Keira-anne.com

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Canadian community more passionate about fishing than Port Alberni, and right now they’re in a race to be named Canada’s Ultimate Fishing Town.

Photo: water_sss on Flickr

The World Fishing Network is holding a nation-wide contest based on a voting system. The winning town will receive a $25,000 community donation to be used for enhancement initiatives. With steelhead, sockeye, chinook, coho salmon, halibut, ling cod and rock fish, there’s no shortage of abundance in the waters around Vancouver Island’s protected inlet town.

Voting ends in little more than five days, so get your vote in now and help bring some much-needed funds to the community of Port Alberni.

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.

Someone once told me that there’s no experience like riding the New York City Subway. Over 650 miles of tracks snake and slide their way deep under Manhattan, reaching out to four of the five boroughs. It’s impossible to descend the steps into any station and not be instantly overcome by the sensory experience that awaits.

The stations are hot and stuffy. The still air is a fragrant tonic of charred street meat, diesel and urine. The noise is deafening as trains rocket in and out of stations, sparking over the rails with an unmistakable squeal. The paint is peeling off steel beams, the overhead lights flicker and buzz and passengers wait like flocks of vultures to squeeze between the doors.

It’s intoxicating.

Photo: cafemama on Flickr

On the very last day that Rebecca and I spent in New York City, we traveled across the Brooklyn Bridge one step at a time. While Manhattan is most certainly its own world, crossing the iconic span over the East River felt much like stepping through a portal.

As my feet found solid ground in Brooklyn, every little thing I’d long associated with the city’s biggest borough suddenly came to life. It’s the home of the Beastie Boys, of sizzling Italian-American pizzerias, of Coney Island, of century-old brownstones and even the original Dodgers baseball team. When I was younger, my family lived on a cul-de-sac called Brooklyn Place and my school was called Brooklyn Elementary. Naturally, I secretly pretended we lived in Brooklyn.

After a couple hours of exploring, the time came to return to Manhattan and we decided to do so by way of the subway. High Street Station was bustling with people on that muggy Friday afternoon. Finding a seat was easier than expected and within minutes our train jolted to life and rattled toward downtown. A group of b-boys kicked their ghetto blaster into high gear and began to break-dance in the middle of the train. Our fellow passengers gave wide berth and kept the dancers moving with cheers and clapping as beat-heavy hip hop sputtered from the well-played speakers.

What should have been an uneventful journey from Brooklyn back to midtown turned into a Friday afternoon impromptu train party. Nothing short of something quintessentially Brooklyn, I can’t imagine a more fitting way for New York City to bid us farewell than with the smiles and laughter of 50 of our newest friends… at least for one afternoon.

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!

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

When my brother and I were children, my mom would sometimes bring home giant rolls of paper. I’d map out entire towns for my brother’s Hot Wheels cars. And when you were drawing rainbows and happy sunshine faces, I was taking pencil to ruler and sketching out floor plans. I’ve been fascinated with the layouts of homes for longer than I can remember. That said, you can imagine how excited I was to discover the basic blueprint for the infamous Skybreak House.

Located in The Warren, Radlett, Hertfordshire area of the UK and built between the years 1964-1966, it can be most easily recognized as HOME in A Clockwork Orange. Though the exteriors featured in the film are not that of the Skybreak House, this is one home that has me salivating at its interior design. If money weren’t a factor, I’d replicate it while simultaneously blowing up the square footage and maintaining the ratio.

My TV-watching hours are usually dominated by shows such as Property Virgins, Love It Or List It, House Poor or Take This House And Sell It. Room transformations are nothing short of addictive. Being that I’m hoping to upgrade to a larger and more permanent suite in a year’s time, the designs are becoming highly influential. Beyond gray paint and focal walls, I’m gathering some unique ideals. And if the Skybreak House wasn’t amazing enough already, it also features my latest obsession: barn doors.

Using chalkboard paint on a smaller wall surface charms, thrills and kills me.

Clearly a girl with kitchen savvy needs a workspace to reflect that. Given the choice, I will always choose stand-alone pieces over installed cabinetry because I prefer working in functional kitchen spaces. Some of my “I freakin’ wish” must-haves: butcher block island, industrial-sized porcelain basin, open concept storage and gas cooking.

I adore minimalist design in each and every room because it provides the perfect canvas for incorporating colours and pieces that inspire.

I’m kind of in love with platform beds but feel the pull into a torrid love affair with oversized headboards – particularly pseudo ones derived from art pieces or headboards of the upholstered variety. They make my heart go ga-gung.

Complimentary lamps and candles are not only essential but also add amazing beauty. Nothing, however, can top the perfection of natural light.

You will never, ever find the following in any home I ever live in: trinkets, shiny black appliances, anything made of oak, the colour yellow, enclosed entertainment units, paisley prints, bedding with a thread count below 400 or hutch units. Buffets, on the other hand, are not only acceptable but actually encouraged.

While I’m about 1,667 paychecks (and a lottery win) away from recreating the Skybreak House with some serious Keira-Anne styles, a girl’s gotta dream. After all, my body needs something to keep the adrenaline coursing between basketball games.

Photos top to bottom: Bloody Disgusting; Bloody Disgusting; inhislight07; Remodelista; Peach and Pearl; Brightest Young Things; Yossawat; Home Design | Decoration | Lighting; Wonderlane on Flickr; Author’s own; Author’s own; this_could_be_my_house on Flickr; Modern Luxury Homes; ExinteriorDesign; Apartment Therapy; Martha Stewart Living; me*jo on Flickr; Crate and Barrel; Crate and Barrel; Crate and Barrel; Crate and Barrel; Trendir

Photos (Top to Bottom): Hunter Boots; Wüsthof Knives; both dresses Diane von Furstenberg; KitchenAid; Urban Outfitters; Apple; Stuart Weitzman at Nordstrom; FashionBeans

Question No. 1: If you were to recommend a good camera to me, which would it be? The trip to New York that Rebecca and I are taking is coming up fast with a little over four months until departure. My Canon PowerShot SD1000 is getting old (and the lack of photo quality shows), so I want to upgrade before we leave. I don’t need anything terribly tricked-out and don’t want to spend more than $500. DSLR would be nice but it’s not a deal-breaker. I just want the ability to take crisp, colourful and focused photos. Awesome zoom would be a nice bonus.

Photo: CoffeeGeek on Flickr

Question No. 2: Who wants to shoot hoops with me? While this question is mostly directed at those of you that I actually know rather than randomly, I’m open to the possibility of pick-up games if enough people are interested. I recently bought myself an outdoor ball and want to hit the courts under the Cambie Street Bridge once these monsoons leave Vancouver. I’ve been playing since junior high, will dribble dizzying circles around you and make you sweat for the ball, but I promise it’ll be fun. Who’s in?

Photo: chillihead on Flickr

Living today – in the moment – has become my “thing” lately. I could elaborate but let’s not get boring, shall we? Anyway, if I don’t live in the moment, all the things I’m pumped about next year will be here before I know it and the little things will pass me by. In fact, so much is coming my way in 2010 that I’m already exhausted thinking about it all. Oy vey.

In no particular order…

10. No specific target date has been set, but I will be officially debt-free. Feel free to hate on me, but I’ve worked hard at it.

9. Celebrating my sweet-as-a-peach niece’s first birthday.

8. Shortly after that, celebrating one whole year with my love bug.

7. Fingers crossed that the Phoenix Suns will once again rock GM Place with another exhibition game during the pre-season, a game at which I will be screaming, yelling, cheering and jumping up and down in my jersey.

Photo: taminator on Flickr

6. TORONTO! Or, you know, a suburb-thereof. I really need to see this lady again. (Except let’s not hang with those guys, okay?)

5. Seeing John Mayer in concert on April 1 for the second time. (Don’t be surprised if I disappear for a few months after the show. It’s my hope that I’ll charm my way backstage, after which he and I will embark on a passionate and heartbreaking love affair. I suspect we will exhaust each other by summertime.)

Photo: Flickred! on Flickr

4. Love thy self: I’m one of those people who incessantly say “I want to…” and then never actually do it. I want to cook more gourmet food, drink more wine, have more parties, take more day-trips, rent a car sometimes and do anything and everything that makes me happy.

3. My first visit to New York City. I plan on leaving my heart there.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

2. Get sporty. I don’t miss going to the gym but getting active makes my heart go ga-goong in more ways than one. I want to join a co-ed drop-in basketball league or just hit the courts with friends. Bueller?

Original Photo: Fernando Ariotti on Flickr

1. Embarking on the next decade of my life, a trip that someone special to me will also be taking this year.

Your turn: tell me what would make for your “Perfect ’10″. Feel free to make this a meme.

I bet if I took an afternoon to dig through the garage or storage room at my mom’s house, I’d probably turn up some buried treasures from across Vancouver Island that my Opa collected years ago. It’s something I’ll probably never actually get around to, but thankfully Raymi did some of it for me. Who knew Vancouver Island was so big in Ontario?

She recently snapped these photos of a very, very old pamphlet belonging to Dave that was published by the Victoria and Island Publicity Bureau. As far as I know, that entity operated out of the south Island between the 1920s and the 1960s, so that will give you an idea of just how old this is. Someone correct me if I’m wrong on those dates.

If you click this last photo to view the original size, you can clearly see that the highway connecting the eastern Island to Tofino and Ucluelet was non-existent at the time of publication.

I suddenly have the urge to hike at Mt. Beecher.