(Please note:  I’ll put the most recent update here -- at the top of this page.  Previous updates are below in date order.  Just trying to make things easier for you all.  I’m thoughtful like that.)

DECEMBER 30TH

The cold weather decided to return, and the “swimming pool” re-froze.  The big moment was finally here -- the inaugural skate.  Emotions were running high and excitement was at it’s peak.  But first, the “Zamboni’s” had to clean the dusting of snow off the ice.

The Operations Manager of the rink jumps in to lend a hand.

He also doubles as the Lace-up Guy.

And FINALLY . . . the moment they’ve been waiting for!  They spent over an hour out there shooting pucks.

Yay!  Can we get a woot!  woot!  Great job Willie.  In spite of the mild weather, this year’s rink was the easiest and quickest one he’s made so far.

And when they were done, I laced up and practiced some of the best double axels I’ve ever done.  But I’ll save those pictures for another day.  Don’t want to spoil you all at once . . .

Hot Chocolate anyone?

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THE BACKGROUD

Here up north, we get Winter.  LOTS of winter.  And what do Canadian boys do in the Winter?  They play hockey.  Plenty of hockey (remember this?).  And where’s the best place to play hockey?  Why, your own backyard rink of course!

This will be Year # 8 of the Husband’s backyard rink project.  He’s pretty much got the process down to a fine art.  Sure, there was the year that the tarp lining the rink frame had a hole in it and hours and hours of hosed water drained out and down our lawn into the sewer on the street before either of us noticed.  The poor rink never quite recovered from that incident.  Okay -- so one failed year out of seven?  I’d say that’s pretty good.

Then there’s always the frozen tap problem.  And the soaking wet gloves.  And frozen hoses.  But for some reason my man is in his glory when it’s late at night, pitch dark, freezing cold and there’s a long hose in his hand spreading water over his much loved ice rink.  He feels at peace.  Like all is right with the world.  Or maybe it’s the beer in his other hand that apparently goes along with the process.

I, on the other hand, participate from INSIDE the house, where it’s nice and warm, by checking on him occasionally through the window just to be sure he hasn’t slipped into a hypothermic coma or slipped on the ice and knocked himself out cold.  Because the first few initial flooding sessions can take hours.  HOURS!  Outside in the dark, miserable cold.  Which is SO not my thing.

But the boys love it.  And now that they’re a little older they use it a lot.  And so do their friends.  I love seeing a gaggle of boys come in the house after shooting some stick, with their cheeks all rosy red and their hair wet with the sweat of good times, fresh air and exercise.  And there’s also our annual family 2-on-2 game.  Adults against children.  Yes -- it’s fair because apparently I’m a liability.

And since I have a blog this year, I invite you to follow along as Willie makes the “Backyard Ice Rink -- 2009″!

I will post over on the sidebar (Cath -- that’s the strip that runs down the right side of my blog) updates on the rink’s creation.  Be warned fair friends -- this could take awhile.  Weather, of course, being the biggest factor.  And the need to build up about 6 inches of frozen water to level out our slightly uneven backyard.  But in the end it’s worth it.

And when it’s done, you’re all invited over for the inaugural skating party!  BYOHC (bring your own hot chocolate).

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MID NOVEMBER

The wooden frame is made from planks of wood held together with nails or screws and small pieces of “bracing” wood.  Sorry I can’t be more specific.  This really isn’t my thing.  It measures about 18′ x 26′.  You can see a bit of our pool on the left side of it.  It’s really a 12-months-of-the-year recreational type of backyard we got going on here.

DECEMBER 9TH

Finally the snow started flying up here today.  That’s good news if you’re a rink waiting to be born.  The temperatures are falling, so that’s ideal conditions for freezing water.  But still he waits . . . it must be REALLY cold.  The layer of snow on the bottom will be helpful.

DECEMBER 20TH

Finally Mother Nature decided to cooperate.  The temperature here for the past week has consistently been around -5 celsius (23 F for you Americans).  I know!  You don’t have to tell me how horrible awful “crisp” it is around here.  But it’s what Willie’s been waiting for.  Yearning for.  Longing for.  And now things will really start moving quickly.  Our hope is that we’ll (and by we’ll, I really mean they’ll) be skating by this time next week.  So hang on tight -- here we go!

First, Willie artistically installs a tarpaulin inside the wooden frame.  Much like a pool liner, this will hold the water inside the frame so it can freeze.  This is no ordinary tarp mind you.  No.  Not the type you would use when you’re camping or painting.  And certainly not the type you would use to cover a wood pile.  Oh, no sir!  This is your huge heavy duty poly tarp.  It lines the ground inside the frame, goes up the sides of the frames and folds over the top.

Then Willie carefully installs a high tech combination of screws and washers using a cordless drill to hold the tarp in place all around the outside of the frame.  It’s a sight to behold I assure you.  This is an integral part of the process.  If the tarp isn’t held in place properly, well . . . I shudder to think of the consequences.

Lots of straightening and double checking ensues.

And once he’s satisfied with his work -- the water.  LOTS and LOTS of water.  I believe the hose ran for about 3 hours straight during this first flood.  Here Willie perpetuates the Canadian stereo-type.  Observe the toque and the beer.  Maybe you remember Bob & Doug McKenzie?

Yeah, kind of the same but a little different.

And so the frame fills up.  It will take 2 or 3 days for this initial layer to freeze all the way through because the bottom end is about 4 inches deep due to the uneven yard.  So we wait.  And we hope that the weight of 3 hours of non-stop water doesn’t pop the bottom frame wall off before it can freeze.  Because then all that water will run out of the frame, down our yard, onto the street and down the sewer.  And there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it.

DECEMBER 23RD

The first flood went very well and froze nicely.  Just look at that ice.  You may think it’s water, but I assure you it is not.  That ice is as smooooooth as glass!

Willie couldn’t be happier.  Really.  He’s giddy.  It’s annoying.  So today the rink was ready for flood #2 (you have to build up the ice in a few layers).

A man and his rink.  That’s a tight bond.  Not unlike a mother and her child.  After all -- he did give birth to this.

He uses a different flooding process this time.  It involves filling up a large, clean trash can with water from the hose, then gently dumping it out on the surface of the ice.  He finds this gives the surface a smoother wash.  Using the hose to apply water directly on ice that has already formed tends to make the surface bumpy for some reason.  Go figure.  It took about 10 can dumps to flood the surface today.  That took about 1 hour.  It will freeze pretty quickly.  We’re ALMOST ready to skate!

We hang Christmas lights around the fence.  It illuminates the yard perfectly and looks really pretty, don’t cha think?

DECEMBER 26TH

Ahhhhhhh!  It’s been raining here for two straight days! Do you know what rain does to an ice rink?  It turns it into a swimming pool, that’s what.  Doesn’t Mother Nature realize we’re in Canada?!  Canada?!  In the Winter?!?!?  In the movies it’s always cold and snowy.  What the heck is going on?!  Quick.  Send help.