Keira-anne.com

“I know a girl…
She puts the colour inside of my world.”
- John Mayer, “Daughters”

Just shy of 10 years ago, I met Ashley. Like moths to a flame, blondes are seemingly drawn to each other. Ashley and I were no exception. While our mutual love of ice cream paved the way, it took no time at all for she and I to realize the capacity of deep love we each had for the other.

She has since become one of my strongest, wisest and most genuine friends – one that has endured through many phases of my life (and many phases of her own life). Ashley has that selfless and infectious spirit that most of us can only aspire to have one day. To be able to call her a friend is a true blessing.

As another year full of achievements and adventures has passed, I wish my Ashley the happiest of birthdays. Here’s sending you all the kisses, hugs, ice cream cones (and a few little licks from Jordy) on your birthday. Here is to celebrating everything that you are and everything that you mean to those who love you.

At the end of a brief doctor’s appointment yesterday, the conversation between my doctor and I turned to my epidermis. After a quick examination of my face, she commented that my skin was looking very healthy and asked if I use sunblock each day. “Yep, SPF 50 every day,” I answered. She laughed and I added that “I make a point of nagging my friends into using it too!”

Her smile disappeared and she said “well, you should probably share with them that they wouldn’t believe how many of my patients I’ve been seeing and diagnosing with skin cancer these days.”

In all seriousness, our skin’s wellness isn’t something we should be taking lightly. We eat right to stay healthy, exercise to stay fit and firm, take vitamins to ensure we’re getting out daily fill and wash our hands to avoid the flu at all costs. So why won’t we do the same for our skin?

I can’t deny that in my early 20s I would visit a tanning booth once in a while or ditch sunscreen for tanning oil. But that was then and this is now and I have come to the obvious conclusion that the health of my skin is important. Beyond the risk of skin cancer, damage to the skin is not reversible and once the sags and spots appear, there’s no turning back. And besides, what I look like in a bikini at age 50 is largely dependent on how I treat myself and my skin in a bikini today. I can be Helen Mirren or I can be Donatella Versace. It’s a no-brainer.

I get it. Sometimes a little bit of tone does look a bit better than the Casper the Ghost-like skin I’m usually rocking. Self tanning products have come a long, long way, my friends, and provide a deep and natural glow – often with a coconut kick. My personal favourite is Clinique’s Self Sun Body Daily Moisturizer for yummy colour. That said, you’re all out of excuses, so take care of yourself and your skin. Every day.

You’re worth it.

With the August long weekend only two sleeps away and temperatures maintaining skyrocketed levels, now is a better time than any to stay protected. While you’re at it, don’t forget to stay hydrated, stay cool and leave your pets at home. Temperatures inside your vehicle can reach 45+ degrees in only minutes and your canine companion can sustain permanent brain damage in as little as 20 minutes. For more tips on how to keep your fur baby cool during these hot, hot days, refer back to my summary from last year.

How many times have you walked into a wine shop or liquor store, intent on purchasing a tantalizing bottle of wine, only to find yourself perplexed or overwhelmed? With so many varietals, vineyards and exotic production locales around the globe, knowing where to start and what to choose can often be a daunting endeavour.

For the twelfth year in a row, Mt. Washington Alpine Resort is hoping to put an end to your confusion with the Alpine Wine Festival on Friday, August 6. Held in the Raven Lodge and boasting breathtaking panoramic views of Vancouver Island’s mountainous spine, the festival welcomes vineyards from across the Island, the country and even from overseas. Festival attendees each receive a commemorative wine glass and are encouraged to sip and sample everything their heart desires.

Accompanied by tasty food samplings, the festival will keep swinging with live entertainment courtesy of acclaimed jazz pianist and composer, Karel Roessingh. You’ll also have the opportunity to support the Vancouver Island Mountain Sport Society with a silent auction featuring some truly fabulous items up for grabs.

Confirmed wineries include:

• Coastal Black Estate Winery
• Muse Winery
• Averill Creek Winery
• Blue Moon Estate Winery
• Carbrea Vineyards
• Hillside Estate Winery
• Desert Hills Estate Winery
• Fosters Wine Estates (featuring Wolf Blass and Beringer Stone Cellars)
• PMA Wines and Spirits (featuring Two Oceans and Flat Roof Manor)
• Merridale Cider
• Sea Cider Farm and Cider House

Tickets for the event can be purchased online for $30 and attendees must be legal drinking age (19+). A courtesy shuttle is available for those attending. For more information on this and the wine pairing dinner the following night, please visit Mt. Washington Alpine Resort’s website. I hope to see you all there!

I’m not normally one for summer vacations. That’s not to say I don’t take time away from work when the sun is shining and the beach calls my name. However, there’s no better place to be during the summertime than British Columbia and, in particular, on Vancouver Island. So why leave?

In only one week I’ll be throwing summer dresses, sandals and bikinis in my suitcase, packing a bag for Jordy (that kid doesn’t travel light) and head to Vancouver Island for nine days. The best part of the plan is that I have no plans. Spending endless hours on the Island’s beaches, noshing on homegrown food from Coombs, taking afternoon naps in the shade in my mom’s backyard, ice cold beer, evening badminton, BBQ dinners every single day and catching up with some of my oldest friends are all on the must-do list.

There’s never a shortage of events happening in and around the Comox Valley over the upcoming BC Day Long Wekeend, some of which I spend all year looking forward to. Next weekend marks the start of the 52nd Annual Nautical Days celebration in the seaside town of Comox, featuring a family-friendly parade, Dragon Boat races, fireworks and the always-popular Build, Bail and Sail race [website].

Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr

Photo: Amelia Burrows

Also that weekend is the Filberg Festival, entering its 28th year from July 30 until August 2 [website]. Highly skilled potters, painters, musicians, “foodies”, weavers, textile and clothing designers, jewelers and more from around North America converge in the middle of breathtaking Filberg Park to display their wares. It’s a must for me every year, even if only for the best lemonade ever.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite summer snaps from around the Island and the Comox Valley over the summer months. What are you looking forward to before the leaves start to turn orange, red and yellow? Feel free to share your summertime musts in the comments below!

I have traveled very little in my 20-something years. There are no exotic stamps on my passport, no photos exist of me posing in front of pyramids or the Eiffel Tower and I have yet to cross either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans. However, unbeknown to me, I only needed to cross to the other side of North America to experience culture of the international variety.

While Vancouver is celebrated as a virtual melting pot of ethnicity, it’s still relatively young. There are brownstone homes in Brooklyn that are older than this city. New York City, originally founded as New Amsterdam, was first settled in the early-to-mid 1600s and has since grown into a city that straddles the precipice between cosmopolitan and historical. So many city blocks are completely saturated with what once was and still is.

Nowhere does that seem more true than Little Italy. Wednesday, May 26th was a hot day – a day with the kind of heat that feels like a solid substance wrapping itself in and around your body. Rebecca and I donned slim-strapped sandals, barely-there dresses and gathered the hair off the back of our necks. It was necessary for survival. I love that kind of heat.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

We wove our way through narrow city streets in Lower Manhattan – the very first part of the city that was settled upon – and found ourselves in the middle of the bustling Chinatown district. Famished from walking and desperate for substance in our stomachs, Rebecca and I diverted onto Mulberry Street. Blink and perhaps you’ll miss Little Italy, a neighbourhood that’s gradually become so small yet is bursting at the seams with dignity in its roots.

It’s overwhelming. A street that at one time served as the centre of the blood-soaked Five Points neighbourhood was now lined with brick veneers, fire escapes, colourful awnings scribed in Italian, delivery trucks providing everything from prosciutto to tomato sauce and flags flying with red, white and green. Older men bellowed at each other from across the street, wiping their hands on their aprons. Younger men bantered jokes in a language so fast and so beautiful that it mesmerized me. Tourists on the sidewalk noshed on cannolis and gelato.

We selected a restaurant on the west side of the block, choosing to sit on the sidewalk and soak in our surroundings. Rebecca and I pushed our chairs in under the red and white checkered table cloth, my back bumping up against a flower box occupied with scarlet-coloured geraniums. I ordered a glass of house pinot noir and then fell in love.

My man couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than me. Save for a few broken phrases in English, it was clear that he spoke only Italian. My man’s white shirt was chiseled around his torso and tucked into black pants that appeared to be nothing short of expertly tailored. His undershirt was traceable under his long sleeves and even in that 95-degree heat, my man didn’t break a sweat. His eyes were playful but his expression was stern and concentrated. When he wasn’t refilling our water glasses, my man was coolly leaning on a nearby parking meter with a cigarette posed between his bow-tie lips. I was infatuated and unable to look anywhere else.

There on Mulberry Street, in the middle of intense heat and thrust into old-world Italy in the middle of Manhattan, I recognized that some things never change. Forever known for their remarkable dishes, perfected wine and searing passion, the Italians also have not lost their knack for invoking love at first sight either.

As it enters its final three days, the horse death toll at the Calgary Stampede has reached six – a number that Stampede spokesperson Doug Fraser describes as “very unusual and very upsetting.” [source] However, death is nothing new to the annual event. In fact, since 1986, more than 50 chuckwagon horses alone have died as a result of various levels of participation at the Calgary Stampede. [source] This number does not include other animals involved, such as grown cattle and baby calves used in rope-tying events.

Photo: NailaJ on Flickr

There’s no definitive reason for the deaths of the six horses at this year’s event. Cause has ranged from broken legs, cardiac arrest due to stress and even a horse that was bucking so wildly it broke its own back and was subsequently put down. [source] Not unlike horse racing, these beasts are forced to perform, holding up their 1,000-pound bodies on ankles not much thicker than yours or mine. Ouch.

All of this leads me to ask only one question: What is the magic number?

Which number of dead animals serves as the pivot point for the Calgary Stampede to move from “family entertainment” to “unnecessary cruelty”? Though the event is considered an Alberta tradition – mini donuts included – the notion of tradition does not automatically translate to ethical or humane.

Many fans of the Calgary Stampede will argue that it’s the nature of the beast, so to speak, and that these horses are simply performing in ways that their bodies were designed to perform. While it’s true that horses run, buck and jump in a natural environment, the Calgary Stampede creates an entirely different circumstance.

It’s interesting that this annual event – and ensuing annual debate – is surfacing simultaneously with a similar deliberation in Vancouver. Vancouver Parks Board Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon is putting forth a motion to hold a public referendum and consider whether or not whales should be held in captivity. Using animals for entertainment or “sport” – as in the stampede, horse racing, zoos and aquariums – is a hotly contested debate, one in which opinions are always strongly divided.

Where do you stand on the issue?

While I’d like to call it an act of spontaneity, I’ve been mulling over the idea of buying a bicycle for quite some time. In truth I haven’t owned one since I was in my early teens, ripping up and down the dirt roads of Hornby Island on our family camping trips (yikes, right?). And even then, it was only a mountain bike.

The thing about Craigslist is that the margin of decision time is narrow. If you find something you want, buy it or it’ll be gone before you know it. This afternoon I found a vintage road bike for $100 that I fell in love with, but by the time I got on the phone with the owner, it was gone. He said that the good news was that he had a second bike that he was selling, this one for only $90. He swung by within the hour, let me try it on for size and it was a done deal.

It’s a bit beaten-looking, rusted and in desperate need of a paint job. However, with a bit of fresh handlebar tape, a shiny, new saddle and some TLC, the bike will look as good as (almost) new. It’ll be great to have something to bomb around downtown with during the sunny months, but at that price, it almost doesn’t matter if it doesn’t last me too long. I still need to grab myself a lock and helmet, but I can’t wait to take this for a spin in the open bike lanes.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Having a pet in one’s life is something that can be incredibly rewarding. The unconditional love they offer springs from trust, appreciation and fierce loyalty. One of the most difficult parts of being a “pet parent” is when your animal is unwell or injured. Unlike a child that can tell you their tummy hurts or that they’ve stubbed their baby toe, a dog or cat will just get lazy all the while staring up at you with fearful eyes and dilated pupils. What’s wrong is anyone’s guess.

Around the middle of last week, Jordy started to display a behavior known as “scooting”, where he’d plunk his butt on the ground, lift his hind legs and propel himself forward with his front paws. Add to this the fact that I’d take him outside and he’d sit on the concrete rather than pee when it was time to go to bed, I knew something was wrong. By Friday morning, I felt a lump on his rump that was accompanied by some seepage. It was time to call the vet.

I always trust the great people at Yaletown Pet Hospital to deliver the best possible care to Jordy, so I was disheartened to learn their next available appointment was a week away. I stressed the severity of the situation and the fact that I suspected an infection, so they managed to squeeze an appointment in that very afternoon.

After a few minutes with Dr. Spooner, I soon learned that Jordy’s minor irriation was, in fact, a bacterial abscess on his rear end – likely caused by something he sat in or on. The sudden abscess was the size of a green grape under his skin and, left untreated, was likely to rupture outwards. My little guy was in obvious pain and discomfort which did nothing short of break my heart. After a quick expression (Google) to relieve some of the pressure, we were sent on our way with two weeks’ worth of antibiotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication. I had instructions to hold a hot compress to Jordy’s behind four or five times a day to hopefully bring the swelling down and avoid a rupture. Should it reach that point, surgical lancing would be required.

It’s been four days and Jordy’s world has changed immensely. His rear end no longer looks like a battleground and instead has healed almost miraculously. The medications combined with rest and extra snuggle time has made all the difference for him. He’s back to playing, running, cuddling and generally acting like a little monkey.

Sometimes it’s really difficult to make decisions on my own regarding the health and welfare of my furry loved one. There’s no sounding board to hear me out, nor someone to tell me to chill if I’m overreacting. However, even a minute in pain and suffering is too much in my opinion, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. I want to thank the amazing staff at Yaletown Pet Hospital for not only taking my concerns seriously and finding a solution to Jordy’s ailment, but also for offering him the very best care he deserves. YPH is most certainly a prime example of how to treat your clients and customers – something I think we could all use a little bit more of.

With the most excellent sunshine that’s been beaming down on British Columbia these last few days, a hot day at the beach was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I left Jordy at home to convalesce in my cool apartment (more about that another time), grabbed Andrea and Tania and headed for Jericho Beach.

Tania brought her “little sister” along to add to the fun. Andrea and I did our best to keep the girl talk on lock-down.

Andrea likes to ham it up…

…while Tania likes to glam it up.

Stunning views, natch.

This is my second bottle of sunblock this summer. Think I’m excessive? Let’s talk when I’m 45.

These ladies never fail to provide endless hours of fun times and entertaining conversation. Sometimes there is no better feeling than rotating through the perfect summertime trifecta of dunking in a refreshing ocean, noshing on chips and guacamole or stretching out under the warm sun than with fabulous friends.

UPDATED: Congratulations to Jillian Mayne! Jillian is the winner of two tickets to The Big Day Up.

With only ten days to go until The Big Day Up, Mount Washington Alpine Resort is gearing up for the biggest party their slopes have ever seen. Saturday, July 17 is bound to be a toasty day under the sun, jam-packed with unbelievable musical talent from across Canada and even one epic band from Down Under.

This inaugural outdoor fiesta of sound is brought to you by Cumberland Village Works, the same brilliant group of people responsible for The Big Time Out and a whole slew of incredible musicians and artists that have passed through the Comox Valley in recent years.

Headlining this show is none other than The Cat Empire, a sensational tour de force from Australia that have amassed an admirable following. Having treated audiences around the globe to their infectious grooves, this multi-member outfit shows no signs of slowing down, driven by a ferocity rarely seen in today’s talent. While it’s next to impossible to definitively describe The Cat Empire’s musical stylings in a word or two, those at The Big Day Up can expect everything from funk, ska, reggae and even a bit of vaudeville.

Also sharing the stage at The Big Day Up are Daniel Wesley, Nine Mile, Sweatshop Union and Aaron Nazrul and the Boom Booms. Multi-Coloured Mischeif, The Naked DJs and Nova Firespun Performing Arts will be on hand to keep the party pumping well into the wee hours, followed by an after party in Mount Washington’s legendary lodge.

Tickets are available for just $62.50 (+ HST) and can be purchased online and at the following locations:

Comox Valley – Bop City Records, Tarbell, Sound Advice, The Waverley
Campbell River – The Music Plant
Nanaimo – Lucid
Tofino – Common Loaf
Port Alberni – Sound Advice
Victoria – Lyle’s Place
Vancouver – Highlife Music

Mount Washington is offering up both camping and RV sites (for this event only) and luxe accommodation in slopeside condos for those wishing to make a night of it. For more information on the event, including how to get there, check out The Big Day Up’s official website.

Ticket Giveaway: The fine folks at Cumberland Village Works are offering up a pair of tickets to The Big Day Up to one lucky reader and winning couldn’t be easier! Simply leave a comment below telling me which artist on the bill you’d be most excited to see or Tweet the following:

I want to party at The Big Day Up thanks to @thevillageworks and @keiraanne! http://bit.ly/daASL6 #TBDU2010

A comment and a Tweet will count for two entries. The contest closes at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14, at which time I’ll draw one winner at random to receive the two tickets. The winner must be able to attend the event at Mount Washington in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Tickets hold no cash value and are non-transferable. Tickets are valid only for admission and do not include transportation, accommodation, travel expenses, food or beverages.