Keep it Canada: British Columbia

*Peep the INSANE cameo from "THE BEST GUY IN THE WORLD"!@#$%!!! Lol... Chef Matty Matheson is a true KING (and prince, and probably more...)!!! BIG thanks to Darcy Hancock and Ryan Peters for letting me tag along for a lovely meal... PEACE(FUL)

chrana takes a trip

saltery bay

port mann bridge (october, 2012)

first blood

kelowna kapers (part I)

Hello old-timers,

James Jingles here again. I’m sitting on a couch 390.5 km ('Thanks Google!') northeast of Vancouver. Kelowna, British Columbia. The couch??? It’s a comfy one, but that’s totally beside the point.  The weather outside is a little grey. Inside??? That’s also beside the point. Oh, wait a second; the sun is starting to break through!!! Ah, I can finally breathe again (gotta… stop… holding… my… breath!@#$%!!!). Anyways, why am I writing everyone today? I’m not exactly sure. It’s just one of those mornings in places far away from home when one feels like spilling his/her guts on a MacBook Pro. Don’t worry; there are plenty of wet wipes nearby. Guts are quite messy. Especially when they get between the keys…

Yesterday, um, oops, there goes that sun again!@#$%??? Composure. Check. Ok, well, yes, we are smack dab in the middle of yet another interior mission. Another hopeful attempt to lay eyes upon the elusive “Ogopogo.” For any uninitiated folk out there, Ogopogo (named N’ha-a-itk” by the local First Nations) is a lake creature (akin to the Scottish Highland’s notorious Loch Ness Monster) that roams the deepest depths of Lake Okanagan (which I’ve also heard mentioned as “OK Lake,” please correct me if I’m wrong, ok???), as deep as 232 meters in some places (once again, 'Thanks Google!!'). Each visit to Kelowna offers potential sightings and plenty of like-minded vibrations. For one, the large connector bridge between Westbank and downtown Kelowna is eerily reminiscent of a giant serpent with its rolling curves. In City Park lies an actual Ogopogo statue (the “monster” has been used as an iconic tourism and marketing ploy in the region for year, portrayed by artists as anything from a playful water pal to a dastardly demon, its evolving image emblazoned across t-shirts, mugs, towels, hot sauce bottles, and the like). Even a trip to the worthwhile Pandosy Books yields feet, if not yards, of tasty literature on the subject.

Any which way, it was a quick afternoon dip on Friday, September 7, that offered another twist in our journey. Well, you could call it that if you wanted. My partner Smashley Smash and I found a nice lakeside respite to enjoy the scenic Okanagan view, take in some sun (ah, that sun!!!), go for a swim, and skip a flat rock or two. After overcoming a touch of nerves (the long drive??? Slurpee for lunch???), we decided to test the water. On went the bathing suits and aqua socks and we were finally ready to take the plunge. Unfortunately, the lake felt a little cooler than usual and I had a hard time getting in. Smashley wasn’t so timid and performed a world-class shallow dive. As I inched my way into the lake (still a little cold for my liking, yes, I am a BIG old wimp), I spotted an unusual snake-like stick to my left, yes, my left, and sticking right out of the water 10 feet or so away. An omen??? Nevertheless, its crooked shape and black, water logged form, sent a chilly chill up my spineless spine despite the blistering heat of the bold sun. Also visible in the water were countless little minnows who surrounded me with intimidating presence for such small critters. Something wasn’t right. As I illogically progressed into the lake, the rocks beneath my feet began to get very slippery with a slimy green substance. Finally gaining some much needed gusto (and wanting to catch up with Smash who appeared to be having a blast amidst my freaky freak out), I took a headfirst plunge into the cool blue. While it was refreshing for a second, after a few breast strokes, the ground below disappeared completely and an overriding fear kicked in. We both became panicked and nearly paralyzed in the water. Something was there…

Tune in next week for the following installment of Kelowna Kapers (presented by Voluntary In Nature)

sasamat lake

morning friends... witnessed a horrific car crash yesterday en-route to sasamat lake for an evening swim. a car ripped through a red light at high speed and smashed into an oncoming truck less than 10 feet away!!! gulp!@#$%!!! slow down peoples. anyways, back to the lake. w/ summer having morphed into fall right before our very eyes, ash/i have been hitting sasamat for quick dips while we still can. it's a relatively small lake (approx. 35 minutes from van), but w/ cement dock and (family) beach access (not to mention lots of little nooks and crannies one can set up shop at during the day), there's plenty of places to chill. in prime summer time, the docks are quite the scene. suburban yahoos dominate w/ testosterone/attitude to match. come september, it's a mellow, peaceful affair (phew!!!). mostly tourists, the odd couple, wet-suited long distance swimmers in training, and a few fisher folk hoping for a catch (trout i think???). the water here is warm (esp for a canadian lake) and clean. imagine the temp will be good for another few weeks. don't hesitate to shout if ya wanna roll out one evening...

why don't we do it in the ballpark?

there's lots going on at VIN HQ right now. vancouver summer (august???) is almost here and will hopefully dry the extended winter wetness to the bone. that's what i'm prayin' for anyways!@#$%!!! just returned from ballpark canada day festivities in grand forks B.C. w/ ashly ash, ford pier vengeance trio, and the mighty ladyhawk. w/ a torrential downpour the show's powerful opening act ("well played"), the crowd was slim, but certainly well charged and ready to cut loose. as the skies eventually cleared and night began to fall, i looked up at the moon and thought to myself, "this is how concerts should be!!!" definitely a far cry from the majority of sweaty-roofed vancouver venues and their sticky, oft-soulless confines. perhaps i was just feeling some international vibrations from heaton park in greater manchester where the stone roses were in the midst of a 3-night open air stand playing to 225,000 music maniacs??? it also took me back to an earlier outdoor concert experience, the first another roadside attraction tour, held in agassiz, B.C.. almost 20 years ago. ARA's 1993 edition saw the tragically hip, midnight oil, pere ubu, and world party ("is it like today"-era w/ chris sharrock!@#$%!!!) hit the stage w/ a most scenic mountain backdrop and hippie food vendors along with environmental/political stalls that merged the day's musical pulse w/ a greater awareness. it's still my measuring tape for what a concert can be. highlights of grand forks' canada day celebration, while not as ambitious in aim as ARA, was FPVT's ripping version of the beat's "save it for later," fresh material from ladyhawk (new album coming this fall on triple crown audio!!!), and a stocked beer garden in support of local ski hill, phoenix mountain. dancing in a soggy field w/ a lovely crew of locals was hella fun too. ok, the sun is out today, it's 11:21 am and i'm still in my PJs. gotta jet... PEACE

tripping!@#$%!!!

i've been on the road a lot in 2012. it's been great reconnecting w/ friends and family, exploring canada, and learning so much in the process... here's some snaps from a recent vancouver-winnipeg research trip. SHARE THE LAND

tis the season...

back to the power...

the sandinistas (2 step)

gekkeikan sake