Yup, that’s right…we’ve got photos of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup party at owner Mario Lemieux’s pad! The pictures speak for themselves – Lord Stanley in the pool, Mario’s private office, a “Magnificent” trophy case (Canada Cup, Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, Art Ross, etc!) and wine cellar (note the 1992 Stanley Cup Championship special edition magnum), Evgeni Malkin’s parents and a whole lot more. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the photos.
Congratulations to a young team that looks like it could make some noise for years to come…
Another episode, another salacious collection of conundrums for our dear Jillian to sort out. Click on the video below to hear what our After the Rose panelistas thought about The Bachelorette this week.
The proud and mighty Swainson’s Hawk. The “capture” (of the image behind the lens) – is courtesy of Murray from Ponoka. The next time you are driving down a country road – make a point of looking up at telephone poles or fence posts. That’s where the Swainson’s Hawk likes to hold court. Seeing this raptor always leaves me enraptured!
Hawk Eye!
Mr. Swainson here is a nestling. That means he’s too young to leave the nest. But as you can see, he is confidently perched on the bander’s arm, … un-afraid of humans. That’s because he’s so darn COOL. After he was banded, he was put back into his nest. And just 3 days later when Murray returned for a closer look — he was “shown”, in no uncertain terms — he was not welcome! Murray was not the ‘bander’ – so this hawks parent’s dove and drove him away. But we are happy to report - Murray’s scalp is still intact.
DID YOU KNOW? Hawks use SOLAR ENERGY when they fly. HERE’S HOW: When the sun shines, it heats the ground. The air immediately above the ground is warmed, causing it to rise. The rising air column is strong enough to lift the hawks high into the sky — like riding an elevator. Hawks gain maximum lift on this “thermal”(as the rising air mass is called),….they then glide on to the next thermal, sometimes up to 10 kilometers away – to catch the next “thermal” – to be elevated again … and again … and again. VERY COOL!
PLEASE LET ME BE THE CLIFFY CLAVEN OF “YOUR” FRESH AIR PHOTO(S)! Pics are aired every morning on BT right after the 7am news, weather, and traffic — and of course are featured right here on my blog.Upload yours – today!
With summer fast approaching, it was time to get the first camping trip of the season officially on the books. This weekend, we headed west on Highway 22X to Maclean Creek on the outer edge of Kananaskis Country. It’s been a favourite spot of ours for years – busy enough to keep things interesting, secluded enough if you’re willing to take some time to search for that perfect spot.
The off-road destination has undergone a transformation, so to speak. The clock is starting to turn back after years of abuse – a cleaner, quieter Maclean Creek is now patrolled by RCMP and park wardens intent on keeping the area open to the public for years to come.
Of course, “quiet” is a relative term. 4×4s and ATVs still dominate the trails – the sounds of 2-stroke engines are sure to wake you from your slumber early each morning UNLESS you find an out-of-the-way spot with nothing to hear but birds and a babbling brook.
We found that spot. And I’m going to share how to get there with you, the loyal blog readers! If you head west on Highway 22 and then south at the Maclean Creek turnoff, you’ll soon hit the Maclean Creek store. Hang a left at the gravel road, and travel exactly 5km. Turn left again into the dirt lot and stick to the prominent trail for a little bit longer. I can’t reveal the EXACT directions to the Perfect Spot…but I will say this: if you keep your eyes peeled and stick right, you’re bound to find it before too long!
The Weather was ABOVE PAR — the Sandpiper Golf Course in pristine condition. The charity: Gateway Association for Community Living. Staff and volunteers provide services for people (and their families) living with developmental disabilities.
It was Gateway’s 3rd annual golf tournament – and my second time golfing with these wonderful people.
First stop: Mulligans 4 Sale – a bargain at any price. Earls St. Albert came through ”big time” with libations and nosh on the 6th hole. On team McDougall were: Gareth Smith (GM of Earls St. Albert), Tim Pennington (Head Chef at Earls St. Albert), Janis Clegg (Gateway Association for Community Living).
If you want to help out a wonderful organization – I invite you to get to know just a few of the people who make it tick.
Gunny Dale Denzel Curtis Larry
Janis Tim Gareth
As we handed out the hardware for our 3rd annual golf tournament — we watched Sid the Kid hoist “his” team’s hardware. I thought: what better way to end the day than this? Yes-you know you are Canadian “when” - your event is put on ‘delay’ to watch game 7 of the Stanley Cup. But it GETS BETTER !! – the staff at the Sandpiper had prepared an unbelievably delicious steak BBQ.
Andy Lyndsay Beth Jamie Kevin Easthope-Pro
Thank you for a fabulous Friday on the Fairway – Folks!
We thank Melsha for this awe inspiring sight. She and her family were driving between Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg when she saw this family horsing around. Lucky for us, Melsha had her camera “at the ready” – because I have never ever seen wild horses like this near their home on the range. I think it was a first for Melsha too.
DID YOU KNOW? There is an association in Alberta that helps to protect wild horses? It is called the Wild Horses of Alberta Society OR (WHOAS) .. here is their website if you want to know more. http://northernhorse.com/wildhorses/Future.htm
If you have a picture of Mother Nature or one of her creatures on your camera that you would like to see on tv — and on my blog,…ACT NOW! This once in a lifetime offer never expires, but really,…why wait?
There are certain times in life when a man must defend his honour.
Let me be clear – I’m not talking about standing up to schoolyard bullies or chasing purse snatchers down dark alleys. I’m talking about attaching my family name – and the reputation of generations of Jespersen men – to a hamburger.
Our friends at Delux Burger Bar approached me to kick off their “Celebrity Chef” feature. Every month (starting July 1st), they’ll feature the delectable design of a different Edmontonian. When corporate chef Paul Shufelt asked me to go first, I knew I’d have to (ahem) beef up my ideas to set the bar high.
I put the call out to Jespersen men across the globe, soliciting suggestions from my dad, brothers, uncles and cousins. My uncle Keith sang the praises of a delicious beef brisket burger with rosemary bacon. Keith’s son Philip urged me to endorse a Kobe beef burger topped with blue cheese. My brother Kyle noted the importance of introducing a worthy bun, “something with that wonderful paradoxical quality of ’soft fortitude,’ that won’t be sogged down by condiments.”
But it was my cousin Andrew who truly flew in the face of conventional burger wisdom, dreaming up a Thai burger I couldn’t ignore. I can only hope the “Thai One On” burger will have the same effect on burger buyers at Delux throughout the month of July!
Below, you’ll find a few photos from the burger’s debut on Breakfast Television this week (Big thanks to Bruce Clarke at Moments in Digital for sharing his images).
Click on the video below to see us take it from start to finish…I waited until we were off-air to find a dark corner and annhilate the burger (in less than a minute). To say the least, it gets my personal stamp of approval!
On the 31st of may in a big empty room downtown, there was a showdown. The game of Bear, Indian, Cowboy was used to decide who went first. The battle was brief but loud.
I have been accused of being old-fashioned, but I like to think of myself as more of a “purist”.
I like people who say what they mean, and mean what they say.
I like eating food that has been prepared simply, so that I might taste, and appreciate each individual ingredient.
And, I like listening to music that has been stripped down to it’s basic elements.
I want to hear the guitar, the sax, the horns (heck, even the cow bell if the occasion calls for it!)
That is why it is always such a treat when we feature a live band on the show.
Our audio genius, Phil Desroches, does a wonderful job of making the most of the acoustics here, but let’s face it, it’s still a television studio and not a sound stage. So we can hear very clearly and very quickly if a band is all sizzle and no steak.
My appreciation of this “pure talent” harkens back to my youth. My parents exposed us wonderfully to a wide assortment of musical styles and genres, and this would teach us about the history of an era as well as provide us with great entertainment. I think an appreciation of good music (although I cannot sing or play an instrument to save my life) is one of the greatest gifts they have given my siblings and I.
Saturday nights were “Oldies Night” at my house. We would listen to songs from my parents’ youth and learn a bit about them as actual people (beyond our Mum and Dad). What a revelation!
A band that was certainly part of the rotation on Saturday nights was The Searchers.
Now I may be the only 36 year old who knows all the words to their songs, but everyone in the studio had their toes tapping when they stopped by to perform two of the hits that made them famous.
What a treat!
I wish my family could have been here to share the experience with me, but it doesn’t really matter.
Because in my head we were all together wearing jammies and eating popcorn in our wood-panelled family room, listening to the Saturday Night Oldies.
Hope this brings back some great memories for you too.
Why do I get the feeling we STILL haven’t seen the craziest elements of The Bachelorette?
Sure, we’ve seen one contestant (Dave) threaten to tie another (Juan) to a tree and beat him. We’ve heard one contestant (Tanner) admit he’s on the show to “suck on some toes.” We’ve witnessed near-scraps behind the wheel of a car, a dude stripping down to his birthday suit and jumping in the pool, and allegations that at least one contestant (Wes) is on the show for no other reason than to promote his music career (gasp!). Now we’re being led to believe at least one contestant might already have a girlfriend?!?
My oh my. Just when you thought The Bachelorette was the bastion of traditional courtship, along comes allegations some dudes might not be playing by the rules. The next thing you know, we’ll find out Jillian’s not really attracted to every guy she kisses!
My head was spinning after Monday’s episode – good thing our BT Panelistas were in studio (as they are every Tuesday morning at 7:40) to help me make sense of it all…click on the video below for their takes.
