Sparkling Hills Resort - Predator Ridge

Just north of Kelowna, British Columbia - another 20 minutes north of the Grey Monk Estate Winery where we ate brunch, is a breathtakingly beautiful Resort.

The welcome sign

The closeup of the crystals within the sign

The Hotel was gorgeous.

The hotel from the top of the drive

There were sparkles all over. There were special box signs outside with gorgeous patterns of crystal sandwiched between two panes of glass.

Two plates of glass with all kinds of crystals that spell the name and are sprinkled in a design. There are no less than 6 of these lining the drive to light the way at night

unique lighting along drive

The entire entrance had three tiers of cascading crystals hanging from the ceiling.

Cascading crystal chandeliers

You could wander around to the lobby that looks out over the lake:



The Deck was beautiful, with an arch that could be in a Wedding.



The view was beyond words.



There were beautiful Lounging areas just inside the deck's doors, complete with a unique ring chandelier and fireplace.






Look at the banisters!




There was an interesting "coat" made of wood that you could open and stand in for a photo! Of course I did that!  It almost looks like a sarcophagus.



The Reception desk has a very unique picture set over the desk.  Gorgeous. 



I think we will make reservations for this coming month -  it just happens to sit on the top of the hill in the heart of the Predator Ridge Golf Course (the one that temporarily, during the Predators vs Canucks Hockey duel - was called Canucks Ridge )

Take a look at their "cold spa".... minus 110 Celsius - the only one in North America! (FYI - minus 40 is the same in Fahrenheit and Celsius)

You can see the Sparkling Hill Resort just at the top of the hill where the distant hill meets the ridge.

It was a great trip, and we are determined to return - my husband for the golf, myself for the spa!

The exit "goodbye"

Wineries

If you ever get to visit British Columbia, Canada - one of the places you have to tour is the Okanagan Valley -  an extension of the California Desert - the tip just curving up over the border into Canada by 100 miles or so.  

Vineyards in the Okanagan

On many drives home from San Francisco, the route I would take would be the I-5 up through the western states -  exiting at Weed, CA....carrying on up Hwy 97 through Oregon and Washington State and up into B.C.  

I have often described The Valley to my American friends like this:  "Picture the Napa Valley with Lake Tahoe in it."  

View from Grey Monk Estate Winery Restaurant - the vines haven't yet sprouted, behind by 6 wks due to a cooler than usual spring

The scenery is picturesque with the beautiful mountains on either side of the valley,  the narrow lake down the middle and grape vines and orchards growing on the sloping hillsides.  

This is the view from my school bus every day when I went to highschool

The south Okanangan, where I grew up, is more arid - semi-desert and has the 100 plus F temperatures in the summer..... tumbleweeds, sagebrush, cacti and your usual Rattlesnakes and scorpions.

 Great wine country!

The north Okanagan is a little greener, but still - great wine country - once again! (can I stress that enough?)

There are over 111 wineries in British Columbia - most of them award-winning VQA (Vintner's Quality Alliance).   One of my favorite things to do in the summer and fall is to take tours through wine country, visiting several along the way. 

You can actually arrange winery tours by bus, train or float plane.  Most of the time we just draw straws for a "designated driver" and go by car.

Grey Monk Estate Winery entrance - mom and dad going in

This time, we gathered with family at the Grey Monk Estate Winery north of Kelowna for Mother's day brunch.  I had only been there once before - back in the 1980s, and it has expanded considerably - now with a restaurant overlooking the Okanagan Lake.

View up the Valley from the Restaurant deck

After dinner, we did some wine-tasting and then carried on to Predator Ridge Golf Course, which I will review later.

Overusing Emoticons

So - we all agree - the English language is evolving. For better or for worse.  :(

Somehow emoticons sneaked into our language, and it looks like they are here to stay despite the Purists and Snobs that don't like them. :)

There is blogchat out there that contends it is overused...but - then who am I to judge - I am just as guilty as the next person! :)


Here are some emoticons that might be useful!

Mother's Day Past...

This was sent to me.

I am sure that most people have seen it since it is 2 years old already....but it bears a repeat play.



How sweet.

Hope all you Mothers out there had a great weekend past.

Now it's time to head home after spending the weekend with my own mother.

Yes they did!

The stadium in Nashville didn't look like a bag of exploded Cheetos tonight....what happened? The last game the fans were all wearing that cheeto-shade of orange - tonight only a few.

Perhaps the orange shirts in the stands last week were leftover from our election....the NDP needed to get rid of the rest of their orange shirts from out West.....

Perhaps they just knew what the outcome was going to be.

I saw Carrie Underwood crying in the stands at the end of the game....but that's ok.  Her husband, Mike Fisher is Canadian anyway, just like 3/4 of the hockey players.

But! Our guys finished them off and swept away those Cheetos...Yes they did!!

Here are more of the antics of the Green Men from the game before:




Notice they have a cutout of themselves held up to the glass, since they are forbidden to do handstands in the seats and are not to touch the glass.....says the bigwigs in the NHL - due to the whining of the Predators to said bigwigs......

Social Networking

In the not too distant future,YouTube, Twitter & Facebook will merge to form one giant, idiotic,super time wasting website called:

Towel Power

You might have noticed the white towel being whirled around at the Vancouver Hockey games, and wondered....where did this originate? And, what is the significance?

Well, I am glad you asked! 

The White Towel has been a tradition in Vancouver Hockey Arenas since the 1982 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Canucks vs the Chicago Blackhawks.

The tradition was a direct influence of a one-time Vancouver Canucks Coach - Roger Neilson.

For Neilson, hockey was his life.  He was never married and really had no life outside of The Game. Even his "vacation time" was spent teaching hockey at various hockey camps nationally and internationally. 

As a Graduate of McMaster's University and a  former high school teacher he was big on education and stressed this importance to his young players.

He was very progressive in his training techniques and introduced aerobics on ice before it was generally accepted as practice.

A revolutionary training technique at the time,  he spent late night hours - sometimes all night -  running over and over videos of games played,  analyzing them - earning him the nickname "Captain Video". 

Besides studying plays, he also studied the rule book for loopholes and would challenge the rules by figuring out a way to circumvent  them to his team's advantage.  As a direct result, no less than three rules were changed or added to the rulebook. Perhaps more.

Neilson was assistant coach in Vancouver when the head coach was suspended for getting into a brawl with  fans at a game in Quebec.   The Canucks won 7 straight games under his direction and he was subsequently appointed Head Coach permanently - and for the first time, the Vancouver Canucks entered the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was during one of these playoff games against Boston that Neilson became fed up with the referees' bogus calls. Exasperated, he wanted some way to show his displeasure - but in a subtle way. Some of the players suggested throwing sticks on the ice - but Neilson thought that trick was overdone.


source

 He took one of the towels behind the bench and put it on the end of a hockey stick and waved it around in a "mock surrender"....

Several of his players followed suit.

The referees took offence and ejected him and the other participating players out of the arena for the rest of the game, the Chicago crowd booing as they departed. Canucks lost that game 4-1.

Everyone felt that the referees overreacted with the removal of the players and coach. Roger Neilsen became an instant hero in Vancouver.

When the next game of the series was a home game and in support of Neilson and their Team, all the Canucks' fans brought their own white towels and waved them en masse above their heads. 

The team went on to win the next three games - and that portion of the series.  Unfortunately, they stopped short of winning the Cup.

Although the towel was first used in 1975 by the Pittsburgh Steelers fans.....the Vancouver Canucks fans were the first to use it in the sport of Hockey - and with a much different significance.





Neilson was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1999, then skin cancer - malignant melanoma -  in 2001.
While he took a leave for his cancer treatment in 2000, the team he coached for - the Philadelphia Flyers - unceremoniously dumped him.

He later worked as assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators, and was allowed to "head coach" for two more games to reach the 1000 game mark - one of nine coaches with that acheivement. 

He died in 2003 with a winning record.  

Before his passing, he established the Roger Neilsen Forever Hockey Fund to bring "hockey and children and fun together".

That same year, he was awarded the Order of Canada.

After his death, the Ottawa Senators funded a pediatric palliative care unit at the Children's Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, opened in 2006.


source


In the spirit of that year -  1982 -  at the beginning of each playoff season, a brand-new white towel is placed on each seat throughout the entire Arena in Vancouver.

Last month, April 17,  2011 -  a statue was unveiled outside the entrance to the Stadium in Vancouver where the Canucks play their games....in memory of his important contribution to the NHL - which includes his start of the notorious "Towel Power".


source



Don Cherry: A Canadian Icon

He is one of the most controversial sports commentators ever in Canadian History.



 Don Cherry!



You either love him or hate him:

As a high school dropout - he played hockey in the minor and junior leagues, and surprisingly - only ONE NHL game - with the Boston Bruins in a playoff game. 


After a short foray into "normal work" he missed Hockey so much, he segued into coaching.   He was notorious for encouraging the aggressive style of hockey.

But that's not all he is noted for. 



He was a flamboyant guy, politically incorrect (prompting the 7 second delay rule on his talks on CBC - not unlike Janet Jackson and her wardrobe malfunction!), pitching improbable one liners but he has wormed his way into the hearts of most Canadians - to the extent that he made (in a CBC poll several years ago)  The Greatest Canadian  top ten... AT NUMBER 7!!!




Here's the List, a few of whom some Americans might recognise:

1. Tommy Douglas  ( he was the father of socialized medicine and Kiefer Sutherland's grandfather)
2. Terry Fox
3. Pierre Trudeau (PM * famous for the Charter of Rights and the Trudeau Salute ) 
4. Sir Frederick Banting ( medical scientist who discovered insulin)
5. David Suzuki (scientist, TV personality, activist) 
6. Lester B. Pearson (PM and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize).  



Don Cherry was more popular than Sir John A MacDonald (our first PM and Father of Confederation and 8th on the list), Alexander Graham Bell (needs no explanation - 9th) and Wayne Gretzky (see, we are still pissed off that he moved to California!- 10th).



He even has his own bobblehead!


So you see, albeit it was by no means a scientific poll, Don Cherry sits high on Canada's popularity list.  Like I said, you either love him or hate him.  Not many are indifferent.

Last year he was asked to speak at Toronto's mayoral inauguration.  More than one person was unhappy with his speech which basically started out with "I am wearing pink for all those pinkos out there that ride bicycles and everything..." and when someone voiced their opinion that he was perhaps an embarrassment to the city, he stated emphatically " Well what can I tell you? Don't invite me.  You don't invite a pit bull.  You invite a pit bull, you get a pit bull."

He is best friends with Hazel McCallion the Mayor of the City he lives in. Remember her from a previous post of mine?



One thing about Don Cherry though.  He does have a big heart beneath his abrasive presentation. 



He refuses to publicize the numerous charities and individuals he helps out since, after all - "It's not Charity if you talk about it" he claims.



Did you know that if you addressed a letter simply to "Don Cherry, Canada" - it would find it's way to his house in Mississauga, Ontario? 

He has a whole room in which he spends 30 hours a week reading and responding to letters....usually handwritten replies (email is too easy, he scorns)..signing autographs for kids and sending encouragement to people in despair....he has even been known to sign his autograph on a hockey stick - while sitting in a hotel's sauna - because it was "for the kids".



He has been a visible advocate for organ donation. 

His son Tim, who, as a 13 year old became deathly ill from a complication of a strep infection that had scarred his kidneys several years previous.  After months of dialysis his wife Rose insisted that all three - Don, Rose and sister Cindy be tested for a match.  Cindy donated her brother a kidney and he is still alive today.

Sadly, in 1997, Don Cherry lost his wife to liver Cancer. 

They had met in Hershey Pennsylvania** when he was playing hockey in 1954.   Their first date was to a hockey game he was playing in which he was bloodied up in a fight.

Don Cherry as young coach for the Boston Bruins

After her death he established the Rose Cherry Home for Kids, a hospice in her memory,  for terminally ill children and their families, in Ontario, Canada.   

Soley due to Cherry's influence, multiple donations of money, time and products were made from various companies - not only the ones Don Cherry pitched for - but local businesses also - with the stipulation that there would be no formal acknowledgement since " real homes don't have commemorative plaques" - and this is to be a real home insisted Cherry.  

It opened in 2004.



Don Cherry's description of a well-dressed man?

" Suit? The Coach always wears a double-breasted suit, never single-breasted. Flamboyant patterns are essential – plaids, bright green and yellow, Canadian colours, to name a few.

Shirt? High collared shirts – 3½-inch, to be exact. Tight around the neck. Tie? The crazier, the better – flashing lights, cartoon characters, flags. Ties must be tied in Cherry's special Windsor knot … tied backwards, single knot, not a double Windsor.

Shoes: Silvas with extra thin soles.

Jewelry? Cuff links, stick pin, gold bar for shirt collar. There was that one time when Don wore an earring in L.A. …


Favourite accessory? Lucky CCM cuff links, which are allegedly 50 years old and in the shape of hockey skates.

The Coach has a style all his own and it's a "beauty."

I think Don Cherry should be next in line for an Order of Canada Medal.  After all, if Neil Young was awarded one, shouldn't Don Cherry???


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*PM=Prime Minister, equivalent to USA's "president" - for you Americans!
** His wife was an American - Italian Catholic.  Don Cherry is pro-American and even chastised the crowd at the hockey game in Montreal when they booed the American national anthem before a game in 2003 at the beginning of the Iraq war.  But, he is a Canadian and wears his Maple leaf with pride.

(Photos gleaned off google search. If you don't want these photos on here - and they are yours - let me know.)

Geronimo?

Yesterday, when I first heard Geronimo's name linked to recent current events....my first reaction was ....whaaaaaaaat?

Isn't there any sense of decency out there?  I was more than shocked.

Just because historically, Geronimo eluded the American army .... doesn't mean he wasn't a hero in his own right - and definitely not anywhere near the other's reputation. 

Geronimo defended what was his and what was being stolen from him.   He was treated badly by the government his entire life and didn't deserve the kind of treatment he received, yet he was gracious and noble.... a real warrior.

Why would the powers that be - be so insensitive and use Geronimo's name and link it with such a notorious person?

My husband is a direct descendant on his Mother's side....Apache...and proud of it - but only after a lifetime of being put down for his heritage.  

I asked my husband what he thought when it was mentioned on the news -  he didn't say much.  With all the derogatory remarks and discrimination throughout the years, if not for the aboriginal side -  for the Hispanic side -  it is painful to dredge all those old feelings back up again.

Who chose that name anyway?

There are countless other names/words the Military could have used - any number of other nouns or verbs.  Anything but that which further insults Native Americans.


I think an apology is warranted.


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Oh, another thing?

Why post gruesome photos of a dead person?

What does it prove?

I just don't understand why it should be done.  Those who don't believe it, won't.  People can always photoshop any photo.  It doesn't prove anything, it doesn't make sense.

I think they are better than that.

Just a few thoughts.