BT Edmonton Blogs

Skiing Panorama

Evan had a pretty sweet view!  This is the panorama of the Panorama,….Ski hill that is.   Evan saw this brilliant blue sky on Christmas Day.   Panorama is located in the Toby Creeek Valley in beautiful British Columbia, about 20k west of Invermere.  The ski resort is nestled between the Rocky and Purcell Mountains.  Oh,…and by the way, Panorama is closed for the season, but Marmot – in breath-taking Jasper National Park – is WIDE OPEN until April 26th/09.

And this Fresh Air Photo segment ????  Also WIDE OPEN  — with no expiry date.  Please send YOUR photos of Mother Nature,…her creatures, her weather,….for all to enjoy!

All week long we will be giving away gift certificates for Chianti Bistro and Red Robin Restaurants.

They, along with Swiss Chalet, Humpty’s, Sawridge and Fantasyland Hotel are hosting Sweet Dreams Dessert Day on April 30th, which is International Make a Wish day.

On the 30th, go to any one of these restaurants and order a dessert. That’s all you have to do! All proceeds go to the Foundation, one of the most amazing organizations out there.  To date, in Northern Alberta, 325 children and their families have had a wish granted through these fundraising endeavors. In the midst of all of the testing, treatment and worry about their illness, this gives a kid something to smile about and to look forward to.

Through a similar program in Northern Ireland, I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful young boy named James Baker. James’ wish was to see a Belfast Giants hockey game and to stay in a hotel. Not an extravagant dream to you or I, but to a boy whose life revolved around hospital stays and often excruciating treatment, it represented a chance to have a weekend like any other eleven year old.  The boost to the morale of James and his family was evident, and has resulted in lifelong friendship.

I am pleased to report that today James is 19 years old, and has gained quite a bit of fame as an accomplished artist. I am proud to display some of his work in my own home, most treasured is a beautiful painting of a ballerina he gave to my daughter to celebrate her birth.  I have known James through times when he could not eat on his own, when he was too weak to get himself out of bed, and the sight of this gorgeous dancer en pointe will always remind my daughter to make the most of the opportunities she has been given, and to be grateful for the most fundamental yet blessed of gifts: good health.

You can check out some of James’ most recent work here:

www.jamesdbaker.co.uk

And mark April 30th on your calendar!

A one-day treat for you can mean the treat of a lifetime for a deserving child.

xo Wendy

Mighty Medicine River

Rhonda is one awesome Fresh Air Photographer!  She snapped 2 shots of the ice breaking up on the Medicine River — two days apart.  The first one was taken April 15th.  To see the amount of ice that has broken up in those 2 days is amazing.   By the way, we are always looking to you, to be our ears and eyes out there.  Focus on Mother Nature (and her creatures) … and YOU could be featured on BT, as well as our show.

These shots of the Medicine River was taken near the beautiful town of Eckville (just west of Sylvan Lake). 

Medicine River ice chunks

Murray from Ponoka sent in these pictures of White Crowned Sparrows.  We are lucky that he was able to ‘capture’ these birds because they only fly into Alberta during their migration.  Timing is everything!  The sparrows migrate through the province near the end of April–through to May.  They are common, and some would argue–not the most careful when it comes to their nests.  They are built on the ground or in low bushes along the western rockies and up to the northern parts of Alberta.  They only grace us with their presence in central Alberta during their migrations, in spring and fall.  Thanks Murray — they are marvelous~!

On March 22, 2009 at the Bahia del Sol Beachfront Resort in Playa Potrero, Costa Rica, the amazing Kari Skelton and I pledged our love forever and ever and ever. Enjoy the photos!

(Huge props to our incredible photographer Josh Dunford.)

rpj.

Karl and Amanda are always looking out for creatures great and small.  They live in Bon Accord: “where the deer and the antelope play!”  They often have deer roaming around their yard.  One day, they noticed the bark around some of their trees was missing–thinking “Bambi” was probably doing the gnawing.  But no.  A little waddling creature was spotted under the truck, and the name “Porky” immediately came to mind.  With the help of Fish and Wildlife, Porky the porcupine was encouraged into an enclosure.  The bait?  Peanut butter and apples.  Porky is now back in his familiar ’hood in the woods – thanks to Karl and Amanda’s rescue and replacement program~!

Good Eats!

PB and Apples

Hood in the Woods

I’ve often wondered where I’d be now, had paparazzi followed my friends and me around when we were 19 years old. Not that there would be any reason why a frenzied pack of photographers WOULD follow us around – I’m just saying I shudder to think how marred my (or any normal person’s) reputation might be if the whole world had front-row access to some of my…how shall we put this…”not so mature” decisions.

Maybe we’re all to blame. Almost everyone’s indulged in “news” of a young star missing the mark at some point. Britney behind the wheel, her new baby sitting lap-top. Michael Phelps finding a whole new way to make water move. Mary Kate and Ashley substituting sunflower seeds and cigarettes for sandwiches. The non-stop scrutiny (combined with zoom lenses and camera phones) means no celebrity is safe from our collective watchful eye.

Perhaps no Hollywood heroine has endured more criticism (and speculation) than Lindsay Lohan. The 22-year-old’s battles with alcoholism, a jailbird dad, a tumultuous romantic relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson and several indiscretions behind the wheel have been headline material since Lohan was still in her teenage years. Assuming she catches the odd TV report or reads the occasional magazine cover, it seems almost ludicrous to expect any semblance of normalcy from Lindsay. Imagine tens of millions of people taking pleasure in your pain on a regular basis!

Now, it seems Lohan has had enough. Fed up with what she says are false reports built around sketchy details, she took matters into her own hands, posting a tongue-in-cheek eHarmony ad on a popular website (click below to watch the video). It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book – laughing at yourself before others take liberties of their own. And it seems Lindsay’s plan is working. The popular website www.imdb.com shows the Mean Girls star’s popularity is up 253% in the last few days alone! This, on the heels of (what’s being reported as) a devastating break-up, allegations of an eating disorder and ongoing legal fall-out from past mistakes.

Could this be a trend-setting move? Will more celebrities strike back? Robert Downey, Jr and Kanye West have taken matters into their own hands before, but Lohan’s move packs more positivity than a wild punch or a smashed camera.

I say good on her. She’s taking her lumps with a smile. We can only hope it’s a big step in the right direction for a once-promising young performer.

rpj.

So I didn’t do so hot in our BT regular season hockey pool.

Although I did manage to make it to sixth place, that put me three spots behind Jespersen and I am not okay with that.

I am hoping to redeem myself in our playoff pool, although I am a little nervous that both Ryan and Reid seem to disagree with many of my picks.

Time will tell boys, time will tell.

Here’s what went down: