Where did the summer go? Happens every year, of course, when you live in a climate where the temperature in winter can differ by 100 degrees…depending on which side of your front door you’re facing.

It was another fantastic summer in Winnipeg—tons to do and great weather. Joe and I have the benefit of four weeks holidays in the summer, so we take two in July, and another two in August.

Joe seems to spend most of it on the golf course, as he’ll relate here later. That is not the best place for me to be…I’m sure you would agree if you ever saw me swing a club.

I spend my time off on family vacations, and I love it! Sure there are the classic kid/parent, parent/parent, parent/kid/friends/stranger clashes, but never enough to dampen my enthusiasm for the pursuit each summer.

Each July it’s a week renting the same cabin at Jessica Lake in the Whiteshell. I could never be that cottage owner guy, since that would require some ability to fix stuff, etc., so we rent each year. It’s a beauty…and being a kid at heart, I love the lack of structure to each day. We never want to leave, although I think the kids are fine with getting back to the city after a week with us. Funny, I remember that being the case when I was a kid too.

August features the annual trip to Toronto. We fly (I’m not crazy). This year we took on the added dimension of traveling to L.A., since my wife—Special K—works there every second week, and has a studio apartment. We thought that would be a huge savings, but didn’t factor in that taking three kids to Universal Studios would cost about $48,000! And, with a bed, couch and two inflatable mattresses nose-to-nose each night, sleep was at a premium (“who’s got the remote?”). Still, I loved every minute of it. From screaming like a little girl on amusement park rides (that I shouldn’t have been on), to insisting everyone stay at the table for family dinners (can’t you just see the kids’ eyes rolling?). It was a blast!

That was followed by an abbreviated visit to Mom and family in Toronto by me and two of the boys. Of course, there was one very late night consisting of beer and bad jokes with my five brothers…that’s why I go!

But now, it’s done. What’s left? Great memories, digital pictures I don’t know how to get out of the camera, and the seeds of a plan for next summer.

Some of the kids are older now and don’t come with us already, so we want to hang on to the others for as long as possible. That’s why these vacation times are so special, no matter what we do.

Hope you made great memories, as well, this summer. Just like when I was a kid, I hate when school starts.


Joe says...

One day during my holidays, driving down the highway I had my stereo cranked (on 92 CITI FM, of course) and on it came.... one of those songs that always seem to conjure up fun memories, everybody has at least one. Mine was Van Halen’s “Jump”! This morning, though, the song felt extra special because as I was driving, my mind was wandering—not hard to do on any given day—and taking me to a Jets game. I was missing the national anthem and my mind took me right to my seat for the intro when VH’s song would start up and the arena announcer would give us, “Here come your Winnipeg Jets!”

Except today was something out of Bizarro World. Today, former Winnipeg Jets would hear, “Here comes Joe Aiello!” Okay, so the person who introduced me didn’t get as excited with his intro as the Jets guy used to. This announcement, ironically, came at the clubhouse of the Pine Ridge Golf and Country Club. I say ironically because when I heard that special Jets song, I was on my way to host and play in the first annual CanWest Steen Golf Classic, a tournament put on by Jets Hall of Famer Thomas Steen and his son (Maple Leaf sensation) Alexander. The day featured young hockey stars like Jonathan Toews, Nigel Dawes, Jordan Tootoo and Colton Orr, to name a few. Plus many great players from games gone by, like Ab McDonald and Ted Irvine. Former NHLers and friends like Randy Gilhen, Scott Arniel and Jordy Douglas and legendary Jets, such as Thomas Steen, Dave Babych, Dave Ellett and Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Coach Randy Carlyle were all together in the same room. It was a super-high for any hockey fan. Or maybe the high came from the Sharpies all us fans were using to get autographs!

To cap it all off, the event featured the release of the brand new Winnipeg Jets book. Winnipeg Jets: A Celebration of Professional Hockey in Winnipeg is a collector piece about our beloved hockey team, full of memories that will last a lot longer than Bobby Hull’s hair did! It features something for everyone. Everything you need to know about our local franchise, stuff that will make your head do a “spin-o-rama!” If you like books that use big words, it has them (Khabibulin, Hawerchuck). If you don’t like to read, you can get through it quicker than a Tie Domi shift on the ice—that’s right, it’s loaded with pictures! This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, like thoughts of Teemu’s incredible rookie year to that final night against Detroit in the playoffs, where we all left a tear in our beer. I know I was one of the 75,000 people in attendance that night at the Old Barn!

Finally, a self-help book for us Jets fans that found the team leaving for Phoenix a bitter pill to swallow. If hockey really is the “Coolest Game on Ice!”, then this is the coolest book!