end of May in Edmonton

OK, I said I didn't really care what the weather is like while I travel. Rain, a bit cool, warm, hot ... I can live with it all. Now I take that back!! Don't know if you can see the S N O W in the pics above. All day it has rained and now that evening finally has arrived, (it is 6 PM) it is snowing. Right now in Whitehorse it is 24 degrees, in Ancaster (Ontario) it is 26 degrees, in EDMONTON, where I am, it is 3 degrees ... Yes that is THREE DEGREES! The forecast, a trace to 2 cm snow overnight. I brought shorts and sleeveless tops, not boots and winter coats. The man in the apartment across from mine is bar-b-queing in a coat, hat and gloves.

On the warmer side, I am spending the day with my niece Jennifer. After shopping, we came home and wrapped ourselves in blankets and watched some tv. Time for supper so I must go and experience some more weather.

Test

This is atest from my iPod.

Mother's Day

Ahhh, Mother's Day once again and for once, my offspring was in town and did celebrate the day with me. First, the RUN FOR MOM. Took place by the SS Klondike and was a 5 km fun run which saw about 300 people active. I saw you there Sue R. and you Debbie M. with your family and , and, and... The weather held, although it looked like rain and it was a very satisfying way to celebrate Mother's Day.

The late afternoon, early evening came with gifts for mom! And from the photo above, guess who is going to Greece! That is my mission this year. . . to learn Greek mythology. Thank you Brooke and Thank you for the scented candle from Nashville, you made it out literally right before the floods. And a big thanks for the flowers, something mothers always love, especially in the spring before even the grass starts greening.

Then it was off for dinner and a lovely dinner it was. I will enjoy it again tomorrow as the doggy bag came home with me.

Thank you for a most enjoyable day (to my son if he ever reads my blog!?!).

I was escorted today in a truck so high "I needed a ladder just to get me up". It was sure fun and on a day like today it was sure fun being a mother!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOTHERS OUT THERE IN CYBERSPACE!

Monday Morning - May 03

Need I say More????

An interesting fact quoting Terry, one of the Soccer Tournament organizers is the following:

"With the FIFA World Cup of Football starting in one month, the theme of soccer being the world's most popular sport was demonstrated locally in the tournament with players from thirteen different countries participating, not counting Canada: Iran, Iraq, England, Fiji, Guatemala, Mexico, Chile, India, China, USA, Vietnam, Moldova, and Kosovo." And I believe he forgot Australia as well. Pretty amazing.

Canada Games Centre

The Canada Games Centre was built for the Canada Winter Games held in Whitehorse in 2007. The Soccer Association lobbied hard to have it include an indoor soccer pitch and alas were successful. It is the only indoor soccer pitch in Whitehorse. Before it was built, we played the game in school gymnasiums. The centre is beautiful and houses the pool, two skating rinks, a multi-purpose arena (used for basketball, volleyball etc) a track, gym, physio centre and many other individually used rooms. The facility also displays the work of local artists. So, if you are ever in Whitehorse, it is well worth a visit.

Tournament Time Again

Guess what I was doing this weekend. Once again, it was time for the Old Timers Soccer Tournament and I was asked to take some photos of the games so they could have a slide show at the Banquet on Saturday night.


The Juneau team came again this year (not in any of these photos tho) and Dawson City tried to get a team together, but were only able to manage two players, so they joined other teams.

The games started Friday night and continued on to Sunday morning. Juneau came in 3rd Place and below is our First Place team along with their "trophy" - Yukon Brewing Company Glasses.
Congratulations Green Team!

Had a visit from my little friend Ella on Friday, accompanied by my big friend Deb. Ella was a little shy but was quickly amused by all of the new stuff within reach. She is growing so big so quickly. Next time she comes for a visit I'm sure she'll be talking!



Saw TWO robins last Sunday, one at my old home in MacPherson on Thursday and one today. So YES ... Spring is officially here. The weather has been fine of late - sunny sunny sunny and the snow is almost all gone. In fact - the Golf Course opened this weekend. I think that is the earliest opening yet. So now there is a lot of outside work - raking, digging, planting, cleaning and generally getting ready for the summer. I love finally getting out into the yard.

The swans have arrived at Swan Haven in M'Clintock Bay on Marsh Lake. As of Friday, the count is 667 swans, including 235 Tundra Swans. On occasion while walking in town you can hear their honking as their loose "V"s make their way further north. It's a sight one never tires of.

So with this warm weather, the postings will be sporadic. If I'm not talking to you, I am outside getting fresh air and exercise. Happy Spring.

You may recognize this photo. The road on the way to my old house. As you can see there is still lots of snow on the mountains, very little in the bushes just off the road (unlike my backyard which still has 1-1/2 feet of snow). Was on my way to pick up my 'ol friend for lunch.

Passed this small building, which is easily viewed off the Alaska Highway. It is our new (and only) crematorium. The large chimney was shooting out the heat. You can't help but wonder if they just keep it hot in there, or if it is really doing its job.

On the way home, we took a detour to the McIntyre Creek area, where the paper last night said the swans have stopped. There is a lovely little viewing kiosk there filled with information on the birds in the area.

Of course, my birder friend knew all of this information and could easily recognize any of the birds. Had we seen swans, we could have recognized them too. Guess they all few away to the north since last night. Old Yukoners reading this ?? This is on the Fish Lake Road before the hydro station (on the way to my old old house).

More Rambling

Not much happening around here. Spring is the frustrating time of year. Still lots of snow on the ground and when that leaves, the ground still has to thaw. Won't be able to begin gardening until at least the beginning of May, so please don't tell me about your planting of pansies or raking of lawns. We learn patience here in the north.

Just heard this on the news tonight and it seems to be a topic floating around, but in case you haven't heard ... how can you go green by switching font ?? I have heard of two ways. They all have to do with printing. According to a Wisconsin college, switching from their default font (Arial) to Century Gothic will cut back on the amount of ink required when printing. And not just by a little bit, but about 30 percent less ink, says the school's director of computing. Way number 2 is purchasing a new font (I guess the savings are in the long run as you have an initial cash output with this one). This is called Ecofont and it puts little holes in the font which saves on ink and does not affect legibility. This apparently saves 25% of the ink when printed.

I have been getting into "green" sites lately (Lisa, you don't want me visiting you now!) My newest site of interest is www.ewg.org I have been watching Anna & Christina (on TV) cook up a number of recipes from various cookbooks - some successfully, some not so much. They turned me onto this Environmental Working Group site. It has the shopper's guide to pesticides. Very interesting. As well, they washed then tested some of the most highly pesticided (is that a word??) food - they washed with water, water & vinegar, and water + a couple of the newest food washing detergents on the market. The results ... water removed more pesticides than any of the other ways of cleaning the food. For those of you with an iPod Touch or iPhone, there's an app for this!

And for those of you that are retired ... it is sometimes difficult to remember what day it is. Here is a website that can help you. It is called Is it Thursday. Check it out at http://isitthursday.org/

Then after browsing for a bit more I came across this site: click here , then turned off the computer and went out for a walk.

For Ma & Pa Mauch

A couple of photos to let you know that your daughter arrived up north safe and sound. Debbie has been showing her the town...Teslin yesterday, play at the Arts Centre last night, a hockey game today (Peter's team didn't win..) then out with the girls tonight.

Yes, that's Yukon Brewing Company's Cranberry Wheat Ales and virgin Ceasars sitting on that table. We has a few cools ones, dinner, then home. Tomorrow will be the knitting classes she actually came north for, so ... all's well on the northern front.

Art Series Finale

Went to this season's last performance of the Art Series - Don Juan ... his story of how he came to be the greatest lover in the world, as told from hell. It was another interesting interpretation of a classic story, as performed by 4 actors and many puppets.

Was talking weather (are we Canadian ??) to someone from Ontario. They were raking their lawn. Above is my lawn. Although our temperatures were rivaling each other (excluding the 17 degrees they had the day of our conversation), our ground covering looks much different. It always amazes me how quickly the snow disappears considering how much we have ... a warm week ahead, apparently. That should make a difference.

Those of you that live in Whitehorse already know this and those who do not probably don't care, but a business that has served our city for 25 years will close its doors for good at the end of this month. The Country House will cease to be. If you DO live in Whitehorse, this is a big deal as it is the ONLY fine furniture store in the Yukon...I'm not kidding. Needless to say, it will be sorely missed.

As today is overcast and a bit gloomy, thought I'd cheer things up with a few photos of what lies right around the corner. Soon enough the first crocus will poke through the last of the snow and before you know it, our world will be splashed with colour once again! I love spring and the promise it holds.

The Flag is still Wavin'

If you remember, a few blogs down, I discovered the Youtube of K'naan's Wavin Flag. Well, as I'm sure you've all heard by now, the remix is released.
"And now the track is helping Haiti. Last month during the Olympics, more than 50 Canadian artists gathered in Vancouver and re-recorded the anthem as a charity single, with proceeds being split among Free the Children, War Child Canada and World Vision and their efforts for on-the-ground relief. The track was released today.

Dubbing themselves Young Artists for Haiti, those involved in the single include Drake, Metric’s Emily Haines, Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber, Nelly Furtado, Broken Social Scene and many more. The song was recorded by legendary rock producer Bob Ezrin." (from thestar.com)
Now, for just $1.29, you can purchase this song from iTunes with Apple, the labels and the artists donating their share of the proceeds to Feed the Children, World Vision and War Child charities.
A great way to help out a country in need.

After complaining (yes, that is one of my favourite things to do), I was invited for dinner at SR's place. Brooke's sisters were still in town, so I finally got to meet them. They are leaving for Dawson City today to perform up north. Unfortunately, Hayley (centre) had the flu so didn't spend much time visiting her. Hope she's feeling better for the long drive north. If you haven't already, you can visit their website by clicking here and listen to a bit of their music.

SR bar-b-qued steaks (luckily he got the "ability to bar-b-q the best steaks in town" gene - and not from me I'm sorry to add) and Brooke cooked up loads of vegies. Great dinna! Ammon and Dustin joined us as well.

Also viewed the new art photos purchased for the house (when they were down in Vegas). Phenomenal photographs of immense proportions. The photographer is Peter Lik. You can view his work at http://www.peterlik.com/
It's well worth a visit to this site.

And one for the girls. Just heard about this site and had fun trying it out. You can insert your own head shot and try on the hair styles of the movie stars. As well, you can choose a variety of make up to go along with the new do. Click here and play a bit. The only tip is to take a photo of yourself with your hair pulled tightly back on your head so your own hair doesn't interfere with the new do's. Have fun. (You boys can try it out too if you really want to be adventurous!)

Medal Count

Time to take off the Olympic medal count! Will do that in a day or two, but just have to leave up our Gold Medal Count for a proud bit longer!

Until 2010 Canada has never won a gold medal at home. Then came Alex Bilodeau of Rosemere, Quebec, who won the first gold medal for Canada at home in freestyle skiing moguls. He broke the jinx. Then came all the grumbling about the Canadians not finishing in the medals, even though many finished 4th or 5th. (How about that Cross Country Skiier that completed the 50 kilometer race, only to miss a medal by 1.5 seconds!)
In comes week two and by the end of the week, Canada won more gold medals in Vancouver than in any Winter or Summer Games. AND ... Canada has also added its name to the record for the most gold medals at a Winter Games, set by the Soviet Union in 1976 and tied by Norway in 2002.

Congrats Canada. Congrats to all the alethletes that participated. And Congrats to all that won medals! I guess Own the Podium was a success. Now if they will just continue it (and perhaps change it's name).

March - in like a Lamb

They had to carve quickly as the temperature kept rising. Yesterday, the day after Rendezvous, we hit 6 degrees celcuis! It could very well be (and has been in past) minus 40 celcius at this time of month! What a difference. I heard that a snow carver visited our hospital, as a chunk of snow broke loose and broke her ankle - she was from another country ... the Netherlands perhaps, but feel free to correct me. Anyway here are a couple of interesting carvings.


Saw SR the other day. Even though he lives a 15 minute walk or a 4 minute drive away, I seldom see him, so when he arrived (to borrow something) I took his photo!

Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous

I was lucky to catch the beginning of the 100 mile sled dog & skijoring race. This is a new race along the Yukon River from downtown Whitehorse to Haines Junction. I can understand the sled dogs running, but skijoring 100 miles must be quite a feat! It is apparently the longest skijoring race in North America.

It looks as if the person above couldn't decide whether to skijor or ride a sled so is doing a bit of both!

Once again, the snow carvers were working away busily. Hopefully their work won't be too intricate as by the look of the sky and the huge sun positioning itself in the sky, it is going to be a hot one today (all relative of course, hot meaning a couple of degrees above 0). We don't want the finished sculptures to melt before the judging tomorrow.

Oh ya, I still have to say GO CANADA! Now that the government is talking about taking away the money from the Own the Podium program, we are starting to do better! Go figure...

Rendezvous - again

Had a few things to do downtown, so popped into Shipyards Park to check out the goings on for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous this year. The first thing I saw were army guys and army vehicles. Not being a big army type person, I was a little disappointed, but walking through their display, I took a few photos...

and had to smile at the truck above. As you can see in the photo below, it could be in a Tim Horton's commercial!

Not carrying a camera around these days, so you'll have to be happy with my ramblings. Weather here is similar to Vancouver - spring-like. I won't complain. Sneaking just above 0 degrees and dripping dripping dripping - vehicles covered in mud... and the sun is setting later and later. Funny how every single year I look out the window, look at my watch and say "look how light it is!!" I will continue that until June 21st - I love the light.

Found this website I want everyone to visit. It's called FreeRice. FreeRice is a website committed to the cause of ending hunger around the world. It is run entirely for free and at no profit. All money (100%) raised by the site goes to the UN World Food Program to help feed the hungry. Sponsors make all payments to the UN World Food Programme directly. It's fun, it's free, it makes you smarter and it helps feed the world. Try it out at www.freerice.com

Continuing to watch the Olympics - watching the highs and the lows and enjoying it. I still say Go Canada!

As you see, I've put an Olympics medal count at the top of my blog. Go Canada!
The first time I switched on the TV to watch the pre-Opening Ceremony, I heard the tragic news (and saw the video) of the death of the Georgian luger. What a sad sad way to begin this event. He was so young.
On a brighter note, Vancouver looks good on the TV. SR flew into YVR last night from Hawaii (such a hard life!). Them CLean Girls .... on no!!! ... it's The McLean Girls ... are singing somewhere for the Olympics so I think he wanted to be there for that. By the way, they have a new website if you wished to browse it. Click here.
I know people who are flying down to YVR for the Olympics, I know people who are living in YVR and not leaving their house during the Olympics, and I know people who are flying away from YVR for the Olympics. Me, I'll be watching on my new TV.
Off tonight for a dinner in aid of Haiti, so my Olympic watching will start tomorrow. Go Canada!