Currents by Kamloops Daily News

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K am lo o ps

November/December 2012

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the cutting edge KAMLOOPS A LEADER IN HOCKEY OPPORTUNITIES

SLEEP? WHAT’S THAT?

In search of that elusive shuteye

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Currents November/December 2012

ONE OF THE BEST

Editor’s Message

Harvest moons and laughter

“L

aughter is sunshine: it drives winter from the human face.” Victor Hugo’s pithy observation in Les Miserables, as his character watches the happy, safe Cosette, deserves to be put to the test before winter hits us, and now’s the time to do it, as the sun plays hide and seek and the autumn air grows teeth. Where summer once comforted us, the seasonal segue to winter chastises us for not dressing in layers, neglecting our reflective outerwear and not digging out the M+S rubber from behind the clutter of camping gear and lawn care. But we needn’t pine for the long caress of summer, nor whine at the darkening goad of autumn. Rather, we can embrace the concept of Currents magazine, which is all about the here and now. Passé doesn’t cut it. Those who fill their lungs with the freshness of autumn every day can’t help but love it. As the sun painstakingly crawls out of bed later each day, then scampers across the sky like a mouse in the kitchen to drop out of sight again, it creates an ever-changing array of dramatic shadows on hills and buildings. Dawn and dusk paint playful patterns of light through the valleys, and even high noon offers the heavy black

outlines, drop shadows and highlighting so common in art. It’s a good time to catch the brightening autumn colours before the leaves fade and fall. I wonder how many noticed the harvest moon on Sunday afternoon. The huge orb slid up from behind Harper Mountain after 4 p.m., then within two minutes, slipped behind the lowhanging, flat-bottomed cloudbank that, earlier, made the mountains look like a long plateau. I watched the moon through a telescope, keenly aware that I’d never seen such a sight any other time of year. All this and more is happening now, so if we hunker down indoors, we miss all the mesmerizing fluctuations of fall. Fortunately, most of us don’t. So our feature article highlights some of those who grab autumn’s reins and ride it out with gratitude. Keeping up with the Currents theme, our feature article by Jennifer Muir is about hockey life: early practices, games, road trips, dedication and passion. What these parents and players absorb this season stays with them throughout their lives. We also feature Jennifer Sloan’s article about sleep, a timely piece as nature gets ready for bed. But as Sloan points out, too many of us aren’t getting enough good rest. She shares her research on how to reset our biological clocks and develop better sleep habits for better health. Sloan also wrote about the power of music to enrich children’s lives. Studies consistently show a clear correlation between musical studies and intelligence, though that may mean the better students are more likely to study

music or that studying music makes better students. Probably both. And a further benefit to music: it may be the most flexible discipline in terms of what’s current. Good music stays good music forever, making it ever current, even as new musical forms are developed. Daily News intern reporter Larkin Schmiedl wrote several pieces for this issue of Currents, and his Question and Answer column with a veteran cabbie adds some levity. Good reporters know to ask the right questions, and Larkin’s questions revealed what cabbies know about us. You might see someone you know in this Q&A. Also current at this time of year is Remembrance Day, so we’ve included some information on Capt. Edward Bellew, who lies in Hillside Cemetery, and Capt. Gordon Flowerdew, who died in France. Both share history with Kamloops and both received the Victoria Cross for service in the Great War, almost a century ago. Readers who take advantage of our Happenings column will find numerous opportunities to share with family and friends. Whatever we do this fall, it’s better shared with those who inspire laughter, the sun that drives winter from our faces. Stewart Duncan is the editor of Currents. He can be reached by email at sduncan@kamloopsnews.ca, or at 250-371-6113.

November/December 2012

Currents

Currents events

K am lo o p s

A sampling of happenings in the Kamloops region November/December 2012

volume 5

Number 5

INSIDE:

5 8 10 12 14 16 19 22

Sports: Living the Hockey Life

Opportunities for growth seemingly endless

Health: Sleepless in Kamloops Are you losing sleep over a lack of shuteye?

Parenting: Music and the brain Music can help kickstart a lifetime of growth

Food: Get hooked on smoked meat Traditional smoke hut not needed for savoury treat

Gallery: Tim Francis A ‘psychedelic’ look at Kamloops landscapes

Homes: Cultural mix Adobe-style house takes its cue from nature

History: Into the Fire Two soldiers earned the Victoria Cross for courage in Great War

Q&A: Inside the taxi

Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers Dance @ Heritage House Nov. 17 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Members: $6, non-members: $7. If you enjoy waltzes, fox trots, two-steps and polkas, come dance to the music of the Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers. All welcome! Downtown Lights in the Night Christmas Party Nov. 22 4 to 8 p.m. Kick off the Christmas season downtown. An evening dedicated to getting in the Christmas spirit with multiple store parties, product tastings, sales and festive fun. Fireworks and official tree lighting 6 p.m., St. Andrews on the Square. The Good Soul of Szechuan @ TRU Workshop Theatre Nov. 22 to 24 and Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 Tickets $12. A morality play of a prostitute struggling to live a good life but taken advantage of by most everyone she meets. Santa Claus Parade Nov. 24 At 10:30 a.m., join the rest of Kamloops to wake up Santa in Kamloops Square. Come early, the sidewalk fills up. Parade at 11 a.m. travels up Victoria Street from Second Avenue to Sixth Avenue.

What exactly do cabbies deal with while on the job?

Catch Currents To catch Currents on the Kamloops Daily News website, go to www.kamloopsnews.ca and click on the Special Publications box. We welcome your story ideas for future issues of Currents. Drop us a line at currents@kamloopsnews.ca. Currents Magazine is published six times a year by the Special Publications Division of the Kamloops Daily News, 393 Seymour St., Kamloops, BC V2C 6P6. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Unsolicited material will not be returned and the publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Boys of Fall Tour w/ Chad Brownlee & Dallas Smith @ Kamloops Convention Centre Nov. 30 All ages show, tickets $25. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8. Tickets at Kamloops Live! Box Office (1866-374-5483) or Kamloops Convention Centre (250-372-5312 ext. 1).

Phone: 250-372-2331 Currents Contributors Writers: Jennifer Muir, Jennifer Sloan, Larkin Schmiedl, Sherry Bennett Photographers: Keith Anderson, Murray Mitchell, Hugo Yuen, Larkin Schmiedl Publisher Tim Shoults Editor Stewart Duncan, sduncan@kamloopsnews.ca Copy Editor Dan Spark Advertising DIRECTOR Kevin Dergez Manager, specialty publications Keshav Sharma, ksharma@kamloopsnews.ca The Daily News is a member of the Canadian Media Circulation Audit, Canadian Newspaper Association, B.C. Community Newspapers Association, and the B.C. Press Council. Published daily except Sundays and most holidays. A division of Glacier Ventures International Corp. Publications Mail Registration No. 0681

Christmas Oratorio @ St. Paul’s Anglican Church Dec. 2 2 p.m. Vivace Chorale and Chamber Musicians with soloists. Tickets at door $20 with special student and family rates. On the Cover:

Hockey player Taylor Finnie, a Grade 9 student at Valleyview secondary. Photo by Keith Anderson

FSC LOGO

CP Holiday Train Rolls into Kamloops Dec. 16 Annual visit scheduled for Dec. 16 at about 5:30 p.m. Entertainers include Doc Walker, Miss Emily and Brothers Dube. For more events and information, visit www.kamloops.ca/events/

Currents November/December 2012

ou know who you are . . . that person who sets the alarm for 5 or 6 a.m. to rustle up sleepy-headed kids and get them moving on a weekend winter morning. Splashing water on your face before making a move for the coffee, you put breakfast on the table, heft gear bags and sticks into the vehicle and scrape ice off the windshield. By the way, it’s still dark outside. You’re a hockey family and you are living the hockey life. It just so happens you’re in good company. More than 1,320 players are enrolled through the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association (KMHA) this season, a number that has been slowly and steadily climbing for the past several years. ➤

Cover story

the hockey Life For many families, Canada’s national sport is entrenched in their daily lives, and with more opportunities for growth than ever before, the sport looks to be on solid ice for generations to come

Story By Jennifer Muir Photos By KEITH ANDERSON Erik Scholefield, a KMHA coach for his son’s atom house team, says he’s a bigger fan of hockey now than he ever was as a player. November/December 2012

Currents

That makes Kamloops one of the largest minor hockey associations in B.C. — Lower Mainland included. A community-wide interest in the sport has also made for very busy families September to March, with some committing to spring and summer leagues that keep gear out all year-round. Erik Scholefield, a KMHA coach for his son’s atom house team, knows first-hand the hours and commitment it takes to climb the ranks of hockey opportunity. A Kamloops minor hockey product who played here until he was drafted to the Junior A Notre Dame Hounds in 1986, Scholefield recalls an uncompromised dedication to practices, games and staying committed to a high level of play — not to mention the family help required to make it all happen. Now he’s giving back through coaching. “When I left home to play hockey at a private school it was a whole new game. . . . My mother and father were giving me tons of support. They were there for me and coming to see me play whenever they could.” His own passion for hockey later led him to play for Acadia University and then, in his early 20s, to Slovenia as part of a professional team. However, on his return to Canada and Kamloops, for the first time in his life, his interest in playing began to wane. “I always knew it would be part of my life, but I recognized I was not going to be in the NHL. . . . And I didn’t want to live on a bus. When I came back, I decided to go into the family business,” Scholefield says of the property management and development company he now manages. Without regrets for the time he and his family spent focused on his hockey dream, Scholefield embraces a new perspective of the game and the role behind the bench volunteering with his son’s team and others who approach him. “I am a bigger fan of the game now than when I was as a player. My aspirations are the enjoyment of the game. . . . I want my son to enjoy it, too, but I also want him to find his own path.”

Currents November/December 2012

Valleyview secondary principal Walt Kirschner, who led the application to be accredited as a Hockey Canada Academy, says the school is “providing an opportunity for students to get really excited about going to school.”

Quick facts • The Valleyview Secondary Hockey Academy received more than 100 applications to fill 55 spots in its first year with one application as far away as Germany. If you are interested in learning more about the academy, visit Valleyview Secondary’s website, www.vss.sd73.bc.ca • Valleyview secondary is one of two dozen Hockey Canada academies in B.C. • Brocklehurst middle school in Kamloops also hosts a hockey academy (not affiliated with Hockey Canada) that offers skills building through physical-education programs. For information, visit www.brockmiddle.sd73.bc.ca Kamloops mother Barb McKinnon applies a similar philosophy for guiding and supporting her hockey-loving sons. After many childhood years playing a support role in her family’s hockey story — tagging along to her brother’s games and later, as a teen, driving him to practice — McKinnon now has two boys infatuated with Canada’s favourite sport, and a schedule to match it.

She keeps a practical head about it, however, knowing they could choose different interests in the future. For today, it’s all about hockey. With Lee, 13, and Joey, 9, both playing through KMHA at the house level, and Lee also enrolled in the Valleyview Secondary Hockey Canada Skills Academy, McKinnon sums up fall and winter months in a few words. ➤

“It’s a bit chaotic.” Amidst practice times and games, juggling around other sports such as house and rep soccer, keeping grandparents up-to-date, car-pooling, and meal planning, McKinnon and her husband, Joe Sr., also work full-time. “I have a calendar on my fridge and if I don’t pay attention to it, it screws everything up. At the beginning of each month, I email everyone a schedule. All the grandparents know what is going to be happening.” While McKinnon, a nurse and educator, sometimes dreams of what life might be like if her kids had taken up swimming or something that didn’t involve a cold arena, she respects her family’s love of the game. Both Lee and Joey have been playing since kindergarten, and just three years ago, Joe Sr. took up hockey for the first time in his life, playing with his colleagues at Kamloops Fire and Rescue. At their Juniper Ridge home, there is a net set up in the garage for practice shots and just about any space in the house that can accommodate it will be used for impromptu mini hockey. The boys serve as practice buddies with the elder Lee giving advice and tips to the younger Joey, who has decided to play goalie in his atom division this year. An additional opportunity for Lee to improve his skills presented itself this year, too, with the opening of the Valleyview hockey academy this past September. Lee is now among 55 students (49 boys and six girls) in grades 8 to 11 who have been accepted to the program, with each student spending one academic block per day throughout the year either building hockey skills on-ice at Valleyview Arena or learning about the game in the classroom. A typical school day may start or end with a one-hour block of hockey, a physical education period with dryland training or a session in the classroom with a guest speaker such as a sports psychologist or visiting coach. For Lee, it’s added incentive to get up Monday through Friday. “You feel the excitement of getting to play, build your skills, and just get better at hockey,” he says. Principal Walt Kirschner, who, with the support of students, parents and the school district, led the application for Valleyview to be accredited as a Hockey Canada Academy, says the educational approach is holistic

and integrates well with the school culture and academic priorities. “When you establish these education niches, there are greater opportunities for certain kinds of learners. You are providing an opportunity for students to get really excited about going to school. It’s definitely a motivator.” It may also keep more students, who’d been considering opportunities at hockey schools outside of Kamloops, here. The hockey focus is what spurred Taylor Finnie, a Grade 9 student who transferred from Sahali secondary, to attend Valleyview this year. Finnie plays midget Tier 1 hockey with the Kamloops Mystixs and says the academy is an opportunity to strengthen her game through additional skills building. “I wanted the extra ice time. It’s fun and I get exercise.” Finnie, now 14, is also hoping the added commitment will support her goal of attending a university such as UBC with a strong women’s hockey program. Like many of her fellow hockey schoolmates, it’s a big commitment on her family’s part, too. Her dad, Ken Finnie, says the decision to go to Valleyview was discussed and considered in relation to all the other obligations and activities the family has. And there are plenty because the other members of the Finnie family play hockey, as well — dad, mom Tracy, and sister Jordan, 16, who is on the same team as Taylor. Ken also helps coach his daughters’ team. He estimates with practices and driving to and from Valleyview Arena and school every day that he and Tracy spend about 10 hours per week dedicated to hockey practices, as well as a full schedule of weekend games. That is over and above getting themselves to their own games, but from Ken’s perspective, it’s all worthwhile. “We have the mindset that we want to support our kids in sport and in life. For Taylor, if she wants to play at a certain level, this (hockey academy) gives her that advantage.”

Taylor Finnie, a Grade 9 student at Valleyview secondary, hopes the added commitment of her involvement with the Hockey Canada Academy will support her goal of playing women’s hockey in university.

November/December 2012

Currents

Health

t’s 3:13 a.m. and those mocking lights on the alarm clock by the pillow make my head scream. My jaw clenches and I realize there is no chance I’ll be getting any more sleep tonight. Sleeplessness is one of the most common physical problems of our day and the ramifications of tiredness reach through all aspects of health. Tiredness is linked to depression, can affect interpersonal relationships, workplace success levels, ability to make decisions, and it has a real effect on physical functioning as well. Aside from being linked with obesity, sleep difficulty decreases immune function, affects glucose tolerance levels, and can lead to an increased risk of highblood pressure. All lead to a decreased sense of wellness and often an increased consumption of pharmaceutical and “natural” sleep aids, or other home remedies, like a healthy dose of Schnapps to help dim the lights. Siovhann Richmond, an associate at Nature’s Fare Market, who has a background in chemical biology and herbalism, explains that the Kamloops store stocks more than 50 products designed to help people sleep. They are, in fact, “the second most popular supplement . . . followed only by weight-loss products.” Melatonin, a hormone closely linked with sleep rhythms, is the store’s bestseller. Aaron Glover, the lead pharmacist at Glover’s Medicine Center Pharmacy, estimates that there are four or five classes of drugs and 20 to 25 types of pills prescribed to help people sleep. “Often, antidepressants are used to treat sleep problems,” he said, “because tiredness is one of the side effects.” His pharmacy doles out more than 20 sedative prescriptions daily, which Glover says is “way too many!” Their No. 1: Zoplicone. Sleep has become big business, but essentially what the body needs for a good night’s sleep is relatively simple. On a biological level, Michael Breus, PhD and author of The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan, explains that a combination of calcium and magnesium works to relax muscles, and B vitamins help increase the effectiveness of tryptophan (the amino acid found in foods like turkey), which helps build serotonin and melatonin. Both help to modulate mood and sleep patterns.

Currents November/December 2012

Jennifer Sloan

in search

night’s rest? Perhaps it’s a side effect of modern living. Consistent acquiescence to expectations of doing more faster, longer and better is often perceived as natural and normal living, but the resultant stress is difficult to shake when it’s time for some shuteye. Mike Todd, a psychologist and registered clinical counsellor who practises throughout the Interior, believes that people who have trouble sleeping need to reteach their bodies and minds how to relax as the best and most basic preparation for restful sleep. He suggests two strategies to assist the restless. The first is labelled progressive self-relaxation and it mimics the effect a person gets from yawning and stretching. While lying down, breathe in slowly and deeply while contracting one muscle group, such as the legs. With the exhale, gradually release the contraction and notice how the muscles are more relaxed. Repeat until the entire muscle group feels rested and then move on to the next muscle group. End with a few full body contractions. Second is called guided imagery or visualization and Todd argues that this method, while it takes practice, can be applied to accomplishing any goal with success whether it be a full night’s sleep or getting a promotion at work. In principle, visualization is imagining the result you want with intention and power. So, for rest, create in the mind a scene that drips with relaxation: warm sun and ocean waves, chirping crickets in the distance and cool breezes, whatever setting induces personal calm. Picture it with vividness, where the line between fantasy and reality is blurred. Feel yourself walking in, lying down, closing your eyes, and resting there for hours, and then do it.

of shuteye Wake-up call: For many, sleep is proving to be elusive, and finding a solution to the growing problem appears to be just as unattainable Story By Jennifer Sloan Photo By KEITH ANDERSON Deficiencies in other minerals like zinc, copper and iron can seriously affect sleep, but eating chicken, eggs, lean red meat, lentils and soy milk can help people get these sleepy-time necessities into their diets. So why is it so hard to get a good

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Currents

Arts

string another

to the bow

Engaging kids with the power of music will help create a lifetime of growth Story By Jennifer Sloan Photo By Murray Mitchell

iolin case in hand, 10 year-old Emma Maddison approaches, answers that her lesson “was good,” then drops her brown eyes to the table. Her father Mickael Maddison sits beside her and smiles knowingly: it’s Emma’s first interview. She was three when she first heard the violins in a piece of orchestral music, and knew even then that she wanted to make that sound. Emma has now been taking lessons for almost two years and is working on The Witches’ Dance by N. Paganini — not her favourite piece. When asked if there are any parts she likes, Emma laughs, “The parts I can play!” Playing music runs in their family. Mickael released his first album in 2005, his second in 2008, and is working on a third, but left the choice to take up music entirely to Emma. In his words, “If a child is not inspired to do something, it is nothing but unhealthy to push them.” That said, it’s easy to see why many parents might want to force music education on their kids. In 2011, E. Glenn Schellenburg, a psychology professor for the University of Toronto Mississauga, pub10

Currents November/December 2012

Mickael Maddison hopes his daughter Emma, 10, will have “a balanced life between music, physical activity and books.” lished a study examining the association between musical instruction and intelligence. He found that children involved in music lessons are above-average in cognitive ability, unusually motivated to learn, able to concentrate, co-operative, interested, confident in their own ability, and so on. It’s that idea of confidence that Kathy Humphreys, general manager of the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, speaks to as she describes how she has seen children involved in the Kamloops Symphony Music School change: “They increase their confidence. . . . (Confidence) is a really important factor that comes from achieving success in something that their friends maybe aren’t involved in.” Through the practice of regular recitals, Humphreys observes how presenting themselves in front of a group helps students become more comfortable: “I’ve watched them the first few times . . . their heads are hanging low, they are looking nervous, and then it becomes old hat.” ➤

She points out how joining an ensemble like the Youth Strings Orchestra can be akin to taking part in team sports, “There is a group that is counting on you to practise and do your part and you get to experience the joy of success in working together to give joy to other people and get joy for yourself.” Emma, however, is convinced that her confidence level remains unchanged. “Sometimes I feel embarrassed after I play. . . . It’s really hard to play in front of people who know where my mistakes are.” Mickael listens in on Emma’s disclosure, but disagrees with her selfassessment: “She is realizing that she is an individual (and) is learning ‘I can do what’s right for me, and I can stand up and (play) and get respect for it.’” Playing in front of strangers takes poise, and to see that ability develop so early in his daughter has made Mickael reflect. As a mostly self-taught singer-songwriter who spent years “in the closet” about his ability, Mickael admits, “I sometimes envy that (Emma) gets that kind of education through these private lessons. . . . It’s important to have confidence that is backed up by knowl-

“It’s important to have confidence that is backed up by knowledge (and) she can sure read music a heck of a lot better than I do.” — Mickael Maddison edge (and) she can sure read music a heck of a lot better than I do.” Mary Allen, who has been teaching violin for 12 years in Brock, understands how music can bond families. For her, it was the violin that helped her attach to her father. At age 11 and after a year of trepidation, she asked her dad if she could be involved with the school music program. “For the first time he supported me,” reveals Allen. “He went out and bought my sister and I each a used violin . . . and he would take us out to old-time fiddle jam sessions.” Allen and her sister had to practise an hour a day to have dinner at night, but that strict discipline is something she has come to treasure. “It sounds

really harsh today but it was so therapeutic to me and has brought the joy of music into my life!” And, in the lives of her students, Allen sees the power of music: “When they have worked really hard to accomplish a piece and when they finally, finally accomplish it, they are so excited to be able to do it. . . . They learn the importance of following through and picking up something from start to finish.” As for Emma, she intends to be involved with music for a long time. “I want to join an orchestra,” she says. “Orchestral music is the most beautiful music I think, and I think it would be really, really fun to help create that music and be part of that beauty.” But, until then, it will be more Witches’ Dance, and more gymnastics, and more jam sessions with her dad. And, in the end, Mickael shares a hope for his daughter that is not-so-different than that shared by most parents: a child who has “a balanced life between music, physical activity, books . . . and that she will understand more of culture and become better because of it.”

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November/December 2012

Currents

Food And Drink

Chef Weekend

Smoking meat remains one of the oldest means of preserving food

Story By Larkin Schmiedl Photos By Keith Anderson

Currents November/December 2012

en Jakes has been curing meat for a long time. A retired instructor and co-ordinator for the TRU retail meat program, he developed many of the cured meat courses at Thompson Rivers University. “It’s lots of fun” smoking meat, he says. “Here at the university, we make lots of jerky.” Although TRU is using a stateof-the-art $100,000 custom German machine, there are various ways to smoke delicious meat and fish at home.

“Home smokers are almost always hot smoke,” says Jakes. “If you’re trying to cold smoke it and you go above a certain temperature then bacteria starts to build up, so you have to be careful about cold smoking.” He recommends using a Little Chief brand smoker. They measure about 60 cm by 30 cm and are plugged in outdoors at home. They come with prepackaged wood pellets, which burn atop a heater at the bottom of the machine. The smoke floats to the meat which sits in racks and cures in a few hours’ time. ➤

Jakes says an old oven is also a good place to smoke. “But, you have to put some chips in there that are smouldering inside your oven. But if you’ve got an old oven, you can do it outside. “You would hot smoke the product until you reach a core temperature of 154 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it fully cooked.” A small temperature probe will do the trick — it’s important to make sure the meat does in fact reach this temperature, or bacteria could become dangerous. There are various ways of smoking, including building your own wooden smoke hut, or creating tunnels or piping to cold smoke. But for beginners, safety is paramount, so hot smoking is best. “It’s one of the oldest forms of preservation,” says Jakes.

Smoked salmon Jakes’ colleague in the TRU meat program, Dean Grant, has been home smoking salmon he’s caught for 40 years with this same recipe. “I don’t complicate it too much, because you’re starting out with such a good product,” he says. The recipe comes from his mom and dad.

A chip mix, left, is used to smoke jerky, above. Opposite page: Ken Jakes looks over racks of moose and deer jerky.

Brine for salmon: Create a 50 / 50 blend of brown sugar and coarse pickling salt (this type of salt is used as you don’t want any iodine in it). For an idea of measurements, 2 kg of brown sugar mixed with 2 kg of pickling salt would be enough to cover about six sockeye salmon. • Clean and prepare your fish • Set the fish in the brine and marinate for 24 hours • Take fish out and rinse off the brine • Pat fish dry in preparation for going into smoker • If you’d like to make candied smoked salmon, brush maple syrup on the fish before it goes into the smoker Grant smokes his salmon at 190 F for about four hours using a digital Bradley smoker. “The tail sections will come out first, just because they’re so much thinner,” he says. He recommends that after a couple of hours, you stop burning wood chips, as it would be a waste. “You’re not going to get any more smoke into that product. It just won’t take any more.”

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Currents

The Gallery

Tim Francis Story By Larkin Schmiedl

im Francis, 63, has painted his whole life. As a young child, his mother, also a well-known artist, used to sit him down and tell him, “Here’s some pastels, do something.” It paid off. Reminiscent of a more realistic Ted Harrison who paints the desert and its waters, since moving to Kamloops in 2004, Francis has developed a more “psychedelic” style. “I just get that from looking around at Kamloops,” he says. “The skies quite often have those flat bottoms; they have all those weird kinda geometric shapes. “I accentuate it,” he said. “(The land here) didn’t seem to suit soft landscapes.” He works in acrylics on canvas. Before moving to the city, Francis lived on East Barriere Lake. There, his art was all about water. “I concentrated on water for so long, I almost drove myself crazy trying to figure out how water worked, staring at surfaces.” He’s presently working on a “really wide-angle (painting) of the two rivers meeting.” He’ll call it Two Rivers, No People. He paints part-time due to his job. “I usually spend an hour or two every second day,” he says. Locally, his art hangs at The Art We Are on Victoria Street. He said he got sick of the gallery scene because of the high commissions and pressure to paint whatever sells. For more information and to see more of Francis’s art, visit timfrancis.ca. 14

Currents November/December 2012

November/December 2012

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house cultures of

Nature-inspired home combines charm and luxury with unique cultural mix

t’s easy to see why Debbie Ryan’s Juniper home cleaned up at the Keystone awards this September. Built in a Santa Fe adobe style, Ryan’s home is both spectacular and unusual in equal measure. The outside isn’t peach or beige like you’d expect; it’s a brown that Ryan says matches Mount Peter and Mount Paul in the winter. Shared with husband Ernie Gysel and two dogs, Ryan has lived in the home since it was completed November last year, and says this is the home she’ll stay in for the rest of her life. ➤

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HOMES

Story By Larkin Schmiedl Photos By HUGO YUEN

A critical-care nurse by profession, Ryan retired five years ago. “I’ve always had this art in my head,” she said. “So now that I’ve retired, it can come out. I look at the house as art.” It’s evident that she does. The design is elegant and simple, rugged and comfortable all at once. Modelled on the Pueblo Revival style, expanses of white walls contrast with dark Douglas fir ceiling beams, and Ryan’s collectibles are showcased throughout. She’s an avid fan of First Nations art, and has some artifacts and small sculptures as well. She drew the home’s design herself, planning it around the display of her beloved art pieces. Her passion for various cultures is evident, and the home combines an eclectic mixture of Mexican, Arizonan, cowboy Albertan and Canadian First Nations into a beautiful and congruent whole. “I grew up on a ranch in south-central Alberta near the Blackfoot reserves, and went to school with a lot of the kids there,” Ryan says. “After the residential school shut down, which was quite late in the ’60s, the kids came to school. And I just remember very poignantly that they were marginalized by the community.” These early experiences stayed with her and Ryan has become an advocate for First Nations people. Her home is spacious, with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a two-door garage and plenty of living space. At 5,000 square feet, it takes up much of the lot it’s built on, but Ryan found space for a vegetable and flower garden in the back. “I wanted a view lot, and there are very few view lots. So the lot itself isn’t great,” she said. ➤

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“I’m just so happy to have a garden, like over the top. And if I could have chickens, man I’d have them.” With wood, iron and antler features, Ryan has achieved a look that oozes creativity but manages to be sleek and uncluttered. High ceilings, chunky antique wood furniture, mirrors and interesting fixtures bring charm and luxury together. “My house was 10 years in the conception,” she said. “My mind goes, unfortunately, in about 5,000 directions. I always had different houses in my mind.” She has a stack of home-style magazines and books she scours for ideas. Because her parents and grandparents were snowbirds when she was growing up, she gained an interest in Southwest architecture early in life. “I’ve spent so much time in Arizona that I subscribe to the Phoenix home and gardens,” she says. “And so this house really emulates (that). A lot of people don’t get it, because it’s not your ‘normal’ house.” In each room there is something intriguing to discover, from the Mexican copper sink bowls in the kitchen to various decorative chandeliers. One of the upstairs bathrooms features an obviously passionate creation, a collaboration of Ryan with her designer and decorator Linda Strate. Saturated cobalt blue tiles line the shower and form the frame to a large cross laid out in handmade Mexican decorative tile along the back shower wall. The shower floor, is made “to look like a carpet,” said Strate, from the same decorative tile. And the best part? No shower door means no glass to clean. The adjoining bedroom is hung with Mexican-style hearts, creating an alcove displaying Ryan’s passion for the culture. And various heart decorations are found throughout the home. Different rooms focus on different themes, such as her family room, where leather chaps sit in an Albertainspired scene and cowboy-themed

Currents November/December 2012

In each room there is something unique to discover such as the wood, iron and antler features in the living room, left, the handmade Mexican decorative tile along the back shower, below, and the Mexican copper sink bowls in the kitchen, bottom.

leather pillows adorn the couch. “It’s kind of art and reflection,” says Ryan. And this is why she was awarded silver for decorating and again for design at the Keystones. Her contractor won best contractor for the home, too. The house will be featured in the United Way’s 11th annual Homes for the Holidays tour, taking place Nov. 24 and 25.

Decorator Strate says she’s planning a Canadiana theme, using lots of Hudson’s Bay blankets, tartans and other traditional Canadian items. “Because the home is nature inspired, I felt that the best choice would be to decorate it in traditional colours,” she said. Decorators and homeowners donate their time for this fundraiser. For more information, visit homesfortheholidayskamloops.ca.

History

the

Into

Capt. Gordon Muriel Flowerdew, left, died in “The Last Great Calvary Charge” in 1918, while Capt. Edward Donald Bellew, below, was taken as a POW and later released. Both received the Canadian military’s highest honour — the Victoria Cross.

fire

Two soldiers — one from Monte Creek, the other from Walhachin — earned the Victoria Cross for their valour in the First World War By SHERRY BENNETT

hrough two of the best displays of gallantry in the annals of Canadian military history, two local soldiers earned the distinguished Victoria Cross. The medal — the highest military decoration awarded for valour “in the face of the enemy” — was awarded to Capt. Edward Donald Bellew of Monte Creek and Capt. Gordon Muriel Flowerdew of Walhachin during the Great War. Bellew, a member of the 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, earned his decoration at the second Battle of Ypres; the same battle that inspired John McCrae to pen In Flanders Fields. On April 24, 1915, near Kerselaere, Belgium, the advance of the enemy was temporarily stayed by machine-gun officer Lieut. Bellew, who had two guns in action when the enemy’s attack broke out in full force. Reinforcements, which were sent forward having been destroyed, and with the enemy less than 90 metres away, Bellew and a sergeant decided to fight it out. The sergeant was killed and Bellew wounded. Maintaining his fire until he ran out of ammunition, with the enemy on top of him, Bellew grabbed his rifle and smashed his

machine-gun, battling on until he was taken prisoner. A POW until 1919, Bellew (promoted to captain), only learned he’d been awarded the medal when he read about it in a newspaper after his release. In 1974, his VC was sold at auction and donated to the Royal Canadian Military Institute. Between 1975 and 1977, the medal was stolen from the Institute and hasn’t been recovered. Lieut. Flowerdew, an early member of the 31st Regiment, British Columbia Horse, earned his Victoria Cross as the commander of Lord Strathcona’s Horse at the Battle of Moreuil Wood. As the Germans approached Moreuil and threatened to cross the L’Avre River, the last natural barrier before Amiens, the Canadian Calvary Corps was assigned the task of stopping them. As the enemy began to enter Moreuil

Wood from the east, Flowerdew’s squadron rode around the Wood and approached them from the north. On March 30, 1918, yelling the words “It’s a charge boys! It’s a charge!” Flowerdew led his troops into the fire of 300 men — initiating an assault so aggressive and overwhelming that the enemy thought themselves surrounded and surrendered to the attacking cavalry. Flowerdew and 70 per cent of his troopers died in “The Last Great Calvary Charge.” For their heroic actions, the commander was promoted to captain and posthumously awarded the VC, now housed at Framlingham College in England. Information in this article referenced from Inland Sentinel articles and the Department of National Defence.

November/December 2012

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Shopping

black days ahead

Black Friday is no longer just an American phenomenon as retailers adjust to a new day of Christmas shopping frenzy Story By Larkin Schmiedl Photos By Keith Anderson

he American consumer craze of Black Friday is starting to creep into Canada, with increasing numbers of retailers offering sales Nov. 23 this year. Black Friday is considered the kick-off to Christmas shopping in the U.S., coming the Friday after the U.S. Thanksgiving. For Canadians, Black Friday represents another day of sales that come before Christmas instead of afterward like Boxing Day. Many Canadian retailers are working to stay competitive against the tide of shoppers who leave for the U.S. on Black Friday to brave insane crowds and find deals. The name of the day comes from the fact that it’s the busiest U.S. shopping day of the year, said to be the time when retailers first turn a profit and operate “in the black.” While many sales won’t be labelled as Black Friday deals in Canada, the timing of discounted prices is not a coincidence. In Kamloops, big-box stores and chains will be holding Black Friday sales. Among them are Toys ’R’ Us, Andre’s Electronic Experts, Future Shop and the Source. Downtown, the Desert Hemp Hut will also hold a Black Friday sale.

Currents November/December 2012

Andre’s Electronic Experts salesman Lucas Golden holds back a shipment of TVs that will go on sale on Black Friday on Nov. 23 — a traditional American shopping day that has spread north. Because of the drastic sales on Boxing Day, Canadian retailers typically can’t lower prices as much as American ones on Black Friday. But Elliott Chun, who does communications for Future Shop, did say the store’s website traffic for Cyber Monday, a corollary of Black Friday that takes place the following Monday in Canada, had the third highest web traffic of the year, right after Boxing Day and Christmas. Canadians do avoid violent incidents such as those reported in the U.S., of Black Friday shopping stampedes, parking-lot robberies, assaults and the widely reported pepper spraying that took place last year in a Walmart parking lot in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, it is the time of year when thoughts begin to turn to Christmas shopping. Sharon Wood is a grandmother of four, a mother of two and a wife. She lives in Coquitlam and her daughter is in Kamloops. She loves to shop. “You always do a little bit more at Christmastime,” she says. “It’s just the time of year where you try to get

something (for someone) that you don’t buy for during the year, or friends and family that you don’t see. “I buy far too much for the grandchildren, they tell me,” Wood says. She recommends people stick to a budget to avoid overspending at Christmas. “It’s really easy to get carried away at Christmas. You think, ‘Oh, they’ll like this, oh, that would be nice, oh, I like that,’ so just try to stick within a budget. I find that sometimes the small thoughtful gifts are far better than the big expensive gestures.” For anyone who’s retired, Wood says shopping during weekdays is best. “I find if you go earlier in the morning when the store first opens it’s not as busy. Or even an hour or so before they close.” By shopping at off-peak hours, you can avoid crowds. Wood’s other tip to avoid spending more is actually not to shop early. “In the past when I’ve done it really early, I always end up going out anyways and picking things up last minute. You get caught up in the hoopla, and you still go out, and then I think you spend more doing it that way.” ➤

Hot items this holiday season

ablets are the No. 1 Christmas item, according to the majority of retailers interviewed. “Those things are coming in hot and heavy,” says Darlene Dyer, sales associate at the North Shore Source. Ultrabooks, the thinnest, lightest and fastest laptops on the market, will be another hot item according to Future Shop’s Elliott Chun. “One other item I think will be really hot is called a Lytro camera,” he said. The long-anticipated tiny camera became available in Canada exclusively through Future Shop the weekend of Oct. 13. Chun says video games and consoles are always popular at Christmas as well, and major studios release titles at this time of year. The new Nintendo Wii U is being released for this Christmas season. TVs are always popular, too, said Kyle Blanleil, marketing manager for Andre’s Electronic Experts (formerly Audiotronics). Remote-control toys and

There are also integrating devices, she said, that make iPads or iPod touches child-friendly. You can upload an app, and stick your device into a plush holder. The screen Kamloops Toys ’R’ Us merchandiser Alicia Currie puts will become, for example, a out some of the store’s Christmas items. puppy’s face, cameras are common every holiday and as your child interacts with it, the face shows different expresseason. sions. For kids, Toys ‘R’ Us manager There’s also iTikes, where a piano Sandra Mori says, “I think the bigkeyboard plugs into your device gest thing is toys that integrate and music lessons will come up on with technology.” the screen. For example, app gaming has Tablets designed specifically for released a slew of toys. “There’s kids include the Kurio, LeapPad and Angry Birds Star Wars, there are Vtech InnoTab. plushes, and toys and figures. . . . Mori also says, “There’s lots of Angry Birds is huge, it’s on lunch stuff that has come back around kits and suitcases.”

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again this year.” Things like Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Hot Wheels are popular. Furby is also back in a new incarnation: the doll can be used alone, or interface with an iPad or iPod touch. Things like Nerf and Lego are “evergreens’,”says Mori. “(They) never go out of style and they never rot.” The game Skylander, For Real Friends toys, Monster High toys, Winx doll and Trash Packs are all popular items for kids as well. When it comes to decorating this holiday, Winners/Home Sense PR manager Tamara Robbins Griffith said this year has seen a lot of silver and crystal. “From a décor perspective it’s about sparkle and shine. “On the flip side to that there’s a return of rustic and naturalistic elements.” Things like baskets, warm wood tones, and straw ornaments are popular this year.

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Q&A

‘Great plans are always planned inside the taxi’

cabbie tales Story and photo By Larkin Schmiedl

amloops Currents sat down with Kami Cabs manager Satinder Mann and longtime driver Dale Dodman to get an insider’s view of what goes on in the backseat. Q. What is the funniest thing that goes on in cabs? DD: “The funniest thing I find in the cab is everybody losing stuff, cellphones or keys.” SM: “The worst period (for it) is on the weekend when everybody’s just drunk.” Q. What’s the strangest thing someone left behind? DD: “One year I found somebody (who) asked if they left any panties.” They called to ask? DD: “Yeah, ‘The night before — where’d you pick me up?’ I said, ‘Well, I can’t really tell you.’ ” Why couldn’t you tell them? DD: “Say somebody phones (and says), ‘Where’d you pick so and so up?’ Well if you’re an officer I can tell you, if you’re not I can’t. Because what’s in the cab stays in the cab, pretty much. It’s the rules that’ve been there forever and ever.” Q. Do people ever get in verbal fights in the cab? DD: “Oh yeah, there’s verbals in there all the time.” SM: “I would say in Kamloops, 90 per cent of people are pretty nice. They’re happy. Only when they’re really drunk, only then they’re kind of bad sometimes with the drivers.” Q. What do drunk people do? What’s the typical kind of stuff? DD: “A lot of them are very happy. It all depends what kind of music you play, how you talk to them. . . . And then they start asking where to go, where to pick up girls, or where’s the best nightclub in town.” Q. What sorts of problems do you run into? DD: “The only one I don’t like in the cab is the silent puker. The ones that just lay down in the back seat, and you don’t know what they’re doing until they get out. Or they fall asleep and you’re trying to figure out where they live. . . . You can wake them up but then they don’t know where they’re at.” SM: “They’re almost kind of passed out, they have no idea.” DD: “The only ones I dread are the pukers outside the buildings and the ones that are leaned up against posts . . . because they don’t know where they’re going, and they’re going to get sick again.”

Currents November/December 2012

Dale Dodman has driven cabs for 33 years and has many stories to tell. SM: “That’s the worst part, yeah. Those are the ones that will just sit in the cab and start sleeping.” DD: “For us to try to remove them from the cab, we can’t — we’ve got to wait for RCMP, and then there goes your whole night. . . . If you try to take somebody out and set them on the sidewalk, they can sue you.” Q. But people are generally friendly? DD: “We never get any violent people. They always fight outside the cab. Kamloops people are very good. The worst ones are the tourists.” Q. What are the funniest things you’ve heard people talking about in the back? DD: “The funniest thing is you get five guys in the car, and they’re going downtown, and they’re trying to pick up women, or do this or do that. Then you see them at two o’clock going home with the same five guys.” SM: “I had this couple once. They were heading downtown. . . . A nice young couple, and they were talking to each other very nice, politely, lovely words, very romantic. ‘Oh yeah, we should get married, we should do this.’ And I was like, ‘They look like they’re made for each other.’ I just dropped them off at the restaurant. And I got called again. And just by chance, I went back for the same couple. And they were totally different. They were drunk, and they were fighting each other. I never heard anything like that. The guy was all, ‘What kind of girl are you? I can’t live with you. I made the biggest mistake of my life.’ I just kept looking, thinking, are those the same (people)?” Q. People aren’t shy that there’s someone else sitting there? DD: “Nope. . . . Great plans are always planned inside the taxi.”

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