Take a look at this 1913 converted fire hall in San Francisco, it’s a restored fire hall make into a single family residence.
All over Saskatchewan there are these great looking garages in small dying towns that are just deteriorating. Wendy and I have always thought how great it would be to move and restore one and make it into a great summer home at the lake.
I posted this to my own weblog but I thought I would post it here as well as it has to do with the cabin, outdoorsman, and all of that. Along with this gift guide, I have posted several others over at my personal weblog in the Christmas gift ideas.
Straight from the Leftorium, the MEC Left Handed Slingpack. Wendy has had a slingpack for years and just about jumped for joy when I told her that there was a left handed version available. She may have actually wept a tear of joy.
Topeak Alien III Mini Folding Bicycle Tool :: 25 function folding tool with bag will keep you biking all day long, even if your body won’t want you to.
Pelican 1050 waterproof case :: These are great camera/GPS/iPod cases. They are water proof, padded, floatable, and strong enough to take a lot of abuse in the back of your trunk or any backpack. They are pretty much indestructible which means that of all of the things you have to worry about, this isn’t one of them.
While this cycling computer/GPS by Garmin may be out of your price range, the Cateye Wireless Bicycle Computer displays speed, max speed, average speed, trip distance, 2nd trip distance, total distance, elapsed time, and a clock for a very affordable price with a big screen for easy viewing.
Leatherman Wave Multitool with Leather Sheath :: The most popular full-size Leatherman tool has been upgraded with larger knives, stronger pliers, longer wire cutters and all-locking blades. The pliers have been redesigned to withstand more than double the previous squeezing load.
Outdoor Coffee Press :: Now there is no reason to bring that horrible tasting Starbucks Via coffee with you when you go camping or hiking. Instead bring some fresh ground coffee or loose leaf tea with you and make some excellent coffee when ever you want with this outdoor coffee press. In case you have never made coffee with a coffee press, check out the definitive guide to making good coffee by Derek Powazek. Of course you won’t bring a bean grinder with you on most trips but it gives you an idea of what it takes to make a good cup of coffee while on the road. Of course you need something to drink it from. You may want to check out some excellent stainless steel coffee mugs/beer mugs to drink from.
Cammenga Lensatic Compass :: This is the Rolls Royce of compasses. It has been used by U.S. troops, foreign militaries, law enforcement, and special forces for years. A total of seven Tritium light sources provide readability in total darkness for 10 years without external power or the need to "recharge" using a flashlight.
Coleman Aluminum Cookset :: It’s a four piece cookset for under $9 on Amazon.com. They weigh almost nothing and have some good reviews. While they won’t replace your cookware at home. Coleman has a non-stick set as well. If you want something stainless steel, Texsport makes a set for under $14.
I already mentioned this Pathfinder watch from Casio. Is there anything this watch can’t do? It includes a digital compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer. It’s altitude measurement up to 10,000 meters in the air and 100 meters under water. I am still a fan of Timex Atlantis 100 watches which you can give with the stainless steel or the more traditional polyurethane strap. For those of you who are Timex Ironman fans, don’t overlook their latest reincarnation.
All three seasons of Survivorman on DVD. You can order them from the Les Stroud Productions store. Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3. We have all three DVDs and they are a lot of fun to watch. You can also order them from Amazon as well. Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3. In case you just want to see how Les Stroud survives in the American wilderness, you can order this DVD as well.
Not only is Mark a big fan of the show but Wendy has become quite a fan as well which around here is the entire television viewing family.
In case you want to take some photos while you are out in the wild, you will want a Camera Pod. I recently ordered one and have come to love it. Despite being made in Canada, Amazon.com won’t ship them here and so you can order them from Les Stroud Productions or get them from The Pod.ca. If you are in the United States, you can get them from Amazon.com. You may also be interested in this Pedco Lightweight Camera Tripod.
While we are talking about Les Stroud and Survivorman, you may want to consider his book, Survive!. While it isn’t on Amazon.com, there is another edition with full color photographs and the ultimate edition comes with a DVD as well but the paperback can be picked up at Amazon.com.
Bushnell BackTrack GPS :: The Bushnell Backtrack- Never Get Lost Again with the easiest to use personal location finder for around $50. Just mark the location and BackTrack will help you get back. Use it at the mall and stadium parking lots, at the festival, the park, for travel or your next outdoor adventure.
For other Christmas Gift Guides keep checking out the Christmas gift idea category for other ideas as we keep creeping closer and closer to Christmas.
As I have written before, my awesome husband Jordon does most of the Christmas shopping at our house. He also has written some excellent Christmas gift guides that are being uploaded over the last several weeks. So if you are looking for the right gift for the special person, check out these links.
Apparently he still has some more to come and you can find them all listed in his Christmas Gift Ideas category. Best of luck with your Christmas shopping! You can also follow Jordon on Twitter.
I cross posted this to my personal weblog but I thought I would post a version here.
Jordon posted about Survivorman and Les Stroud a couple of weeks ago and he got an email from Les Stroud Productions and an offer of some Survivorman DVDs. He accepted the offer and on Friday a signed copy of all three seasons of Survivorman came in the mail. Of course this is what I was going to get Jordon for Christmas but there is always Les Stroud’s book, Survive! to get Jordon.
Today we are sitting back and watching a couple of episodes of Survivorman as a family.
I really understand why Jordon, Mark, and even Tiger Woods really gets into the show. Les Stroud is pretty funny with a dry wit and you can’t help but be impressed that not only can he survive with no food and no water but he manages to do a fantastic job at filming it all. It’s a great show to watch as a family.
What is also pretty impressive is that by changing up the scenario and location, each episode has a much different feel to it while at the same time he manages to gross me out by what he eats (the above episode has him eating raw seal meat – although so did Canada’s Governor General and later a seal’s eye ball). The other great part of it is that not everything turns out as planned. “A crappy igloo” that falls apart, cutting himself while having monkey’s toss things at him in Costa Rico add a lot to the show.
Mark is pretty excited to try out what he learned next summer at the lake. He according to this post by Jordon (and confirmed several times by Mark), he plans to eat some grasshoppers this summer. I’ll let you know how that turns out. I have a feeling an emergency hospital trip could be in Mark’s future.
Margy has written a great post on why you should visit Powell River this winter and even rent on of those great floating cabins like the one she lives in. If you live in British Columbia or planning a trip there, it sounds like a great place to visit.
Jordon finally posted some of our Thanksgiving photos from the lake to Flickr. Despite being the middle of October, it was cold out. When we got to the cabin, inside was at freezing and with four heaters, it took around 5 hours to warm up to 20 degrees Celsius. Once night came the heat dropped down to about 18 degrees but that was find with us. We have a radiant heater that we direct towards Mark and Oliver at night and sleep as comfortable as they do at home. Jordon and I hunker down under a big pile of blankets and rely on the dogs for some extra heat as well.
Jordon and Mark went for a long walk along the beach and throughout Arlington Beach. Mark was walking along the beach and fell into the lake. We aren’t sure how that happened and even Mark was laughing at the idea that he fell into the lake. He got his feet wet but that was about it. Oliver and I stayed inside. It was too cold and I didn’t want him to get sick.
On Sunday, we drove to Regina and ran some errands. I am the world’s worst packer and had to run to Dollarama to get some stuff. The good news is that they had yoga pants for $2 and I found a pair there that fit me as I forgot to pack enough pants for me. As you can see the from the video, we ran into a train on a very, very quiet prairie highway on the way back to the cabin.
Later that Sunday, we headed over to Kinney Memorial Lodge for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with about 200 of our closest friends. The meal cost us $16 per person but it was worth it as it was a great evening. There was turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, turnip puff, and a lot of salads and desserts.
We sadly closed up the cabin that weekend for the winter and headed back to Saskatoon. We hope to be back in early April. Hopefully the weather agrees with us.
