You had to know something was up when he took the rose with him. A few weeks back on The Bachelorette, Ed Swiderski baffled millions of fans (and Jillian) when he left the show to return to his job as a Chicago-based IT consultant. But when the front-runner to steal Jillian’s heart refused to surrender his rose on the way out the door, many viewers (including our BT Panelista Dajana) predicted we hadn’t seen the last of Ed.

Cut to Monday night. Ed walks back into Jillian’s life, forcing her to axe two suitors instead of one. Left on the cutting room floor: Michael (the breakdance instructor) and Jesse (the winemaker).

Of course, the drama didn’t stop there. Wes (lying SOB) kept his despicable ruse going for another week (despite a chivalrous return by Jake the pilot, already sent packing by Jillian, who demanded Wes ‘fess up about an alleged girlfriend), and Kiptyn’s overbearing mama left prognosticators wondering if the early favourite might not wind up on top.

I’d tell you to tune in again next week…but if you’ve made it this far, I doubt you need to be convinced! Click on the video below to hear what our Panelistas thought about the latest episode…

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Wednesday after playing a little song on Breakfast Television, Zebra Pulse traveled south for “Sled Island Festival” in Calgary. After a couple coffees we were picking up our festival passes at Bamboo. It was time to switch to beer.

Pilsner will do.

Sled Island Festival ran from the 24th to the 27th of June. In the 3 years they have put on this festival they sure have nailed the scheduling! Over 200 bands played in those 4 days. Many of the bands played twice which made it easy to see all the acts you came to see, as well as the ones you heard were good. I followed festival Director Zak Pashak’s advice to best enjoy the festival pretty closely and he was spot on. I had the time of my life, my ears are still ringing and I am bursting with inspiration.

Don’t worry I only heard about Sled Island this year too. Last year Boredoms played!?!

On my agenda that night was Fake Jazz Wednesdays at Broken City. The Fake Jazz crew from Vancouver brought their strange and noisy punk acts Including Shearing Pinx, Stamina Mantis and Ahna who I have blogged about before. Check out earlier pics on my Flickr to see the madness that took place at those shows. Space Rabies from Calgary and Zebra Pulse of Edmonton were also asked to play.

Space Rabies was Excellent! Rumored to have 11 members, I counted 9. That was definitely sufficient to infect the crowd.

Oh yeah they also had Ninja Turtle suits on. Awesome.

Ahna Played next bringing forth Demons of Decibel. I think they may listen to a lot of Nile.  This Duo makes scary music for being such pleasant people.

Stamina Mantis have shed the masks and kept the massive bass guitar and drum combo. Layers of distortion lie atop a furious riff by Mike while Bill builds and destroys walls of sound with his drums. They have my vote for best t-shirts of the festival.

Zebra Pulse played at Midnight. People must have liked us because during the sparse quiet breaks in the noise the crowd screamed at us. I am pretty sure they were smiling anyway…  I found out later that a Canadian hero(sure hero) of mine/the bands Owen Pallett, otherwise know as Final Fantasy, “tweeted” about loving us. We are Blushing.

Take that Paula.

Shearing Pinx Closed the show with a thunderous set that still gives me chills. It prompted much dancing and a mosh pit.

I watched this guy fly from the crowd onstage..somehow.

All of the bands that performed that night played the best I had ever seen. Including Space Rabies, whom I watched for the first time and thought was quite tubular. We made our way back to Erin’s Folks place to crash out for the rest of the morning and prepare for Thursday night.

Owen

I am Canadian!   So is the young lady in this photo.   Constable Jennifer Dowden is with the RCMP in Ottawa.  

Constable Dowden

She has just realized her life long dream, and has been accepted to the Musical Ride!

We don’t know Constable Dowden personally,…but we know her cousin!   Stephanie Brennan works with us on BT.   Stephanie is bursting with pride about this woman she admires.   And we admire and thank her for her contributions as well!
DID YOU KNOW?   The Musical Ride is performed by 32 riders and horses, plus the member in charge.    One of the more familiar formations is the “Dome”, once pictured on the back of our $50.00 bill.

The Dome

Musical Ride

 Wow.   To me, this is absolute perfection.   From Rocky Mountain House, you want to go about 18 kilometres southwest.   Bring a warm sleeping bag, because Cow Lake can get a little chilly first thing in the morning.   Kelly was at this very spot just before the May long weekend.   It was nice and calm — the lake “and” the campground.

Breathtaking Cow Lake

DID YOU KNOW?    As well as that warm sleeping bag, you might want to bring your fishing rod.   Cow Lake is stocked with Brown and Bull Trout.   The provincial fish of Alberta is the Bull Trout.   Remember:  Catch and Release is the best policy.
If you catch any Fresh Air Photo moments on your camera — please upload them right here on our website.   You could also see your picture on Breakfast Television at 7:10am.

This is an action shot — a picture taken from a moving vehicle.   Well,….not so much a ‘vehicle’ as a VIA TRAIN.    Ian Young rode the rails from Vancouver to Montreal.

Pyramid Falls, BC

We are fortunate to see this shot of Pyramid Falls that was taken from the train.   That’s because “this”‘ is pretty much the best angle you will ever get.   It is not accessable by vehicle,….One of the many and obvious benefits of being All Aboard!   Here’s one more little fact for ya:  these Pyramid Falls are above the North Thompson River.   The forest has old-growth cedar trees as well as hemlock.   Blue River and Clearwater, BC are the closest communities.

DID YOU KNOW?   Today’s Fresh Air Photographer is Ian Young, a brain injury survivor.   He embarked on this trip he called “The Brain Train”.     Ian Brainiac Young shared his story, how he beat all odds – even death – and how he hopes to change regulations in professional sports,…where concussions and cerebral injuries are common and preventable.    He was sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of Canada.   http://ianyoung.ca

 We would love to hear your story behind the lens.   Send us your Fresh Air Photo today!

Watch out!

Talk about caught in the act!   A funnel cloud is just beginning its dance.   Lucky for Murray in Ponoka, it did not gain enough energy to touch the ground.    In very basic general terms:  it is possible for a tornado to form when a warm front meets a cold front forming a thunderstorm.   But those thunderstorms that are already at high intensity (well defined),…are the best predictors of tornadic activity.    

DID YOU KNOW?   Safety experts tells us if we are driving in our car and a tornado is moving in, we should get out of the vehicle and get into a ditch.   The reason?   Getting into a ditch puts you below the strong winds and gets out out of the way of the flying debris being pushed along at ground level.

Please be careful out there!   But if you see any weird or wacky weather happening  — we would love to see them.   Download your Fresh Air Photo TODAY — it’s easy, free, and low in fat!

Moose mom & kids

I will type quietly here, so I don’t disturb Mother Moose and her twins.   This magical moment was camera-captured by Haley at the end of May.   Haley tells us they were lucky enough to sneak up on a cow moose and her twins while at Forfar Recreational Park.   It’s just south and west of Athabasca.   I love that you can see the reflections on the calm – still water.  

DID YOU KNOW?   Moose are very good swimmers.    They can dive more than 5 meters to the bottom of a lake for food.   Their eyesight is not that great – but make up for what they can’t see,…in their strong sense of smell and hearing.

Did YOU HEAR that we are looking for fresh – Fresh Air Photos?   While you are out there – snap, and then send.   We want to put your pic on BT as well as right here on my blog. 

Good morning!

Zebra Pulse live on BT!

wow

I guess it’s true – nice guys really do finish last.

Well, technically they finish sixth. Last night, our beautiful bachelorette Jillian Harris sent Jake the Pilot packing just weeks after a wildly-successful date that saw the pair blissfully two-step to a live performance by Martina McBride. But something must have happened on the way to Heaven – Jake couldn’t crack the top 5, with Wes and Michael moving on instead.

I doubt anyone was surprised to see Tanner go home. The only insight viewers got into his personality was an over-the-top foot fetish and a tendency to tattle on his housemates instead of showing his own personality to Jillian. Of course, Tanner went out with a bang – showing something else to Jillian (earning an under-handed compliment about his, ahem, “package”), but the thong apparently wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the “Meet the Parents” episode.

Throw Robbie from the Train. What a humiliating exit from the show! Sure, the 25-year-old bartender may not have been the favourite to win Jillian’s heart – but I sure didn’t see him getting dumped (and stranded) on the side of the tracks an hour outside Lake Louise! Memo to all single dudes: at least PRETEND you’ve got a life plan (or, at the very least, the motivation to dream one up). Ladies love tasty drinks, but your martinis won’t be the only thing described as “dry” if they’re all you’ve got to offer!

Our Tuesday morning panelistas shared their own insights into Monday night’s episode. Here’s what the ladies had to say (click on the video below to watch):

rpj.

Perfectly disguised is this squirrel, taking a sip — maybe even a dip!   This little guy is a genius for finding such swanky surroundings at the U of A.   Estella,…one smart cookie herself, thought we needed to see this scene of serenity … and for that we are grateful!