BT Edmonton Blogs

Beep-Beep!

When I tell you this is a Roadrunner,…do you think of the cartoon with Wile E. Coyote??   Vanessa managed to do what Wile E Coyote couldn’t — she captured the roadrunner.   -Captured it with her digital camera that is.   This was Christmas Day in Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, California.  

DID YOU KNOW?   The Roadrunner is quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes?   It is the state bird of New Mexico and a member of the cuckoo family.   The Greater Roadrunner can reach running speeds of 30 km/hr,…and holds its head and tail flat and parallel to the ground when running at top speed.

PLEASE SEND US YOUR PHOTOS OF “MOTHER NATURE” OR HER CREATURES.   NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE FEATURED RIGHT HERE ON MY BLOG — BUT THE SPOTLIGHT WILL ALSO BE ON YOUR PICTURE ON BT!   FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING @7:10am.

Admit it. You watched it.

The season premiere of The Bachelorette launched on Citytv Monday night, no doubt firing up water cooler conversations across North America first thing this morning. Our BT studio was no different – it seems everybody has an opinion on who was sent home too early, who made the best first impression, and who Jillian needs to end up with.

We thought our viewers deserved a voice, so this morning we unveiled our “After the Rose Roundtable” panel. Four passionate followers of The Bachelorette – Shannon, Kerry, Dajana and Katie – who will join us every Tuesday morning at 7:40 to dish the dirt on what unfolded the night before.

Click on the video link below to meet our esteemed panelistas. Wendy and I didn’t get TOO involved in the gossip (after all, I’m only watching because I HAVE to for work…right guys?…cough cough), but I will share a few of my early impressions:

- Kipton seems like an obvious choice to win it all. For that reason, I’m inclined to believe he’s hiding a dark secret. You heard it here first.
- Jake will be grounded if he can’t find something else to talk about. Yes, we get it – you’re a pilot. Yes, we know – chicks dig pilots. Yes, we already heard you mention - you’re a pilot.
- Sasha seems like a gentleman with a bit of depth. AND he’s an oil & gas guy. That’s bound to secure him some fan support here in Alberta.
- Does it occur to guys like Tanner (flaunting a foot fetish) that Jillian will be watching these episodes once taping wraps up?
- WOW, Brian…the lines “Hot Tub Harris” and “What’s up, you sexy little minx” really did work! If I didn’t think it would earn me a slap from every woman I work with, I’d almost be tempted to tip my cap. 

Don’t forget to check out The Bachelorette HQ at www.citytv.com – you can read live blogs, get up to speed with detailed recaps and a photo gallery, and enter an online pool to compete for a beautiful ring courtesy of Von Besser Diamonds!

rpj.

Protective Mother

This pretty little Bluebird is not counting her eggs before they hatch — but she sure is doing her best at incubation!    This nest box is manned by Murray from Ponoka.   Mother-to-be here is 2 years old.   How do we know this?   Well, Murray banded this bird himself – 2 years ago!   At that time, she was a fledgling — a what???    DID YOU KNOW?  A fledgling is a bird just getting its flight feathers,…Awww, earning its wings!    Thanks to Murray for sending in this pic.        SEND US YOUR PHOTO(S) OF ANYTHING SHOWING MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES.   FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING ON BT @7:10 right after news, weather, and traffic.

You’re no doubt familiar with his famous “Stuart Larkin” character on Madtv – one of my favourite comedy sketches in a LONG time. “But i don’t wanna go to school!” Absolutely classic! Michael McDonald holds the record as the longest-serving cast member on the popular show, but his career has covered a lot more ground than that.

We were stoked to welcome the actor/comedian to BT to hear more about how he got his start, what defines his creative process, what his favourite projects are, and how he handled some intense trips to Iraq.

You can catch Madtv on Omni every Saturday at midnight. To check out our interview with Michael, click the video below the photo:

There’s nothing like the sunrise in Anzac:  Humans under their blanket for warmth – the barbeque under a blanket of snow!    “This” was what Brenda woke up to on Wednesday, May 14th.   No need to complain! (who would listen anyway?)   And really, we humans should take a lesson from the weather.   It pays no attention to criticism!

Awesome Anzac

I may be biased about all elements of weather, because I happen to think this is a beautiful shot.   As the sun comes up, it casts a serene-yellow glow on the trees in the yard.   And there’s nothing like seeing that blanket of snow undisturbed,….’sans’ footprints.

Our thanks to Brenda!

We invite you to become a member of our FRESH AIR PHOTO club.   All you have to do is point and shoot.   -Anything showing Mother Nature or her creatures will do!!!

Talk about a Kodak moment!   This was sunset in beautiful Bon Accord just a few days ago.   Lauri was behind the lens as sun set on their farm.   She reminds us, there is no alteration with the colours - the pic is sold “as is”.   Lauri wonders if the vibrant colours are even more so, because of the smoke in the atmosphere?   Answer:   Absolutely!

Bon! Bon Accord

DID YOU KNOW?     When you look at the sky, the light you see is sunlight that is scattered by particles of dust in the atmosphere.   If there were no scattering, and all of the light travelled straight from the sun to the earth, the sky would look dark as it does at night.   WANT MORE INFO?  Light usually travels in straight lines, unless it encounters the edges of some material.   THINK OF IT THIS WAY:  Think about a beam of a flashlight.   When it travels through air, we cannot see the beam from the side because the air is uniform, and the light from the flashlight travels in a straight line.   But,…if there are dust or smoke particles in the air, we can catch a glimpse of the beam where the light is scattered by the edges of the dust particles.   WHAT CAUSES THE SUN TO APPEAR DEEP ORANGE OR EVEN RED AT SUNSET OR SUNRISE?    As the sun begins to set, the light must travel farther through the atmosphere before it gets to you,..that means more of the light is reflected and scattered.   REMEMBER THIS FROM SCIENCE CLASS??   COLOURS of light have different wavelengths, frequencies, and energies.  Red has the longest wavelength, and lowest frequency and energy.   Blues an greens have shorter wavelengths(and scatter).   At sunset or sunrise, the sunlight we see has travelled a longer path through the atmosphere than the sunlight we see at noon.   THAT MEANS we are only seeing the longer (RED) wavelengths.   When you look at the setting sun, you’re seeing the light that IS NOT scattered, namely orange and red.

PLEASE SEND US YOUR PHOTOS OF “MOTHER NATURE” OR HER CREATURES.   NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE FEATURED RIGHT HERE ON MY BLOG — BUT THE SPOTLIGHT WILL ALSO BE ON YOUR PICTURE ON BT!   FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING @7:10am.

Snowshoe Hare

Check out the big feet on this guy!   Very Cool.   This is a Snowshoe Hare.   They got their name because of their large hind feet and the marks their tail leaves in the snow.   This guys’ feet prevent him from sinking into the snow when he hops and walks.   I have sunk to my waist many times in deep snow,…so that is one very talented hare!!   Ian from Lacombe sent this in and says he saw him on one of the few remaining country trails not cleared.   DID YOU KNOW that a young hare less than a year old is called a leveret?   Babies are born with their eyes open and a full head of hair,…ER “hare”!

PLEASE,  SEND US YOUR PHOTO(S) OF ANYTHING SHOWING MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES.   FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING ON BT @7:10 right after news, weather, and traffic.

Eye on you!

Honk if you like Canada geese!!   Don from Sherwod Park was at the Heritage Wetlands and thought he would take a gander (oh my sides!) at the birds.  & as luck (and talent) would have it,…he got up close and personal with Mr. Canada.   Don tells me this gander has a sparkle in his eye – most likely because he has taken a goose.   DID YOU KNOW Canada geese mate for life???   Oh, and here’s another little factoid for you.   A female goose is a goose.  Huh?   Yes!   She is a called a goose “unless” she has babies OR is an author,…and then she is called – You guessed it - MOTHER GOOSE.   We thank Don for his photography and witicism!

PLEASE SEND US YOUR PHOTOS OF “MOTHER NATURE” OR HER CREATURES.   NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE FEATURED RIGHT HERE ON MY BLOG — BUT THE SPOTLIGHT WILL ALSO BE ON YOUR PICTURE ON BT!   FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING @7:10am.

This story involves a Friday afternoon, a cage and 5 men.   I know!   It made me stop in my tracks, too.

Last Friday afternoon, I’m walking down 103rd Street from Jasper Avenue.   And there it was,…gone.   Well it was almost gone.

Track hoe

Apparently, below our feet(and tires),…the manhole on 103rd Street, had deteriorated to … nothing.   Enter the hard working road and maintenance crew.   Their job was to dig up that ol’ man hole, put in a new one in,….and install new sewage pipes as well.

DID YOU KNOW that when city workers dig deep below street level, there is danger of a cave in?   Sure is!   That’s why they must work within the confines of a cage.   A cage that is made of steel and inserted with  the precision of a surgeon, by a trackhoe operator.   In this case – that rockstar operator is Irvin.

Lowering Cage

Once the 2 cages are in the ground – one perfectly on top of the other,…the guy who drew the short straw, has to go down and shovel away the guck from the old sewer pipe to get the water flowing.   No-Problem Nick had that job done in minutes.

But like Rodney Dangerfield, these men get no respect.   They deserve a shout-out.

Admit it, when you see a big hole in your road, barricades up, and heavy equipment going full steam,….I bet YOU get going full steam!

Just try not to forget — they want to get out of there as fast as you do.

Hard hat Heroes

So Hard Hats-Off to this crew!   Standing from left to right:  Dean, Nick, Brian, and Joe.   Irvin is in ‘his office’.

Irvin

Thanks for digging deep guys!!!