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- Sailing
- I first learned to sail on Lac St. Anne near
Edmonton, Alberta when I was twelve years old. Dad bought an International Fireball, a
sixteen foot Olympic class racing dinghy (well, it was an Olympic class then - since
replaced by the Laser) with main, jib and spinnaker, and we all took lessons at the
lakeside village of Gunn. We got hooked on sailing and later Dad and even later, I
myself, obtained Coastal Cruising Certificates from the Canadian Yachting Association,
allowing us to charter cruising sailboats. Our family spent several summer vacations
cruising the coast of British Columbia exploring the many coves of the Gulf Islands. I've
sailed up and down the west coast of Canada, in southern California, the Gulf of Thailand,
and the leeward islands of the Caribbean. The motion of the waves and the feel of a fresh
breeze will relax you like nothing else.
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- Martial Arts
- The rigorous training of the mind and body, physical fitness and personal confidence are
the most rewarding aspects of martial arts for
me. It's not about beating people up or even so much about self-defense. It's about
conditioning, flexibility and concentration. I began with traditional Shotokan Karate and
have since studied forms of Aikido, Jeet Kune Do and Wu Shu Gong Fu. Goal: develop enough
patience to practice Tai Qi Quan.
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- Rugby
- Many of years of playing hook necessitated retirement before I was ready to stop. As if
anybody's ready to quit, right? These days I have to content myself with playing in the
Beijing Devils RFC touch rugby league, when I'm in China. We have more than a dozen teams
and play a spring and autumn season. If you are in Beijing you must come out and play. If
you can't make it to Beijing then maybe you can check out the Rugby World Cup. Bones I have broken playing
rugby: clavicle, ulna.
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- Snowboarding
- After many years as a skier I took up snowboarding
as a winter sport in order to try something new. Much to my surprise I found that it is
far easier on the knees than was skiing and the feeling of surfing over the snow is
incomparable to sliding along on two planks. Riding deep powder is my favourite activity
but I have lately worked on riding bumps with my 'boarding mates since one does need to be
able to display appropriate skill and finesse when descending the liftline. Highlight day
so far was heli 'boarding north of Whistler
on New Year's Day 1999 - awesome. High note: 30,000 vertical feet in one day. Low note:
broke wide angle camera lens and cracked rib slipping on ice below helicopter landing
zone.
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- Inline Skating
- Inline skating is good, low impact exercise in dry weather and you can really get
moving. I was a volunteer IISA National Skate
Patrol member in Vancouver's Stanley Park and had a great time, meeting many
interesting people while assisting the public with skating safety and providing first aid.
I like inline for the aerobic workout without the brutal leg and spine pounding of
jogging. These days I skate up Kelly Drive near Boathouse Row in Philadelphia and then
back down the other side of Fairmount Park for exercise on the weekends.
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- Music
- I grew up in a family in which all the children were encouraged, nay, required to take
some form of musical instruction. Like most children, I resented the time that my piano
and guitar lessons and practising took away from sports and playing out of doors. I
stopped taking lessons as a young teenager but continued to play sporadically on my own.
In high school I sang in a choral group and played bass and sang in a rock and roll band.
In the years since I have continued to play recreationally for relaxation and enjoyment -
mostly blues, R&B and classic rock. My musical tastes are fairly eclectic ranging from
classical through blues, R&B, country, jazz, metal, and rap. Just don't give me no
disco or funk.
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- Currently I own five guitars: my original House of Banjo acoustic upon which I learned
so many years ago (now I guess I've given this to my sister Carole since she expressed an
interest in learning to play); a 1967 Baldwin 503 electric guitar like Lenny Breau used to
play (looks like a Strat); an Ovation Applause CC67 acoustic with built-in pickup; an
Ovation acoustic bass with active electronics, and; a Fender Telecaster - my
sweetie, I love that twang! I have about eight harmonicas, and various things for banging
on. I have a couple of SM58 knock-offs for microphones. Top it all off with a little
Tascam Porta03 four-track recorder my Dad gave me and you have a recipe for hours of
musical fun. My Rhodes keyboard is in Edmonon at Mom's place, but that's okay - I can
hardly play it anyway. I haven't got my MIDI gear set up in Philly but at some point I'll
put the studio back together and crank out a few MP3s. Depending how they turn out I may
post them on my site!
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