Blue Bombers Blog

The Gods of Football were cheering for the Blue Bombers last Thursday in Edmonton.

Milt’s catch for the win with four seconds left was spectacular.
And just what we needed to refuel the fire.

 Not only is Milt amazing on the field, but he’s about to dazzle you with his wit on this web site. Make sure to check out Milt’s blog.
It’s called Turtle’s Time.

We arrived in Edmonton around noon and didn’t have meetings until the following morning. So I went to Muttart Consevatory to kill some time. If you haven’t been, it’s a cool place to check out. There are four separate glass pyramids, each containing fauna from different climates. I was a forestry major in college, so I dig this kind of stuff.

The temperate zone reminded me of Cali. It was a trip because half the plants in this pyramid are in my front yard back home, including this Japanese maple. Here are some cacti from the arid pyramid. This is a funky little flower from the show pyramid, which had mostly ornamental flowers. Here’s a shot of a huge leaf in the tropical zone. It was my favourite pyramid because it took me back to my days in Costa Rica.

Speaking of Costa Rica, I promised last week to explain pura vida. It’s pronounced (Poo-RRah VeeDah) and its literal translation is “pure life”. I picked it up when I spent some time travelling and surfing in Costa Rica.

I heard the phrase used around the country but it wasn’t until I met Sergio (the guy holding the lizard) that I understood it. He was our jungle guide in a little town called Cahita, about 10 miles north of Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast.

He explained to us in accented English that pura vida was like a reminder to “live pure” in your body and your mind.

It’s a mindset of sorts that overlooks the unimportant daily drama we as humans sometimes obsess about. It’s associated with the Tico lifestyle of Costa Rica and is used in the context of a goodbye. It can also be used like we would say “right on” or “cool”.

The waves and beauty of Costa Rica offered a different perspective on life. Pura vida for me has always been a reminder of that, so I try to pass it on when I have an opportunity.

Pura Vida
TC #44