Layoffs

 We got notice last week that the company is planning on laying off 25% (~130 people) of its Canadian corporate workforce, with the expectation of either eliminating the roles or moving them to the US (where most our growth has been over the past few years). They offered everybody in Canada voluntary buyout packages - deadline to accept is this week. If they don't get enough takers, then in December they'll proceed with further layoffs. So it's a pretty broad brush, difficult to see exactly how things will operate afterwards.

I did some math over the weekend and think I'm better off taking the risk of the layoff and turning down the package (though it's pretty generous, as these things go). 

Nobody is "safe", but my guess is someone would step in and pull me out of the layoff list if it comes to that, though I would expect it's likely that I would be reassigned to a completely different job. There's always the risk that doesn't happen, though. I think afterwards it will be quite stressful, both coming to terms with  colleagues who left either voluntarily and involuntarily, and then trying to figure out how to make everything work after the fact with significantly less people. 

I've been through quite a few layoff rounds but it's been a while since the last big one, and this looks like the biggest one since maybe around 2013 or so. There's been hardly any work done over the last couple of weeks - this is all anyone is talking about.

I'm a bit cranky as the new CEO is spending money on unnecessary things that primarily benefit the executive, and has hired several friends as VPs, and I'm not sold on the strategic direction of the company, but I'll get over it. Should know more about how I'm impacted by early December. 

Aurora - Oct 10/24

I know the Strathcona County roads well from biking on them so we drove out for a look. Best aurora view I've ever seen personally.

A Few More Pictures from Kelowna

Kelowna visit

 

We went out yesterday with Lisa and Laura's ashes and planted them with some native plants at an out- of-the-way spot chosen by Richard. It was good to be together to do that; it's almost exactly five years since Lisa died. We are having a great visit; I don't think we have been all together for four years or so. The last time Laura was with us.

Camping

 Had quite a few people over on Folk Fest weekend for lunch - hope everyone who came had fun. It was good to see everyone. We had a total of 24 guests this year.

On the Monday after, Nancy and I headed out to Kananaskis, where we camped from M-F. The campground we were at - Spray Lakes West - was both new to us and "new", having been recently rebuilt. It's a very nice campground, set right on Spray Lakes (reservoir for the Bow Hydro power system). The access road to the campground is built over a dam and there is the Three Sisters hydro plant on one side so that was also interesting. Highway 742 south of Canmore is gravel, as were accesses to all the hikes we did, but our little car did great bumping over the washboards and potholes despite being loaded with our camping gear, including 100 lbs of firewood and a 3'+ long cooler we lug along these days due to its superior ice retention properties.

After the fires this year, we weren't getting our hopes up but the fire ban was lifted, so we could have a proper camping trip, pizza irons and all. 

Morning fog over Spray Lakes by the campground

Deer in campground

Hydro station

We mostly had good weather. A couple of days it rained briefly in the afternoon but we were back from hiking by then.. Had some loud neighbours for a couple nights but what can you do. 

We did some nice hiking. On Nancy's birthday, we did the Tent Ridge horseshoe, which has you climbing to the top of a  ridge and following it around in a semi-circle to two more peaks so you are on the top of the ridge for most of the day. This is probably one of my new favourite hikes. 

Tent Ridge in centre frame of this panorama, with the semi-circular ridge approach to the left

Nancy doing some light scrambling to the first ridge peak

Rock that looks like a middle finger

Repeater station at the top of the first ridge point

Approach to Tent Ridge. Unfortunately you have to descend from the first peak, then back up again

Valley from the col

Top of the second high point

From Tent Ridge summit

The next day we did Windtower, which I partly picked out of the guidebook from its proximity to our campsite, and partly due to the cool-sounding name. Nancy didn't make it to the top but that's what walkie-talkies are for. At the summit the cliffs around it are sheer, which makes it pretty exciting-looking. 

Windtower from the meadow before the final ascent

The dropoff from Windtower is sheer

View of Spray Lake and the summit cairns on Windtower

The next day we opted for something a bit more prosaic. Ha Ling is one of the most popular hikes around Canmore and the trail was redone in 2019. We had never done it though so we went up this trail, which was indeed very busy despite it being midweek. All ages were doing this, including some babies (firmly attached to mom) and what appeared to be a group from the octogenarian set.

In some parts what are basically staircases have been built to assist hikers up steep sections

Nancy approaches the summit

Ha Ling summit panorama

Miners Peak is off the saddle of Ha Ling. This is the view from it. There was a lone patch of green with a couple of trees that I found quite charming

We also went to Grassi Lakes. It was a bit more strenous than expected after just having done Ha Ling half an hour before but was worth it. 

Upper Grassi Lake

Climber on the rock wall above Grassi Lakes

For the third camping trip in a row, we left on a Friday after camping for the week and for the third time in a row, we had to pack up wet as it was raining on departure. C'est la vie. 

Next week we have Symphony Under the Sky and I've been toying with seeing Metallica when they visit Commonwealth as well. 

In other news, Nancy is thinking of working remotely in Spain for a month or so next year and I would take a couple weeks off for us to go on vacation there. It's very preliminary but thinking mid-spring. 

Garden

 

 

 

Allison, you wanted garden pictures. The top is Will and Allie's rododendrens. Bottom  is hostas. The hostas everywhere here are very lush and large. The garden isn't doing much yet.

After such a busy week we decided to give the boys and their parents a day to themselves and we drove over to the Hopewell Rocks at the Bay of Fundy. We have been there once before, when we were here for Will's wedding, but the site wasn't open for the season so we just kind of snuck in. This time we did the whole thing. It is a very well done site, with a big interpretative center (with gift shop!) and trails down to the bay. We arrived at high tide, so you can see in the first picture that the water is high. Low tide was at 7 pm, so we thought we would have to hang around till then, but 7 is when the tide starts to return, so we could go down at around 4. It was amazing to walk where the bay had been covered in 35 feet of water only hours before. Most people just walked around the rocks you see in the picture, but we walked quite a bit further along the water and saw some spectacular rock formations. On the way home we went to a Big Stop for supper.
Weather has been pretty nice, although we were under a heat dome for a couple of days, which is something we don't experience often at home. We certainly don't have the humidity.

Will is done parental leave and they don't have childcare for the summer so there will be a lot of juggling of schedules for them. At least we will be here for a couple of weeks to help out.

Owen calls me Baba and Geoff is Babi. Sim is most interested in the Titanic, he talks about it a lot. We are having a lot of fun with the boys.

• 

 

Second "annual" family lunch - August 10

 Nancy and I would be happy to host everyone who wants to come for a casual get-together/lunch on August 10 at around noon (Folk Fest weekend) at our house. Nancy's family (most of them anyway) will also be coming over. This will be similar to last year's, which was successful.

If interested, please confirm in the comment section here so we know what to plan for food. Please share with those not on the blog (or who forgot about it).

Truro

 I guess our travelling is not quite done. We went to Truro on Monday to look after the boys while Will and Allie attended a conference. They left Monday morning and we followed on the afternoon after picking Sim up from school. We had a good time with the boys on Tuesday. The weather was good so we spent most of the day outside. We went to one of the best playgrounds I have ever been to, called the Fundy Discover Site. Among other things it has a large sandy area with a working water pump and lots of shovels and pots for water play. The boys both had a great time there.

Since we were there for childcare, the diocese covered our room and meals - a pretty good deal for us,  and we didn't even have to put the kids to bed, their parents did that. We came back early this morning to get Sim to school.

It's so good to see the boys. Owen has changed so much since we saw him last. He's toddling everywhere and talking all the time.

It's hot here today and supposed to be hotter tomorrow. It feels almost tropical with the humidity. I'm not complaining - frost warnings in Rocky, Jude had to cover the plants.

This is a very busy household. Both Will and Allie are off to meetings again tomorrow, but we will stay here this time. On Friday there is a community supper that Will and Allie coordinate.