The Big Book Drive will take place this Saturday at Lansdowne Mall in Richmond. Spearheaded by an SFU Project Management team, they will be collecting book donations that will go to the Salvation Army’s Family Support Services and other literacy-related programs.
Organizer Joseph Choi told me by email: “All books collected will go towards the Salvation Army’s Family Support Services and their other literacy-related programs so that we can provide books to help low-income families and children.”
Items they would like to collect include textbooks, comic books, magazines (no adult material), novels, journals, and catalogues. The goal is 2,000 books of all genres that will go towards literacy programs in BC for all ages.
The Big Book Drive will be at Lansdowne (No 3 Road at Alderbridge Way, outside of Toys R Us) from 9:30am until 4:00pm on Saturday, February 26, 2011. They will host another book drive event March 19th and 20th.
The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com
After a day of travelling around the Comox Valley, we headed to the Old House Restaurant, which is the namesake of the hotel & spa we were staying at. Built in 1938 by the Kirk Family, who lived in the house until about 1973 when it was renovated to become a restaurant fixture in the Comox Valley.
We began the evening with a visit to the Artisan Bread Bar which had a number of types of fresh baked bread and a huge assortment of butters and sauces:
Along with the bread, we started things off with jumbo prawns in chipotle lime wrapped in bacon with a pea green salad:
For the main course, I opted for the 8 oz New York steak, wild mushroom demi-glace, with garlic mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables:
One of my dinner companions chose the Pan Seared Ling Cod – locally caught with spiced mustard glaze, seasonal vegetables, & citrus scented wild rice blend:
For dessert, we shared the Cappuccino Cheesecake and the Old House Brownie with Hazelnut Gelato. They were a delicious and decadent end to the meal.
Related posts from the rest of the tour of Vancouver Island include caving in the Horne Lake Caves, surfing in Ucluelet and a zodiac tour of the Broken Group Islands.
John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos in this post were taken by John.
Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island or the operators and businesses mentioned.
The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com
This is something I was really looking forward to doing. Fortunately, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect in Ucluelet the day we met with our surf instructor, Sean who runs the Ukee Surf School.
After meeting up with Sean, he took us to Incinerator Rock which is about half way between Ucluelet and Tofino. It also happens to be where scenes from New Moon (part of the Twilight teen vampire saga) was filmed.
The water was a chilly 7C but the sun was shining. The act of getting into a cold wetsuit warmed us all up pretty quickly and by the time we actually got to the water, it might as well had been July outside.
After some land based instruction on the basics, Sean had us get wet pretty quickly. I had heard that people surfed year round on Vancouver Island, and considering it was the middle of February, I was surprised how mild it was. We did have great weather but the water is pretty much the same temperature year round. Put a wetsuit on and lug a nine foot surfboard around for a bit and you’ll be just fine and warm.
I had a camera mounted on my wrist so the footage isn’t ideal but you can get an idea of one of my first attempts to get on the board and ride a wave in:
After a number of other attempts we were all starting to get the hang of it…well somewhat. Sean brought us back in and showed us how to popup on the board now that we were able to ride on our stomachs.
With the weather cooperating and most of us starting to get up on our surfboards, we could have stayed in the water all day if we didn’t have more plans that day.
One more splashy video to show you the ‘on board’ experience…too bad I was only able to popup for a few seconds before falling off:
At this point I decided to stop worrying about the camera and start focussing on the surfing as it was a little tricky to shoot decent footage and surf as a beginner. I stayed in the water as long as my body would let me (it was tiring) then ditched my board and took most of the photos you see in this post.
Sean was a great instructor and extremely encouraging to all of us…if you’re interested in checking it out, check his availability online. Private and group lessons are available.
It was definitely a highlight of the tour to spend the morning at the beach, in the water, in the middle of winter, in Canada!
Upcoming posts to follow from the rest of the tour of Vancouver Island showcase some of the amazing cuisine the island has to offer.
John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos & video in this post were taken by John.
Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island or the operators and businesses mentioned.
I am currently in Ghana to experience Cadbury’s Bicycle Factory delivery. This is their second delivery in two years thanks to the help of Canadians who participated in the online project.
When departing Kumasi City (Ghana’s second largest city) to head back to Accra (the capital) we ran into a bit of an issue at the airport. With only 4 members of our group receiving boarding passes for the flight, the rest of us rented a van. As the crow flies, the cities are only about 250kms apart however with traffic and road work, we arrived at our hotel just over 6 hours later.
Pointing my camera out the window of the bus, I shot this quick video in a few parts. You can tell the road gets a little bumpy along the way but I just wanted to show the route. The scenery went from dusty to lush and back again while small towns bustled with activity.
There’s not only a culture shock between Canada and Ghana, but between the major cities and the rural communities here. Everyone is connected through texting, 3G mobiles, and my hotel had WiFi so I could blog and Skype with home. While just hours away, we were out in a dirt playground with children who walk long distances in 40C degree heat to get water from a well pump. You can find similar contrasts in many countries around the world and even in our own back yard to various degrees.
If you are so inclined, please check out the work that CARE International is doing globally and in Ghana. Locally, at the very least, follow organizations like @VanFoodBank, @UGM, @BeautyNight, @CovenantHouseBC and many others on Twitter to find out more about their work and consider supporting their efforts in Vancouver.
I leave Ghana tonight with mixed emotions but am thankful for the opportunity I have been given. Hopefully I can return again (with John) in the future to spend more time in this caring and passionate nation.
Disclosure: I have not been paid by Cadbury to participate in this trip. However, they have covered my accommodation and airfare to come along and document what I experience.
The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com
After a morning filled with perfect weather and surfing (post coming soon), we had just enough time for a quick change at our hotel and then head out for an afternoon in a zodiac for a tour of the Broken Group Islands with Subtidal Adventures in Ucluelet. We arrived and were issued exposure suits which were a welcome change from the neoprene prisons we wore surfing earlier that day.
As we surfed longer than planned, we ended up taking a shortened version of the ‘Islands, Whales & Bears’ tour so that we’d be back in the harbour before the sun went down. One of the first creatures we came across was this mule deer:
Our captain and guide, Brian Congdon, would point out things as we sped along the water as well as slow the boat right down when there was something to see like these harbour seals showing off just outside Ucluelet.
It wasn’t long before we ended up in a nice group of little islands that was home to an estimated 400 Stellar Sea Lions and a handful of California Sea Lions as well.
I actually heard them before we saw them… I heard a weird kind of guttural growling echoing around the islands and over the water. Stellars growl and Californians bark…we heard a little bit of both.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t an ideal time of the season to see any whales (which we didn’t) as it was a little early in the year. Subtidal has a calendar you may want to check when planning a trip for optimal wildlife viewing. The Pacific Rim Whale Festival starts in March which is the next best time to see some grey whales up close.
Even though we didn’t get to see any whales, the sea lions were mezmerizing to watch (and they were watching us) and it was a great day to be on the water.
Upcoming posts to follow from the rest of the tour of Vancouver Island include surfing in Ucluelet and some of the amazing cuisine to be found on the island.
John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos in this post were taken by John.
Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island or the operators and businesses mentioned.
