Spring 2010

Spring 2010

a rural hip lifestyle magazine

Kamla Hari McGonigal Brad Skeet And

a shared passion for youth

food feature

Heartland CafĂŠ H O U S E BA N D like a back stage pass in your living room Detours:The Rites of

Spring

A complimentary magazine featuring the foothills region including: Black Diamond, High River, Longview, Nanton, Okotoks, Turner Valley.

PM 41979554

It's Not What You Earn...

It's What You KEEP!

10

12

28

Save Money and Time...On-Line Full Corporate Ser vices Corporate & Personal Income Tax Returns New Business Start-Up GST Assistance Simply Accounting QuickBooks Lynly's Accounting Ser vices Inc. Toll Free: 1-877-938-8297 Liane Denis (Bilingual) lynlysaccounting@shaw.ca

www.onlineaccountantpro.ca

Maryanne Jespersen /Artist

18

24

Fine Art, Impressionist Style, Bold Color Maryanne’s Eden The Art and Garden Gallery 109 Center Ave. East Black Diamond AB. T0L 0H0 403-933-5524 www.maryanneseden.com maryanneseden@persona.ca

contentsSpring 2010

Feature: Closed on Sundays 8 Variety is the spice of life and each town has unique perspective about working on Sundays.

Cover Story 12

March 11 & 12, 2010

Kamla Hari McGonigal and Brad Skeet share their life passions.

Carriage House Inn, 9030 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, AB

Shopping 18

Finding great items for your home for a well-traveled look.

RechaRge youR editoRial, design, and ad sales!

House Band 24

A band + a living room + all your friends = one foot stompin’ party.

Join us at Western canada’s largest magazine conference with industry experts including keynote speaker, ina saltz, art director extraordinaire formerly with Time, Worth, and Golf magazines. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro, you’re sure to learn something new.

Food 28

Featuring Heartland Cafe’s signature muffin recipe and their to-die-for coconut cream pie.

10 Activity Feature

Locations suggestion to holding your special event.

16 Finding Roots: Turner Valley The third feature in the series of exploring rural hip towns in southern Alberta.

20 Arts and Entertainment

From live theatre, to magic shows and comedy, it’s all here in the foothills this spring.

26 Professionally Speaking Judy Kolk of Kayben Farms gives tips on how to make a large lot an intimate one.

34 Family

A tribute to Mothers through poetry, photography and a short story.

Detours 38

Spring 2010

Snowbird Bert Coates suggests a few new rituals to ring in Spring.

a rural hip lifestyle magazine

3

2

Kamla Hari McGonigal Brad Skeet And

a shared passion for youth

alber tamagazines.com

food feature

Heartland Café H O U S E BA N D

like a back stage pass in your living room

Detours:The Rites of

Spring

A complimentary magazine featuring the foothills region including: Black Diamond, High River, Longview, Nanton, Okotoks, Turner Valley.

PM 41979554

AMC_Routes_7.487x4.875.indd 1 routesmagazine.ca spring 2010

1/15/10 10:13:59 AM

On the Cover: Kamla Hari McGonigal photographed at the Highwood Distillery whisky storage room, High River.

By Neville Palmer

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

“

For Your New Home or Renovation Needs

Editor’s Note

Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles to watch you burn.

”

- John Wesley

As this issue of Routes hits your coffee table the planet is moving towards the Vernal, or Spring, Equinox. Each passing day will feel like we are moving a little closer to the sun.

Homes that think ahead.

Box 5173 High River, AB T1V 1M4 403.201.5210 farrellyhomes.com

-Interior Decorating-Advice on Renos-Colour Consults-Home Staging-

I feel I should have made fire the theme of this issue. Maybe it began when the Olympic torch came through towns and the crowds were lit with patriotic enthusiasm. Then, as each athlete competed, we shared in the glory of their victories and the pain of their disappointments, knowing the years of work it took to get there.

Here in our own backyard, we all know many inspiring people who work as hard as any athlete, but often, without ever seeing a spotlight. This issue we profiled two amazing and passionate people in the series titled “Fire in the Belly.” These two are on fire for youth and helping others achieve their dreams.

The third installment of Finding Roots, a series featuring the heart of small towns has its own history of fire and flames. Sheila Sepkowski exposes the past and future, heart and soul of the growing town of Turner Valley. A town once aglow with the flare of gas wells, nestled in a corner of the Cowboy Trail, is building a new identity through its residents who are on fire for a town they love.

And speaking of small towns, here in the village of Routes we believe in having fun when it comes time to put ourselves in front of the lens. The photographers, writers, and designers are the bright minds that inspire each issue and make it all happen. Read more about who they are (and see what they really look like) on the contributors’ page.

The final quarter of this magazine is the month of May and a day set apart to give a little something back to our mothers, or women who feel like mothers to us. Pat Fream has written a tribute and poem to honour the amazing Moms in our Routes community.

Now go, take this magazine out to the patio with a fresh cup of coffee, relax and enjoy some sun on your face.

Sandra Wiebe Executive Editor/Publisher

4

...remember to decorate your life...

Feeling the Economic Squeeze?

Time for change. Naturally.

One Three Tree Essential Cleaning Products are a naturally derived cleaning line that offers a safer cleaning and sanitizing solution for you, your family and the environment.

Use a Mortgage Professional to find the best mortgage deal that fits your financial needs.

From Our Readers Just wanted to say thank you for including me in your Winter 2009 issue, but more than that, congratulations on another great issue. What a beautiful, well-put together magazine. Keep it up Girl - way to go!

Crystal Plamondon

I like to add my praise to that of many of my friends for the Routes Magazine. We are fortunate to have such a high quality magazine promoting our Foothills area.

It is always interesting to understand the roots of what makes a business and people tick (it also has encouraged me to try and shop at places I did not know were in our area). The photography is amazing! One that particularly impressed me was of Lisa Szabon from Nanton. I was also the winner of the magazine’s first anniversary contest. Who says shopping local does not pay off ?

Refinance

Home Equity

1st and 2nd mortgages

Self-Employed

Renewals

Rental Properties

The Mortgage Group Alberta Ltd.

DAR Olmstead

Telephone: 403-601-4845 Toll Free Phone: 1-866-712-7704 Fax: 403-462-5754 Email: dar@mortgagegrp.com www.mortgagegrp.com

Welcome to a new way of cleaning. Naturally!

one three ree essential cleaning products Inc. 403.828.3201 cllomenda@gmail.com

onethreetreecleaningproductsinc.blogspot.com

“Cleaning products for your health and your home.”

Reliable Service, Experience that Counts!

Lorraine Boulton Realtor

(403) 601-6671 (direct line) lboulton@southernrealty.ca www.lorraineboulton.ca

Elaine Mason High River

In a world bombarded with social media, canned music, texting and cell phones, what could be better than reading a magazine while sipping a steaming latte? My choices are both local: Routes magazine and the local coffee shop. Three cheers to both! Thanks for the great magazine Sandra and your undying support for everything local.

RE/MAX Southern Realty (403) 652-4020

4, 28 - 12 Ave SE High River, Alberta

“Serving The Foothills Since 1989”

Evonne Smulders Black Diamond Get updates on these stories and events or leave us a comment at the Routes blog site at www.routesmagazine.ca

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Entrepreneurial Support For Women

Advertising: sales@routesmagazine.ca

Routes Magazine 541-7 St SW High River, AB T1V 1B7 Ph: 403.880.4784 info@routesmagazine.ca

Spring 2010 Volume 3, Issue 1 Publisher: Routes Media Inc.

Subscriptions: 1 year: $14 2 years: $24 3 years: $36

Executive Editor: Sandra Wiebe Art Director: Sharon Syverson

(Prices do not include GST)

Routes magazine is published seasonally, four times per year.

We print 10,000 full colour, full glossy copies. They are distributed throughout the foothills region of southern Alberta

by Canada Post admail, local retailers and subscription.

Photographer: Neville Palmer Copy Editor: Pat Fream Sales and Marketing Kyle Tally Contributing Photographer: Jane Russell Sheila Sepkowski

We want to hear from you.

Please post a comment on the weblog at www.routesmagazine.ca

Contributing Graphic Design: Jane Russell

Printing by Sundog Printing

Feature Contributors: Mary Savage Pat Fream Sheila Sepkowski Peter Worden Bert Coates

For permission to reprint articles, excerpts, or photographs please email info@routesmagazine.ca Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved

Contributors: Judy Kolk

contributors Spring 2010

6

Bert Coates is a freelance writerphotographer who pledged to follow the sun and have fun in his semiretirement. Much like he did during his working career in corporate public relations and as a magazine editor.

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Mary Savage has been observing, talking to and writing about people, places and things in southern Alberta for 25 years. She has always been one to look at the world with a slightly different skew and she would rather create the trail than follow behind. Mary holds a degree in journalism and visual communications. She resides in Turner Valley with her husband and two cats, and never tires of watching the nighttime sky.

Sheila Sepkowski is a freelance writer and photographer.

She has written for weekly and daily newspapers across alberta.

Sheila enjoys being behind the camera creating children and family portraits and landscape images. Born in high river and raised in black diamond, she feels a deep connection with the foothills area, and loves to retreat to the mountains as often as possible for inspiration. She has lived in high river with her husband, two children and two dogs for the past 11 years.

Neville Plamer developed an early taste for photography using a simple point and shoot camera which enabled him to appreciate the components of light, shutter speed and aperture in the image making process. His interest grew throughout the next 20 years turning professional in 1999.

His work has been published in magazines, calendars and cards and has been used by music artists for CD covers. He always tries to share his experience of the moment through his pictures.

Pat Fream is a freelance writer who has been writing for various Alberta businesses and publications for more than 18 years.

In addition to her penchant for words, Pat is passionate about fitness, travel and all things related to her husband and three kids. Although work and activities often take her to the city, Pat enjoys acreage living in the DeWinton area, where soaring hawks, rolling hills and the distant Rockies are a constant source of awe and inspiration.

Peter Worden is the founding editor and proud slinger of the Experiment, a small newspaper in the small town of Nanton.

He was editor of his university newspaper (2004), reported for two years in Lloydminster, and most recently interned with Alberta Views magazine in Calgary.

With speculation of the newspaper world’s imminent demise, Worden at times despairs his vocation as a newspaper reporter is as timely as a career in the fur trade. routesmagazine.ca

7

spring 2010

Feature

Birthday

Giveaway

Congratulations to the Routes Birthday Giveaway contest winner, Elaine Mason of High River

By Mary Sava ge

Although tourism is big business along the Cowboy Trail, you will still find shops that close their doors on Sundays to honour a sacred tradition.

D

8

ozens of small towns speckled along the southern portion of the Cowboy Trail are home to ranchers, artists and transplanted city folk. Known for their unique cowboy charm and characteristics, these communities have become ideal locations for spending an afternoon or an entire day - destinations to enjoy local food, hospitality, scenery and shopping. The main streets are picture perfect for windowshopping where passersby are lured into the quaint boutiques where they depart with everything from unique artwork to souvenirs.

With the onset of warmer days and long weekends, road trips are another sign that spring has arrived and these cowboy towns seem to transform from sleepy communities to bustling tourist attractions – if you pick the right day to visit.

From Nanton to Bragg Creek, many of the local shops are open seven days a week, however for some, Sunday is still a day of rest and the tradition of spending time with family is still honoured. Traveling from town to town, you will find most boutique shops open on Sundays as the owners cater to both locals and tourists alike. Nanton’s business comes largely from tourism, and Pat Blake, a long time resident and owner of Nostalgia Antique and Collectibles, understands this seasonal cycle. “The busy season is from mid-May to mid-October and the majority of my business comes from the high-

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

way - either people discover us as they are driving through, or they’ve returned for the day,” says Blake.

A short stroll away is the Main Street Café and owners Florence and Ron Brown enjoy Sundays off as a day of rest, even though about half of their business is from tourists.

“

I cater to the locals and I think it’s wishful thinking that we could close on Sundays.

”

Heading north and a stone’s throw from the highway brings you to High River where, beyond the grocery store and gas station, it’s nearly impossible to find a store that’s open on Sundays. It would seem that High River has preserved the six-day workweek, although many storeowners stay open late during the week to oblige locals who work full-time.

“All the vendors on 3rd Avenue decided to stay open late on Thursdays even though it doesn’t always warrant it,” says Meg Paulsen, owner of Bat Sheba.

“We do it to be consistent because we want people to shop locally, so we need to be open.”

Across town is Doug Wallace, retailer for 19 years and owner of Urban Edge Hair Salon. His shop is closed Sundays and Mondays, but is open late Tuesday through Saturday, “People want to shop locally and we stay open late to accom-

modate them. High River is close enough to Okotoks (and the city) to access the services and amenities on Sundays,” says Wallace. “We can have the best of both worlds here!”

Continuing north and arriving in Okotoks, nearly every store is open seven days a week, year round. Heading west, many of the stores are open on Sundays, but then again, many are not. In Black Diamond you really have to look around to realize who’s open and who’s not. The owners of Terra Cotta Gallery changed their winter hours. “We’ve been open on Sundays for 10 years but this year we will be closed on Sundays in January and February,” explains Evonne Smulders. A few doors down, the Wild Horse Bistro is closed on Sundays – a decision the owners recently made as they feel Sunday is a family day. Across the street, the Black Diamond Bakery is closed on Sundays, but you’ll find a few other shops that are open for business.

On the road again and driving northwest, the shops of Bragg Creek are nearly all open on Sundays – year round. “I cater to the locals and I think it’s wishful thinking that we could close on Sundays,” remarks Angela Madeiros, owner of Angela’s Attic in Bragg Creek.

So when you hit the highway on a warm Sunday morning seeking the wares and fares of cowboy country, don’t be surprised if you find a store or two that are closed. It may not be best for business, but for some, it’s best for the family.

OVER $1,100 in GIFTS A Touch of Italy, Okotoks Back to Basics Books, Okotoks Bat Sheba Gifts, High River Body Motion, High River Broken Stone, Okotoks ChemFree Cleaning, Okotoks Colossis Coffee House, High River Generations Chiropractic, High River Ginch Intimate, Okotoks Décor Diva, High River Life Force Healing, High River Red Surge Battlefield Laser Tag, Nanton Red Surge Cowboy Soccer Golf, Nanton Reflective Eye Photography, High River Saskatoon Farm, DeWinton The Firehall at Double Tree Farm, Nanton The Stop, Black Diamond Willows Spa, DeWinton Windmill Theatre, High River Viva 79, Okotoks

A very special thanks the participating businesses of the foothills that made this happen!

Natural Health Products Open Sundays & Late on Weekdays Herbals Homeopathic Remedies Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Herbal Teas Bach Flower Remedies Aromatherapy Information Kiosk – Complimentary Alive magazines

9

Black Diamond

124 Centre Ave West Black Diamond • Locally Owned and Operated 403-933-7979 routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Activity Feature

Location Location, Location

Planning your dream wedding, coordinating a staff team-building activity or organizing an intimate gathering of friends? The foothills region is home to a variety of venues to suit any need. Most facilities are privately owned and operated by welcoming hosts, working hard to make your event special.

Lynnwood Ranch, Aldersyde This 9,000 sq. ft. indoor venue, plus 1,500 sq. ft. outdoor covered patio, is available for group events ranging in size from ten to 300 guests. It includes a stage, dance floor, podium, campfire area, horse drawn hayrides, outdoor games, and indoor game tables.

Event planning assistance, a licensed commercial kitchen and catering are also available.

A large variety of entertainment and activities can be arranged, including bands, dancing, climbing walls, and casinos. Lynnwood Ranch is conveniently located just minutes from the Aldersyde overpass between Okotoks and High River. www.lynnwoodranch.com 403.938.2203

The Firehall at Doubletree Farm, Nanton The original Town of Nanton firehall is now a newly renovated rental space to accommodate any occasion. This is an affordable rental facility for monthly meetings, presentations, craft groups, exercise classes, intimate weddings, or corporate team-building sessions. The facility includes, catering, carriage rides, hayrides and an outdoor laser tag site.

403.646.0196

Saskatoon Farm, DeWinton 10

The Saskatoon Farm, just three km east of Highway 2 on 338 Ave, is a favourite destination for shopping and dining, and a unique venue for meetings and parties. Party menus include authentic Mexican dishes, homegrown buffalo entrées, homemade soups and salads, and fresh baked treats. The ‘Farm’ can accommodate 20 to 100 people for a party and can host up to 30 guests in its quaint upstairs conference room. www.saskatoonfarm.com 403.938.6245

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

DeWinton Community Hall, DeWinton This hidden gem is an ideal venue for hosting community and family functions, club or association meetings, public open houses and training sessions, private banquet, ceremonies, and wedding receptions. The main hall accommodates up to 196 for a seated dinner. The high vaulted ceiling provides a spacious feel to the room. The conversation area, accented with country décor, features a gas fireplace as its centerpiece. A well lit, wrap around veranda provides guests an opportunity to enjoy the country air and the panoramic view of the valley and the mountains. www.dewintonca.com 403.938.2525

Munroe Barn Loft, High River Located in the newly renovated 1913 Munroe Barn at Sheppard Family Park, this cozy loft space is ideal for dances, weddings, anniversaries or family gatherings. The Munro Barn Loft can accommodate up to 90 people. The park itself offers visitors a serene rural picnic spot and the chance to view historical local architecture. Sheppard Family Park is situated on a 13-acre homestead established in 1883, and willed to the Town of High River in 1996 by Ruth Maccoy. The park and its grounds are also available for outside day use from May 1 to October 1.

403.652.1128

Diamond Willow Artisan Retreat, Turner Valley Pat and Doug Lothrop welcome groups up to 12 who wish to work or play together in a stimulating, nurturing environment. Set in the foothills near Kananaskis Park, this lovely destination is sure to inspire its guests. Spacious studio spaces are available for artistic endeavours. The brand new facility was designed and built for group gatherings, and offers comfortable double bedrooms with ensuites. The spacious country kitchen is perfect for cooking demonstrations. When group sessions are not booked, or if the retreat is not full, rooms are available for bed and breakfast guests. www.diamondwillowartisanretreat.com 403.933.5755

Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Longview Set at this National Historic Site, Bar U Ranch is one of the first and most enduring large corporate ranches of the West. Steeped in history, the Bar U commemorates the history and importance of the ranching industry in Canada. The Visitor Orientation Centre is available as a rental facility for conferences, meetings, or small weddings. The VOC can accommodate parties up to 60 people throughout operating season (May to September) with a full banquet menu. Call for off-season event bookings. Horse-drawn wagons are available for rent for weddings and family events. The Bar U will also cater to large groups for barbecues and weddings that are outdoors only. www.pc.gc.ca/baru or www.friendsofthebaru.ca 403.395.2212

The Highwood Golf and Country Club, High River This 27-hole championship golf course is open to the public. A new 15,800 sq ft clubhouse will house a fully stocked pro shop offering practice facilities, golf lessons, club fitting and golf merchandise. The restaurant is open year round and has a seating capacity of 100 with additional seating for 136 on the outdoor deck. The facility is available for tournaments, weddings and events for up to 200 guests. Licensed catering and event coordination is available upon request. The Highwood Golf and Country Club is located 20 minutes south of Calgary on Highway 2. www.highwoodgolf.com 403.652.3644 routesmagazine.ca

11

spring 2010

“W

”

Cover Story

If you can dream it, you can do it.

12

Wayne Gretzky used the phrase ‘fire in the belly’ to describe his burning passion for the great game of hockey. You can do well at many things in life, he told Ron McLean after his team won the Stanley Cup in 1987, but to really excel at something you’ve got to have ‘fire in the belly’.

At Routes we admire people who pursue their life interests passionately. And we notice that there is no shortage of them right here in our Routes community. In this issue and the next, look for profiles on people who give themselves over to their blazing bellies – and along the way enrich the lives of those around them.

FIRE IN THE BELLY Brad Skeet

routesmagazine.ca

By Pat Fream Photo by Neville Palmer

spring 2010

alt Disney may have coined Brad Skeet’s favourite quote, but this elementary school teacher’s career path proves there’s more than one version of the ‘you can do it’ message. Skeet’s version is slightly more inclusive; ‘If you are open to change – you can do it!’

All through high school, Brad dreamed of becoming a lawyer. He had ample tenacity, all the right interests, and lifestyle goals that seemed a perfect match. Then one day his biology teacher told Brad he’d make a great teacher. “You’re a natural in front of the class,” he told him, “I think it’s something you should consider.”

By graduation Brad was considering. He did two years in general sciences and then applied to the Faculty of Education. When he was turned down for having too little volunteer experience, he went on to complete an undergraduate degree in modern history, then applied again, and this time got accepted. His dream had a new focus; to teach high school social studies.

“High School!” said a teacher to Brad, during his volunteer stint at a junior high in Calgary. “There are lots of men teaching high school, why don’t you consider teaching elementary school?”

“Are you kidding?” said the 6’4” Skeet. “I’d step on those kids. I’d turn around once and crush them!”

But after some contemplation, Brad changed his mind. Working with young kids had an intriguing appeal.

The rest of the story is the ‘you can do it’ part, and passion spills out in every direction.

“My first day in an elementary school I had no idea what I was doing, but I can tell you, I was having fun!” says Skeet. “I thought, I can’t believe I get paid to do this!”

Today, after 16 years of teaching grades 5, 6 and 7, Brad is still open to change, and he’s still having fun. “In my opinion, to be a good teacher you have to be willing to

– Walt Disney

grow with your students and be a lifelong learner along side them. The world is constantly changing, and if we expect our kids to learn how to change with it, we need to change as well - be a model.”

Brad’s teaching model is a mix of humour and high expectations; a formula that lets kids be themselves, while stretching them to their highest potential.

“Kids are fun! You need to enjoy them and they need to enjoy themselves so they like coming to school,” he says. “I really believe in giving them the freedom to be who they are. Then they will be more relaxed and more willing to learn.”

Skeet builds rapport with mutual respect, giving kids the confidence to try anything he asks. As basic as it sounds, getting kids to simply ‘try’ is the primary goal.

“Don’t get me wrong, I have extremely high expectations of my kids, everyone does at this school,” he adds. “But I can tell you, kids will reach for that bar if you set it just high enough and motivate them to try. Then when they reach it you celebrate with a high five, and raise it just a little more.”

Bests are status quo in this Heritage Heights classroom, even though the teacher never dreamed he’d find himself here. “I love my job!” says an enthusiastic Skeet. And in all his years of teaching, he has not crushed a single kid, but rather he’s raised them up, in spirit and esteem.

Heritage Heights School is a leader in the use of technology as a primary teaching and learning tool in a wireless Mac environment.

Each classroom is equipped with SmartBoard technology or a projection system and two iMacs.

Students are encouraged to push the creative boundaries, making podcasts, virtual classrooms, blogs, websites, and on-line learning environments. For Skeet, a self proclaimed ‘Techno Geek’, this kind of technology-rich environment is both exciting and necessary. “Students of the 21st Century see information, use information and create information in ways that are almost beyond comprehension,” says Skeet.

routesmagazine.ca

13

spring 2010

Cover Story

FIRE Kamla IN THEMcGonigal BELLY

By Sandra Wiebe Photo by Neville Palmer

14

If you are a current or new subscriber, you could win a delicious Alberta Whisky Cake. Go to www.routesmagazine.ca Winner name to be drawn from all subscribers on April 30, 2010. routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

“

”

The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.

B

reezing through university degrees faster than a speeding bullet, raising two boys, managing a nursing career, and baking specialty cakes all in a single bound, Kamla McGonigal comes across as a modern day superwoman. Yet through it all she still finds time to inspire others to seek their passions and follow their dreams.

Kamla (Kam to family and friends) grew up on a farm west of High River as the second oldest of six children.

It was her paternal great grandfather, Harnam Singh Hari, born in northern India, who, over 100 years ago, came to farm in Calgary, then Dewinton. Kamla, now a registered nurse and patient care manager for two urgent care centres in the area, credits a generational strong work ethic for her success. She comes from a family of strong, energetic women, particularly her mother.

Even at age two, Kamla was said to be a very focused child. “Most things just came easy for me,” said Kamla.

That is, until she decided to pursue her passion for music, and found her kryptonite. “My struggle in attempting to be a musician is like pushing water up hill. I have to keep reminding myself that everything now easy in life was once hard, usually very hard. Just keep practicing!”

When she was young, Kamla fell in love with the drums while watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, then became a fan of Judas Priest, the Doors and AC/DC. “Before drumming, I wasn’t easily intimidated,” she said.

“Now I know fear; especially the first few times playing publicly in a band.

Yikes! I just felt so exposed; it’s like baring your soul.”

- Elie Wiesel Although she has managed to earn herself a spot as a drummer in a band, Kamla claims to have no talent, just desire and discipline. “I am a true amateur,” she says. “Struggling to learn a new skill is very humbling; it has made me more understanding, compassionate, patient and accepting of others, especially as a nurse and a manager.”

In order to learn new songs, Kamla listens to music over and over for hours, every Saturday morning.

At one time, the ritual also included baking ‘Whisky Cakes’ - another passion she aims to perfect.

Three years ago, with a couple of business partners, Kamla set out to produce a unique, first class gift that would represent the unbridled spirit of the West. “I wanted it to be the ‘Bernard Callebaut’ of cake.” Kamla envisioned the cakes as one of the three things tourists would take home from Canada: B.C. salmon, maple syrup and the ‘Alberta Whisky Cake’.

Today, she works with grand ambition; her goal not yet fully materialized. The cakes will provide an avenue for supporting young people interested in artistic and cultural activities. Presently, every cake package contains a frame-ready card with an image that showcases the work of a local amateur artist, (paintings, photography, airbrush, sculpture, jewelry, leather tooling, etc.). Eventually, Kamla hopes to also include samples from local musical artists as part of each cake purchase.

“I feel privileged to have met some of the most amazing young people lately, who are making our

world a better place, and with such passion and confidence,” She notes “I feel honored to promote their work.”

Kamla also dreams of one day opening a youth centre. “Youth who are not academically inclined can fall through the cracks (of society); they could use a safe, enriching, and fun place to go. I call it the grassroots of health care.” Even now, her basement is packed two nights a week with young musicians, including her own two sons, playing, writing and recording music.

Kamla seeks to encourage young people to reach their potential, to boost self-esteem through their art forms. “I realize how much skill it takes and how truly gifted, unappreciated and unsupported many musicians are.”

While Kamla says she feels blessed to be in great health, and have the energy that comes with that, she is otherwise humbled by her gifts of leadership and inspiration. “I’m nothing special. We all do as much as we can. I just use my abilities to help others be productive and recognized for what they do.”

Left, Kamla taps out a rhythm on whisky barrels at the Highwood Distillery. Whisky is a primary ingredient in the cakes, part of her mission to use local products. Others include: Ellison Flour, Lethbridge Canola oil (a true 100% Canadian product) Maplewood boxes, made in Dewinton

15

A local bakery is now baking the cakes, but Kamla still gets up early to ‘meditate on the skins’. To order a cake go to: www.albertawhiskycake.com

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Finding Roots

Joan’s Bookkeeping Service Joan McLean

Ph: 615-2479 • Fx: 601-2953 • Email: joan@joansbookkeeping.com Web: www.joansbookkeeping.com

A small business taking care of small businesses!

This charming village, once lit by gas flares, remains aglow through the spirit of its residents.

By Sheila Sepkowski Photo by John Kirinic

A

16

t one time there were so many gas wells flaring in the town of Turner Valley, you could read a newspaper at night. Until this past summer, residents of Turner Valley could see a burning flare coming out of the ground, southwest of the historic gas plant. Due to a recent push to clean up and reclaim the site, what remains is a bare piece of land and memories of an industry that shaped a town.

Although the plant itself has been closed for 25 years, the town and its residents remain and thrive, rolling with the punches of a boom and bust economy.

They are emerging with a quiet, smalltown confidence, a community determined to flourish.

The growth is evident in the town’s population, reaching the 2,000 mark as of 2008. “In the past 50 years, Turner Valley has seen slow growth,” says town manager, Stan Ogrodniczuk. “But in the past five years there has been close to a 30 per cent increase in population.”

Nestled in a forested valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Turner Valley offers residents an easy commute to Calgary,

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

and close proximity to Kananaskis Country - a mere 10-minute drive west. Some are attracted to the affordable housing; others, like Marjorie Staub, can’t resist the small town charm.

Straub, born in Turner Valley 77 years ago, has spent all but 16 years of her life in Turner Valley and she recently served as town mayor for three years.

“It’s a beautiful town and the friendly people make it an easy place to live,” says Straub, adding, “The people are not oldfashioned, they are as hip as anybody, and here, everybody knows everybody.”

Area residents and tourists enjoy some of the most talked about restaurants in southern Alberta, including Route 40 Soup Co. and Coyote Moon Cantina.

Combine good food with good music and the town exudes an irresistible vibe.

The area is also becoming known for its many popular musicians and artists, and continues to play host to the increasingly popular, Beneath The Arch Concert Series, that highlights local, national and international musicians like Cowboy Celtic, Ian Tyson, Amos Garrett and Paul Rumbolt.

The town’s economy is diversifying, with a focus on service and the tourism industry. The hope, according to the Turner Valley Gas Plant Advisory Panel, is to draw travelers who want to know more about the impact of oil and gas on the town.

“The attitude and vision is one of environmental stewardship,” says town councilor, Barry Williamson. He explains how the town, along with several oil and gas companies, is committed to the ongoing clean up of existing and abandoned well sites.

That vision is one that places priority on a healthy and vibrant lifestyle while celebrating the town’s oil and gas history. That includes the reopening of the Turner Valley Gas Plant National and Provincial Historic site as an interpretive centre.

Even though the town no longer depends on oil and gas, its people have prospered. They have found something worth staying for, and they themselves have become the town’s most prized natural resource.

HIGH RIVER TRADE FAIR AN EVENT NOT TO BE MISSED!

th lex th & 17 p Aprildg1ra6ss Recreation Com

Bobsno

9:00PM :00PM Friday 5 - 5:00PM M A s 0 :0 y9 f giveaway Saturda & plenty o t en m n ai sion, entert free admis For More Information:

403-652-3336 www.hrchamber.ca

#101, 416 Centre St, High River

403-652-7771 | highwoodnaturalfoods@telus.net

Pixie Hollow

hwnfAd_2.indd 1

2/1/10 12:52:12 PM

Gorgeous Spring Home & Garden Accents Amazing Selection of Children’s Books & Toys 417 1st St High River 403-649-8800

Bookshop * Coffeehouse * Fudgery

OPEN FOR OPPORTUNITY i n n o v a t i v e unique

v i b r a n t

www.highrivertourism.ca

Business & Tourism Development Office, 403.652.8622 Welcoming new business, supporting entrepreneurs & home based business.

17

Businesses In High River

visit www.routesmagazine.ca for more information on the history of the Turner Valley Gas plant.

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Shopping

- or just look like you did!

By Alison Laycraft • Photos by Jane Russell

Incorporate “worldly” accents in your home to get the feel of outreaching experiences. Proudly display your treasures, whether you gathered them from places afar, or purchased them closer to home.

canada

peru/africa

Interchangeable necklace with Peruvian Opals, and African Turquoise by Erin Morrill, $120 Deava Beads 4 Elma Street, Okotoks Stones or gems discovered and collected on travels can be creatively blended into one-of-a-kind artful jewelry.

europe

Mexico

Clay Vase, $74.99 - $99.99 Bat Sheba Gifts 103 - 3 Avenue, High River Mexican getaways are popular with many Canadians.

Display touches of this Spanish culture to ignite fond memories and re-create the unique feel of an exotic culture.

French Press, $25 5 Mini Italian Espresso sso Maker, $25 Colossi’s Coffee House use 114 - 4 Avenue SW,, High River Earthy colours and styless of international coffee carafes transport the ambiance of a European café, into the home.

tibet

18

Singing Bowls, $50 - $110 Pegasus A116 Government Road N, Black Diamond The Far East can add an inspiring interest to any home with unique sounds, textures, fascinating shapes, and eccentric icons. routesmagazine.ca

Repurposed Metal Art by Sandy Morris, is, $180 “Maritime Travels” Oil Painting

by Eleanor Lowden Pigeon, $550 Leather Passport Folios, $20.95 Terra Cotta Gallery 110 Centre Avenue W, Black Diamond From the earthy, artistic feel of the West Coast, to the he old-world charm of the East Coast, art and accessories offer up a diverse touch off authentic Canadian culture.

spring 2010

Thailand ailand

Buddha head, ad, $100 Red Bag 415 - 1 Street SW, High River

The Traveling Mabels March 6, 8 pm (tickets $20) Carlson’s on Macleod Arts & Entertainment

These three unique women, each with their own vocal stylings, have created an exciting, magical blend. Their strong lyrics, vocal harmonies and rhythmic melodies will be sure to keep your toes tapping, tears falling and guts busting with laughter. www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]

Survey of New Works by Aaron Sidorenko March 12 to April 18 Okotoks Art Gallery

what’s

happening in your town

The artist has taken an unorthodox approach with the commonplace materials used to make a painting. Linen or canvas, for instance, gets cut-up, shaped and then collaged to make the portrait and gesso, which is usually applied on top of the canvas, now appears underneath, acting as a kind of skin or support. www.okotoksculture.ca [OK]

20

Katherine Wheatley & Wendell Ferguson March 4, 7:30 pm (tickets $20) Carlson’s on Macleod

Katherine Wheatley and Wendell Ferguson are the best of musical pals - her heartfelt lyrical vision and poignant voice, and his honest yet irreverent humour make for a moving and hilarious show. www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

(tickets $25, students and seniors $15) Highwood Memorial Centre Ted and Marion Outerbridge have combined real life experiences with a unique fusion of magic, dance, and theatre - and the result is Magical Moments in Time.

This world-class illusionist has played across Canada and in Europe, reaching into the minds and hearts of audiences and taking them on a magical journey through time. Comedy meets mindbending illusions, making for a uniquely bewitching and hilarious evening of entertainment. Call 403.652.4668 [HR]

This exhibition consists of recent and new work focusing on three entirely different experiences for the photographer. This includes a trip in 2008 to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and more recently, two new projects closer to home: Calgary’s recently closed Cecil Hotel and the long-abandoned coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass. www.okotoksculture.ca [OK]

All newly engaged couples are invited to take in this free event. Bring along an unregistered bride-to-be and have a chance to win an extra prize. Many door prizes and a wonderful grand door prize, food samples, fashion show and more.

Contact Adele at 403.938.2532 or adeleswelcome@shaw.ca to register. [OK]

Route 40 Wilderness Experience Auction March 20, 5:30 pm (tickets $30)

Flare & Derrick Community Hall

Oilfields High School and Route 40 Soup Company are combining their efforts once again to present the 3rd annual auction to raise funds for Outward Bound programs at the school. The event features live music, a variety of hot and cold appetizers by Route 40, and the excitement of a silent and live auction. To donate an item or service, or for information call: 403.938.4973/403.933.5002, email gauzerc@fsd38.ab.ca.

Tickets available until March 17. [TV]

High River Chamber Trade & Lifestyle Show April 16 - 17 Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex Free admission, entertainment, and giveaways. 403.652.3336 or www.hrchamber.ca [HR]

The Diva and the Dog March 27, April 24, May 29, 2 pm High River Library Theatre

With soprano and Creative Healing Educator, Mrs. Lou Ross-Johns presents a concert designed to raise funds for Animal Rescue Groups. For more information call Lou at 403.684.3626 or go to www.facebook.com/doggiebreath [HR]

Viewpoint X Three by Jeremy Fokkens.

March 12 to April 18, Opening Reception, 7 - 9 pm Okotoks Art Gallery

Foothills Bridal Show March 18, 5:30 pm Foothills Centennial Centre

March

Ted Outerbridge, Illusionist March 18, 7 pm

Main Series: Stephen Fearing March 20, 8 pm

Bragg Creek Performing Arts Centre (tickets $25/season tickets available) Born in Vancouver, raised in Ireland, this contemporary performer/songwriter has been in the business for over two decades.

He is releasing a new CD, The Man Who Married Music, following eight solo CDs. Stephen is also a member of the band, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. www.braggcreekperformingarts.com [BC]

(tickets $25 or a season ticket $105) Currently touring his one-man show, The Collected Mistakes, this Canadian born folk musician was also a writer of fiction, songs, monologues and one-liners. Shows are reportedly uplifting, and foolish enough to make everyone laugh. www.braggcreekperformingarts.com [BC]

Earth Day Celebration April 22, 10 am Okotoks Recreation Centre Lobby

Crystal Plamondon: Torch CD Release Party March 20, 8 pm (tickets $20) Carlson’s on Macleod

In her new CD, Torch, Crystal aspires to awaken the memories and emotions of her listeners as they relate to the passion in her voice and soul. This album showcases her vocal abilities with eight English songs, two French Edith Piaf songs, and an original Jennifer Warnes/Leonard Cohen selection. www.carlsonsonmacleod.ca [HR]

Spotlight Series: Lorne Elliott April 17, 8 pm Bragg Creek Performing Arts Centre

April Doug Andrew and the Circus in Flames April 2, 8:30 pm (tickets $10) Carlson’s on Macleod

“Sheet metal country,” Doug Andrew describes the music. “It bangs and rattles and booms, generally making a fair amount of noise, but it can also be light and quiet. It can go from sounding like a runaway locomotive thundering down the mountain without any brakes, to a wind slipping through the forest at midnight.” www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]

(tickets $5/child includes parent/caregiver) Preschoolers, along with their parents/ caregivers, are invited to join the Earth Day Celebration for an exciting hour of crafts, games and activities. Learn about recycling, composting, water and energy conservation, and ways to make every family more ‘green’. Call 403.938.8953 ext. 0 for more information. [OK]

Windmill Theatre Players: Opening Night, April 22 - 24, 29 - 30 Dinner Theatre, April 24 Matinee, May 1 Highwood Memorial Centre

Opening Night (by Canadian playwright Norm Foster) is the story of an unusual evening at the theatre. Plot: Ruth has lucked into a pair of tickets to the opening night performance of a new Canadian play, she drags her husband Jack to the theatre as a way to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Jack, however, would rather be at home watching the seventh game of the World Series on television. www.windmilltheatreplayers.com [HR]

Okotoks and District Chamber Trade & Lifestyle Show April 23 - 24 Okotoks Recreation Centre, Murray & Piper Arenas www.okotokschamber.ca [OK]

A Sunday Walk in the Dog Park by Harold Pearse April 23 to June 6 Okotoks Art Gallery

In his treatment of this beloved subject, the dog, the artist looks back into the history of painting and photography to render this animal anew. Depicting his wife’s rescue-dog and the dogs of other friends, the painter focuses on their locomotion, canine energy and interaction, with colour applied in daubs or small strokes. www.okotoksculture.ca [OK]

[HR] = High River

[BC] = Bragg Creek

[OK] = Okotoks

[TV] = Turner Valley

[VN] = Vulcan

[MV] = Millarville

[BD] = Black Diamond

For event submissions email to: entertainment@routesmagazine.ca

Raven Stole the Sun Play by Drew Hayden Taylor, Based on a traditional Tlingit story as recounted by Sháa Tláa Maria Williams, Directed by Sandra Laronde, Music by Donald Quan

May 22, 2010

Senior Pro Rodeo April 16 - 18 High River Rodeo Grounds For information or ticket prices: 403.652.3336 [HR]

For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call the High River Culture Centre at 403.652.4668

21

April 14, 2010 Full Gospel Tabernacle Church

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

May Arts & Entertainment

Main Series: Pork Belly Futures May 1, 8 pm Bragg Creek Performing Arts Centre

more

happenings Leonard Nimoy Visit to Launch Official Star Trek Destination April 23 Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station For information on this event go to www.vulcantourism.com [VN]

(tickets $25 or season tickets) Beginning as a bar band with the intent to emulate Paul Butterfield’s band, this band’s songwriting was influenced by country music, and Pork Belly Futures now refers to its style as “North Country Canadian” born and bred. www.braggcreekperformingarts.com [BC]

Spring Gala Fine Art Show & Sale May 7, 4 - 9 pm, May 8, 10 am - 4 pm High River United Church

The High River Art Society presents all original artwork. highriverartsociety@hotmail.com [HR]

Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce Trade & Lifestyle Show, April 23 - 24 Okotoks Recreation Centre

[OK] 22

[HR] = High River

[BC] = Bragg Creek

[OK] = Okotoks

[TV] = Turner Valley

[VN] = Vulcan

[MV] = Millarville

[BD] = Black Diamond

For event submissions email to: entertainment@routesmagazine.ca routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Little Britches Rodeo and Parade May 17 High River Rodeo Grounds For information or ticket prices call 403.652.3336 [HR]

3rd Annual Bragg Creek Music Festival May 28 - 30 Bragg Creek Performing Arts Centre

A unique event where Classical, Latin, Folk and Jazz genres converge, crossing conventional boundaries that usually define music with artists, Amy Bishop, Calum Graham, Steve Pineo, and more.

Showcasing many talented artists and artisans who reside in and around the area. Local musicians will perform in various restaurants during the lunch and dinner hours. Festivities begin Friday night with youth bands. Musician workshops on Saturday and Sunday - $5.

Money raised will benefit Music Counts (www.musicounts.ca) For more information: braggcreekfestival.com [BC]

Gift of Music Concert Series

14th Anniversary of the Foothills Cowboy Association Rodeo will feature wild events including bull riding, steer wrestling, saddle and bareback bronc riding, barrel racing and calf roping. Come for the beer gardens and trade fair and stay for the Saturday dance. www.millarville-ab.com/rodeo.html [MV]

AFFA Interpretive Talk “Fresh Paint” Exhibit May 31, 7 - 8 pm High River Centennial Library

The mandate of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program is to provide every Albertan with the opportunity to enjoy visual art exhibitions in their community; a delightful exhibit to stimulate your senses.

Call 403.652.2917 e-mail programhrlibrary@highriver.net [HR]

The Calgary Boys Choir is a world-class choir that performs locally, nationally and internationally, presenting a wide variety repertoire. The choir has won a number of national and international awards and produced numerous recordings.

[HR]

The natural world is celebrated in the acrylics, oils and mixed media artwork of Lyse Deselliers and Mary Leigh Doyle. www.okotoksculture.ca [OK]

(tickets $10, seniors and kids $5)

Calgary Boys Choir May 8 High River United Church

http://calgaryboyschoir.ab.ca/source/home.htm

A Necessary Vision

by Doyle & Deselliers April 23 to June 6 Opening Reception April 23, 7 - 9 pm Okotoks Art Gallery

Millarville Rodeo May 28 - 30 Millarville Rodeo Grounds

Calgary Boy’s Choir

Sat. May 8 at 7 pm

Spiritus, a cappella choir Sun. June 6 at 2 pm Advance tickets available at High River United Church and day of concert.

Adults: $20 Family: $55 Students/Seniors: $15 Season tickets will be available for 2010/2011 season.

For tickets or more information, please call 403-652-3168 Providing access to musical arts programming in High River and surrounding area.

June Lorna MacLachlan June 4, 8 pm (tickets $15) Carlson’s on Macleod

Pianist and vocalist Lorna MacLachlan will be accompanied by Rich Harding on saxophone, John Hyde on bass, Robin Tufts on drums and Keith Smith on guitar. www.carlsonsonmacleod.com [HR]

Clothesline Art Sale and Festival, June 6, 10 am to 4 pm Leighton Art Centre

A selection of original works by Alberta’s top and emerging artists are displayed side by side on clotheslines. Artists will demonstrate their skills and there will be hand blown glass, silk scarves, jewelry, art cards and pottery for sale. Funds raised will be used to support educational activities of the Leighton Art Centre. Fun activities for the whole family including: art demonstrations, horse drawn hayrides, museum and gallery viewing, art activities for kids, a full food concession and live music. Call 403.931.3633 or visit www.leightoncentre.org [MV]

Get away, make your day!

JoJo’s café opening May 2010 Garden Center & Landscaping U-pick Prairie Fruit Sunshine Adventure Park

23

3km north of Okotoks AB. www.kayben.com routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Music

were seats on the floor. Backstage was an alcove next to the fireplace mantle. It was a venue that perhaps reminded you more of your Aunt Molly’s than anything.

“It’s a great way to play music,” the band’s banjoist, Matt Foster, tells me about the house setting. “We’re not just playing for a bunch of anonymous fans.”

That’s the secret in a nutshell. The audience is far more attentive to the musicians. Seventy-eight ears listened honestly to music, mic-less, the way it was meant to be. Socked feet tapped along to the rhythm. Foster in fact is the only one in house not in socked feet but barefoot altogether. It sounds better for stomping on the hardwood. Music like this would be lost - played in a bar amid the cacophony of bottles clinking, games of pool and nonplused patrons brooding around drunkenly.

Right in the

FOLKING Living Room!

“

It’s a great way to play music.

”

At one point in the evening the band ended a song singing so quietly guests listened like dogs acute to low volume.

Softer and softer, subsonic almost, sotto voce, until the lyrics faded into complete silence and the crowd broke from its mesmerized spell to applaud. For the pessimistic music-enthusiast lamenting the

downfall of modern music, house concerts should give hope.

For the band, the benefits are practical. Working-touring musicians, such as they are, cannot afford to travel big-cityto-big-city. It’s business-savvy to perform in living rooms across a country of a million small towns. Room and board can be part of the deal, drinks are on the house, and because most are BYOB anyway, attentive aesthetes among the audience spend their money on CDs and T-shirts.

“It’s more than a growing trend,” says Foster. “It’s a new way of touring.”

At the end of the night the crowd trickled out the front door and the large semi-circle of furniture was shoved into a smaller circle. Foster and band mates, Jesse Matas and Darwin Baker chatted with the remaining half-dozen guests.

Pat made mini-pizzas and poured wine.

Doug handed out Kokanees. The mandolin, banjo and guitar came out for an impromptu rendition of “Good Night, Irene” as an outro for one guest.

It turns out, there’s something about beer, folk music and socked feet, which makes for a catalyst of Canadian identity.

It’s a peaceful sort of patriotism and the whole house joined in the serenade. “‘Good Night Irene’ is one of those songs everyone has in their blood,” Foster says out loud, as the front door closes and a blast of winter air enters the living room.

I’m pretty sure he’s right.

By Peter Worden Photos by Neville Palmer

“Music is coming around/Back playing in people’s parlours/It’s just me singing for you.”

-Lyrics by Corin Raymond, musician

S 24

omething beautiful is happening in the living rooms of the nation - something powerful and, at the risk of sounding ambiguously alliterate, something patriotic too.

It requires surprisingly little: kitchen chairs, couches, ottomans maneuvered in a semicircle, room for a band of musicians to perform, and enough tushes to fill said seats and make said band’s time worthwhile.

They’re called house concerts. You’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of it before.

Some know them better as ‘Living Room Shows.’ For those who came to Turner Valley’s Diamond Willow Artisan Retreat it was maybe just, ‘That Thing at Pat and Doug’s Place.’ All amount to the same thing.

Essentially they’re paid gigs for musicians, same as any small town pub on a Friday night, but with two differences: venue and impact.

Pat and Doug Lothrop hosted one in January. The Winnipeg band Crooked Brothers played their living room; a homey venue with cinnamon scented candles. Their dining room chandelier was the band’s spotlight. A staircase acted as the nosebleeds. Floor seats

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

25

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Professionally Speaking

Landscaping large lots & acreages

By Judy Kolk

A new acreage or lot can feel overwhelming when facing the task of turning it into a cozy space. Following a few simple guidelines will help you envision the end results and enjoy the process.

Planning

It is rare to have the time or the budget to create your dream sanctuary in one season.

Begin with an overall plan that includes the entire property, then break it down into individual projects that can be completed one at a time, over a three to 10 year span.

Prioritize - how will you and your family members use your yard? Start the design process by considering your priorities and the needs of all family members, including pets. For example, if you have small children, you may want to situate a designated play area in clear view of a large window. If your priority is outdoor entertaining, build a deck or patio with good access to the kitchen door. Be sure to consider the time of day you are most likely to use an area, if you prefer to be in sun or shade, and which view you’ll want to take advantage of. If you can visualize what you want, draw it in detail, if not, work with a garden centre that offers design services specifically for rural properties. The money spent on a good design can save you wasted effort and dollars in the long run.

Shelter and Privacy First One of the most challenging factors to successful plantings in the foothills is wind. Plant shelterbelts as soon as possible and be sure to weed and water regularly. Mulching preserves moisture, aids in weed control and moderates fluctuating soil temperatures. Shelterbelts around the perimeter of the property can be started before any other decisions are made and the sooner the better. Create shelterbelt beds with some curves leaving room for future ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials. Purchase the largest number and size of trees you can afford in your first season. Seedlings are inexpensive but very small and need a lot more care in the first few seasons. Many garden centres will carry bareroot trees available for a short time in the spring. Although they require some special handling, bareroot trees are the most economical way to purchase large numbers of trees.

Outdoor Living Space

Because an acreage property can initially look like vast grassland with no clear borders or areas, begin by defining a relatively small, and partially sheltered area adjoining the house. This is the place where you put your outdoor furniture, your most tender plants and anything that requires regular watering and maintenance. You can define the borders of this area using trellises, trees, walkways, or raised beds. If you create this area in the first season, you can continue to work for many years on the rest of the property but at the end of the day you can still enjoy the oasis you’ve created.

26

It takes years to transform a bare acreage into the yard of your dreams. Attend workshops and read as much material as you can find on gardening in our prairie climate. A reputable garden centre can also be a valuable resource for ongoing planning and advice.

Most of all, remember why you chose to purchase a large property and enjoy it!

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Definitions: Bareroot - The tree has been dug when dormant, soil has been shaken off the roots, and is kept in cold storage until time of sale.

Shelterbelt - a planting of trees and shrubs to reduce soil erosion or to provide protection from wind and storms.

Perennial - plants that live and bloom for more than two growing seasons Mulch - organic materials laid over soil to reduce moisture loss, control weeds and soil temperature.

Recommended Books: Gardening under the Arch - by the Millarville Horticultural Society Trees and Shrubs for the Prairies - booklet by Landscape and Nursery Trades of Alberta The Gardener for the Prairies - a quarterly magazine by Pegasus Publications Judy Kolk and her husband Claude own and operate Kayben Farms, a mixed operation near Okotoks that includes a garden centre and landscape construction division. Kayben Farms are a member of Landscape and Nursery Trades of Alberta (LANTA). www.kayben.com

Sheppard Family Park

High River AB. For Reservations Please Call 403-652-1128

Lynnwood Ranch Great Food at Our Place or Yours

Come To The Country For Your Next Gathering Event Venue & Mobile Catering 403-938-2203 www.lynnwoodranch.com

Dewinton Community Hall ❃ Weddings, Showers, Parties, Family Reunions & Meetings ❃ Seats up to 200 People ❃ Cozy Carpet Lounge Area With Fireplace ❃ Main Hall has Beautiful Hardwood Flooring ❃ Gazebo for Staging Outdoor Weddings ❃ Playground & Picnic Area ❃ Plenty of Parking

enues V Rentals

Greg 403-938-2525

DeWinton Comm. Assoc.

Ad # Client 32542 .......................................

Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3x53 ......................

20 Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jan. .......................

Black Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salesperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tanya ......................

Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dwca@platinum.net ................................

In The Foothills Fax

..................................................

Graphic Artist

Barb McLaren

EMAILED

routesmagazine.ca

27

EPS’d

spring 2010

Food

LIFESTYLE CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR

Tel: 403-652-5599

info@aislinginteriors.ca Suite 101, 124 - 4 Ave SW. High River, AB T1V 1M5

F

eaturing Art and Craft and Merx jewelry

Create depth, surprise the eye, and bring a dream to a forgotten corner...

pekiskotrading@telus.net

114 &118 3rd Ave SW High River, AB

403-652-2252 Photo by Terra Cotta Gallery

By Beverly Pell, Heartland Café, Okotoks Photo by Neville Palmer

Coconut Cream Pie Serves: 8 Coconut Cream Filling

Method:

Ingredients:

•

3/4 cup white sugar 19 oz can coconut milk 1 1/4 cups 10% cream 1 cup large flake coconut (Angel Flake)

• •

4 egg yolks 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/3 cup cornstarch 1 tsp coconut extract

• •

1 Tbsp salted butter 3/4 cup toasted coconut for garnish

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream

•

Optional: On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle 3/4 cup of coconut. Bake at 350º F for 5 minutes until starting to turn a light golden brown.

Stir and bake more if desired. Cool completely and set aside.

85 g (1/3 cup) icing sugar

•

Whip Cream 28

Combine sugar, coconut milk, 10% cream, and one cup of coconut into a heavy bottom saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring often. Bring to a scald but do not boil.

In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, heavy cream, and cornstarch. Mix well.

Add a cup of the scalded milk to the egg mixture and stir; this will temper the eggs so they do not curdle when poured into the hot cream mixture. Now add the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan and cook on medium heat until gently bubbling. Mixture should be very thick.

Stir in the coconut extract and salted butter at the very end.

Let cool 10 minutes before pouring into the baked pie crust. Press plastic wrap overtop the filling but not overtop the pastry to keep a skin from forming overtop.

Cool pie in fridge for a few hours.

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

Whip the cream in a deep bowl with an electric hand mixer. Generously dollop the cream on top of the pie and then sprinkle the toasted coconut on top.

Find the recipe and instructions for a homemade pie crust, from Heartland Café, online at www.routesmagazine.ca

Photo by Terra Cotta Gallery

history . unique shops . trendy eateries . talented artists . galleries & studios We invite you to take a leisurely scenic drive just a half hour southwest of Calgary, down Highway 22, to the

Heartwood

AfricAn GAllery & imports “Showing a unique array of art, gifts and decor.”

Photo by Lloyd Baggenstos Photo by Terra Cotta Gallery

It’s spring! Dust yourself off and get outside! Where to? How about a cool little town in the Calgary region, Black Diamond? Here, you can park and stroll our quaint heritage “Boomtown” where you can brush up on local history, savor a special coffee and fresh baked treat, shop for one-of-a-kind treasures and sample remarkable food fare. Satisfy your artistic side with a tour of our galleries and studios, take in a play or a “how to” workshop. To plan a day trip, visit our website or view and print a map and guide at:

Physical Address: 2110 - 17th street Nanton, AB Phone Number: 403-646-2425 29

town.blackdiamond.ab.ca/_cabinet/1/Artisan_Tour_Map.pdf 403-933-4348 . info@town.blackdiamond.ab.ca . www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Food

Time for change. Naturally.

One Three Tree Essential Cleaning Products are a naturally derived cleaning line that offers a safer cleaning and sanitizing solution for you, your family and the environment.

Phone: 403.652.3944 Fax: 403.652.3944 meg@batsheba.com www.batsheba.com 103 - 3rd Avenue W. High River AB

Welcome to a new way of cleaning. Naturally!

one three ree essential cleaning products Inc.

403.828.3201 cllomenda@gmail.com

onethreetreecleaningproductsinc.blogspot.com

“Cleaning products for your health and your home.”

Apple Spice Cranberry Muffins Serves: 12 Ingredients:

Method:

2 cups all purpose flour

•

2/3 cup white sugar 2 tsp baking powder

•

1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 3/4 cup sundried cranberries 2 medium eggs 1/3 cup canola oil

• • • •

By Beverly Pell, Heartland Café, Okotoks Photo by Neville Palmer

Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly coat 12 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon and ginger. Mix all dry ingredients together well with a fork or whisk.

In a large separate bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and applesauce until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture until combined.

Fill each muffin cup to the top and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes until center of the muffin springs back to the touch.

Transfer muffins onto cooling rack and serve with cranberry jelly and butter.

1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

Heartland Café, a family business, opened in Calgary in 1987, drawing crowds for great coffee, and their fresh, homemade, comfort foods. This family team of four, hands-on owners recently moved from that Calgary location to a new home in Okotoks. When the 30

doors opened last September, followers and fans of Heartland were pleasantly surprised to find that the café is now a fully-licensed, sit-down restaurant that includes all their famous fresh organic grain breads and oversized muffins. The new facility allows them

27 Hole Golf Course with Full Practice Facilities / Open to the Public Golf Memberships Available / CPGA Lessons Available Fully Stocked Pro Shop / Tournaments Large or Small Golf and Event Experts / Full Service Restaurant and Lounge

31

to create main dishes like Bison Meatloaf and Pork Ribs. Don’t worry, you’ll still see be able to order their signature dishes and old favourites like Mac & Cheese and Lasagna. Heartland Café is open six days a week and is located at 46 McRae Street.

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

For mor e i nf or mat i on pl ease c a ll 4 0 3 -6 5 2 -3 6 4 4 Or access our websi t e at www.highw oodgolf.c om routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Batman’s Secret

Family

By Pat Fream

I

32

“Mom, come quick!

Batman had babies!”

was savouring the last few seconds of my morning shower – my mind blissfully gliding through a fantasy of selling everything and moving to Maui. We’d bid a tearful farewell to dear old Alberta, give our winter coats to charity, and then gleefully depart to that place where ‘snow’ is what you get on your TV screen when the reception is bad.

“He what? Batman what?” the words penetrated the steamy enclosure but my brain refused to compute. “Don’t mess with me Ben, I’m not in the mood!”

It was minus 27ºC and Calgary was expecting 25 centimeters of snow before the afternoon rush. My daughter’s school bus had stalled en route to school, so my day had started abruptly with calling parents and rescuing stranded elementary students. What more did I have to endure before 9 a.m.?

“I mean it mom, come take a look!” If this was a prank, Ben’s five-year-old face gave nothing away.

“You better be serious!” I growled, snatching a towel and marching toward my son’s hamster cage.

“Oh my… Batman, what have you done!” My body gave an involuntary shiver that triggered a rush of goose bumps. Dripping wet and suddenly nauseous, I took in the tiny, naked pink things squiggled around in a mountain of wood shavings. Batman got up on his hind legs and peered hard at me, then spun around in circles like a wind-up toy.

Ben shifted anxiously, his expression a mix of alarm and astonishment. “Yikes!”

He quipped.

“Well, well, well,” I managed, realizing reassurance was in order. “I guess Batman is really BatGIRL, and SHE had a little secret.”

I knelt down to confront Batman at her level and willed the beady black eyes to divulge a rational explanation. None came. The rodent would be no help in quelling our confusion; she had big troubles of her own.

“Boy-oh-boy Batman, how are you going to take care of all those little ones?”

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

I murmured. A flood of maternal compassion threatened to derail my tenuous grip of the situation, but one look at the miniature aliens brought me back to my senses.

Ben giggled nervously. “What are we going to do with Bat- - - er, I mean, that Hamster Woman…?”

“Mmmm, let me see,” I said thoughtfully, pretending the answer was within easy reach. How does one explain how Batman managed to change genders, and multiply over night, while the rest of us merely slept?

“I know!” I surprised myself. “Let’s call the pet store and ask them for help.”

Ben shot up like a rocket and rushed off in search of the cordless phone. Batman jumped on her exercise wheel and began running like a fiend. This was no mother; this was a crazed felon trying to escape a gruesome crime scene.

“Here’s the thing,” said the hamster expert, “hamsters sometimes eat their babies, so if you want to save your children from witnessing that, it might be wise to separate the mother from her litter right away.”

“She what?… Oh my God… ” I turned away from Ben’s eager face and looked out the window just on time to see the wind hurl a sheet of icy snow against the back of our house. “I’m having a really bad day…” I muttered, dialing my husband’s work number. “Something horrible has happened; I need you to come home right away.”

At that point, I pronounced it ‘a pancake day’, and persuaded Ben to watch ‘Clifford’ – the dog who was implausibly big and red, but otherwise a trustworthy creature. I moved the hamster cage to my bedroom, closed the door tightly, and prayed we wouldn’t have to explain cannibalism to our children before they learned to skip rope.

During the weeks that followed, our family spent countless hours peering into the Batman family nest, watching miniature lives unfold. The experience sparked compassion and tenderness in each of us, and spawned many colourful discussions about conception, birth and the won-

Motherhood

The Sacred Journey to ders of life. Thankfully, we were spared the unthinkable; Batman maintained a steady diet of seeds and broccoli, and her six little offspring grew and flourished.

When the time came to empty the nest, we found homes for every hamster and bid farewell to them with unexpected sad reservation.

Looking back, I view the whole Batman ‘ordeal’ with a certain amount of nostalgia and even gratitude. For the kids, it provided hours of entertainment, while gently unraveling the mysteries of new life. For us parents, Batman modeled amazing stamina (single parenting no less!), and the art of taking parenthood in stride.

What’s more, a practice run at emptying the nest can only be beneficial; a confidence builder for the days ahead when our own offspring make a break for the big world.

Day Mother’s Tribute The Motherload -Strings Attached

By Pat Fream

I

remember struggling to get my squirming infant out of a soggy bathing suit after an arduous swim lesson, while my other two children wrestled over who would be the first in line at the water fountain. A stranger looked on with quiet dismay then said, “I don’t envy you – having kids – I can borrow my sister’s for an afternoon anytime and then give them back – no strings attached.”

It’s true – motherhood comes with strings.

While you have exclusive rights to firstever smiles, rollovers, footsteps, and word mastery, you are also on the hook for midnight feedings, gas attacks, ear infections, and tantrum control. It’s easy to take the unbridled love, the exuberant self-discovery, the academic strides, and the leap into responsible personhood. But along the way you must also endure countless safety hazards, obnoxious coming-of-age lessons, heartbreaking relationship struggles, and an impossible amount of unproductive worry.

As mothers, it is our job to guide, inspire, teach, model, reprimand, encourage, support, and love with all kinds of boundless might. Add to that, we are basically on duty 24-7, and in it for life.

Some days it feels like the Motherload is just too heavy to bear. The next it feels like the only thing keeping us afloat.

This Mother’s Day, I urge you to give yourself a great big heartful hug. You may not always do the job well, but I can bet, you are doing your best. Whether you are the mother of toddlers, teens, young adults, or adults with their own offspring, take a moment to celebrate yourself.

Motherhood is really quite a feat.

A lifelong endeavour – heartstrings attached.

She comes to the world A tiny tender being…

No guilt, no shame, no fear, no name And even if her form is slightly marred, ears curled… fingers wrinkled…

In fact she is flawless Pure and Worthy And for a single moment…

A defining moment A moment, and then a lifetime Everything changes The world is suddenly unrecognizable Brilliant and Complete There is Pain and Fear Pride and Jubilation Anguish and Awe And Love too colossal for words A new day beckons…

Two new spirits Dance A Baby And a Mother Are Born

33

Poem by Pat Fream Photo by Sheila Sepkowski

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Family

RBC Zoomobile Jungle Experience May 15, 11 – 12 noon, (free) The High River Centennial Library

FamilyEvents A listing of some family events in our local area... Get out there and have fun!

Ted Outerbridge, Illusionist March 18, 7 pm Highwood Memorial Centre

(tickets $25, students and seniors $15) Ted and Marion Outerbridge have combined real life experiences with a unique fusion of magic, dance, and theatre - and the result is Magical Moments in Time.

This world-class illusionist has played across Canada and in Europe, reaching into the minds and hearts of audiences and taking them on a magical journey through time. Comedy meets mindbending illusions, making for a uniquely bewitching and hilarious evening of entertainment. Call 403.652.4668 [HR]

Earth Day Celebration April 22, 10 am Okotoks Recreation Centre Lobby (tickets $5/child includes parent/caregiver) Preschoolers, along with their parent/ caregivers, are invited to join the Earth Day Celebration for an exciting hour of crafts, games and activities. Learn about recycling, composting, water and energy conservation and ways to make every family more ‘green’. Contact Darial Poxon at 403.938.8953 ext. 0 for more information. [OK]

Calgary Boys Choir May 8 High River United Church

34

The Calgary Boys Choir is a world-class choir that performs locally, nationally and internationally, presenting a wide variety repertoire. The choir has won a number of national and international awards and produced numerous recordings. http://calgaryboyschoir.ab.ca/source/home.htm [HR]

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

This exciting educational outreach experience from the Calgary Zoo will inspire audiences to be curious about the natural world, and to value and therefore conserve our natural heritage. Knowledgeable and experienced educators arrive with various teaching tools and visuals, including hands on biofacts such as skulls, fur, and claws, as well as live ambassador animals. Open to children 6-12 years and their parents/ guardians. Call or email to register by May 10, 403.652.2917 e-mail programhrlibrary@highriver.net [HR]

Little Britches Rodeo and Parade

May 17 High River Rodeo Grounds

Foothills Concierge Service

OPEN thursday to Saturday 12 to 5

On a Lark...

A collection of luxurious products that reflect the true essence of you and your home.

Wedding/Event Planning Personal Shopping House Checking Renovation Consulting

Redened

Where the past and the future meet in the present.

#4 Elma Street E, Okotoks, AB. www.deavabeadz.ca Tel. 403-938-6168 Erin Morrill

403-995-0352 Find us again at

18 North Railway Street Mon - Sat 10 am to 5 pm Sun 12 pm to 4 pm

For information or ticket prices: 403.652.3336 [HR]

Big Rock Animal Clinic

Bragg Creek Music Festival, May 28-30 Bragg Creek Performing Arts Centre

A unique event where Classical, Latin, Folk and Jazz genres converge, crossing conventional boundaries that usually define music with artists, Amy Bishop, Calum Graham, Steve Pineo, and more. Showcasing many talented artists and artisans who reside in and around the area. Local musicians will perform in various restaurants during the lunch and dinner hours. Festivities begin Friday night with youth bands. Saturday and Sunday musician workshops for only $5. Money raised will benefit Music Counts (www.musicounts.ca) For more information: braggcreekfestival.com [BC]

Clothesline Art Sale and Festival June 6, 10 am to 4 pm Leighton Art Centre

A selection of original works by Alberta’s top and emerging artists are displayed side by side on clotheslines. Artists will demonstrate their skills and there will be hand blown glass, silk scarves, jewelry, art cards and pottery for sale. Funds raised will be used to support educational activities of the Leighton Art Centre. Fun activities for the whole family including: art demonstrations, horse drawn hayrides, museum and gallery viewing, art activities for kids, a full food concession and live music. Call 403.931.3633 or visit www.leightoncentre.org [HR] = High River

[BC] = Bragg Creek

[OK] = Okotoks

[TV] = Turner Valley

[VN] = Vulcan

[MV] = Millarville

[BD] = Black Diamond

For event submissions email to: entertainment@routesmagazine.ca

Dr. Doyle A. Mullaney 5 North Railway Street, Okotoks

www.foothillsconcierge.com 403.603.8666

403-938-4171

-Laser Surgery -Equine Dentistry -Equine Ambulatory -Companion Animal Surgery -Companion Animal Dental Service

www.bigrockanimalclinic.com

Seeking Volunteers to Join our Board Commitment from individual community members is what keeps the D.A.R.E. Program running in the MD of Foothills

A Touch of Italy

We meet bimonthly in Okotoks on the 2nd Tuesday at 7:00 pm. to oversee delivery of D.A.R.E. and to ensure stable funding.

A Touch of Italy

Over 10,000 students served in Foothills schools since 1998

Consider joining our society In our 2nd decade investing in kids in the Foothills

Businesses In Okotoks

35

www.darefoothills.ca routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Business Directory

wellness Evolution Energy Healing

Helping you take control & reconnecting to your truth. Life coach and progressive angel card reader.

HigH RiveR Agency

Call Lisa: 403-312-3149

Get Found.

Get Noticed...Advertise!!

#5, 28 – 12th Avenue SE High River, Alberta Ph: 403-652-1426 Monday – Friday: 10:00 am – 3:30 pm

It Works!

SUBSCRIBE

TODAY 1 year: $14 2 years: $24 3 years: $36

Lose inches of FAT as quick as 45min. www.studio304.itworks.net Call Tracy: 403-554-4945

(Prices do not include GST) Summer

sports

building Serenity Bear Contracting

Decks, garages, basement development, millwork, cabinet building.

Call Heather: 403-601-6967 missygoo@telus.net

Hillbilly Arms Gunsmith Services

Repair & refurbish firearms. Sell, supply and mount scopes and accessories.

Call Dan: 403-646-2509 www.hillbillyarms.com

home Norwex

Clean with Microfiber Improving Quality of Life - clean without chemicals www.norwex.ca.

Call Brenda: 403-652-5254 brelay@telusplanet.net

Nikken Wellness - Products that address daily health concerns.

A business that will change your life.

Travel for Free.....No Really!!

Call Shari: 403-477-2273 www.tviexpress.com/shari

Stem Enhance ™

Breakthrough natural product releases body’s own adult stem cells to provide optimal health. Impossible dream?

Call Meg: 403-652-2162

yard The Garbage Bin Guys

Commercial, residential or acreage garbage bin delivery and yard clean up services.

HIGH RIVER • Self Storage Bays Ranging from 5’ x 10’ to 10’ x 30’ • Secure Outdoor RV Parking / On Site Management

Sidesaddle

udly n Ladies Pro The McLea Fine Art Preserve this E BISON PRAIRI TS the EYE than MEA

403-601-0541

info@goldenviewstorage.com www.goldenviewstorage.com

����������������������

������������������������������������������������������������

Resources, support, and practical help for your lifestyle and business needs.

Ph:403-603-8666 www.foothillsconcierge.com

36

Ph: 403-602-0166 www.inkmagic.com

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

UTE JAVAaRO THE crull ers: tasty tour coffee to

ay Place E DINgING SUAL FIN CA h house settin a rustic ranc

Fall 2009

The MacK

in

a rural hip lifestyle

magazine

ing: y. region includ foothills oks, Turner Valle ring the zine featuview, Nanton, Okot tary maga River, Long A complimen ond, High Black Diam

Winter 2009

lifestyle a rural hip

magazine

A compliment Black Diamo ary magazine featur nd, High River, ing Longview,the foothills region includ Nanton, Okoto ks, Turnering: Valley.

Nanton’s

pushes for Gold

ure food feat pany 40 Soup Com Route

JECT IFAX PRO RY ARY HISTO THE HAL CANADA’S MILIT PRESE RVING

Country Jazz, Blues and ROUTE on the BEAT including: . lls region the foothi Okotoks, Turner Valley featuring n, ary magazine Longview, Nanto A compliment nd, High River, Black Diamo

Get Found.Get Noticed... Advertise!!

Business Directory Advertising:

$75 per issue / $225 for one year

InkMagic International Ltd.

Affordable, compatible inkjet cartridges.

Use ‘RoutesMag’ coupon to save 10%.

MORE

ABON LISA SZ eful Olympic hop

Call Kim: 403-333-8460

office Foothills Concierge Service

magazine

403-862-0724 www.mynikken.net/options4everyone

travel Travel/Business Opportunity

lifestyle a rural hip

2009

Ph:403.880.4784 business@routesmagazine.ca

Unique & beautiful gifts that inspire, heal and awaken the soul

Ph: 403.880.4784 info@routesmagazine.ca www.routesmagazine.ca

• Artist Prints • Greeting Cards • Art Cards • • Bookmarks • Magnets • Affirmation Products •

37

Okotoks, AB • Phone: (403) 554-2176 Shop online at:

www.mandalareflections.com routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Detours

THE HOMESTRETCH

Spring

TO

Are You Ready For Spring? We Are!

By Bert Coates

S

ometimes spring comes in like a lion - although what lions and snowstorms have in common isn’t clear. Or it can come in like a lamb, and then we get in some early rounds of golf. Frequently, the only green visible in spring is the remnants of St. Patrick’s Day which comes three days earlier than spring this year. Leave it to the Irish to get a jump on the season and celebrate early.

According to the Chinese calendar, this is the “Year of the Tiger,” which commenced in February as the Olympics began and the Tiger Woods jokes started to wane. Now that shouldn’t give Tigers (those born in 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938) a bad rap. Tigers are sensitive and capable of great sympathy and are deep thinkers (though they can be short tempered). They are suspicious but courageous and usually great protectors. I, however, am a Pig (by Chinese standards) known for our chivalrous, gallant natures and our tremendous fortitude and great honesty. Evidently, the Chinese are

38

optimists - they prefer to think the best of people. They also know how to celebrate - with costumes, fireworks, dancing and food. Maybe our main import from China should be their party spirit.

I say we Albertans should celebrate spring a little more vociferously! Maybe take a splash in the Highwood River, host a giant barn dance, or set a Guinness World Record for the longest line dance.

Or we could play ball! If I learned anything in Arizona this winter it was, if you take older adults and give them a ball, they will have a ball! Be it seniors’ baseball, golf or Pickleball (swatting a nerf ball with a racquet), seniors know how to have fun with it. Perhaps the rest us can learn from them. Maybe we take ourselves too seriously, or maybe long hard winters are hard on the sense of humour.

Could Nanton become the hopscotch capital of Canada? Might Tiddlywinks take over from Texas Hold ‘em in Longview? Could we organize a Main Street Checkers Shootout on Carlson’s patio in High River? There are lots of important issues to be ironed out this spring - maybe we need a Main Street Checkers Shoot Out. Now that the Alberta Rites of spring are upon us, take heart! Park that parka and come out of hibernation swinging.

Maybe it isn’t sunbathing weather down on the banks of the Sheep or Highwood rivers, but having some fun might just coax your spring spirit out of the closet.

I can hear the chants now – “Let’s play ball!” or “Where are my clubs?” or “Don’t step in that – it’s thawed.”

Bert Coates is a freelance writer-photographer who pledged to follow the sun and have fun in his semi-retirement. Much like he did during his working career in corporate public relations and as a magazine editor.

routesmagazine.ca

spring 2010

Attractive Teak Patio Furniture 6107 Centre Street SW | Calgary, AB 403.640.3700 | www.patioline.ca Located one block behind the Chinook LRT.

Exotic Functional Forever Yo u r S o u r c e F o r O u t d o o r L i v i n g

Come fall in love with Montrose in historic High River, where the pace of life gears down to a less hectic way of living with beautiful mountain views and lush parks along the river.

Visit Elegant Showhomes

escapethecity.ca