicycle on Calgary roads, given the discourteous manner in which too many drivers seem to operate their vehicles in and around us cyclists.

Of course, in some ways it's not overly surprising that drivers act so poorly toward cyclists, since I am also a motorcyclist and know that many drivers just don't look, see and recognize a motorcycle as another vehicle on the road. It's why motorcyclists need to ride like they're invisible and use defensive driving skills to avoid conflicts and accidents in order to protect themselves.

In regard to bicycles, there is a new Calgary bylaw coming into effect September 1, 2019 whereby motorists driving slower than 60km/h will be required by law to leave a minimum of 1 metre when passing someone cycling. When driving faster than 60km/hr the distance increases to least 1.5 metres of space when passing. Failure to leave the minimum safe passing distance may result in a $203 fine as per the new bylaw. 

Don't get me wrong, as I'm all for taking measures to protect cyclists, and that includes giving my support for the dedicated cycling lanes that have been introduced on certain streets and avenues. I have an issue though, and I'm sure it's not just a sore point with me since many drivers have probably faced the same scenario when encountering bicycles on the road.

• You're driving in the right hand lane on a busy street and come up behind a cyclist riding in the same direction. 
• Keeping in mind safety, not withstanding the new bylaw that's coming out, you wait for a clear lane on your left and swing out and around the bicycle, giving him/her adequate space as you pass and then return to the right hand lane. 
• Now you're sitting at the next light and that same cyclist squeezes past you between the curb and your car and is now in front of you again, meaning you once again must pass them while giving them that safety space of one metre! 
• Sometimes the cyclist can't squeeze past on the right so they go up on the sidewalk or boulevard to get past, or ride by on the left side and cut back in front that way.

Aggravating, right? I mean, you treat the cyclist with respect and give them their full lane in which to ride when you pass them and they don't seem to respect you back. And i see the temptation, with the ability to scoot through backed up traffic and get ahead, but are you suprised that drivers get irate and start cutting you off or getting a tad too close for comfort.

Just like the foolish motorcyclist who's ripping around, weaving in and out of traffic, being a wahoo and going too fast for the road and traffic conditions, are selfish cyclists setting themselves and fellow riders up for an incident or some sort of injury because drivers get fed up or don't care about their safety? Something to think about, that's for sure. 

Fresh Start Recovery Centre Scavenger Hunt Ride

Ever wish you could have a fresh start at something? We all have those moments when some of the things in our daily lives don't quite work out as we planned and we wished we could have another shot at it to see if we can get it right. Now imagine you have a very real issue, like an addiction of some sort, and feel like you have nowhere to go and nobody to help you out.

Enter the Fresh Start Recovery Centre, a facility here in Calgary who help with  "recovering lives by housing, treating and supporting people affected by addiction".

The Fresh Start treatment program follows the disease concept, seeing addiction as an illness that is progressive and potentially fatal if not treated properly. In their 40,000 sq.ft. purpose built home, they employ an interdisciplinary approach to treating addiction through individual and group counseling sessions, in conjunction with enhanced recreational and therapeutic activities by creating an atmosphere conducive to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual growth.

As you can imagine, this is no small task and there's a fair bit of expense to keeping this program going, which is one of the reasons there's a fundraiser "scavenger hunt" style motorcycle ride taking place this Saturday, August 24.

One of the great things about the Fresh Start program is the way they use the money they raise. Many charities spend donated dollars on administration and fundraising campaigns. Yes, some oranizations spend as much as half of every dollar raised to fundraise for more money!. With Fresh Start, 85% of the money donated to their program goes toward running the program, which is why they're so highly rated by Charity Intelligence Canada.

The scavenger hunt style of motorcycle ride is not just a different ride, with various destinations that seek you to challenge yourself and your fellow riders. This year they expect about 250 riders and, as always, you can expect a great bunch of people who all love to ride and who support such a great initiative.

Umbrella's Aren't Just For Rain!

An umbrella insurance policy is extra liability insurance coverage that goes beyond the limits of the insureds' home, auto or watercraft insurance, adding an extra layer of coverage for those with a higher level of risk exposure.

There's a very good chance that most people will fit into one of the following categories, of having children, partaking in hobbies, travelling, using social media, or perhaps owning rental property or being a volunteer with some organisation or charity group. 

Think about social media for a second. Who doesn't participate in this activity? But also consider the potential for risk when you think of the hundreds or thousands of people that may see a post where you might commit libel, slander or breach of privacy. A defamatory review of a business or service or a photo "published" of someone that doesn't want their photo shown are certainly quite possible, even if innocently done.

And what about those kids? They're on social media as well, or out and about doing kid things, especially if they're teens. If your dependent is responsible for some sort of damaging action, you, the parent, could be held responsible. 

Image courtesy of Wawanesa

Canadians are becoming more and more litigious and sometimes basic coverage just isn't enough, which is why getting an umbrella policy should be an easy decision. It's often more affordable than increasing limits on each policy base and it extends worldwide.

Load That Thing!

We're fortunate in this country to be able to use our motorcycles for pleasure riding, but in so many places in the world people use their bikes for work, including delivery of materials and wares, not to mention people of course. 

Check out some of these insane loads that have been strapped to motorcycles, and marvel at how the rider is able to handle the bike, or sometimes even see where they're going!! haha.

I hope there aren't any other passengers under that load!

How on earth is the rider seeing the road?

Some good balancing skills at work here.

I hope this guy doesn't have a "quack up"! yuk yuk yuk

These bottles have to be empty, or the weight would probably collapse the tires.

Hmmm, would he accept passengers riding in the front?

And I always thought Paul was the "Egg Man"

A different type of baaaad driver!

How heavy is this load of lumber?

9 on a bike may be somewhat dangerous but also impressive!

Fine Point - Ballpen!

Too few motorcyclists know how invisible they are when on the road with their bikes, and too few vehicle drivers take the extra second or two to look for that bike that can be hidden from your view by the smallest of objects.

The video shows just how the smallest of objects can obscure your view, and how drivers need to take that extra time and double check before pulling out onto the road or turning across the opposing lane(s) of a road.