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With me and Rebecca’s trip to New York City on the horizon, I thought it crucial to replace my sad little point-and-shoot Canon with a beefed up Nikon D3000. It will be the trip of my lifetime, so I want to take the very best shots with which to remember it by.

I picked up the new camera several days ago and haven’t yet had the chance to go through the manual to see what this camera is capable of. Instead, I grabbed Jordy and headed to the park to snap a few test shots to get a feel for the equipment.

It’s no secret that yours truly is a major fan of basketball, so it should go without saying that I was thrilled to learn that the Harlem Globetrotters would be bringing their fiercely talented show to Vancouver this Spring.

Photo: westerntragedy on Flickr

Despite their name, the Harlem Globetrotters were formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1926 but adopted their moniker due to the team’s association with the African-American community. Since that time, the team has dribbled and dunked their way into countless generations around the world – much in part thanks to that unmistakable whistle of “Sweet Georgia Brown”.

April 17 is gearing up to be an exciting and action-packed night that promises to be fun for families and basketball fans alike. To celebrate their return to Vancouver, the Harlem Globetrotters have provided me with two tickets to give away to one lucky reader. Here’s what you need to know and how to enter:

What: Harlem Globetrotters 2010 North American Tour

Where: GM Place, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver, BC

When: Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Who: Maybe you! (As long as you live in the Metro Vancouver area and can attend – the tickets have no cash value)

How to enter: Leave a comment below, telling me why you’d like to attend the Harlem Globetrotters’ 2010 North American Tour or simply re-Tweet the following on Twitter:

I want tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters, thanks to @keiraanne and @globies! #HGVan2010 http://ow.ly/1rrG1

You can do both and double your entries!

The contest closes on April 14th when I draw one lucky winner – Good luck!

One of my nearest and dearest has made the move from Calgary back to Vancouver Island with her husband, and now Ashley and Mike are setting up shop locally with their incredible photography business. SNAP Calgary has recently expanded and will cater to Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland with SNAP Island.

This husband and wife team is presenting a fantastic deal for the Springtime, offering a one-hour family or portrait session for just $184*. Included in the price are 30 retouched digital images and two 8″x8″ photo canvas art pieces. To book your session (and the spots are being snapped up fast), visit SNAP Island’s website, send off an e-mail or give them a call at (250) 709-8423.

*Please note this offer is valid only until June 1, 2010

All photos © SNAP Photography. To view more photos from SNAP Photography, please visit their photography blog.

They say there’s a first for everything and for this gal it’s Twestival. The semi-annual event is held nearly simultaneously in cities around the world and is focused on generating funds for global charities. This time around the cause is Concern Worldwide, and I’m looking forward to getting together with fellow Vancouverites for this exciting initiative. Concern Worldwide was created to implement innovative programs to bring education to some of the world’s poorest children. This time around, thanks to the generosity of EF/AVHHF (Entrepreneurs Foundation) all donations and ticket sales are being matched through March 25, 2010 up to $100,000!

Twestival Vancouver is being held this coming Thursday at the CBC Broadcast Centre in downtown Vancouver in their brand new audience lounge. Tickets are $20 (c’mon… give up your latte for a couple days) and can be purchased online. It’s guaranteed to be a great night of entertainment, prizes, sushi, wine and so much more – all to help a fantastic cause. For more information, visit the Twestival Vancouver website and make sure you follow them on Twitter for updates. See you there!

Photo: BC-SPCA Biscuit Fund

In 2004, a scruffy but lovable dog named Biscuit was found wandering local streets. He’d been abused and repeatedly stabbed but somehow managed to drag himself into a garage. After being found by a family and rushed to an area veterinarian, Biscuit was nursed back to health through emergency care. The BC-SPCA created the Biscuit Fund in honour of this resilient little guy to raise funds for other sick and injured homeless animals.

March is ‘Sponsor A Cat Month’ with the Biscuit Fund. Donations are the primary funding source for all aspects of the BC-SPCA and the need for emergency animal care is steadily rising. In fact, the money spent in 2008 exceeded $2.4 million dollars. If you’d like to donate, please visit the BC-SPCA’s Biscuit Fund website. 100% of the donations are used to help the animals and are entirely tax-deductible. If you’d like to take a peek at some of the animals that have been helped by the Biscuit Fund, head on over to their Flickr site.

Pet overpopulation is a huge problem within British Columbia and around the world. When bringing a new cat, dog or other companion animal into your home, please give strong consideration to adopting from an animal shelter or rescue organization. There are countless animals waiting for your love and affection, and the more animals we bring into our homes, the less animals we’ll find fending for their lives on the street.

The quintessential ’80s movies that defined my childhood are countless. However, few more so than ‘Crocodile’ Dundee. Mick left the Australian Outback for the first time in anticipation of bright lights-big city adventures with his lady love, Sue, and landed on the outskirts of one of the world’s biggest cities. As the camera captured a fraction of the expanse that is Manhattan, 5-year-old Keira-Anne was simply blown away. Perhaps it was Mick Dundee’s naïve curiosity that got the best of me, but I was hooked. I remember exclaiming to myself “I have to go there!”

Photo: _Massimo_ on Flickr

“Imagine seven million people all wantin’ to live together… Yep, New York must be the friendliest place on Earth.” – Mick Dundee

After more than two decades of wishing, hoping, waiting, reading, studying maps and longing over photographs, my time has finally come. This morning I selected a flight, chose a hotel, entered mine and Rebecca’s credit card numbers and the City suddenly became ours. In a little over two months, we’ll be departing YVR on a warm Spring night, landing at JFK airport in time for Saturday brunch in the West Village.

When I was younger, I envisioned myself visiting NYC on my own. While I still hope to someday, I can’t imagine a more wonderful travel partner than Rebecca. We’ve got many of the same interests, hope to see many of the same landmarks and get equally giddy every time we hear Jay-Z and Alicia Keys pay homage to the Big Apple.

Photo: _Massimo_ on Flickr

It’s really hard to believe in some ways. I look at the computer screen, see my name, blink, see the name of a hopelessly chic hotel, the flight number and our selected dates with the word “CONFIRMED” next to it all. Somehow, none of it will seem really real until our taxi starts rolling over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. That’s when the rush will begin.

(And don’t worry, mom. We’ll avoid the subway station at the Manhattan Municipal Building for this very reason.)

I like rainy days. No wait, scratch that. I love rainy days. They lend to a particular sense of coziness that allows me to be lazy enough to stay indoors while invigorating enough to roll up my sleeves and get stuff done. I cleaned my entire apartment, cleared out hideous clothes I don’t wear anymore, junked old make-up from under the bathroom sink, bathed Jordy (who’s now fast asleep on the couch), baked cookies and prepped myself a margarita pizza from scratch.

As quaint as all that sounds, the other half of me is starting to feel restless for the coming days of endless sunshine… summer evenings in lush grass at the park, pitchers of crushed raspberry mojitos on the patio at Milestones (likely while practically living in this beauty through the sunny months), loading up on a bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables from the Coombs Market, sandy toes, sugary sweet ice cream dripping from hand-rolled sugar cones, wading in the ocean with my niece and my dog and a girls’ getaway week in New York City with Rebecca.

Instead of practically torturing myself with summer dreams, I decided to take a trip down memory lane in Flickrville and check out some of my favourite memories of Summer 2009.

Photo: John Bollwitt on Flickr

There’s a place on Vancouver Island that many hear of, most pass through and few ever experience its true beauty. With rolling hills, sea-kissed shores and lush, dense forests, the Cowichan Valley is a truly unique and unparalleled region.

Photo: ciboulette on Flickr

Stretching from the west coast to the east coast of Vancouver Island, the Cowichan Valley is certainly the Island’s most expansive area, covering more than 3,400 square kilometres. With a population of more than 76,000, the Valley is compromised of several First Nations reserves and a number of individual communities including Chemainus, Ladysmith, Crofton and Duncan.

Map: McPopa Real Estate

Water isn’t hard to come by in the Cowichan Valley. Though ocean shores lap each side of the Valley, it snuggles primarily around its namesake river and lake. The serene lake, located slightly northwest of Duncan, spans 30 kilometres. The Cowichan River is a popular swimming spot for locals and winds its way from the lake all the way to the Georgia Straight at Cowichan Bay.

Photo: Greg.b. on Flickr

Deeply steeped in a rich First Nations history, the Cowichan Valley is home to the largest First Nation tribe in British Columbia. With more than 3,800 registered members, about half reside on the nine local reserves. These reserves are comprised of seven traditional villages, specifically Kw’amutsun, Qwum’yiqun’, Hwulqwselu, S’amuna’, L’uml’umuluts, Hinupsum and Tl’ulpalus. [source]

Photo: Cowichan Tribes

Archaeological evidence points to the existence of the Cowichan band as far back at 4,500 years ago. Proudly self-sufficient, it’s currently governed by a chief and 12 councillors. Under the provisions of the Federally-enacted Indian Act, the band is responsible for making decisions that affect the community in the specific areas of child and family welfare, healthcare, housing and community social development.

Photo: Cowichan Tribes

Perhaps one of the most famous legacies of the Cowichan band is the fashion fever sprung out of their one-of-a-kind sweaters. Cowichan knitting originated with a two-bar loom method after being spun on a spindle and whorl. The earlier creations included blankets and leggings made out of mountain goat wool and dog hair before European-influenced production saw the emergence of the sweaters in the late 1800s.

Being that I was born and raised in a community with a strong First Nations presence, traditional Cowichan sweaters are something my family has worn for as long as I can remember. Pretty cute, right? Fashion mavens have been avidly seeking the Cowichan style through both locally-developed TNA sweaters and, more recently, the Cowichan-influenced sweaters sold by the Hudson’s Bay Company for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The sweaters proved to be quite the controversy between the the Cowichan band and HBC as the Cowichan band were purportedly never offered the opportunity to provide genuine sweaters for the Olympics. After negotiations between both sides, the Cowichan band were eventually given licensing rights, allowing their creations to be sold at related pavilions during the Games.

Photo: ecstaticist on Flickr

Photo: timbarton on Flickr

Known as “The Warm Land”, the Cowichan Valley is quickly becoming one of Vancouver Island’s hot spots for wine and cider production. With barrels full of vineyards popping up in recent years, agri-tourism is notably boosting the region’s economy. In addition to vino, foodies will be easily tempted by the number of cheesemakers, jam makers, lavender growers and ethically-farmed chicken and lamb. Most of these producers operate out of farms that are open to the public, so do your research and plan some fun.

Photo: timbarton on Flickr

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

It’s nearly impossible to run out of day-trip ideas when in the Cowichan Valley. Lazy afternoons at Cowichan Lake, a quick ferry ride to Saltspring Island or exploring antique shops are some of the activities that can entice almost anyone.

Photo: RobertCiavarro on Flickr

Photo: hradcanska on Flickr

Driving through Duncan, it’s impossible to miss the world’s largest hockey stick. Originally built for Expo 1986, the stick now strikes across the local ice rink. Perhaps even more fascinating is the collection of handcrafted totem poles; Duncan is dotted by a whopping 80 poles.

Those instead interested in western arts and culture can stop in at the Chemainus Theatre in neighbouring Chemainus. The theatre’s stage often comes alive with plays year-round that are nothing short of impressive.

Photo: junemaffin on Flickr

Photo: Len not Lenny on Flickr

Sometimes the best things to spend your time doing are really nothing at all. The indescribable and natural beauty of the Cowichan Valley has to be experienced to be understood. Pine-scented air, sunsets that sparkle across the ocean and comforting breezes are nothing short of breathtaking.

Photo: maplemusketeer on Flickr

Photo: MISTER_BLACK on Flickr

The view from the top doesn’t hurt either…

The Cowichan Valley is located south of Nanaimo and north of Victoria along Highway 19. For more information on the region and its activities, accommodations and visitor information, visit the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s official website.

With a current base of 489 cm, it should come as no surprise that Mount Washington has been rockin’ all season. With school out for Spring Break, this is definitely the mountain’s most exciting and action-packed week. The week-long Chek News SnoJam event kicked off with the After Dark Invitational as riders from the Island, Lower Mainland and Whistler amped up the slopes under spotlights hoping to ride away with $3K.

Photo: Antonio LaFauci/LMount Washington Alpine Resort

You don’t want to miss the rest of the coming week – it’s jammed full with the Barq’s Root Beer Snowtube Festival, the Beavertails Eating Contest, Dairyland Crazy Cards and the Old Dutch Mini Olympics. A full detailed listing can be found here, but this is only a sliver of the fun that Mount Washington has planned for those interested in checking out what a 5-metre snowbase looks like. As always, the nordic and alpine trails are open – including the legendary Boomerang Outback and both snowboard terrain parks.

For more information on the mountain, snow reports and stay-and-play packages, visit Mount Washington’s website or call the mountain toll free at 1-888-231-1499.