Last Saskatchewan Pirate

Saskatoon Ex had some great stuff this year. Including this accidental find. A band by the name of Fun in the Front seat. They played a rendition the Last Saskatchewan Pirate.

Here's the lyrics to sing along.

I used to be a farmer, and I made a living fine,
I had a little stretch of land along the CP line
But times were hard and though I tried, the money wasn't there
And bankers came and took my land and told me "fair is fair"

I looked for every kind of job, the answer always no
"Hire you now?" they'd always laugh, "we just let twenty go!"
The government, the promised me a measly little sum
But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum.

Then I thought, who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone?
I'm gonna be a PIRATE on the river Saskatchewan!!!

Cause it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains
Stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains
It's a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores

Well, you'd think the local farmers would know that I'm at
large
But just the other day I found an unprotected barge
I snuck up right behind them and they were none the wiser,
I rammed their ship and sank it and I stole their fertilizer!

A bridge outside of Moosejaw spans a mighty river
Farmers cross in so much fear their stomachs are a'quiver
Cause they know that Captain Tractor is waitin' in the bay
I'll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay!

And it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains
Stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains
It's a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores

Well, Mountie Bob he chased me, he was always at my throat
He followed on the shoreline cause he didn't own a boat
But cutbacks were a'coming and the Mountie lost his job
And now he's sailing with us, and we call him Salty Bob!

A swingin' sword, a skull and bones and pleasant company
I never pay my income tax and screw the GST (SCREW IT!!)
Sailin down to Saskatoon, the terror of the seas
If you wanna reach the co-op, boy, you gotta get by me!

Cause it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains
Stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains
It's a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores

(*spoken* Arrrr! Ya salty dog!)
(*spoken* Arrrr! Ya salty gopher!)
(*spoken* Arr.. ya.. salty bale of hay!)
Well, Pirate life's appealing but you just don't find it here,
I hear in North Alberta there's a band of buccaneers
They roam the Athabaska from Smith to Fort McKay
And you're sure to loose your stetson if you have to pass their
way!

Well, winter is a'comin' and a chill is in the breeze
My Pirate days are over once the river starts to freeze
I'll be back in springtime but now I have to go
I hear there's lots of plunderin' down in New Mexico!

Cause it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains
Stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains
It's a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores...
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores...

When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores...
When ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores...

The 40 buck ride

What began as a great afternoon of taking in rides, turned into one of the most expensive rides ever. But no one could have predicted that a lightning storm would end the midway at the Saskatoon Ex. A friend of mine bought a super pass to the rides for 40 dollars. This is the only ride he went on.

All good things

As the title says, all good things must come to an end.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders winning streak came to a halt on Thursday as the Calgary Stampeders came into Mosaic Stadium. The Stamps were still hurting after the Riders pulled out a close on in Calgary. And now, the Stamps did it to the Riders.

But it was close. The final was 30 to 25, and the Stamps had to rally to try and stop a fourth quarter surge from the Riders.

A loss means only one thing for Saskatchewan. They have to string six more straight wins. And the schedule looks pretty good. A date in Edmonton, which could be tough. Two games against Winnipeg, who are bottom of the league this year. That could be three in a row right there.

Until next time...

...keep 'em flyin'!

Chili... it's hot!

Remember the French onion soup? Well, we had a lot of extra, such as the beef loin used to help make the soup. The juices from the beef helped build the taste of the soup. So, suddenly, we were left with a well cooked beef loin. Guess what? We used it to make chili.

The beef was incredibly tender by this point, and fell apart easily. So adding extra sauces, wine, topped with beans, chili peppers, and some hot sauce, it cooked slowly over the next six hours. And what an awesome meal it made. I had to have two bowls. The best part came after the meal.

No, not that.

There was a subtle aftertaste, and the hot came out after the meal was down. A nice kick to a great chili.


Until next time...

...keep 'em flyin'!

French onion soup

I promised home made French onion soup, if I recall.

Well, here it is. A couple nights ago, after the stupid amount of shrimp, we decided to make French soup. From scratch. This was done with little effort on my part, as Pearce was the one who practically made it all. But, he took an inside beef loin, added a cup of wine (in this case Wild Horse Canyon), Oxo beef powder, sliced onions (a lot), added the whole thing to a slow cooker and let cook for a few hours.

Before the beef loin was put in, it was flash fried on both sides.

Once the cooking was done, it was the serving. The pork loin was removed, to be used in another recipe. Topped with a slice of bread and melted cheese, this was an incredible meal.

Next up, a great chili made from the left overs from the French onion soup.

Until we go hungry...

...keep 'em flyin'.

You have to be this awesome to get on this ride

So, my vacation came at the right time.

Saskatoon Ex!

Rides, food, exhibits. The whole deal. The day was a hot one, too, getting up to 31 Celsius. A very hot day indeed. But not muggy. Granted, going on a ride would have been difficult. I'm not that good at rides, really. I get sick very easily. Even on the ferris wheel. Yes, call me a wimp, but I like the bumper cars.

Inside the Jubilee Building were the exhibits and displays. Among them was the reptiles, the World Junior display, as Saskatoon is vying to get the World Junior Championships, and the very interesting CSI: Live. It was, I am assuming, more geared to kids. It was very kid friendly, it would seem.

At the grand stand was the music of Jully B. Rhythm and blues and a lotta soul. A large crowd showed up for it, but the show was cut short as the rain, thunder and lightning started up. It was announced that things were wrapping up, and rightly so. No one needs the fear of being struck by lightning. Even the rides were closed down during the downpour. Back into the Jubilee building we went.

Fortunately, we managed to find a nice cool area to stay, as the massive crowd had made things not only hot, but humid as well. It was in the cooler of the halls that we saw the most amazing thing. If you've never seen Saskie before, you should. Back in 1980, Saskie was created as a mascot for Saskatchewan's 75th anniversary. A gopher with a cute hat. This needs mentioning, because one of the exhibits was a collection of stuffed mascots over the years, and it included Saskie.

Words can say a lot, but pictures can say more. Here's this year's Saskatoon Ex.

One final note. The fireworks, they were pretty good too.

Until next time...

...keep 'em flyin'.

Panoramics

One thing great about Saskatchewan is the fact that it lives up to it's nickname, land of living skies. These panoramic shots are examples of that. All taken from a balcony at a friend's place in Saskatoon, these were taken over a period of five hours.