Shauna snapped this shot and titles it: “A beautiful start to a beautiful day”. And we agree! Shauna emailed this picture to us, but it was also featured on BT as part of our Fresh Air Photo segment. Fresh air photos air every morning at 7:10am & we want to include you in our Camera Club. So get out there and capture a “kodak moment” of Mother Nature or her creatures!
Good-NO..Great Morning!
Do you ever meet kids that make you feel like completely inferior; almost as if you should say to them ‘i’m sorry, i’m sorry I can’t be more successful, focused, and more intelligent for this conversation. I’ve a limited vocabulary and turning on my computer i would classify as a skill. But I was comfortable with that until you walked in, mister ‘fantastically-amazing-on-the-violin-and-he’s-only-four’ pants!!
..i know i know, real mature B.Ryan.
Unlike Jack. Who is four. Did i mention that? I met Jack WEDNESDAY Morning on remote at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music to promote the summer camps for kids coming up. All morning long, I was meeting these amazing 12, 9, 13 year olds who were blazingly talented. But I thought ‘good for them – that is awesome!’ Then in walks JACK.
Violin under one arm, bow in the other, he barely makes it up the stage because he is, well, FOUR. As i eyed this kid up, i am taken back to what I was doing when i was four…..
When I was four, i thought my raggedy ann and andy ‘blankie’ was the bomb, and i’d spend hours staring into the fabric imaging adventures with these lil’ cartoons that were imprinted on my ‘blankie’. Sometimes my eyes would cross i’d stare at the blanket so hard and so close, my mom would have to yell from the kitchen ‘pull back bridge pull back!’
Jack? He spends at least 2 hours a day practicing his violin.
When I was four, i remember picking up this lil’ metal stick and there was this traingular shape next to it and when I hit the stick against this triangular shape, it made a sweet lil’ sound. I made it again and again and again until my mom would yell from the living room ‘put the triangle down bridge, put the triangle doooooooooown.’ That was the day i learned what a ‘triangle’ was.
Jack? He played the Concerto in F Major and longs to play some day on a violin made by Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati.
When I was four, i didn’t know how to talk to people really – so i had a teddy bear collection that would make any webkinz fanatic blush. They were my family. There was michael, and timmy, and bert (who was hard plastic and i kept cutting myself on him, but i loved him none the less…) and sarah and janet and oh the list goes on. I would take them to restaurants, school, movies…when me and my family would go to restaurants, my parents and sister would get a table and then i would sit at a separate table with ‘teddies’ and we would all pretend that we were at a ‘restaurant’. I wish i could say i was kidding, but in fact i am not.
Jack? He waltzed up to me and said ‘Bridget Ryan? Pleased to meet you – I am jack and I will be playing a Concerto in F Major. I hope you enjoy.”
In a nut shell, Jack was awesome. Totally awesome. And I am so honored to have met him. He was allowing himself a moment of play in between segments on remote where he was going back stage and coming out to the centre of the stage and taking a bow. He’d do it over and over again.
‘what are you doing” i asked…
“i am at the carnegie hall and i am taking my bow’…..
I have absolutely no doubt, Jack, no doubt.
An interesting debate unfolded behind the scenes before Thursday morning’s BT. I was lucky enough to attend the sneak premiere of the new Star Trek film (click on the video link below for my brief review), and was gushing to Michele McDougall just moments before we went on the air at 6am. “It was fantastic!” I exclaimed. “Big-budget action feel, great casting, amusing references to past Star Trek features. But I have to be honest – I was surprised there weren’t more hard-core Trekkies in full costume!”
“Trekkers, you mean,” Michele replied before handing me a few pages outlining the difference between the two groups. Turns out Trekkers claim to “have a life,” implying Trekkies have a little less contact with the outside (real) world (Now those are fighting words!). Here are a few examples of how to spot the difference:
- A Trekker has a Starfleet Academy window sticker on his car. A Trekkie is cramming for the entrance exams.
- A Trekker thinks Wil Wheaton was a lucky kid who got to play a kid on Star Trek. A Trekkie thinks that Wesley Crusher was a lucky kid who got to sit on the bridge.
- A Trekker thinks it’s a shame that the show is coming to an end. A Trekkie thinks that it’s a shame that the crew is being reassigned and the Enterprise is being decommissioned.
- A Trekker knows that there are gaping holes in the technology, but ignores them and enjoys the show. A Trekkie can’t wait for the price to come down on those home food replicator units.
Regardless of whether you’re a Trekkie, a Trekker, or somebody who doesn’t know the difference between Spock and SPAM – there’s a great chance you’ll enjoy the new JJ Abrams blockbuster. Like they’re saying, “It’s not your father’s Star Trek!”
rpj.
Steering Clear
A perfect example of why people love to kayak. Most tell me they also love the whitewater and rapids, but when the water is perfectly still … there’s nothing like it! We thank Emil for snapping this moment of perfection in Banff National Park. Both the Bow River and Lake Minnewanka give kayakers all kinds of conditions.
Please send us your Fresh Air Photo(s). Besides a spotlight right here on my blog, they are aired every morning on BT at 7:10am.
Here’s what went down at the Oliver Square McDonald’s yesterday…
before the battery in our camera ran out.
It’s probably a good thing that you didn’t see the rest, our hearts were in the right place but we were most helpful away from the food and greeting folks at the front door 
Full-on Discussion!
The tree swallows are back in Alberta – and they are feisty! Murray caught this action shot of 2 male birds in full-on discussion near Ponoka. Hmm, 2 males fighting for territory — has to be a female involved! Murray tells us tree swallows are a sign of warmer weather, because they eat nothing but insects at this time of year. After wintering in Mexico and South America,…we welcome them back home!
Fresh Air Photos air every morning on BT at 7:10am. Please send us your “Kodak Moment” of Mother Nature or her creatures.
I smelled it as soon as I woke up this morning – the unmistakable odour of fire. Or at least I thought I did. I fell asleep after watching the news, and had dreamt about the wildfires blazing around our province. It took me back to a couple of summers ago, where I spent a good portion of the season reporting on efforts to extinguish huge forest fires around Hinton. It was one of the most fascinating “up close” experiences I ever had as a news reporter, being escorted onto the front lines (wearing fire retardant gear) in order to fully understand both the magnitude of the fires and the challenge the firefighters face.
You can’t imagine the heat, the noise or the exhaustion. Rugged mountainside soaked by water bombers quickly becomes treacherous terrain – smoke trapped beneath the tree tops makes your eyes water and lungs burn within seconds. I quickly realized these hundreds (even thousands) of firefighters working feverishly to save precious timber and parkland would never truly be recognized as much as they should for the dangerous work they were doing without a second thought.
We’re back into fire season again, seeing tragic stories of homes lost around Hobbema, grasslands fueling fast-spreading flames and everyday people risking their lives to help strangers save their belongings. It’s an annual reminder of how quickly everything we know and hold dear can disappear - and how lucky we are to have heroes on standby, willing to drop into acres of ash and flame to keep the public out of harm’s way.
This past year, Citytv cameraman Steve Merko and I accepted an invitation to join the St. Albert Fire Department for a peek into urban firefighting. It’s one of the biggest eye-openers I’ve ever had, and one of the favourite stories I’ve ever filed. I came out of the day with a whole new appreciation for what these guys do on a daily basis.
The next time you see a firefighter in uniform, give him or her a thumbs up. The next time you drive past a firehall, take a second to ponder what it means for these trained professionals to put themselves in harm’s way on a moment’s notice. The next time a fire truck (or water bomber) roars past (or overhead), say a blessing for those working overtime to save a home, a provincial park or even a life. They are the heroes who aren’t always recognized – but they deserve our deepest thanks.
rpj.
Derek had the bird’s eye view! Back in March, Derek and some colleagues went to Revelstoke for team building(apparently, they have a very generous boss!). This was Derek’s view from the back of a snowmobile. Apparently the conditions and weather were spectacular. Have you ever heard the phrase: “Snow Ghost”? Some people think the way the snow is hanging on the tree, it takes on a human-like form,…or ghost-like form in this case.
Near Revelstoke
Here is another picture of the pure white snow high atop the mountains near Revelstoke. Judging by his thumbs up, I think Derek really loved this day!
Thumbs Up !
Hashers Ready!
Happy Hashers
Checking the trail!
False Trail?
We don’t run for the whole 5 or 10 k! There are stops for refreshments along the way at what we call Hash Holds – you might know them as pubs, bars, or restaurants.
Rest stop at City Hall
Ms. Red Dress 2009
Mom will be so Proud!
The picture on the left, is Ms. Red Dress 2009 with his wedding dress dye-job. The picture on the right is of my brother Dan and his wife Vicki, in the middle is ”Nookey”.
At the end of every run it is custom to eat, drink, and be Mary(er,…) Merry! This is also called the On-On(used as a noun in this sense — or nonsense if you’ve been keeping track).
The meal was over the top fantastic – thanks to Terry Allen’s Catering team.
Kitchen Magicians
Pam, Blair, Terry, and Randy!
Come out to a run some Monday night, a walk on a Thursday night, or bring your bike on a Tuesday.
Bring a friend — but above all, bring your sense of humour!
See you next year!
Sisters in law
Here with ART (800 times donor on my right) and to my left, SANDY and LIONEL - who have donated over 700 times!!! AND THEY ARE STILL STANDING TOO!!!
This past week, I had the INCREDIBLE honor of hosting the Canadain Blood Services Donor Appreciation Night where I stood at a podium in front of about 300 to 400 people all who were heros. I led the applause i asked people to stand as they were singled out because they have donated over 50 times, over 100 times, over 150 time and then we hit the groups of 200 and 300, 400, 500 and 600 and suddenly you think to yourself…’the higher these numbers get..can these people even stand?!?!’
And then the very elite group of 700 plus times of donating blood. Two of the 4 in Alberta who have done this were in attendance! Sandy Draper and Lionel Van Doesberg were in the house and as they stood, so did the rest of the room!! And then the applause just got louder for ART SWINER! Over 800 times this handsome robust man has donated blood!! I mean COME ON!!!! THAT’S AMAZING!!!
The most amazing part it is that these people ARE saving lives, they are making a difference and they know it. It’s a beautiful thing to be in the presence of greatness like that and stand in front of a sea of hero’s who must REALLY love the juice and cookies or is it that they know the importance of donating blood and the incredible sense of giving, truly, of yourself to save another.
So awesome.
Donate! If you haven’t – do, if you have – keep on and I will see you at the dinner next year!
ART HAS DONATED BLOOD OVER 800 TIMES!!! And he is STILL STANDING!!
(cool lil’ trivia…did you know that the best slogan ever ‘BLOOD: ITS IN YOU TO GIVE’ didn’t come from a big PR company or marketing person? Nope. It came from a gentleman who had just finished donating and as he was heading out – the nurse said ‘thank you’ and he turned to her and said ‘ no problemo, it’s in me to give!’)