The Official Newsletter of the World Professional Chuckwagon Association TURNING THE BARRELS. February 2015

Transcription

1 Official Truck of the WPCA The Official Newsletter of the World Professional Chuckwagon Association TURNING THE BARRELS February 2015 Volume 4 Issue 27 halfmileofhell.com IN THIS ISSUE AT THE MOVIES WITH JASON GLASS Would you recognize him on set? See Page 2 One for the Archives THE FRASERS IN COSTA RICA & MEXICO Beaches, palm trees and iguanas. See Page 3 THE GORSTS IN MEXICO & ARIZONA Deep-sea fishing and walks in the desert. See Page 5 THE GLASS FAMILY IN HAWAII Secluded on the tiny island of Molokai. See Page 6 THE IRVINES CRUISE WITH DISNEY All aboard with Mickey Mouse and friends. See Page 8 Thanks to the Gorst family for sharing their dreamy view from a warm tropical beach in Mexico. A perfect way to spend part of the off-season and great inspiration for those of us still stuck in the snow. THE HARDENS IN MEXICO An all-exclusive resort and a super Super Bowl. See Page 11...AND MORE!

2 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 2 A Look at the Off-season Life By Ed Wittchen A PRAIRIE WINTER makes for a long off-season. If you are like me, you can t wait for race season to start. I often wonder what the drivers and their families do during the off-season. Many of them have jobs they return to from September until they can start training in the spring. Others head for warmer climates for the winter. I thought it would be interesting to share some of their experiences with our readers and racing fans. This issue focuses on the unique vacations that some of our drivers and their families and friends took to escape the Prairie winter. Follow the Irvines on a Disney Cruise, the Frasers in Costa Rica and Mexico, the Gorsts in Mexico and Arizona, the Hardens in Mexico and the Glass family in Hawaii. And speaking of, we get a peek at Jason Glass s new look during one of his off-season days on a film set. Stay warm, folks. At the Movies with Jason Glass JASON GLASS HAS had a long and successful off-season career working in movies and television, both as an actor and as a stunt man. Most fans would recognize Jason anywhere when he s wearing his cowboy hat. How many could recognize him if they saw him in this year s off-season and on-set look? Jason has been very busy working in movies and television in the last few years. He was involved in White House Down, where he worked with Channing Tatum; Mission Impossible 3, where he did stunts with Tom Cruise; and Revenant, to be released soon. He has also worked on television series around the Vancouver area, including Fargo, Once Upon a Time, Flash and Arrow. Would you believe this is the same guy? At left is the mild-mannered and cowboy hat-wearing Jason Glass at a WPCA event. The wild-looking Jason Glass on the right is on the set of a movie being filmed this winter.

3 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 3 The Frasers in Costa Rica & Mexico Clockwise from top left: 1. The modern travelling cowboy. 2. A wonderful morning workout in Costa Rica. 3. An elderly couple Sue spotted on the beach each day of her stay. 4. Warm weather and palm trees in Mazatlan, Mexico. 5. An iguana spotted by the Frasers in Mazatlan. By Sue Fraser RICK AND I travelled to Costa Rica and Mazatlan this January and February. Last year we had to stay close to home, since Rick was working in Grande Prairie all winter and I had to look after the home front and the horses. In Costa Rica, we stayed with our friends Rod and Virginia Streeper in their beautiful home overlooking the ocean in the Playa Hermosa area. Rod and Virginia were longtime chuckwagon sponsors of Norm Cuthbertson, through their Rod Streeper Trucking Company. It is so warm and beautiful in Costa Rica. Rod s home is built into the hill. Every morning we would hike up to the top for a wonderful view. The extremely steep driveway to where their home is set into the hill made for a wonderful morning workout. We also walked on the beach every day before it got hot. We saw an elderly couple on those daily beach walks. They live in Playa

4 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 4 The Frasers in Costa Rica & Mexico, cont d Rick Fraser and Rod Streeper holding Cowboy Country by the pool. Sue and Rick Fraser loving the sun. Rick chatting up the woman working at the shoeshine chair while his boots are polished. Sue enjoying a good stretch during a walk on the beach in beautiful Costa Rica. Hermosa, they re both doctors and they came to the beach together every day, hand in hand past the waves to swim the length of the beach and back again. They are at least 75 years old. I just love the photo I took of them and their story. They are an inspiration to me. In Mazatlan, we stayed in the beautiful home of Don and Sheila Adams. Don and Sheila were longtime sponsors of Grant and Shelly Profit. They continue to sponsor Chad Harden a bit, as well as support the WPCA. We met up with the Hardens and other friends too while in Mazatlan. We also saw some neighbourly iguanas. Now that s something you just don t see during Alberta winters. Rick, of course, found time to talk to people everywhere. Whenever he is travelling, Rick loves to sit and visit with the shoeshine folks while he gets his boots shined up.

5 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 5 The Gorsts in Mexico & Arizona GARY AND JANICE Gorst managed to get away from their usual routines twice this off-season. Gary had knee surgery in September and they were invited to spend two weeks of his recovery time with old college friends Dan and Barb Allan. The condo in Mexico was just what Gary needed. He spent time every day in the pool exercising his knee. The beach had miles of untouched sand and proved to be a very relaxing place for the Gorsts. Gary and the guys went deep-sea fishing and managed to catch four swordfish, which made for delicious eating. Gary, as usual, was always thinking of others and managed to make a new fan when he presented the gardener with new rubber boots. For the last three winters, when the weather turns nasty in Saskatchewan, Gary and Janice have joined friends Donnie and Diana Morin and Janice s brother and sister-in-law for a few weeks of sun in Arizona. They spend time in the desert, sightsee, spend some time at the racetrack, and visit old friends who also spend time in Arizona in the winter. Clockwise from top: 1. Gary with his catch of the day. 2. A new racing fan is made, facilitated by a pair of rubber boots. 3. Gary s always on the lookout for a new wheeler. 4. Janice taking a walk in the Arizona desert.

6 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 6 The Glass Family in Hawaii Jason and the kids at the beach. Bodie with his bow and arrow. Jason and the kids in the pool. THE GLASS FAMILY was lucky to escape the cold Alberta winter for December and January when they headed to their favourite little Hawaiian island, Molokai. tourists, restaurants and crowded beaches. It s very quiet and secluded, and it caters to visitors who want pure tranquility. There is only one hotel and not a single traffic This is the third consecutive year they ve taken this trip. Molokai is not your typical Hawaiian island full of The Glass family s vacation mode of transportation. Brienne and Steele relaxing at the poolside.

7 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 7 The Glass Family in Hawaii, continued light just a handful of restaurants. Molokai is also home to Papohaku Beach, the longest white sand beach in all of Hawaii. The Glass family can t wait to return in December 2015! Clockwise from top left: 1. Jason teaching Bodie how to surf. 2. Bodie and Steele at sunset. 3. Brienne and the kids playing in the water on the beach in Hawaii. 4. Brienne and the kids having a beach picnic.

8 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 8 The Irvines Cruise with Disney By Jimmi Lou Irvine From left to right: MOST CHUCKWAGON FAMILIES can attest to the fact that often even their vacations revolve around horses. Whether a few extra days are tacked on to a horse-buying trip or a getaway is stretched to check out someone s barn set-up, stop at racetracks or haul something horse-related, there is generally a common theme. 1. Ready to board the Disney Fantasy, the Irvine s home at sea during their vacation. 2. Doug and Britton at Disney Castaway Cay. 3. Jimmi Lou and Dacia at an old fort in Puerto Rico. apart from the others. We were all shocked, as we had expected her to be euphoric. Further conversation revealed that she was happy about the trip but she thought that January was too long to wait! This January, however, the Irvine family managed a getaway that was not at all related to horses or wagon racing! Our family was joined by my parents (Jim and Dana Glanville) and sister, brother-in-law and nephews (Shea, Marty, Cash and Levi Boggust) on a Disney Cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy. The trip was a big secret until the kids in both families got calls from Disney characters on Christmas morning to deliver the news that we would be all aboard from January 10 to 17. Everyone was excited to get the news...except Maddi Jo, it seemed. Maddi sat sullenly, The cruise departed from Port Canaveral and ported in St. Thomas, San Juan and the Disney island Castaway Cay. There was never a dull moment on board or during our port excursions. On the ship we were kept busy with Muppet detective missions, water slides, foosball, mini-golf and the pools, to name only a few of the attractions. The girls enjoyed getting makeovers from their fairy godmothers at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. During port excursions, we toured forts and butterfly sanctuaries, and we went snorkeling.

9 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 9 The Irvines Cruise with Disney, continued In the evening, we enjoyed Disney musicals, family hypnotist shows and late-night water slide rides. We lost track of the amount of ice cream consumed from the overly accessible ice cream bar, at all hours of the day and night! We watched first-run movies in the Disney theatre and enjoyed meeting the many Disney characters. The vacation was an excellent break for parents and kids. The kids clubs were always open so the kids could be entertained when the parents wanted to put their feet up for a little while. In the clubs, the boys enjoyed making their own race cars and competing in Piston Cup challenges, or creating Flubber. The girls made cupcakes, had many dance parties with the characters and enjoyed Donald Duck s magic shows. Part of the Disney experience is to have your wait staff travel with you to the various restaurants on board. Our servers were with us every night and got to know our family. They entertained the kids with magic. Once the adults were seated, the wait staff took over. Whether it was From left to right: 1. Meeting the one and only Mickey Mouse. 2. Maddi Jo, Britton and Doug pose for a picture with Goofy. 3. Yarrrrr! Be wary, land lubbers, of these Irvine pirates. cutting food for the kids or putting ketchup on their plates (in the shape of Mickey), the adults never had to get up. The experience was amazing! The only thing the men in our group couldn t get over was the portion size. Elegant dining is a rarity at our place, so even though there were five-course dinners, the men would either order two entrées or wait a few hours and head to the à la carte diners to order pizza and burgers as a bedtime snack. Even though the trip wasn t horse- or wagon-related, it would not have been possible without Farrier Gean, who looked after our horses the week that we were away. Because of the level of care needed for the animals, it is often hard to get away. We were thankful for the help of a good friend that made our family vacation possible.

10 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 10 The Irvines Cruise with Disney, continued While Doug isn t one to crave leaving home (especially to places where jeans aren t the norm), he was the first one on the internet when we got home, checking out where our next cruise will take us! Clockwise from top left: 1. Pirate Doug and Pirate Dacia. 2. Hey howdy hey, Maddi Jo meets Sheriff Woody and Jessie, the rootinest tootinest cowboy and cowgirl around. 3. Dacia at the butterfly sanctuary. 4. Pirate Britton and Pirate Jimmi Lou.

11 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 11 The Hardens in Mexico Clockwise from top left: 1. Dawson and Denver dig for treasure. 2. The Harden kids having fun in the warm waters under sunny skies in Mazatlan, Mexico. 3. Cheyenna and Montana Harden on the beach. 4. Chad and Montana touring Mazatlan. SOME MEMBERS OF the Harden chuckwagon team went to Mazatlan this January. The team consisted of Kevin and Sherri Laing; Sara Allen; Richard, Donna, Alex and Johnny Boosmorth; Karen Havanka; Brian, Deb and Chance Ewart; and six Hardens. We met and hung out with good friends Don and Sheila Adams; Todd and Sharon Poberznick; Jason Adams; and Rick and Sue Fraser. We enjoyed the all-inclusive resort El Cid Castilla. Day trips included going on a city tour and a zipline adventure. Super Bowl Sunday was at Don and Sheila s home, where the women catered to the men while the kids enjoyed the infinity pool. We were treated like royalty. We hope to make this an annual event since we enjoyed it so much.

12 TURNING THE BARRELS! PAGE 12 The Hardens in Mexico, continued Clockwise from top left: 1. Montana and Chad touring Mazatlan. 2. Football fans celebrating Superbowl Sunday in style at the home of Don and Sheila Adams. 2. Señorita Cheyenna makes a little friend. 3. Señor Dawson makes a big friend.