Art and Culture in BC

This April 10 - 16 will mark the 12th BC Arts and Culture Week! The Enderby and District Arts Council (EDAC) as well as hundreds of other arts councils and schools across BC will be taking part in a variety of events over the week. Of of several events held in the Enderby area, the Potato Box Project, sponsored and run by The Gypsy Bazaar, the Enderby and District Garden Club and The Enderby and District Arts Council, this summer long event combines food and art and is meant to not only beautify the town but also to collect food for the food bank. The project will be launched Tuesday, 12 Apr 2011 at 1pm at the Gypsy Bazaar (509 Mill Avenue, 250-838-0587).

Other local events to be held over the week can be found in the April 1, 2011 edition of the River Talk, a free newspaper published in the Enderby area.

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Sustainable Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm proves once again that it and its people value sustainability.They value their green spaces and are willing to fight for them.

A recent post on The David Suzuki Foundation blog talks about the four year battle over the development of a ecologically sensitive flood plain by a large shopping centre planned in Salmon Arm. Thanks to the passion of its citizens and the aid of the The David Suzuki Foundation, if there is to be a large shopping centre, it will likely no longer endanger the flood plain and its inhabitants.

Celabrating Earth Hour!

I celebrated Earth Hour 2011with friends, neighbours and family this year at my Mom's house!

Flowers were placed and a lovely table set!

We had amazing appetizers

An incredible supper and of course delicious desserts!!!!

We managed to get everything cleaned up in time to have our lights off and our candles lit by 8:30. We were having such a great time playing crib, croquenot and a Disney Cars puzzle by candle light, that I forgot to take pictures! ops..

I hope everyone had a great Earth Hour this year. I would love to hear stories of how you spent your hour.

The Okanagan Tran Canada Trail

This excellent short video created by the Trans Canada Trail not only gives viewers an overview of the trail through the Okanagan but also highlights some of the best aspects of the Okanagan.

You can read more about the Trans Canada Trail in BC.

Yoga In The Valley

I am just collecting a little information for my friend and yoga instructor Alison Richmond of Yoga North! She offers a variety of classes from beginners to specialized classes for groups with an emphasis on restorative or gentle yoga. I have been taking classes with her now for nearly three years and love her gentle, caring spirit.

In order to better serve the community she would like to collect some general information. Please take a moment and fill out the short yoga survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Getting Ready for Earth Hour 2011

While I haven't made a final decision on what I am doing for Earth Hour 2011 (Saturday, March 26, at 8:30pm for one hour), I have a number of choices I am considering.

There will be a candlelight and acoustic music party in Downtown Vernon as well as party being held at the Bean Scene Coffee House ( 2923-30th Avenue Vernon, 250 558-1817).

There will also be plenty of private parties being held, which is my preference at the moment. I hear that there may be a Karaoke styled  potluck party happening in town which would be great fun for the whole family. Either way, I will be sure to get pics to post.

If you haven't already, be sure to make your Earth Hour Pledge with Fortis BC for a chance to win. You can also pledge on the WWF website.

So, what are you doing this Saturday, March 26, at 8:30pm?

Kelowna B&B Blossoming!

Kelowna`s very own Apple Blossom Bed & Breakfast has made the Travelers` Choice 2011 Awards, on TripAdvisor, for Top 10 Bed & Breakfasts in Canada! 

Awesome job guys!!!

With 136 Excellent ratings out of 146 (nine Very Good & one Average) as of this post, it is easy to understand how Apple Blossom Bed & Breakfast made the list. Ideally located, the B&B is within walking distance of the Mission Hill Winery. Guests can look forward to a full three-course country-style breakfast! 

I will definitely be adding this B&B to my list of accommodation to try. Has anyone stayed here before? What B&B is your favourite in the area?

Icy Trek To The Falls

It has been a while since my family and I decided to visit Margaret Falls by Herald Park. Today we decided to make a trip out there. While we expected that it might be a bit icy we didn't know just how icy. As I was the only one with Yaktrax, we had to stop at the first bridge, but did manage to get a few pics. 

I wouldn't advise anyone to use the trail for the next couple of weeks without wearing something like the Yaktrax and even then, only with caution as it is extremely slippery.

As one of our favorites, we will be back to give it a try in a couple of weeks. Hope it warms up fast!

Earth Hour Is A Coming

As everyone I am sure is aware, Earth Hour once again approaches (Saturday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m)!!!!

In this single hour, if we all commit to turning off our lights, we can make an undeniable statement of our commitment to our planet and expectation that we expect the same from our government  as well as businesses big and small.

While I have kept a private vigil at home the last bunch of years, I am looking for some exciting ways to celebrate this year. My plan is to find all the nearby shindigs and pick one to attend. I will of course share all that I find out with my faithful blog readers.

Please feel free to share any events you know of and what it is you are planning to do for this Earth Hour!

Mountain Bike Movie for a Great Cause

Hosted by the Shuswap Trail Alliance Mountain Bikers, this evening of film helps raise funds to build and maintain mountain bike trails in the Shuswap. The movie Lifecycles will be shown at 7 pm on Friday, April 1st at the Salmar Classic in Salmon Arm. 

Tickets can be purchased at RideTech ( 311 Ross St NE or 250 832-9811 ‎ ) for $10.

Who is going?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Spent a lovely afternoon with the family snowshoeing at Larch Hills Nordic Area!

I was a little worried there would be no snow or poor snow, but the snow was fantastic today. It was a winter wonderland. The snowshoe trails were in excellent condition and very well marked (see photos).

The groomed nordic trails were also looking great.

Found some most interesting formations of snow covered trees.

Our only blip in the afternoon was losing my husband's tail fin for his snowshoe (and running the entire loop in reverse to find it and found nothing). Thankfully some nice people found it and left it at the cabin for us. Thank you who ever you are!!!!!!

Shuswap Trails Powered By People

Tonight I attended the Annual General Meeting for the Shuswap Trail Alliance. 

I was incredibly impressed with the excellent information provided at the meeting. I also gained a better understanding of the amount of work that is required and what goes on behind the scenes to make this organization run.

What did I learned at this meeting?

The Shuswap Trail Alliance:

• is run staffed ( paid & volunteer) by a group of passionate and dedicated individuals.
• is backed by amazing communities full of individuals and businesses that support the alliance with donations and volunteered manpower and expertise.
• is focused on preserving the area's diverse ecosystems and creating a sustainable resource management plan
• works hard to foster cooperation with many different organizations and local First Nations peoples.

Some of their listed goals are:

• to protect First Nations interests
• to reduce/repair ecological damage
• manage land access appropriately
• ensure long-term use of trails

Since 2006, they have established over 50km of new trails. They have designed and placed over 140 trail signs (those are important, trust me) and they make great maps and guides of these trails that they offer free of charge, to name but a few things.

I also learned that it takes an amazing amount of funding to make this happen. With the loss of funding due to government cuts, the Trail Alliance must find other ways to replace the approximately $75,000. That is a lot of money to fund raise. I wonder just how many bake sales that would take?

Thankfully they are finding ways to meet their financial needs and make our trails happen. But they need help to do it. Help from people like you and me.

In fact, they have a fund-raising event coming up April 1 at the Salmar Classic Theatre (360 Alexander Street) in Salmon Arm. A great family outing, it will be an exciting mountain bike flick. Those are all the details I have at the moment but more will be forth coming as I get them.

Think Globally, Act Locally