Celebrate Summer!

Florence has a steady hand and perfect timing!    She was one of thousands who waved the flag during the day and oohed and awed during the Canada Day Fireworks at night.    The City of Edmonton goes all out on July 1st.    According to Edmonton’s Fireworks Operator, only Ottawa’s show was bigger than ours.    If you saw our display you saw thousands of shells a minute.    The highest firework was 12 hundred feet in the air and 1,000 feet across.

DID YOU KNOW?    Fireworks date back to the 7th century and originated in China.    ”Firework-masters” were respected for their knowledge and skill in mounting dazzling displays of light and sound.    They developed many different kinds of fireworks from Roman Candles to Rockets – different explosions, effects, and color.    These days, the art and science of firework-making is an independent profession.

CELEBRATE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHEN THEY SEE YOUR FRESH AIR PHOTO ON BT AND THIS BLOG.    ON OUR MAIN WEBPAGE CLICK ON ”CONNECT WITH US” – UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO AND VOILA!    YOU ARE PART OF BT HISTORY.

Men in the Mountains Weekend

Wow.    Imagine waking up to this view!    Johnathan did .. along with 5 of his buddies who hiked up to a Hut in Fryatt Valley, Jasper National Park.    “My friend Will took the pic for our friend Kris’s Bachelor hike.   Mark, Bunsen, Mike and I left Jasper on a Friday morning with 60 pounds on our backs.   23 kilometers later we arrived at this spot, the last 2 kilometers are vertical up the head wall.   Sunday morning we hiked back out.   It was the toughest thing I’ve ever done, but what an amazing sense of accomplishment!” 

Their lodgings – the hut - is below:

Sydney Vallance (FRYATT) Hut

DID YOU KNOW?    In 1968  the Vallance family made a donation to the Alpine Club of Canada for a backcountry hut.    They chose Fryatt Valley because it was already a great location for mountaineering.    The hut was built in 1970 and at first was under control of Jasper National Park.    Sadly the hut was abused, so Parks took out everything inside.    In 1991 the hut was turned back over to the Alpine Club of Canada and upgrades were made.    It is named in honour of Sydney R. Vallance,  president of the ACC from 1947 to 1950 – he died in 1979.

If you want to experience the Fryatt Hut you need to be prepared.    Click here to find out what you need to know on HOW TO GET THERE:  http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/fryatt.html

CLIMB EVERY M OUNTAIN – FORD EVERY STREAM … BUT DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERA.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, SEE IT ON BT AND THIS BLOG TOMORROW!

Every once in a while BT goes off the rails…in a good way. Take Wednesday morning, for example. My duties were pretty simple just before 8:00: hand things off to Bridget, who had a couple dachshunds chomping at the bit and ready to race. I had a feeling our studio guest, country music star Terri Clark, might watch the segment with keen interest. After all, she’s got a weiner dog of her own. But I didn’t expect the striking singer to get involved. And not nearly to the extent that she did.

Here’s what I’m talking about…

There you have it. Wishes really do come true on Breakfast Television.

rpj.

ps – Honey, I was only kidding. xo

Why do Canadians still pay more for the same thing compared to Americans?

Books are the most obvious items where the discrepency is obvious because the prices are put on the back.  But from clothing to greeting cards, Canadians are paying more than Americans for the same thing.

Why?

Here’s some of the reasons that can contribute to it.

1. Currencies are volatile.  The dollar is high now…but may drop next week.  Businesses can’t drop and raise prices on a whim.

2. Higher tarrifs and taxes in Canada

3. Freight costs to ship things north of the border

4. Companies must bear the costs to produce mandatory bilingual labelling

5. Contracts to purchase goods are made months in advance.

6. And let’s face it…and it may be an ugly reality…the US has more buying power than Canada.  Alberta has 3 million people…the same amount as a New York City suburb.  We are not the most desirable market in North America.

This may not reduce the budgetary sting of this seemingly unfair situation but it may give us some insight on why it’s happening. And of course if you are planning a trip to the U.S. bring Mr. Visa.

Electrical Storm

Zoltan – our celestial storm chaser – has done it again!    Zoltan takes pictures for a living, but lucky for us, his passion is capturing the Aurora Borealis:  “Standing in the still of the night – in the middle of nowhere – you get to experience nature’s music.   Everyone MUST see this at least once, with their own eyes!  Think:  Bucket List!    This was not far from Smokey Lake in May.    If you are interested in seeing more of Zoltan’s work – here is his website:  http://infocusimagery.com 

DID YOU KNOW?    If you are interested in seeing the Northern Lights, you can sign up to receive AuroraWatch Alerts.    There is a website that measures GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY in the Edmonton area.    The operators of the website are constantly measuring the activity-and when conditions are ripe, send out alerts to those registered.    Here’s the link:  http://corona-gw.phys.ualberta.ca/AuroraWatch

KEEP YOUR EYES TO THE SKY WITH BOTH FEET PLANTED SAFELY ON THE GROUND.    ONCE YOU HAVE UPLOADED YOUR FRESH AIR PHOTO TO OUR WEBSITE – WATCH FOR IT ON BT AND THIS VERY BLOG!

It was date night.  Me, my husband and our third wheel…2 year old Olive.  We like taking her out. Most times. The other day, my husband went into an Italian restaurant we always wanted to try.  Nothing fancy, but classier than Pizza Hut. He asked “do you have a high chair.” A server replied “no.” “Then you don’t have my business”, and we walked out.  Olive needs to be restrained while eating.  The terrible twos are not a myth.

Actual sign in a North Carolina restaurant

There’s a restaurant in North Carolina that recently made headlines for posting a sign for parents, “screaming kids will not be tolerated.”  My kid screams.  Not a lot…but she’s broken a few glasses with her upper range. I want to go to a place where I am not on the receiving end of dirty looks.

I put it out on Twiter…where is the best kid-friendly restaurant?  Here are a few Edmonton place  my fellow parents and I recommend for those with hungry kids who aren’t always on their best behaviour.

The seemingly constant line ups at Cora’s (3 locations) aren’t great for kids.  But if you can get in, there’s an extensive kids menu. The children’s meals are big portions, maybe too big. When our food was taking a while, the server brought cheerios and bananas for an antsy Olive.

At Ragazzi (near Bonnie Doon Mall) you and the kids can watch the home-made pizza pie crust being hand tossed.  I have even heard of them letting the kids toss their own dough.

Red Robin (4 locations) was a popular choice among parents.  They like the spill proof cups, fun activities, and healthy, kid-friendly food. There’s even a kids section on their website. Also before you go, you can check allergy alerts and gluten free options on line.

Other restaurants with good kid-ratings include Tropika for its’ kid friendly dishware.   And nothing can beat Montana’s and the tablecloths you can colour on.

If you cater to kids, the parents will come.

Yet another seemingly-decent guy leaves of his own accord while another clown long shot returns, no doubt leaving millions of Bachelorette fans wondering, “When will we something new and original?”

Then BT Edmonton Bachelorette panelist Trevor Schmidt showed up for our usual Tuesday 8:10am segment this morning.

The Sterling Award-winning artistic director became the first BT guest in history (to my knowledge) to call for his own close-up, directing the show from the couch to deliver a point as perfectly as possible.

What more can I say? Click on the video link below for more on why Ashley and finalist Ben aren’t Trevor’s first pick. Don’t miss “The Men Tell All” this Sunday night on Citytv. The big finale runs next Monday at 9pm right here on Citytv. My money’s on Ben. Take it for what it’s worth!

rpj.