Canadian friendliness.

Practically everywhere we go, we meet people who are kind and good to us. All it takes is a sweatshirt with the Czech Curling Team on it, or simply five identical red coats, and we're already getting questions about when we're leaving for Prince George and assurances that they'll keep their fingers crossed. The three-man team of icemakers at Garrison Curling Club didn't forget to come by after practice to check on us and make sure we were happy with the ice and that everything was okay. The local hex rink is always full of curlers playing all types of competitions. You can see a lot of older, even elderly players. There are low dividers between the lanes and small benches in some places to allow players to take a breather every now and then. The restaurant, which is located on the upper level, is spacious and mostly full of curlers who have bulky pitchers of beer, fries in large paper bowls and ribs with ketchup and BBQ sauce on tables in front of them. We're fine-tuning our form and overcoming the fatigue that comes with the afternoon workout.

photo: Garrison Curling Club