Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 37 Entries. Sunday, February 7 View Page Well here is something you don't see everyday! The Olympic torch came through Pemberton yesterday. Sunday, February 14 View Page I live only about 30kms from where the 2010 winter olympics are taking place and about 2 years ago we purchased a package which had tickets for 9 different events. First event was Mens Normal Hill Ski Jumping. Here's a picture for Mikka, Janne Ahonen's last jump of the day. The crowd was really pulling for the old Finn to win another medal but he came up just short in 4th. Sunday, February 14 View Page Some crazy Norweigans!!! Living so close to all the action and having to deal with all the construction and delays over the last 5 years really has kind of left a sour taste in alot of mouths here in BC, myself included to some extent. Then when you show up to an event and meet alot of people from different countries and see how excited all the tourists are with their flags and costumes and cowbells, you really get caught up in it all. The Europeans especially at the Nordic events make it alot of fun! Sunday, February 14 View Page The whole fam damily!! Sunday, February 14 View Page The final leaderboard. Sunday, February 14 View Page Gold medalist from Switzerland, Simon Ammann, the first gold medal awarded at the 2010 Olympics. Sunday, February 21 View Page A beautiful crisp clear morning welcomes the start of the Ladies Downhill. It's Lindsey Vonn's race to lose, but will the most famous "shin" at the Olympics hold up? Sunday, February 21 View Page It's only 9:30 in the morning but the crowd is fine form. Flags, jerseys, hats, drums and yes of course... Sunday, February 21 View Page ...cowbells!! You can't beat the Swiss when it comes to cowbells, they are huge, loud and they are everywhere! This group of 8 made the 1/2 mile walk uphill with their bells and you could hear them coming the whole way. When the Swiss skiers came down they rang the whole time! I have to say the Europeans know how to have fun at the Olympics and help to make it a really great time. Sunday, February 21 View Page Anja Paerson of Sweden was headed for the podium maybe even the gold so I decided to snap a picture when she came off of "Hot Air" headed for the finish. Its hard to tell here but she flew over 200' feet through the air at about 70 mph, way bent out of shape. She nearly landed it but in the end bailed pretty hard. She was shaken pretty bad but got off the hill on her own. It would have made things pretty interesting but in the end... Sunday, February 21 View Page ...Lindsey Vonn would not be denied. Infact she shredded the course and destroyed the field. Right now there is no one better! Sunday, February 21 View Page Another stellar day, this time Ladies 15k Biathlon. Sunday, February 21 View Page Ski as fast as you can, shoot 20 shots at a target the size of the round end a beer can 50m away, all the while your heart rate is around 180 beats per minute. It really is amazing!! Sunday, February 21 View Page Gold medalist Tora Berger of Norway. I think this was her 3rd time at the shooting stations. They shoot 4 times, twice standing and twice prone 5 shots each time. She missed once which is a 1 minute penalty but she skied the race about 90 seconds faster than anyone else. Sunday, February 21 View Page My 7 year old son Sam with the 3 wolves of the Callaghan. Before the olympics started I wondered how our 2 boys aged 7 and 6 would enjoy this experience with all the bus rides, waiting in lineups, and the long walks. To my surprise they seem to be taking it all in strid and getting more out of it than the rest of us. They just soak it up, they remember who won what and which country they were from, what their flags look like and how loud their fans cheered. Until this past week Sam had never uttered the words "where is Austria?" When we got home I had to pull out the old Readers Digest Atlas and show him! Sunday, May 2 View Page 845 Bobier and 842 Eaton were put in a GA3 soak today. 1306 Jutras and my own 921 are soaking beside them in straight water. Fingers crossed for the first 2. Tuesday, May 4 View Page 1306 Jutras and my 921 both went off in just over 24 hrs, they are both now planted in dirt and are back in the the germination box. Nothing yet from the 845 or 842 but I wasn't exactly expecting them yet.....soon I hope! Tuesday, May 4 View Page View of the patch with a couple greenhouses out warming the soil. Its been very cool here so I'm OK with being 5 or 6 days behind. Some of you may notice 35 new Emerald Cedar hedgings on the south side of my patch to help block some of the incredible winds I receive from that direction. So far so good. I was worried about the shade they might give my patch but at 10' high I'm only getting about 4' of shade so no problem there. And for you newbies the answer is YES, to grow a big pumpkin you must have your own fire hydrant!! Thursday, May 6 View Page No sign of life from the 845 yet but my 842 Eaton is ready for for some soil!! I had 2 842's, the first one didn't germinate last year so this year was my final kick at the cat. Want to thank Eddy Z for his advice with the GA3 as I think it made a huge difference. Saturday, May 8 View Page After years of having greenhouses get blown from wind or crushed from snow in the winter I bit the bullet and bought enough metal to build 4 of these guys. Tuesday, May 11 View Page Well I guess its a no-go for the 845 Bobier...so the 1467 Perham it is. Gotta have a good West coast seed in there somewhere!! Saturday, June 19 View Page My 1306 Jutras inside the new coldframes I built. They are 8' long and 6' wide, and both sides roll up for venting. This plant has pretty much outgrown it's house... Saturday, June 19 View Page ...so the 2 plywood sides and the plywood front come off and the plant is allowed to grow out from underneath, while the frame will remain in place for the duration of the season. The rear plywood piece and the 2 gable ends also remain intact to help provide some wind protection for the young plant. I should also be able to easily control the amount of moisture that the crown gets as well. Wednesday, June 30 View Page What I was greeted with when I came home for lunch today. Two neighbors dogs were seen doing laps in my patch this morning and this is what they left for me... a partially severed main vine on my 1306 Jutras. This is at 12.5 feet, my first female was due to open at around 14.5-15.5 feet in about a week. To make it worse this is the best plant I've ever had at this time of year, just about threw up my lunch when I saw it. Wednesday, June 30 View Page View #2. The entire leaf/secondary/flower node was torn out of the main vine, its the peice laying on the right. The vine was severed with the grain rather than across it so I'm hoping for the best. My wife came out to have a look and wanted to know what the bowls of anti-freeze were for? I explained that it was to keep the SVB's away, "but we don't have SVB's" she says...I'm joking of course...sort of. Sunday, September 12 View Page Well after a long hiatus from the interaweb my computer's fixed and this farmers back online. We had a great trip to Nova Scotia again this August, and finally made it to Windsor and the Dill farm. Met Danny and he gave us the full tour, a great time for the whole family. He had a beauty going on the 1678 Hunt and he was even nice enough to slip me a killer seed before I left! Thanks for the good times Danny. Sunday, September 12 View Page We stopped for some ice cream in Windsor and a photo-op with the man himself. I'm not sure what Howards fruit is taping here but its a monster! Sunday, September 12 View Page I owe a huge thank you to my Dad for taking top notch care of my pumpkins while I was away. Pemberton was above 90* the whole time we were gone and the plants looke better when I came back than when I left. Thanks Pop! Sunday, September 12 View Page The 1306 right around 600 pounds. I had high hopes for this one but after the dog fiasco with the main vine it was an uphill battle from there. Great shape on this one though and should make 700. The little pumpkin on the left is the one I pollinated on the severd main vine. It has 2 secondarys that are keeping it alive and it has still mangaged to make it to 200 pounds, truly amazing plants! Sunday, September 12 View Page My 2 year quest to grow an 842 Eaton has ended. Last year I had no germiantion, this year major flat vine. I nearly yanked it out but I just couldn't, I pollinated it with my 1306 and I got this beauty. Nearing 450 now with great shape and color. There was no pruning on this plant and it actually has 3 others on it all with good color and shape and all should make 200 pounds for some great porch pumpkins. Anyone got spare 842 laying around...I hear 3 times a charm;) Sunday, September 12 View Page Well the first time I've planted my own seed and so far so good. This is from the 921 I grew last year (1536VK X 1255VK). Barring disaster it should easily be a new PB for me, and if I don't catch a case of the splits that have kept me away from Nanaimo for the past 2 years I should be there with bells on. Sunday, September 12 View Page The only thing that grows faster around here than pumpkins is my belly and the patch monkeys! This is Owen and he was just saying how Double J is still doing about 10 pounds a day, slowed quite a bit but it'll do. My patch has had some big Septembers and were hoping for another one! Thursday, September 16 View Page The newest patch monkey and the only one not to grace my diary yet, my 16 month old Nicholas. It was just after this he spoke his first full sentence, he said "Dave Pley were coming for you!" Pretty cocky I know, and I told him so...but look at him, how can you get mad at that little face? Saturday, September 18 View Page A little surgery today on my 921. The butt crack you see on the right also makes a perfect funnel for any moisture to roll down and sit directly on the now concave blossom end. The moisture is slowly eating away at the blossoms flesh and left unchecked would eventually eat right through I'm sure. I scraped away the small amount of surface rot and dried it. Then with my trusty Lexel sealant made a small dyke that will divert any water away from the blossom and then... Saturday, September 18 View Page ...covered the blossom with about 1/2 an inch of Lexel as well, that should keep the moisture out. Disaster averted for now. Tuesday, September 21 View Page So I heard of all the critters that have attacked some growers patches. Mice, groundhogs, squirels, deer, even humans...but what insecticide do you use for a 6.5 foot black bear?? He had a go at the 400 pounder on my 1467 Perham last night, might have to tie the dog in the patch tonight. Tuesday, September 28 View Page Inspired by Don Young, my 921 from the roof of my house. Still growing slowly but not much, lots of rain and cold weather has really put the brakes on. This is one of our rare days of sun the from past few weeks. The entire patch was one giant mud bog but I ditched and trenched in a few spots and that helped alot. Nanaimo can't come soon enough.