July 22, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “The Kiss”

After capturing on of the smallest sculptures on Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk yesterday, “Sova” today I have a large sculpture for you that can be found among other works outside of Castlegar City Hall and the Castlegar RCMP Detachment. “The Kiss” is absolutely beautiful, the way the sun hits it makes it an inspirational piece of aluminum art to behold. Dedicated to all of the loving hearts separated by law, “The Kiss” is not only significant because of its physical majesty but because of it’s message.

“The Kiss” comes to Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk from Serge Mozhnevsky who is based out if Coquitlam, British Columbia (yes another talented BC artist). For more one “The Kiss” click here.

Visiting Columbia Gardens Vineyard & Winery

I had a busy Saturday.

I started the day off Saturday morning trip the Peak Physique and a stroll around the Castlegar Market and then I came home to Trail for a quick bite to eat and a quick grocery trip to Ferraro Foods.  I felt a little inspired when I finished unpacking my groceries and made a trip up the hill to Columbia Gardens Vineyard  & Winery.

Our GOAT Account Executive Ray inspired me to make the trip. I am gathering together some of the Kootenay Boundary’s finest products for a gift basket and Ray suggested that rather than go with his suggestions for wines that I should go visit them and try them out myself.  I am a red girl so I already had that determined but I sampled three of the winery’s reds and enjoyed them all. In total I now have four bottles from Columbia Gardens for the basket, the Station Road Rose and three Red (DeJager’s Merlot, Foch Private Reserve and Kootenay Red).

Included in my three reds is Kootenay Red, a bold red wine with a story! If you visit Columbia Garden’s you need to ask about the story that inspired the bottle’s cartoon label. They had me at bear cub…

While at Columbia Gardens I had to ask Tersia De Jager about her accent and the story about moving to the Kootenay Boundary. Terisa tells the story best here:

Also, Terisa showed me around the Guest House that they are developing at the Vineyard and it is absolutely lovely. Here are a few sneak peak photos! I know the guesthouse is going to be the perfect place for wedding parties and functions in the future.

A sneak peak at a room in the guest house.

Terisa De Jager also showed me around one of the areas where weddings are hosted in the vineyard. So many happy memories will be made here!

To see Columbia Gardens Vineyard  & Winery’s full wine catalogue and all of their services click here.

I am so excited to have a fridge full of wine right now! I wish I had bought more from the “The Burl” at the Vineyard. You can do a wine tasting there and check out amazing homemade goods for your home. All of the gifts in the “The Burl” are handmade pieces and one of a kind!

As you can see the deck is the perfect place to look out over the vines and sip a glass of wine.

Celebrating Children's Day - Michelle Pierce on Morning Rocks

It is Children’s Day, as you can see if you open up Google (it is featured on today’s doodle). If you are

looking to take part in a great event right here in the Kootenays for Children’s day you can check out the celebration going on at Kootenay Family Place Neighbourhood House. Michelle Pierce joined us on Morning Rocks this morning to give us all the details.

You can also visit Mountain FM’s event page to learn more.

My First Visit to Confusion Taco Food Truck

Have you been to Confusion Taco yet?

Stop reading and track that food truck down right now if your answer is anything less than, “not this week”.

Serious taco game rides around in that truck everyday. I FINALLY got to lunch at Confusion Taco during the food trucks visit to Castlegar this Tuesday.

Boy was I impressed; friendly staff, an impressive collection of hot sauces and amazing food at a great price. It was the perfect treat and it makes me want to skip packing Tuesday lunches all the time.

I always ask for a recommendation on my first trip to a new spot, I asked them to give me their best; the fan favorite and they presented me with the Baja Fish. I LOVE a good fish taco and this taco was better than some of the fish tacos I have had in SoCal. Seriously, you won't believe these bad boys are served out of the back of a truck. My big thing is that a taco has to be moist with salsa and sauces and not messy. Not a drip from this taco and it was still full of amazing flavor from the cilantro slaw, salsa and avocado mayo. And the tempura pacific cod was perfectly cooked, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I would never have picked a fish taco for myself (I usually stick with beef and chicken outside of California), but I am sure happy they picked it for me!

Next time I am going to have a heavy dose of Confusion, I think I will skip breakfast and wait till lunch for the Sloppy Jalope. And, maybe even a Great Canadian Taquito for a 3 o’clock wall snack. Here is a look at the menu (right).

Thank you Confusion Taco, you made my lunch delicious, the best way to start a short work week!

Here is snapshot of their spicy schedule:

-Castlegar: Tuesdays (across from Kootenay Market)

-Fruitvale: Wednesday and Friday

-Salmo: Thursday

For more on Confusion Taco check out their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ConfusionTaco

Trish Bruce Makes Her Radio Debut on 'Calls From Kate's Mom' the Miley Cyrus VMA Edition

My mother is one of my favorite people on earth. Seriously, we hang out a lot when we are living in the same province. Now that I am a big girl and have moved across the country we haven’t lost touch though, Facebook keeps us connected with messages about everything from family updates to Miley Cyrus’s VMA performance. After days of casual messages discussing our disgust for Smiley Miley’s raunchy display I decided it was time to let her vent and a great opportunity for the Kootenays to meet my mother, Trish Bruce.

Here is the first (and maybe the last) segment of ‘Calls from Kate’s Mom’.

Kate Bruce, Lunchhour Refundable Queen

I am new to BC; I have lived here for about a month and a half now and some things are pretty different than my east coast home. In Nova Scotia my family is all about recycling, especially when it comes to refundables. Living with my boyfriend’s parents in Alberta it was pretty simple, everything went curbside and was sorted there. We never took the time to take them back ourselves. This kind of bothered me, every time I saw the wine bottles and drink cans go into the blue bin I thought of the small increment of change we could be saving for something… anything.

Now that we (my boyfriend and I) are out on our own, spreading our wings in the Kootenays I have once again become an avid recycling Queen. Why? Well, because every penny saved adds up (just ask Gail Vaz-Oxlade, her book coming up in Week 6 of my reading challenge is pushing me to be as financially responsible as possible). Also, the staff at Castlegar’s Return-It depot are avid Mountain FM listeners and I love going out and seeing the people who make it possible for me to pay my bills doing what I love.

I visited the Return-It depot on Columbia Ave. today on my lunch hour, right after my show at around 2:15pm. In heals and a dress, I was totally ignorant to the fact that here in BC you sort your own refundables. I stood looking at the sign for the longest time, dodging wasps and figuring it out for myself. I will admit, it would have been a pretty funny YouTube video; I looked totally clueless. After a while I figured it out, my sorting started to speed up and I moved the trays over to the counting counter (not sure how to describe that any better).

The best part came next, after the lovely lady working at the Depot counted my five trays of refundables she handed me a crisp $5.00 bill and two quarters. Not bad for something that takes just a minute of my time daily and a few minutes on my lunch break once a month. Straight into my Disney World fund it goes! Working my first real-world job I live on a pretty tight budget so I am constantly trying to find ways to get more out of my money.

I know you are thinking, lamest blog post ever Kate, everyone knows about returning bottles for cash. I know you know that I know that. Some people totally take this for granted, not only did I make a little bonus cash I helped out the environment. I learned a quick, easy and a little dirty lesson in plastics and materials and got to see support the people who make it possible to work at a job I love. Plus, plus, (a little dirty minus), plus and plus.

Seriously, if you don’t want your refundables you know where to find me between 10am-2pm everyday… but you would have to be pretty lazy to give that easy money!

Nelson's Marketfest

Buy local is a movement very close to my heart. My parents both own their own small businesses in my hometown in Nova Scotia. Our family farm is a constant reminder to me when I am shopping for groceries that it is important to source where your foods (and products) are coming from. I had a great time checking out Nelson's Marketfest last Friday night; it was a really cool spin on traditional market style shopping. 

            Marketfest has everything from gelato to homemade jewelry and clothing. I was so impressed with the assortment of food trucks and vendors out on a Friday night. The streets were packed with people, lining up to look at all of the marvels of Marketfest. On top of it all there was great live music on the two stages on opposite ends to the market.

            I strongly recommend checking out the next Marketfest, Baker Street will transform again Friday, August 23 from 6pm to 10:30pm. It is a great night full of fun for the whole family. 

Tanker Spill Breaking News Update 2:00PM

Mountain FM's latest updated on the overturned tanker leaking into Lemon Creek and the Slocan Valley evacuations. The evacuation order put in place yesterday has been lifted and Highway 6 has reopened.a 24-hour restrictive order for people using source water for drinking and irrigation remains in effect. A total of 579 residents were evacuated during the 'State of Emergency' to three reception Centre. 

Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sandsations

If you are in Castlegar you need to go down to Pioneer Arena and check out the amazing sand sculptures produced in this years Castlegar Sculpture Walk: Sandsations walk.

They are amazing! I look at them and envy the skill used to make such incredible mounds of art. I kept an eye on the process a couple of weekends ago when the artists were creating their works and the process is simply extraordinary.

Growing up on the East Coast (in Nova Scotia) I never was even able to work out the process to make the perfect sandcastle with a mold. I cannot imagine the time, effort and skill used to make these masterpieces.

I have never seen sand made into art in such an impressive fashion. I saw some incredible pieces of work while in Nelson in Canada Day too, does everyone in the Kootenays know the secret to sandsculpting?

John McKinnon, Peter Vogelaar, Denis Kleine and David Ducharme know the sand secret, that is for sure. They have mastered this year's theme 'Fairy Tales', each work is an adventure into another world where the mystical and magical can happen. You must make a trip down to Pioneer Arena and see these incredible pieces of art this summer! 

My First Car Wash Experience

Over the weekend Mountain FM had the chance to team up with the crew at the Lion’s Head Pub in

Robson for their charity bikini car wash. I was pretty excited, I had never been part of a car wash before, not even as a kid in girl scouts.

I had so much fun! Although I clearly missed the note about bikinis (as you can see in the photo), I still had a great time. And, the Mountain FM cruiser never has sparkled like it does right now! The entire crew of brave women (and one gentleman) who sported bikinis for this great cause need to be commended for putting on such a great event, they worked their ta-tas off!

After hours in the hot sun, the crew raked in $1600 for breast cancer! AMAZING! They spent the entire day out in the hot Kootenay sun and did not quit until every last vehicle, boat, fire truck and motorcycle was shining.  

Callie was also their getting ready to chop her locks off to make wigs for those who loss their hair to cancer. Below you can hear her story. 

The Conjuring with Jenny & Kate

When I was a child I loved horror movies.

As an adult, horror movies make me feel old and silly.

Why? Still not 100% sure. I think it has to do with a feeling that I was invisible, as an adult I have realized I am SO totally vulnerable. Also, pretty freakin’ co-dependent, watching a horror flick melts my mind. I live in fear of shapes and shadows until the sunrises. I can't even watch late night TV without my remote close by, every time a creepy trailer airs I have to change the channel. 

As a child, I would hide my eyes and wait for the shocking part of the scare to be over and then look up at the screen. As an adult, I do the exact same thing… longer. So long in fact that I scared myself more than needed, catching the most terrifying moment of ‘The Conjuring’ when I saw it Saturday night. I missed an entire scene of the movie and popped up at the worst possible second. I was so scared a full scream escaped my lips, making me look (and sound) foolish; giving the entire theatre a laugh.

On the plus side, I have not lost a minute of sleep yet (it has only been two nights since the viewing). But, I have a feeling that will change living in the basement (the most haunted part of most houses, as horror movies have taught us) of an old house in Nelson.

My little scream at Kootenay Centre Cinema is one of the most shameful moments of my life. It has been a long time since I have been so embarrassed. Thank goodness Afternoon Drive Hostess; Jenny Fines was beside me, screaming at the exact same time.  

Give the following sound clip a listen to hear our ‘The Conjuring’ experience! If you love to be scared (or to watch people be scared) you need to go see it!