New blog, old blog draft clean-ups. It has been a busy year and there are a few blog posts that I never actually posted. For example, a post on the Olympics. So, better late than never. Here it is.

A few weeks ago (or more than a few weeks ago) I had the opportunity to spend time with clients at the Olympics. Being Canadian, it was definitely a proud and unique experience. It was odd to see so much patriotism, Canadian t-shirts, jackets and jerseys everywhere. A wonderful event.

Our first event was speed skating and it seemed like it was a sea of orange, the Dutch were everywhere! I don’t know what they did, load up a big boat or a ton of planes and come over en-mass, but they love their speed skating. I have never been to one of these events, but it was great to see a Kristina Groves get 3rd (1500m).

It was held in the Richmond Olympic Oval, which has a spectacular with a roof:

BC Pine-Beetle Wood Roof — The Oval’s massive ceiling is made of salvaged British Columbia wood that was damaged by a pine-beetle infestation. At a size of about 100 metres by 200 metres (2 hectares), the roof is believed to be the largest surface ever covered in the once-discarded wood. Showcasing use of this wood may encourage its application elsewhere and help mitigate the economic hardship the pine beetle epidemic has brought upon regional communities in British Columbia.

As we left, the sea of orange followed and I started to notice just how tall the Dutch are. Someone with us mentioned that it is the Dutch, to which Narda  inquired ‘What happened to you?’

Guess I am really from Estonia.