George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I've lived here in Vancouver pretty much all my life, and yet it was only recently that I had heard about the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary, located a mere 30 minute drive away. Apparently, it has been around since the 1960s!

Now that I know about it, I can't stop going. And whenever a visitor comes to Vancouver, this is one of the Must See places I'll be taking them to!

Last November, some friends and I went to check it out and for an admission price of $5, we ventured into this protected area that was full of marshes, wetlands, and birds! At the time, the Snow Geese were the main attraction, and we witnessed some flying through the sky, but it wasn't till we were leaving that I spotted the field where hundreds of them were all gathered, trying to stay warm from the day's wind storm that had hit the Lower Mainland.

Can you see that sea of white? Yep, those are all snow geese.

We also saw lots and lots of ducks, from the lustrous Mallards to a black duck called an "American Coot." Upon a second visit just last month, I saw another variety of duck - the Wood Duck.

The second time I visited, the place was full of these Sandhill Cranes. At first we weren't sure what they were, because they would just be hanging about on the path and they were the size of humans!

It was crazy windy that first day I went, with branches flying all over the place, trees falling over, and we had climbed a tower to get up onto an observation deck, only to fear for our lives that we'd be blown over the edge!

On my second visit, I was smart enough to follow the hard-core bird watchers who were there and wound up spying on a hawk perched on top of a giant tree.

It's the perfect place to be outdoors and appreciate the wonders of nature right in our own backyard.

So serene. So peaceful.

I can't wait to bring other folks out here whether they be fellow Vancouverites, or out of town visitors! A highly recommended thing to do and see if you're in Vancouver!

Madonna's Superbowl Halftime Show 2012

Did you watch Madonna's Superbowl Halftime Show?

It was pretty fun, yes?! That's what we like here on this blog! FUN!

Here it is in case you missed it! Hope you all had a FUN weekend!!

Over the Ropes and Into the Streets!

Last night's ECCW (Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling) event was fantastic!

"It was the best $15 I've spent in a long time!" my friend Iris proclaimed, after witnessing wrestlers fly over the ropes and into the crowd, then taking the brawl outside into the streets of Kitsilano! The people driving by on West 4th were probably wondering what the heck was going on when they saw the large crowd streaming out of the Russian Community Centre to see J-Sin Sullivan take on Bishop.

My camera is not the best, but here are some photos from last night's event!

Scotty Mac showing off his abs and more. "It's a half-shirt, dumbass!" he yelled at an audience member who was heckling him.

Artemis Spencer, victorious.

Crowd favourite, KC Spinelli, greets her adoring fans.

The Bollywood Lions take centre stage.

Ravenous Randy!!! We love you!!

Nicole Matthews of The Riot celebrating her and Ravenous Randy's win over the Bollywood Lions!

My camera could not keep up with the action! Here's Bishop flying over the top rope and into the crowd, during the Main Event - an Extreme Lumberjack Match!

"To the street! To the street!" the crowd chanted, as the wrestlers obliged, bringing the action out onto West 4th Avenue! Even last night's fog could not hide the excitement and magic that was taking place, thanks to ECCW!

Thank you ECCW for a truly awesome experience! Their next event takes place at Bridgeview Hall in Surrey on Feb 24, but if that's too far for you Vancouverites to get to, no need to worry! The exciting finish to the Pacific Cup tournament will take place back in Vancouver at the Russian Community Centre on Feb 25!! See you there!

The Next Britney Spears?

I've been listening to Victoria Duffield's song Shut Up and Dance over the past few weeks over and over, non stop. I love it!!! It's fun to belt it out while driving in the car, it's fun to walk down the street to while it blares in my ear phones.... Have you heard it? She's from Abbotsford, BC, which is close enough to Vancouver to claim her as our own, yes?



She totally reminds me of a young Britney Spears. The solid dancing (back when Britney danced) and the sultry vocals are reminiscent of early Spears. And it's just such a catchy dance tune! Congratulations to Victoria on having this single getting certified platinum the other day!

She's got a Valnetine's Day gift for all of us too! Her next single Feel, drops on Feb 14th! Here's a teaser! We wish her lots of success with it, and from this preview, it sounds like another hit on her hands!

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting!

Dear Vancouver, if you've never been to an ECCW event, then do yourself a favour this weekend and go to Vendetta on Saturday night, (Doors at 7:30pm) at the Russian Community Centre in Kits!

ECCW is Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling and it is a BLAST! The wrestlers are extremely entertaining, as I had written for The Georgia Straight's Best of Vancouver issue back in 2009.

Last year I attended for my birthday and got to meet some of the wrestlers, which was awesomesauce! (Thank you to Ref Bill Taylor for the intros!) It's definitely a fun night out, where the audience gets completely into it and the wrestlers love the attention you give them, whether it's good or bad!

Be warned however, if you sit in the front rows - get ready to leap out of your seat in case a wrestler comes flying through the ropes at you!!

Need a Valentine?

Looking for a Valentine this year?

Read Dating returns to the Vancouver Public Library, this time for adults age 35 - 55.



I went to their GLBTQ session back in November and met some cool folks. The age range for that was 18-35, so this group (for men and women) should be a bit more diverse with the bigger age range!

It's called read dating because it is in the form of speed dating, however you are asked to bring along your favourite book (or cd) and that helps as a jumping point for conversation. It's a cool event, and I'd highly recommend it if you're looking to meet some new people, or just to get some new book recommendations!

Are you single and between the ages of 35 and 55? Do you enjoy reading? Want to meet others who are interested in the same thing? Come to our fun and casual Read Dating event for up to 17 dates in one night.


Read Dating 35-55
A program for adults
Monday February 13
6:30 pm-8:30 pm
Free. Registration required.

Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level
Central Library
350 West Georgia Street

Hiroshima exhibit at Museum of Anthropology

I went out to UBC the other day to check out the Museum of Anthropology's Hiroshima exhibit. It's a smaller exhibit than what I expected, but moving nonetheless. Photographer Ishiuchi Miyako captures images of artifacts that survived the bombing of Hiroshima, including items that have been recently donated. In fact, to this day, items continue to be donated to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. With 48 photographs collected here, the exhibit runs at the MOA until February 12.