GOURD TO GO

I've been getting out of town alot this month. September began in the Gulf Islands, mid-month was reached at Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley and now, as summer officially ends and the month draws to a close, I've just spent the weekend in the Okanagan.

A family wedding brought me to Kelowna, four hours northeast of Vancouver. To get there, it's a tremendously scenic drive no matter which highway you take. We chose the Coquihalla. It carries a $10 toll for double-axle vehicles and fortunately payment can be made by debit or credit if you spent all your cash on Twizzlers and Coffee like we did.

Passing by the town of Hope, a large, roadside sign reminded me of that town's claim to fame: Chainsaw Capital. If a town called Hope can inspire a superlative environment where chainsaw culture can flourish, I shudder to think what a town called Despair might do.

Leaving Hope behind, we ascended the Coquihalla highway to its summit at 1244 metres. Every ear in the car was plugged.

Later, we passed through Merritt, home of the annual Merritt Mountain Music Festival. Think Woodstock with a twang. We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre overlooking the town. Nancy, our Visitor Information Counsellor, helped us find a decent local restaurant called Home (which has another location near Vancouver in Maple Ridge). The kitchen at Home doesn't rely heavily on tomatoes and that was fine with Nancy who is afflicted with irritable bowel syndrome. She casually revealed her condition to us as we chatted about where to eat. There really is something special about small towns. I've been trying unsuccessfully for years now to get any old Vancouverite to talk to me about their intestinal issues.

If you've been to Europe, then you know it's nothing but castles and churches everywhere you look. Well, in the Okanagan, wherever you look it's nothing but vineyards and orchards. So the next time you're at a Vancouver liquor store (the one at Broadway and Maple is open 'til 11pm!) or in the produce section of your grocery store, think about buying BC products. There's something about actually seeing where this stuff comes from that makes me want to support BC farmers and winemakers. Plus, the shorter the distance the grape travels from the vine to my liver, the less carbon emissions we will need to neutralize.

Speaking of greenhouse gases, do you know how truckers stay daisy fresh while on the road? This has long been one of life's great mysteries and a pit stop at the Husky service station in Osoyoos provided me with the answer.

One free shower with every fuel purchase of 200 litres or more. Or seven bucks. The things these people go through for us to have 5-10 servings a day.

All this talk of BC farmers leads me to show you pictures of Keremeos. It's a really tiny town in the southwest corner of the Okanagan, about 3 hours east of Vancouver in the pastoral Similkameen Valley.

We passed Keremeos on our way back to Vancouver and pulled over at one of the many orchard stands dotting the highway shoulder throughout this entire region. You can take your pick from a wide variety of fresh fruits, starring in alphabetical order: apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. There are others, but I haven't yet learned the entire alphabet.

If fruits ain't your thang, how 'bout a gourd? After all, Hallowe'en is only a month away and you'll need something to carve, n'est-ce pas? Try Keremeos for your supplies. Here's a look at what you'll find:

Clearly someone has gone out of their gourd in hope of landing a guest spot on Martha.

Keremeos is worth the trip if you can make it. But... for a Vancouver supplier with a good selection at prices cheaper than buying an ad during a Canucks pre-season game, check out Young Bros. Produce in Kitsilano, a couple blocks down from the Hollywood Theatre.

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Google Mistake Engine

Did anyone notice Google's predictable attempt at jazzing up its' logo for Valentine's Day 2007 turned out slightly off the mark? Check it out... what, do you suppose, is Googe? And don't even try to tell me that the strawberry stem is supposed to be the letter L. Don't even try.

Much More Drama

The only reality TV show I watch regularly is The Young and The Restless.
Snicker, not! What could be more realistic than being young? It applies to all of us... some now, some goin' back a few years. And, restless? If you've stared at the ceiling waiting for sleep to arrive, then you can identify. And it's not just all in the title, either. Y&R storylines regularly ignore topics like homosexuality, struggling to make the rent and taking a dump... just like my family. That's right, if you don't talk about it then it doesn't really exist. What, I ask you, could be more realistic than that?

The best of Y&R lately is the change in dialogue. After all these years, the majority of the players have a rather sarcastic edge to themselves. Finally, people, some humour!
Don't know why the dialogue wasn't more realistic until these past 9 or 10 months, but it's a welcome change! Plus, the occasional pop culture references are a realistic element. I know that the idea at Y&R had always been to keep the show timeless, but again, these changes are great.

One other thing, the storylines feel deeper now, with much more at stake for a wider range of characters than ever before. Every storyline is a major storyline. Each is so cleverly intertwined, involving more characters, more believably. It's a joy to behold as it unfolds.

The front-burner storyline with Lauren and Phyllis is a dream come true. Not only are they my two favourite female characters (always have been), but now they're "friends" and often appearing together in some amazing scenes. The two best actresses on Y&R, together... finalement! Sleep will now arrive.

More Y&R Hot Topics:

1. The grugeon reliquary tale is like a daytime-dip in the Da Vinci Code pool. Love it!

2. Sheila's return "as Phyllis" is, admittedly, a wee bit of a stretch but utterly enjoyable to watch if only because it finally gives daytime's Best Actress (the one, the only Michelle Stafford) the chance to spread her wings and entertain us like never before.

3. Paul and Maggie Sulllivan are the freshest pairing since poached pears and goat cheese.

4. The unexpected re-expansion of the Chancellor family is wonderful. If only the incredible Thom Bierdz could reprise his role as Philip, but alas... it now turns he wasn't Jills' biological son so the only way to fire this rocket from the crypt is in a new skin.

5. Lauren's line to Sheila, "Let the bitch die", was, quite simply, the best.

One question: Why are the writers dismantling the Abbott family? To do that to the Winters' family was one thing (Olivia, Olivia's son, Aunt Mamie), but the Abbotts? That's a little bit 'o crazy.

Pssst... didya see the wee little blooper that actually made it to air on the Mon, Feb 5 episode (Tues, Feb 6 in the USA)? In the scene, Lauren is frustrated about having to leave a phone message for Scott that his brother has been kidnapped. Then, she turns to Gloria and says, "Scott will be hungry by now... what do you think she's feeding him?" Lauren obviously was referring to Fen, and should have said "Fen will be hungry by now...", but they carried on with the taping and let it go on air. Brilliant!

Y&R - a dramatic dose of daytime reality for over 30 good years. Mm-hmm.

The Police in Vancouver - One Citizen's Arresting Encounter

While out with friends last night at Cin Cin for Dine Out Vancouver, I subtly cranked my neck around to scan the too-90's decor. Lo and behold, a few tables away sat Sting and The Police.

Sting and his reunited bandmates sat at a long table with a dozen or so friends and associates. He was lookin' pretty dapper in black pants and suit jacket, with a casual black T-shirt underneath. While imbibing some rouge vin, he seemed pretty relaxed all in all. No sign of Trudi Styler, but Sting was seated next to an attractive brunette who tended to smile alot.

Later, in the loo, I actually bumped into drummer Stewart Copeland. Despite trying to get my Welcome Wagon on, he was not a friendly camper. I surely wasn't overbearing or groupie-ish; instead I merely welcomed him and his peeps back to Vancouver, but Copeland was clearly only concerned with taking care of business. A point well-made by the stall door shutting behind him. So be it! My camera phone was sadly unable to work its measly 1.3mp to capture this.

Single, Oh Seven!

Happy New Year, web.
And it WILL be. With gratitude, it will be.