And now – joining us from the uppermost edge of Canada – the winner of the snow sculpture contest in TUKTOYAKTUK!Rick watches us when he can – much to our delight. He writes: “We are located on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, Tuktoyaktuk is a small town of about 1,000 people. This was the snow sculpture contest we held over the Christmas holidays. It is a son and his child looking up toward the sky with a polar bear skin hanging, and a igloo in the back ground. This is the 1st place winner of about 20 entries – they were all beautiful”.
DID YOU KNOW? Tuktoyaktuk, or just Tuk as some people call it - is about 150 kilometres north of Inuvik. If you are interested in seeing a community accessible by plane or ice-road it is a must visit! I bet the Northern Lights are out of this world: http://www.tuk.ca/
BRAVE THE ELEMENTS – CAPTURE THE MOMENT – BE PART OF BT HISTORY. OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY, UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY!
Murray is a licensed bander of birds and is often called upon to rescue and rehabilitate:“Here is a male Great Horned Owl about to be released after we helped him heal from his injuries. He “did” have 2 feather horns. We always release Great Horned Owls in the same locale in which he/she was found. They have been known to wait up to 2 years for their mate to return, guarding their hunting area all the while. His was an excellent recovery. Hoot about wildlife”.
DID YOU KNOW? The Great Horned Owl was adopted as Alberta’s provincial bird on May 3, 1977, by a province wide children’s vote.
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP THERE WAS A SLOGAN: “GIVE A HOOT – DON’T POLLUTE”. AND NOW YEARS LATER THERE IS ANOTHER: “WE OF THE FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION NEED YOU”. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY!
Thank you Gabriel forsharing this kodak moment. He writes: “Sunset at Pembina Provincial Park August Long Weekend”. The Weather Specialist in me notices the stratus clouds. The forever-young in me notices how Mother Nature has hand-painted the stratus clouds with pastel pink and purple.
DID YOU KNOW? Pembina River Provincial Park is located near the Pembina River gorge. The cliffs are 62 metres high(that’s about 20 stories if you compare it to a building). The cliffs were created by meltwaters from the retreat of glaciers. You can camp, fish, hike, and float in and around the Pembina River. Spectacular!
WE NEED YOUR PICTURE FROM THE SUMMER TO GET US THROUGH THE WINTER! FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING AT 7:10, AND GIVE YOU EVERLASTING FAME ON THIS BLOG. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY!
So Cool! The picture AND the Bull Elk … just ask him. Anastasia tells me she was sending me a picture of: “A traffic jam in Jasper“. Here’s her story: “I was coming off the of the Yellowhead HWY into Jasper when I saw this regal fella. I stopped (best to take care leaving a good distance, even when in your vehicle). It’s like he knew he was a good looking beast, and he stood there for a few minutes to pose and check things out. There was no way around him, and I didn’t want to cause him any fuss, so I waited for him to make up his mind when he wanted to move. We have a number of grand bull elk in JNPark, and it was just impressive to see him that morning in front of me, poised and perfect. While he was causing the morning winter wonderland mini-traffic jam, I took the opportunity to snap the shot! And then, off he went”.
DID YOU KNOW? Anastasia knows how important wildlife is to Jasperites AND visitors. She works for Tourism Jasper and reminds me that Jasper in January awaits. Check out their website – there’s bound to be something for you! http://www.jasper.travel/
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU SAW ON YOUR TRAVELS. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, SEE IT ON BT AND THIS VERY BLOG, TOMORROW!!
Talk about capturing the best of both worlds! The moon is just starting to make an entrance as the last hour or so of daylight finishes its masterpiece of pink and purple pastels. Bernd is the man behind the lens: “Sundown at Heritage Lakes/St. Albert in July 2010″. The moon in this shot is in the Waxing Gibbous phase: Waxing = growing. Gibbous = Swollen on one side.
DID YOU KNOW?St. Albert first received its town status in 1904 and 2 years later was on the Canadian Northern Railway line. Fast forward,…oh a hundred years plus, and stop at the year 2009. That was when St. Albert was ranked the sixth safest Canadian City. Red Willow Park has more than 70 kilometres of trails, linking neighbourhoods to the Sturgeon River Parkway.
STAY FOCUSED AND AIM HIGH. IF YOU HAVE A PHOTO SHOWCASING MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES - YOU BECOME AN HONOURARY MEMBER OF THE FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION ( BRAGGING RIGHTS INCLUDED ).
It was the last weekend of September and there was promise of nice weather for the mountains. That’s the only invitation Kate needed, so she packed up the digital and headed west to Jasper National Park. ”September 25th – here is the importance of a zoom lens”. Great safety advice!
DID YOU KNOW? In the fall, (mid-September to the end of October) is mating season, so the bull elk have no patience for humans. They are DANGEROUS. Give elk the right of way and stay at least three bus lengths away (30 m / 100 ft).
WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A ZOOM LENS - WE OF THE FRESH AIR PHOTO NEED YOU. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY-THEN SIT BACK AND WATCH FOR IT ON BT. TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO LOOK FOR IT ON THIS VERY BLOG!
Karrie was in the Mayan Riveria in October and writes: “Not a typical beach shot”. I wanted to know more and Karrie was kind to reply: “I just walked, turned around and saw a shot. I thought it was pretty cool – the sand was quite saturated which likely made the difference”. This photo makes me think of one of my favorite sayings: “Take only pictures – leave only footprints”.
DID YOU KNOW? We are seeing what is like an air pocket in a souffle. Sometimes the upper most layers of the beach resist the break-through of the escaping air. Instead of forming a hole to release the air escaping from the beach, the sand is forced up into a mound or blister; extending above the beach surface a fraction of an inch.
TIME FOR YOU TO MAKE TRACKS … BUT ONLY ON APPROVED TRAILS PLEASE! FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING ON BT (& THIS WORLD FAMOUS BLOG). MAYBE TOMORROW IT WILL BE YOURS.
Somebody is pretty happy! That’s Ruth, and she’s got a ticket to ride .. on the chair lift known as the Canadian Rockies Express. The snow covered slopes are Marmot Basin – her destination is Paradise .. maybe she’ll pop in for a little chalet-lunch up there.
DID YOU KNOW?Snow forms – if the air in a cloud is below freezing. The water vapour then turns to ice instead of rain and the tiny ice crystals stick together until they form snowflakes. When they get heavy enough to fall, they drop out of the clouds. Marmot Basin has the highest base elevation of all ski areas in Canada. This means that the early snow in October/November stays right through until May. www.skimarmot.com
MAKE YOUR MEMORIES LAST WITH YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA AND WITH YOUR VERY OWN PAGE ON THIS BLOG. PLUS! AS A ONE-TIME BONUS, WE WILL PUT YOUR PIC ON BT. SEND US YOUR PHOTO – TODAY!
Have you ever paid interest on a credit card? Like, ever?
Graham Hicks hasn’t. Just ask him. (See video below)
But I’d venture a guess Graham is probably amongst the minority of adults who hold that potentially-potent piece of plastic. We all know best practice when it comes to credit cards is to pay them off in full every month. No exceptions. But let’s be honest, once in a while the balance carries over. In fact, sometimes it starts to pile up. We’ve all heard stories (often via late-night infomercials) of unfortunate souls who’ve racked up so much credit card debt they can barely make the minimum payments. In such a circumstance, basic mathematics show what amounts to a life sentence of debt. It could be 30 or 40 years before that balance is actually cleared.
If such a fate wasn’t warning enough for everyday spenders like you and I, there’s Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney’s straight talk about interest rates. Speaking to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto on Monday, Carney cautioned low interest rates could mislead Canadians on their capacity to manage month-to-month expenses.
“Cheap money is not a long-term growth strategy,” Carney warned. “Experience suggests that prolonged periods of unusually low rates can cloud assessments of financial risks.”
In other words, when interest rates inevitably rise, those “rolling deep” could find themselves in serious trouble.
Back to Graham Hicks (and his unsolicited on-air inquiry/assessment of my personal financial situation – see video below). I find it hard to believe the majority of Canadians are wilfully driving themselves into debt. But there’s no denying the fact we’ve become a culture accustomed to options like “Buy Now, Pay Later.” I also belong to a generation that doesn’t flinch at 5-figure student loan debt and $300,000 starter homes. For the most part, it’s all we’ve known.
So…is debt inevitable?
There’s no easy answer, except to suggest “spend less than you make.” Simple, right? I guess until the car breaks down. Or Christmas hits. Or any other myriad of financial challenges arise, forcing us to search for creative ways to stretch our spending bucks.
I’m not saying I’m going hungry this month. I’m also not saying I’m flush. I count myself somewhere in the middle. My name is Ryan…and yes, I have paid interest to a credit card company before. How about you?
“The King’s Speech” ruled the nominations ceremony for the 68th annual Golden Globes, coming away with a leading seven nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Drama- which went to Colin Firth.
Close behind, “The Fighter” and “The Social Network” each picked up six Globes nods.
On the television side, familiar names joined new ones as “Glee”, “30 Rock”, and “Modern Family” snagged Best Tv Series- Comedy or Musical nods, as did “The Big C”, “Nurse Jackie”, and “The Big Bang Theory”.
Best Television Series- Drama nominees are “Dexter”, “The Good Wife”, “Mad Men”, “Boardwalk Empire”, and “The Walking Dead”.
The 68th Golden Globes ceremony will air live January 16th, hosted for the second straight year by British comic Ricky Gervais.
