Miscellaneous Page 3

I’m on a guided tour with 15 strangers and not once in eight days does anyone say, “that reminds me of,” or “that’s just like,” because there’s nothing that compares with Iceland. With its geysers and glaciers, volcanoes and waterfalls surrounded by beautifully barren ice fields, Iceland is the closest you’ll get to being on another planet without leaving this one. read more..(Vancouver Sun, Sept. 2016)

 

There are four horses in Iceland for every human. These half-pint horses with punk hairdos are extremely friendly and sociable and love having their photos taken—especially when cajoled with a treat. The Icelandic horse is unique: it has an extra four-beat gait called a “tolt”. Several companies offer horseback excursions.

 

 

 

And waterfalls at every turn in the road.

Thanks to Jenn Potter with Tours by Locals, Vancouverites and visitors are feeling more comfortable wandering the streets of Gastown and the Downtown Eastside — day or night.Tours by Locals organizes what it has dubbed “Socially Responsible” walks of these East Side neighbourhoods to raise awareness of the time, money and effort residents and local businesses are investing in their community by way of social enterprise. read more... (The Courier, May 2016)

Did you know that the steam clock in Gastown was built to cover a manhole, or that the Woodward's Centre was once Vancouver's shopping hub? I didn't, until taking a "Tours by Locals" walk, and I've been a local for decades. I also took a Vancouver Photo Walks tour and saw Stanley Park from a new perspective. read more...
(British Columbia Magazine, Spring 2016)

 

I first tasted fresh seaweed about three decades ago but remember it like yesterday.  I didn't appreciate the flavour or nutritional properties of pickled kelp that the Tofino beach community raved about.  The only way I vowed to try it again would be skewered and disguised as an olive in a Martini and only after my second Martini. But that was before I had an encounter with “Legumes de Mer” at the Sooke Harbour House. read more... (WestCoast Homes & Design, Apr 2016)

When I told my mother that I was heading to the Kootenay Rockies to paraglide, heli-hike and white-water kayak, she replied, "You're too old to be doing that." Good thing I never listen to my mother. Seems like yesterday she was telling me to grow up. If, however,  someone told me that I'd be running off a 7,000 ft mountain, stepping out of a helicopter onto the top of the world, paddling an inflatable kayak and portaging --uphill in a wetsuit--I might agree with Mum.  But I can't wait to do it again. read more...
(National Post, Jun 2016)