Special Features - Our Stories

OUR style OUR

stories

CULINARY CAREERS

OKANAGAN LAKE: OUR CROWNING JEWEL

EMOTIONS TRANSFERRED TO CANVAS

A NEW PERSPECTIVE FROM UP IN THE AIR

warm up the patio this wine season...

warm up the patio warm up the patio thiswinewineseason season this ... ...

Come and shop our brand new 40,000 square foot store and enjoy great

Beachcomber Home & Leisure Come and shop our

AND Come andan shop offpricing er a massive selection ofour brand new 40,000 Outdoor Firepits, from Wine brand new 40,000 incredible square foot storeor array Barells to Tile Marble.ofIts theenjoy perfect start foot to building square store and great styles and selection your outdoor patio oasis. pricing AND an enjoy great and Come visit our room 40,000 square for every in incredible array ofenjoy great foot store and pricing AND an pricing, and selection styles andstyle selection your home. forevery everyroom room home. incredible array of for in in your your home. styles

RNON VERNON 09 26th Street 5309 26th Street 250.542.3399 P: 250.542.3399 1.800.307.4835 TF: 1.800.307.4835

KELOWNA 2457 KELOWNA Hwy 97 N 2457 Hwy 97 N P: 250.763.8847 P: 250.763.8847 TF: 1.866.763.8847 TF: 1.866.763.8847

2 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

VERNON

KELOWNA

and selection

for every room in your home.

B

i O

t t i

t t i

h i m

V a t i

t o i a C

i d w $ r

d i t t b

a o j t i b

l m s

c i n i n

Waterscapes

BARRY GERDING Creating a sense of peace and serenity in your home is something many Central Okanagan homeowners strive for.

Those objective are sought often through the interior size of the home, building into the existing landscape or creating an outdoor/ indoor environment that is seamless.

But another element that can add those two attributes to your home is often always the most misunderstood, that of creating indoor waterfalls or outdoor waterscapes.

Ross Taylor, a retired Alberta police officer, has been in the business of designing and installing water features in residential, commercial and public spaces for the last decade.

He started his company, Watertrends, in Vancouver and has since moved to Kelowna and opened an office on Leon Avenue, hoping to bring together the concept of finding the ideal place to live with what you enjoy doing.

While Taylor envisions one day seeing the Okanagan become a significant base of his operations, for now his company is international in scope, working on projects across Canada and in U.S. locations such as California.

Taylor admits the stereotype of residential indoor waterfalls or outdoor water landscapes does cater to a higher level income customer, with the cost varying anywhere from $200 to $400 a square-foot depending on how elaborate the design is.

But his goal is to continue to make his design products more cost accessible, to be installed professionally by people properly trained and certified to do it and for the public to understand the health and environment benefits of water falling.

“What I always tell my clients is installing a waterfall is a lot like installing an aquarium or a hot tub, you have to maintain them. You just don’t hook up a pipe with water running through it, flip a switch and walk away… installing a waterfall is not like installing a bathroom shower, “ Taylor said.

He says each project brings unique challenges that require project-specific design elements, something he works on with various steel fabricator shops across the province.

Taylor says he often gets called in for consults after the fact, where people have installed water projects only to see them runnIng into water leak issues due to improper installation or the lack of needed maintenance.

Publisher, Advertising Manager Karen Hill Production Director Tessa Ringness Writers Barry Gerding Mike Strauss Angie Brown Kristin Froneman

On the health side, Taylor said the lifestyle benefits of having waterfalls inside your house dates back to the ancient Greeks, who commonly had fountains and waterscapes in their homes.

In a nutshell, Taylor says that our homes today are filled with modern gadgets which release electric positive ions into the air, which are bad for our state of mood and to many people considered to be cancer causing agents.

A waterfalls releases negative ions which bond with those positive pollutant in the air and cause them to balance out and disappear, creating a calmer atmosphere.

“There is a science behind it that eastern cultures have understood for centuries, the power of moving waters to creating a better quality of environment around you. It’s why you often see waterfall design elements in medical buildings, because the water has a calming affect,” Taylor said.

For his business today, when he started out, indoor waterfalls were the focus of his business but that has since changed to now be about 80 per cent outdoor projects and 20 per cent indoor.

He sees his business as having a yet untapped growth potential, generated by greater awareness of the health benefits and ongoing advances in materials that help reduce concerns about water evaporation and water leakage.

Taylor acknowledges the comparison to elevators being installed in homes, once considered an extravagance that is now changing because it offers the opportunity for aging residents to live longer in their room if negotiating stairs is no longer an issue.

Production Designers Nancy Blow Shayla Graf Kiana Haner-Wilk Courtney Larkan Mary Matthews Laura Millsip Kelly Ulmer Managing Editor Barry Gerding

Account Executives Tracy Cole Teresa Huscroft-Brown Sheri Jackson Bob Lindsay Rick Methot Christine Mould Megan Munro Al Tomiak Kimberley Vico Wayne Woollett

Our Style • Our Stories is published by Black Press 2495 Enterprise Way, Kelowna BC V1X 7K2 Ph. 250-763-3212 Fax. 250-862-5275 adsales@kelownacapnews.com www.kelownacapnews.com

Distributed free to select households in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. The publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

B SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 3

Culinary Arts open house demonstrates

ripe opportunities for Okanagan chefs

Terrafina Restaurant Chef Jenna Pillon.

Imagine landing your dream job at the age of 25.

Chef Jenna Pillon has done just that and was able to do it without leaving the Okanagan Valley.

Pillon is settling into her second year at the helm of one of the South Okanagan’s most esteemed winery restaurants, Hester Creek’s Terrafina in Oliver, and is savouring every minute of it.

Her culinary career took off rather quickly once she completed her Professional Cook Level 3 Apprenticeship at Okanagan College in 2011. After a two-month stint as a sous-chef, she was promoted to Restaurant Chef at Terrafina.

“I am where I’d hoped to be in five years,” she said.

“I’ve come a long way in a short period of time and I’m still working on what’s next.”

Long before she was creating beautiful dishes at Terrafina, cooking formed a significant part of her life.

Pillon grew up cooking at home in Salmon Arm with her family but it wasn’t until she got her first job in a kitchen at a pub in her hometown at the age of 16 that the idea of cooking professionally became a real interest.

“I realized the excitement of cooking on a line was fantastic and decided to pursue it more,” said Pillon.

And pursue it she did. After completing her

Professional Cook Level 1, she became an apprentice chef at Manteo Restaurant in Kelowna under renowned Chef Bernard Casavant, who is now the culinary manager at Okanagan College. She then successfully challenged the Professional Cook Level 2 exams and entered the six-week Level 3 apprenticeship program at Okanagan College.

For Pillon, the best part of the Culinary Arts program at Okanagan College was the opportunity for hands-on learning.

“Learning how to process local wild boar and venison in class was fantastic,” she said. “The college’s instructors are very knowledgeable. They helped me so much with wine knowledge, competition practice and constructive criticism. They try to make you the best cook you can be.”

“Cooking is a craft that takes true passion and it can be intimidating for the average person who hasn’t had any professional training,” added Chef Casavant.

“The truth is, with the right instruction and opportunities, anyone with that passion can turn it into a career with endless possibilities.”

Anyone interested in attending the free Culinary Arts open house can contact Chef Geoffrey Couper at gcouper@okangan.bc.ca to register.

Take a look at Our Latest Collection of New Arrivals Dazzling Summer Sandals • Fashions from Italy & Sleevey Wonders & Shapeez

Helping the Okanagan party for 39 years!

250-763-1144 • www.pjscakes.com 651 Grandview Rd., Kelowna

4 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

Boutique By The Beach

482 West Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 4Z2 || 778.478.1544

B Spring/Summer 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 5

Positivity in the real estate market

BY ANGIE BROWN Following the real estate market is a favourite hobby for many Central Okanagan residents.

With ready access online to what's up for sale, following the sales trends and figuring where your property fits into that market price demand can be an addictive passion for many local residents.

While in recent years, the housing market has struggled to revive itself out of the recession that hit here beginning in 2010, things are looking up for local real estate agents, and both buyers and sellers.

For Christopher Miller, president of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board, he sees 2015 as "healthy and good" year for real estate sales, a trend that began looking apparent late last year.

Miller said that price stability, consumer confidence, and B.C.'s economy are all contributing factors to the board's positivity.

"January was an excellent month, and sales dove in February, but it's looking very good and active now," said Miller.

Sales for March were also up over 20 per cent compared to last year, and a 10 per cent improvement was also registered for April, marking an overall 13 per cent January-April increase in housing sales.

Miller said now that spring has established itself, the number of listings people see should be "on the rise."

Although there Everyone who feels the need to sell have been concerns homes start putting them on the market about Alberta's once spring has established itself." economy impacting When it comes to homeowners gaining local real estate, value on their properties, Miller remains Miller explained optimistic. that the Okanagan"If you look at history, you'll find over a Shuswap area has a decade that homes have gone up an averstrong local market. age of 10 per cent. There is always going to be a rise in the value," he said.

"From Peachland "Whether it's fast enough or big all the way to the Christopher Miller, enough for individual homeowners is Shuswap, we were president of Okanagan unknown." finding 67 per cent Larger houses, in the $500,000 range of sales were from Mainline Real Estate Board and over, are doing "very well," according within the area. to Miller. This year as of the end of March, Alberta accounted 94 houses were sold in the $600,000 to for roughly 12 per $999,999 range, as opposed to last year's number cent." He did add, however, that the Shuswap has of 51. noticed Albertans haven't started coming for its "Every price range is selling quite well, but the recreational or retirement properties yet. fact that the next highest category is the $440,000 "They're quite reliant on Alberta for that, so at to $480,000 range at 69 houses sold, shows the the end of the year that will be the area that's stronhigher number homes are selling quite well." gest affected."

The average price for single family homes has According to Miller, Kelowna also maintains remained stable. The year-to-date price is $487,000, that rough 12 per cent of Albertan buyers. He said and the median is showing at around $460,000 to there are a "number of people" living in Kelowna $465,000. who work in the oil sands and commute from there.

"The median may have gone up three or four per "Although it's tough to say, at the end of the year cent, but that means we are in a really stable price we may see the slow-down causing people to sell market right now," said Miller. their houses and go back to Alberta."

Company Coming?

Find Everything You Need at Ducky Down!

18 Acre

Event Venue in West Kelowna

Custom manufacturing of the highest standards and finest quality

2821 Pandosy Street

250 762 3130

www.duckydown.com 6 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

Weddings Reunions Banquets Retreats Memorials Corporate Meetings

• Banquet hall with seating for 120 with a fully equipped kitchen • 6 bedroom, 2 bathroom, fully furnished house • 5 cabins • Swimming pool • Huge fire pit • Separate men’s & ladies’ washrooms & showers • BBQs, grill & utensils • Picnic tables • Sports equipment • Horseshoe pit • Large grass sportsfield • Kids playhouse • Plenty of parking • RV dry parking • Laundry facility • And more!

250-768-5528 • 2810 Smith Creek Road, Westbank, BC See pricing, photos & more at: powerscreekretreat.com

Get Your Dream Kitchen Without Demolition.

LIMITED TIME OFFER

FREE SINK with your remodel*

*Only valid on initial consultation. Expires 06/15/15.

• • • •

Installation Done in a Day No Demolition, Less Mess Environmentally Preferred Never Requires Sealing

• • • •

Maintenance-Free Cabinet Refacing Available LIFETIME WARRANTY Durable, Lasting Beauty granitetransformations.com/kelowna

For a free in-home design consultation, ©Granite Transformations 2015.

call 778-753-1733

As seen on:

License# 041015

B Spring/Summer 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 7

Our crowning jewel

BY BARRY GERDING Okanagan Lake is the crown jewel of the Okanagan Valley.

It remains a huge focal point of a valley that sports a semi-arid climate surrounded by a growing residential lakeshore communities and a tree fruit agriculture industry.

But the presence of the lake, a constant visual reminder within our Central Okanagan daily lifestyle, can provide a false sense of security about the need to preserve our water use.

The lake stretches from the north to south end over 135 kilometres, between four and five kilometres wide at most given points, and the deepest

#204- 1634 Harvey Ave., Kelowna

• Tesla • Body Talk • Spirit Healing • Energy Dynamics > Increase productivity with joy in the corporate work place

spot maxes out at 232 metres.

But the lake is not a water reservoir, and it is not a bottomless pit to draw water from.

The reality is most of our agricultural and residential water needs are met by reservoirs further upstream from the lake.

But its impact, economically and psychologically, over the valley is hard to ignore, as is the feelings of some that water conservation measures are exaggerated because of its presence.

Nelson Jatel, water stewardship director for the Okanagan Basin Water Board which is an advisory agency over a region that encompasses the south, central and north Okanagan regional districts, says the lake generates $21 million in direct economic activity annually and another $44 million indirectly.

“It’s indisputable that if Okanagan Lake was to dry up, this region would be a different area, not nearly as attractive for people to live or tourists to visit,” Jatel said.

Jatel says the challenge is to meet the quality of life and tourism demands on the lake while maintaining its status as an environment refuge for our ecosystem.

“We are starting to see significant environmental projects starting which will have a positive impact on the lake, and that also recognize and enhance the connection between protecting its environment qualities and how that can be seen as an economic investment,” Jatel said.

He points to efforts further south, at Osoyoos Lake, to see Sockeye Salmon in that lake for the first time in 60 years, a likelihood that can be repeated in Okanagan Lake within the next decade due in large part to efforts such as the environmental enhancement of Mission Creek announced by the City of Kelowna earlier this month.

The current water crisis in California, where a lack of major water replenishment for its reservoirs over the past five years, is a wakeup call for all >>

SLR

* Check out our special TLC Package

for $120.00 + tax:

• 20 minute spirit reading - with Natasha • 20 minute Tesla healing - with Monica • 20 minute Body Talk release - with Jeannie 250-801-5334 | info@purplelotushealing.ca www.purplelotushealing.ca 8 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

Society for Learning in Retirement ‘The Home of Lifelong Learning’

1995 - 2015

Fall Registration Starts August 17, 2015

Curiosity Never Retires elebrates

C

20 years of bringing engaging peer-learning to Kelowna.

Offering over 40 courses to registrants.

Check our website for details and upcoming events

Martin Centre || 1434 Graham St. || 250.448.1203 || www.slrkelowna.ca

communities living in arid climate conditions but insist on having immaculate green lawns, Jatel says.

“About 25 per cent of our residential water use right now goes to watering our lawns,” he noted. “On one side that is a horrifically large number for water usage but it also demonstrates how reducing that number will lower our water consumption without having a drastic effect on our quality of life.”

But while Okanagan Lake is not going to dry up anytime soon, Jatel said the Okanagan has a history of water drought periods over time. “We all know about 2003 and what that looked like, but I tend to look back to 2002 as when that situated of having an incredible dry year started,” he said.

West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater, chair of the Okanagan Basin Water Board, has lived on the Westside in the 1970s, when local residents were irate at the water conservation measures adopted by the Westbank Irrigation District to combat a number of drought years.

Jatel said where a drought has an impact, such as in California, is the result of a lack of rain combined with a lack of snowfall during the winter, which dries out the reservoirs and places pressure on groundwater streams and aquifers, as people drill wells to find more waters sources, particularly in the agriculture industry.

“A saw a report the other day that said the California-Nevada border area has recorded the lowest snowfall levels in the last century. And you look at the challenges of Australia which has gone through a five-year drought…it reminds us of the need to be aware that saving litres of water use in good years will be beneficial when drought conditions persist.”

Jatel said the water basin board has taken on some comprehensive measures to deal with the management of Okanagan Lake and its many feeder tributaries.

One is a $5 million project, with has just completed its second phase, seeking to provide scientific data about where our water comes from, where does it go and how can it be managed better.

“I feel it is one of the most comprehensive supply and demand lake studies in the country, as one of the challenges we face now is the lack of or limited amount of historical available data about Okanagan Lake,” Jatel said.

He noted it’s hard to manage a water supply if you don’t understand how it works with real science data, and what the critical flow elements are to sustain the environment and the fish populations.

The other critical planning step has been the creation of Okanagan Water Stewardship Council, a group of volunteer water users brought together once a month to discuss and debate what can be conflicting water use issues.

Representation on the council ranges from representatives to the B.C. Fruit Growers Association, groundwater association and agriculture council to Interior Health, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and B.C. Wildlife Federation.

Jatel says those monthly discussions ultimately look at insuring the water supply quality and quantity is protected, approaching that issue from their own parochial water use needs trying to find common ground.

Toby Pike, executive director of the Southeast Kelowna Irrigation District, called the stewardship council a great forum for communicating different viewpoints and finding mutual beneficial goals.

“I think the other thing about the stewardship council is that they are all there as volunteers…they are truly interested in water issues and truly want to contribute something,” said Pike.

While Pike said he doesn’t have an alarmist attitude about here in light of the changing weather patterns in other parts of North America, but he says those issues can’t be taken for granted, either.

He points to the tree fruit industry in his irrigation district which uses about 80 per cent of the water use for crops. “You might be able to cut back a bit on watering for a hayfield, but you can’t do that for tree fruit crops. You either adapt to drought conditions causing potential water shortage issues by planning in advance, which our water board has been very positive about doing, or you don’t plan and be forced to adapt by suffering.”

Findlater said the board’s past history has seen progressive initiatives done to maintain the quality of Okanagan Lake, from reacting to the milfoil proliferation issue to reducing the flow of untreated sewage into the lake by upgrading local community sewer service infrastructure projects.

“A lot of work has been done by all our member communities to create a better sewer system collection to treat that waste water before it is released back into the lake,” Findlater said.

“Rainlite” are weatherproof battery operated candles with 8 hour timer and optional remote. Perfect for a patio or garden party!

#230 - 2469 Hwy 97 N, Kelowna

Relax and enjoy the ambiance of a crackling flame from one of our Ceramic Fire Pots.

“Sunset at pier” from our large collection of wall art, canvas, prints, and oil paintings.

(250) 868-8261 || expressionsgift.ca B SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 9

BY KRISTIN FRONEMAN He stands at the table, quiet all around, not even the glint of Kalamalka Lake lying below disturbs the task at hand.

His canvas is laid flat in front of him. There is no sketch or photo to go by, just the faint acrid smell of the acrylic gels that are squirted out like melted candies.

There are no preconceived ideas or notions. The slate is blank in his head as much as it is on the canvas. The colours are all laid out on the table, and whatever “pops out” makes its way to the surface.

From one end of the canvas to the other, the brush leaves its brilliant lines in gold, red, black, layer over layer, like beams of light emitting from the sun.

Sometimes the painting is left, for weeks, years, before it is painted over again.

Jon Allan Landahl has been following his intuition ever since he picked up a paintbrush.

Of Jewish, German and Latin descent, he was born and raised in the city of Maracay, Venezuela.

Influenced by his artist mother, who gifted him an oil painting set when he was about eight years old, Landahl developed his talent taking an art class with an accomplished artist in his hometown.

“I was not a sports person. I would instead go to painting class and come home head-to-toe covered in oil paint. My parents never complained. They just bought me more supplies,” he said.

Even as a young boy, Landahl’s work stood out. He was not interested in painting trees and landscapes like the other children, instead he tended to paint more intuitively, straying away from the realistic.

“I learned to paint shadows and in layers, I never thought I would do representational,” he said.

In 1987, Landahl visited Canada for the first time when he came as an exchange student to attend Mission Senior Secondary School in the Lower Mainland.

The move from Maracay, with its population in the hundreds of thousands, to the small city of Mission, which then had a population of around 5,000, was an adjustment, said Landahl.

“I was in a rural area living with a family and remember stepping out of the house, and wondering ‘what’s that smell?’”

The exchange would prove to be life changing.

“I loved Canada. I thought ‘wow, this could be my home.’”

Upon returning to Venezuela, Landahl studied tourism management, and took his love of travel to new destinations working for a Canadian tour operator.

Eventually his job would bring him to Toronto and then to Ottawa, where he worked in marketing, all the while immersing himself in culture, with regular visits to the National Gallery and Arts Centre.

“Every great thing that came to Canada, came to Ottawa,” he said.

It was while working in fundraising in Vancouver that Landahl would meet the love of his life. The problem is he had just taken a job in Toronto, and so started commuting back and forth from Ontario to B.C.>>

New and refreshing artistic ideas on canvas

It’s about caring, not just healthcare! We now have new offices in Kelowna with additional staff to serve our clients and families, to make lives better.

Thank you Kelowna!

Whatever it takes to bring you peace of mind

Choose from one of our 3 Pillars of Caring: Taking Care Enriched Care Vital Care Attentive visits, delicious meals and light housekeeping, of course - but what do you love to do? We’ll help you set achievable goals to improve your health and independence.

Call today for a FREE Caring Consult 250-762-0016

Stay comfortable and safe in your own home.

Medication and daily living support look and feel great.

Whatever you need - daily, live-in or even end-of-life caring. Helping you from hospital to home. A qualified caregiver or nurse ensures attentive caring.

24/7

kelowna@nursenextdoor.com || www.nursenextdoor.com 10 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

103 3957 Lakeshore Rd., Kelowna (250) 764-6447 Ritchcraft@hotmail.com Tue - Fri: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Sat: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm ritchcraftgalleryframes.com

“People who came to the house liked them, but I was not happy,” said During his time with work and travelling, Landahl put painting aside.

“For 20 years, I didn’t pick up a brush. I was concentrating on my career, Landahl. “It was not what I wanted out of me.”

That’s when he turned to what most would consider abstract, with bold building a life, travelling the world, and falling in love,” he said. “There were colours (Landahl loves using metallic paints) and intricate patterns, made by times where I didn’t know where I was, I was moving so often.”

It was art – and love – that helped Landahl return to some stability in the use of Gesso (a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, and pigment) and heavy gels to give the work a textured feel. his life.

“People always want to touch my paintings... I also love creating moveWhile on a walk from his Toronto apartment near Lake Ontario to his office at Spadina and Queen Street West, Landahl passed an art supply store. ment. I don’t like it when my painting looks static. Without movement there “It was like it was calling me. One day, I decided to go inside. At that time is no evolution, no life.”

Landahl says his work is also an expression of something deeper – his I had no artwork on the walls. I had nothing. I didn’t want to buy art and I didn’t want reproductions as I feel the energy of the author/artist is missing. soul.

“People used to tell me what to paint, what colours, what was the trend, I thought I will make my own paintings,” he said. “I went crazy, literally. My first painting is so different. People didn’t know what to think of it. I received and I said ‘to heck with everything,’ I thought I will paint how I feel. I cannot be a true artist if I am doing just what sells. You’re not being true to yourself.” a good reaction.”

To this end, Landahl used to not title his work, but lately he has been It was around this time that Landahl moved back to B.C. and settled in naming his pieces.

Vernon, where his partner, now husband, is from.

“Someone very spiritual was looking at my paintings and she was seeing The two recently adopted a daughter and make their home on Middleton things in them that I hadn’t. I started naming them to let other people know Mountain.

Landahl soon made his mark on the local art scene by becoming a trustee what was happening to me in my head when I was painting them.”

Recently recovering from back surgery, where he wasn’t able to paint for on the Vernon Public Art Gallery board and joining the Arts Council of the a time, Landahl has come back full force, gaining Central Okanagan as well as the Federation of the attention of interior designers interested in his Canadian Artists. paintings. In the fall, he met with an art manageHe also showed his work, with both group and Jon Allan Landahl's paintings ment agency in New York who plan to market his solo exhibitions at the Armstrong Spallumcheen are an uncensored expression of art to international destinations.

Art Gallery, the Kelowna Art Gallery, and Nadine’s “I am very humbled by the opportunity. I want Fine Art and Frames in Vernon, and donated his internal world, a wide range people to see there are outlets out there to express works to Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts in support of feelings and emotions - from ourselves,” said Landahl, who is also interested in of the VPAG. happiness to sorrow, from hope the principles of art therapy. “If art allows you a Landahl’s biggest exhibition to date was to worries - are all transferred means to let go – fear, anger, or to rid yourselves when he showed 21 paintings at the Kelowna of suffering– it’s one step in the right direction.”

Community Theatre and Kelowna library in 2010. onto the canvas. Jon Allan's Visit jonallanlandahl.com for more info.line He painted his first canvas here after visiting contemporary paintings are Weninger at 250-763-5511 or via e-mail to pauMission Hill Winery in West Kelowna, and then creation at their purest level. line@hospicecoha.org did another one of Middleton Mountain, at an angle of the moon ascending in the sky.

Dr. Corrina Iampen MD, CCFP

Diplomat of American Board of Phlebology

LASER & VEIN REJUVENATION | 2448 Dobbin Rd. West Kelowna | 250-768-5355 www.senseilaser.org

BEFORE

16 WEEKS AFTER

One Coolsculpting Session

Procedure by Eric Bachelor, MD, FACS

BEFORE

5 WEEKS AFTER

One Coolsculpting Session

Procedure by Dr. Tracy Mountford

– Chemical Peel – Coolsculpting – CO2 Laser – Hair Removal – Hcg Weight Loss Program – IPL-Photorejuvenation – Lip Augmentation – Lipodissolve – Medical Facial – Microdermabrasion – Permanent Makeup – Scierotherapy – Volume Lift

Cosmetic Medical Facility

B SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 11

Hot air

a surreal experience for Local hot air balloon company Okanagan Ballooning is preparing for a busy summer with its skydiving and wine tour programs.

By Mike Strauss Having logged hundreds of hours in flying time, hot air balloon pilot John Klempner knows first-hand the spectacular feeling of floating midair.

He and his wife Joy, who togeth-

er own Okanagan Ballooning, have spent the last 15 years flying passengers over two thousand feet above the valley to get a unique new perspective on the Okanagan.

“If you’re up in the air and looking over Kelowna, you’ll be shocked at how green it is,” says Joy. “Driving around you see buildings everywhere, but when you get two thousand feet up in the air, it’s the most beautiful

picture perfect (est. 1982)

• LocaL artwork • Sid dicken MeMory tiLeS • QuaLity cuStoM FraMing • PrintS / PoSterS art cardS 543 Lawrence ave., keLowna, B.c.

250-763-6966 Picture-PerFect-keLowna.coM

ballooning

tourists and locals alike place you’ll ever see. We have the vineyards, the lake, and the mountains. When you’re up there, you’re just in awe of the beauty of creation.”

The Klempners say the experience is nothing close to flying in a plane, and most people’s expectations of a hot air balloon ride pale in comparison to the experience. The propane burner, they say, is only necessary to get off the ground and up into the air – and once the balloon is floating, there’s no noise.

“You’re traveling with the wind, just hanging in the air, and you have absolute silence. It’s so peaceful. It’s difficult to describe the experience because a lot of people think it’s a high-action adventure, but it’s not.

It’s actually a spa-like experience – it’s connecting with nature in a unique way.”

For those concerned about safety, Joy says that the risks of ballooning are often overstated, and that ballooning is one of the safest modes of travel ever invented.

“There aren’t very many accidents,

but they get a lot of attention when they do happen, because people love to watch the balloons. Everything is inspected, because you have to put the balloon together every morning – so you see every piece of it. The majority of pilots I know are the safest people in the world.”

“John always says it’s better to be standing on the ground looking up and wishing you were flying than to be flying in the air and wishing you were on the ground.”

The couple typically send a balloon to the Vernon Winter Carnival every February, and this year they also attended a three-day festival at Lake Havasu, Arizona. Okanagan Ballooning offers a variety of adventure packages for tourists and locals alike to enjoy, including a wine tour package and a skydiving package.

The couple point to the historicity of ballooning as a further draw for those who want to get airborne. In a hot air balloon, they say, it’s easy to feel a deep connection to the sense of adventure and innovation that dominated the early 1900s.

• Design + build of indoor/outdoor waterwalls and water features.

• Repairs + refurbishing of existing water features.

• Water feature service and maintenance.

www.watertrends.ca • sales@watertrends.ca • 250 -863-1150

12 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

B

h A F

w S t

t C fl

i S s b

e

FloatSpace offers saltwater sensory deprivation for aches, pains and stress

BY MIKE STRAUSS FloatSpace has only been open for just over a year, but already the business has become widely known thanks to its recent win at the Small Business BC Awards. Founder Dustin Erickson says that receiving the award has helped FloatSpace in more ways than one.

“We’ve received lots of publicity, which has been nice. But the biggest thing we got was a one-year access pass to Small Business BC seminars and training.

Saltwater sensory deprivation is a completely new business, especially the way that we’re presenting it. Having access to those resources has been amazing.”

The publicity has also helped FloatSpace to connect with researchers to further study floating. Dr. Mark Holder, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, recently finished a study at FloatSpace investigating how floating influences feelings of happiness.

The study’s preliminary findings indicate that floatation may increase feelings of happiness for up to 24 hours after a float. Other studies in the United States and Europe have shown that floatation therapy can reduce levels of stress hormones in healthy adults, correct magnesium deficiency, and reduce blood pressure.

For Erickson, floatation therapy is a powerful treatment for stress-related problems that shows great promise.

“It’s an opportunity to check out in an environment void of all external stimulation. It gives us a refuge from the sensory overload of the everyday world. There is no light, no sound, and no gravity in the float tank. This plays on physiological triggers to elicit deep form of stress relief and relaxation.”

Erickson says that the most interesting thing about the float tanks is hearing nothing but one’s own heartbeat. He says that this sound creates a unique response in the body. Erickson believes that floatation therapy can trigger changes in the body by influencing the mind.

“There’s 50 years of research on floatation therapy,” he says. “It’s usually used as a preventive technique, but it can relieve certain conditions. Floating can treat high blood pressure, contribute to improved muscle recovery, provide immense relief from chronic pain like arthritis, and even help people to manage anxiety and depression. Our external environment has become very good at making people anxious with social expectations and sensory overload. All of those things are absent in a float tank.”

Erickson says that everyone can benefit from floating, which is why Float Space offers special programs for low-income individuals and local artists.

Through Energy Exchange people can volunteer their time in exchange for a free float, while the Float Inspired Art program allows local artists to pay for their second float with a piece of art.

“Floating is truly for everyone, but it also takes practice to simply do nothing. The more you do it, the better it will get.”

Dustin Erickson, founder of local business FloatSpace, recently won the award for Best Emerging Entrepreneur at the Small Business BC Awards.

All-You-Can-Eat

Chinese & Western Buffet

Take-out & Delivery Over 100+ Menu items to choose from!

Monday to Sunday - 11:00am - 9:00pm

2050 Harvey Avenue Phone: 250-868-0038 www.asianpearbuffet.ca B SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 13

BY BARRY GERDING When asked the difference between mountain trail and extreme mountain trail riding, in a word extreme mountain trail is just like mountain trail riding—except on steroids.

The sport of mountain trail requires the horse and rider to navigate trail obstacles with confidence and skill.

The sport of mountain trail is especially exhilarating because it challenges the horse and rider to navigate trail obstacles with technical accuracy, subtlety and speed.

With extreme mountain trail, the obstacles can be more challenging than what you might encounter in the backcountry, and are created within a controlled environment.

It develops a bond between horse and rider, a trust that allows the two to communicate to negotiate around obstacles in a tempered and controlled manner.

The horse and rider mutually trust their instincts, and together can negotiate seeming impossible obstacles with the beauty and delicacy of a trusted partnership.

Local horse trainer Dawn Ferster has helped her clients Jim and Carol Marcotte to build an extreme mountain trail ride course in Ellison, called Rocking Horse Park.

There is one other such course in Oyama and two others t h r o u g h o u t the rest of B.C.'s interior for an equestrian sport that started in Oregon and continues to gain popularity.

While there are now sanctioned judging events for those who embrace the event on a competitive level, Ferster said the most inspiring aspect of extreme mountain trail is the relationship between horse and rider.

"I think the attraction of it is fun, and anybody can do it, from adults on mature horses to kids riding a pony. It's something you do on a quieter level as compared to typical rodeo events like barrel racing, but you are able to spend a lot of time with your horse trying to perfect something together in the form of getting around each obstacle," Ferster said.

She says for the horse, it's fine tuning the ability to get their feet and brain working together in a calm and quiet atmosphere, while for the rider it's

learning low to communicate better with their horse and passing on to the the ability to feel safe and confident in what they're being asked to do.

"It's a great thing for all horses, all breeds and sizes. That's the beauty of it," Ferster said.

Janice Reid, Ferster's neighbour who has been around horses most of her life, shares Ferster's enthusiasm for the sport.

Extreme mountain trail course

horse riding

"I think the best thing about it is the challenge. Generally horses want to learn new things and there owners want to teach their horses to do more things," Reid said.

Reid, a retired teacher who had Ferster as one of her school students, said it's also a great riding exercise that is accessible for senior-aged riders.

"One thing it does is provide variety for the horse. It's an opportunity to get a horse outside of the riding arena and let them see something different in a controlled environment," Reid explained. "It makes the horse think about the obstacle it is dealing with and concentrate as it goes through it."

Those obstacles can be everything from negotiating over a log obstacle to walking over bridges or along wooden beams. The obstacles become more advanced as the competitive levels get higher, as does the speed in which they are each overcome.

But Ferster says the key to extreme mountain trail obstacle courses is the relationship between horse and owner, one that goes beyond judging at the competitive level.

"It's about keeping you safe. That's the job of the horse. And it's about building confidence with your horse about facing and completing obstacle challenges working together," Ferster said.

Rocking Horse Park is located on Rittich Road in Ellison, and was officially opened this month. For more information about the park, check out Ferster's Facebook page or call her at 250-808-0738.

14 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 B

callahanpg.ca

250-717-3000 B SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | OUR STYLE • OUR STORIES | 15