Pond Hockey

One of my favorite things to do in life is skate on a pond.  As many of you know I've played hockey all of my life and there's a certain meditation I've found being on the ice - the rest of the world, my problems, whatever is going on, all seem to disappear and there's a magic unlike any other as my skates hit the ice.  This feeling is magnified and amplified on a pond, outdoors, with the breeze in my face and surrounded by nature.  While the skating conditions may not be ideal, the atmosphere is unreal.  Fortunately, neighbors and family friends have a pond in their yard and when the weather cooperates, pond hockey happens.  Here are a few of the photos from a few days a few weeks ago:

(A shot of the ice, late at night, as the drizzling rain came down)

(The ice was so bad at one point I decided to wear a helmet...  I'm a pretty good skater for those of you don't know or who have never seen me play.)

(Here you can get a sense of the rain and how wet it was while we played.  I literally took my skate off and poured water out of it when we finished.)

(A shot of the ice)

(I grew up playing hockey with Kritty's brother and luckily for us, he was a goal tender.  Even luckier, he decided to go home and get his gear and suit up.  We stayed out until midnight on the worst ice I've ever skated on just because we had a tendy.  Special thanks Kritty.)

(A few of the players from left to right - Chevy, Barry, myself, Frankie, Trevor, and Kritty without his pads on earlier in the day.)

(Not quite sure what I was doing here - I do know rum and coke slushies were being made, hence the blue cup in the foreground.)

(This sweater was a gift from a family in Canada, the Anhorn's.  Currently, at least in the realm of pond hockey, it stands undefeated at 6 - 0.  Not sure if it will be retired, although I highly doubt it.)

(The one afternoon I was able to make it out before anyone else got there - Heaven on Earth)

(Chevy, myself, and Frank, with Stu-Ball photo bombing in the background)

(The one night my nephew made his way to the pond - it's always a pleasure to skate with him)

(The happiness is evident)

Hockey Hall of Fame, St. Lawrence Market, Distillery District, and a little Korean Food

My first full day of adventure found me headed downtown to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  While I'm boycotting the NHL for the next two years, I still support the sport.  Let me tell you, there is a lot of memorabilia in the Hall.  It took me a few hours to make my way around and I could have spent a few days inside.  Next, I walked down to St. Lawrence Market, a nifty market place with all sorts of shops.  It kind of reminded me of the Reading Terminal Market in Philly.  After that, I headed farther to the east and after stopping for directions, found myself in the Distillery District, an old distillery which has now been turned in to a variety of shops.  I finished the day in Korea Town with some kimchi jiggae while Hiroko had some gamja tang or pork spine soup.  It was great, but not nearly as tasty as the food in Korea...

 (The Hockey Hall of Fame)

(A little different angle.  It is actually found inside an old bank.)

 (Getting ready to hop the boards)

 (Canada even minted a coin, but I can't remember if it was simply for hockey or the Hall)

 (The logo)

 (As you make your way inside and down the escalator to the Hall)

(Hockey - enough said)

 (A variety of pucks)

(I only managed to snipe 2 out of 5 on the electronic tender.  Although I think it was rigged.  I had at least 4 from what I saw...)

 (A shot inside the Hall)

 (A few of the old rings)

(Dome inside the trophy room)

 (There's me and Lord Stanley's Cup, one of two)

(It was originally called the Challenge Cup and was paid for by Lord Stanley, awarded to the best team in Canada.  From my understanding, he believed a Cup would normalize rules throughout the land.)

(A few of the other trophies)

(A final look inside the trophy room from the vault)

(The old bank vault where they keep the old rings of the Cup)

(International section of the Hall)

(Outside view of St. Lawrence Market)

(Just an idea of what the inside looks like)

 (This begins the Distillery District.  I have a feeling this would have been a lot better area to visit in the summer.  However, it was still worth seeing.)

 (This stone was actually brought over from England)

(An old truck)

(An old clock)

(These were used to make sure the pressure didn't get too high in the distillery)

 (A few barrels on a wagon - don't mind if I do)

(I guess this is modern art...)

(A picture of a picture of some of the old workers from the distillery)

(Inside one of the buildings)

(Hiroko at work)

(I was a little bit excited for Korean food, even though my hair was a hot mess and Hiroko never told me)

(There's a little pork spine soup, which was actually really tasty and the meat was oh so tender)

 (Kimchi Jiggae or Kimchi Soup, one of my favorites, of all foods)

(Hiroko getting ready to devour her soup)

(Well, at least one of us finished all of our food...)

(Tiger, Korean Style, for good luck)