ROCK N ROLL DREAMS COME TRUE

I once had a friend tell me I had the whole horse up my ass, not just the horse shoes when it came to my "luck" in meeting the heavy metal bands whose posters were my wallpaper of choice as a teenager.

I've definitely had fate on my side a few times, a chance encounter with Tom Keifer (lead singer of Cinderella) on Bay street led to an invitation by him to be put on their guest list for that nights show. I won an all expenses trip to Orlando, Florida for the VIP Grand Opening of the Hard Rock's Vault Museum where it was like my teenage bedroom wall came to life! I got to attend a party with Brian Johnson of AC/DC, Zak Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne's band and Black Label Society, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, Slash and Duff of the original Guns N Roses, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and so many more.

Two highlights of that trip; One, getting a second chance to talk to Nikki Sixx. I had met him a couple years earlier at a music store signing, but was so dumbstruck I couldn't say anything. Getting a second chance to actually talk to him was awesome and a lot easier in a party atmosphere when I didn't have a time line of how long I could chat. Two, like me, Duff McKagan is an early riser, and I'm thrilled to say I didn't get to have breakfast with him just once, but twice! Super nice guy and I enjoyed our talks over breakfast immensely while everyone else was still sleeping.

One of the things I love, even more then me meeting my favorite bands is when I get to witness a friend meet theirs, and that happened again this past Saturday.

As a 40th birthday present to myself, I treated myself to the "I Love All Access 5 Star VIP Package" for the Def Leppard concert on Saturday, July 4th at the Molson Amphitheatre. The package included a pre-show party, goodie bag, and a seat within the first 10 rows, we got second row seats! I went with Brian, a friend of mine who is a huge Def Leppard fan too. I was thrilled when Brian got to meet one of his idols, Phil Collen, who plays guitar for the band. I knew the elation he felt, having experienced it myself so many times before. And I was pretty pumped to be meeting him too, but truly, more for Brian.

I've often wondered if these "rock stars" know how much meeting them means to us, the fans. They meet so many people, and sometimes the meetings are just mere moments that they most likely never think of again, but us, we carry them around in our hearts forever, like priceless treasures.

I have many more stories I could share, I have been an 80's metal fan for well over half my life now and their still out there touring and I'm still going to the shows. It's only rock and roll, but I love it!

A PROUD CANADIAN

Yesterday this fine country of ours turned 142 years old. Rob and I had decided earlier in the week that we were just going to spend the day together and stay home. Still, I wanted to do something to acknowledge the day.

I did something I haven't done in many, many years, I dug out my Stompin Tom Connors cassette and played the whole thing, a couple times!

For those of you who don't know who Stompin Tom Connors is, I'll give you the short version, he's a proud Canadian who also sings folk/country songs all about the great country of Canada, every inch of it. Some of them are silly, catchy songs and some are serious history lessons in some tragedies that have happened here.

My very first concert was Stompin Tom, I was 5 years old and my father took me. I can still remember him walking out to play, dressed all in black, carrying his "board" which he stomps his foot on. I remember he told a joke about his home province of P.E.I., and 15 years later when I saw him again in Toronto, he told that same joke.

He's touring again this summer, and I'm going to look into going to see him again, as he's 73 years old now, and this may be my last chance to see this very proud Canadian in concert once again, singing about the country I love so much.

MONDAY MOVIE

I have wanted to see the movie "One Week" starring Joshua Jackson since I first started seeing trailers for it. I didn't make it to the theatre to see it when it came out, but finally got around to renting it last night.

I don't think you have to be Canadian to enjoy this movie, but I have to admit, I LOVED that the whole movie takes place in Canada. I loved the Tim Horton's coffee cups, the newfies and all the beautiful Canadian scenery.

The movie has a pretty serious storyline, and a great message. It's about a guy who's probably in his early 30's who gets diagnosed with late stage cancer and how he deals with that. It's not all doom and gloom and is very heartwarming and enjoyable to watch.

With it being a holiday here tomorrow, Canada Day, and the weather not suppose to be the greatest, I highly recommend picking up this movie to watch, it will make you proud to be a Canadian.

Remember, it's not about when you die, it's how you live!

BUNTING AT THE BADLANDS

This past Friday, Rob and I didn't want to do too much, but we didn't want to stay home all day either. So, we decided to take a drive out to a beautiful little village called Belfountain, and also stop into the "Badlands" on the way there.

The Badlands is an area that at one time was covered in water and is just cool to see, check out the photos below.

We hadn't really thought about viewing birds while we were there, but that all changed not long after we got there. Rob spotted a male Indigo Bunting in a tree! (pictured above) It was my first time seeing one, and I got to watch him for quite a while before he flew off. What a beautiful little guy!

After our stop at the Badlands, we drove into Belfountain and stopped for an ice cream cone, and headed back home. We also stopped into the Apple Factory on the way back and picked up some local fresh strawberries, local asparagus, apple cinnamon mini cakes, and a fresh baked strawberry/rhubarb pie, it was still warm!

It was a great little outing, and we finished the day by having a BBQ at home. Below are a few pics from the day, click on them to enlarge them.


The "Badlands!"


Rob took this picture of the male Indigo Bunting we saw.


Rob in the middle of the Badlands.


Taken from the other side.

CARDEN PLAIN-BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS!

Another big birding outing yesterday. This time it was to an important birding area called "Carden Plain", it's about 2 hours north of Toronto and located between Kirkfield and Orillia. Over 200 species of birds migrate and breed here, some of them endangered species, and the land is now protected.

We were very excited to visit this important area, and were not disappointed with the sightings we had. We saw many birds for the first time and I know going to this area will be a yearly occurrence, if not more. The sights were breath taking.

I've posted some pictures below of a few of the birds that stood out for me, some of them I've borrowed from Google Images, so you can get a better look at what I saw, and some of them Rob was able to get a pretty good shot of, so I used some of his too.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them, enjoy!


The Eastern Meadowlark was one of the two birds I was really hoping to see on this trip, and it was actually the first bird we saw upon entering the area. We saw quite a few singing from the tops of trees.


Rob snapped this shot of one of the many Yellow Warblers we saw in the area.


Rob was able to capture a pair of Eastern Bluebirds in one shot. We saw many, much to our delight.


We were pleased to have many sightings of this unique and beautiful bird, the Bobolink.


This was our first time seeing a Brown Thrasher, and we saw quite a few flying around. Rob took this picture of one.


Another first, an Upland Sandpiper, they looked so outta place sitting on fences and trees. Another shot of Rob's.


The Eastern Towhee was the second bird I was really hoping to see, and we did close to the end of our trip.

BIRD NERD I AM

Yesterday our love of birds and bird watching reached a new level when we went out with an organized group for the first time.

We found out about the free outing through a flyer posted at the bird store we visit weekly for supplies or a good bird chat. The walks are taking place on Mon. and Wed. through the month of June at 7:30AM and last about 2 hours. We were in the store on Tues. and are on our last week of holidays, so yesterday was the only day we could go this month, we even gave up tickets to go see "We Will Rock You" because we knew we'd have to be up early and well rested to enjoy the bird outing.

It was so worth getting out of bed early for! We met about 14 others and were led through an area of Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga by a birding expert. We saw many different species, more then we ever had in one outing and learned many new things.

We enjoyed it so much we plan on going back in September when they have organized walks again on Wednesday afternoons and are even looking into joining a birding club.

I've posted three pictures of some birds I saw yesterday for the first time. I didn't take these pictures, I was enjoying them with my eye yesterday, not watching through a lens.


Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I actually gasped when I saw him!



Common-Yellowthroat. A type of warbler.


American Redstart. I believe I saw one of these when I was in PEI two summers ago, but got a much better look yesterday.

I'VE ENTERED A NEW DECADE!

I'm going to interrupt my Nova Scotia trip posts to tell you about something exciting that happened on Wed. June 10th, I turned 40!

I started the celebration early by having some friends over for a BBQ and birthday cake on Sunday afternoon. It was nice to have my mother here to celebrate my birthday, that hasn't happened in 20 years.

On Wednesday, Rob, my mother and I went to Cora's for brunch before dropping my Mom off at a friends place for the night in Cambridge. Rob and I went over to St. Jacob's for the day and spent the night at the Maryhill Inn.

I had a fabulous day!

TASTES OF HOME

There are certain foods I anticipate with a watering mouth every year when I go home, as I only get to enjoy and indulge in them while there.


It may not look very appetizing, but a Damascus Donair is a must for me.


King Lam egg rolls are simply the best.


Murphy's deep fried whole clams....I usually have these twice!


Blueberry pie made with Nova Scotia blueberries.


A fried bologna sandwich with ketchup, a maritime tradition!


A fresh cooked lobster before.


After I'm done!

THE CHIMNEY SWIFTS OF WOLFVILLE, NS

When I landed in Halifax on May 29th my mother picked me up at the airport and we drove to the beautiful little town of Wolfville to spend the night with my Aunt Lucille and Uncle Jim.

I was quite excited about going over there, as I knew about the chance to watch the chimney swifts go in for their nightly roost and add another bird to my life list. A "life list" is the list of birds you see in your life-time, and for a birder it's exciting stuff!

To make a long story short, Robie Tuft, a long-time Wolfville resident and renowned ornithologist saved an unused factory dairy farm chimney from being destroyed and had it relocated to the centre of town, as it had been used for many years by the migratory bird, "The Chimney Swift". The chimney is now located at what is called the "Robie Tufts Nature Center" and you can read all about that and the bird by clicking the name.

Here's what I experienced. At dusk a few of the birds start circling the chimney and they do this over and over, making huge circles over the town, but always coming back to the chimney. This goes on for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. As they do this, more and more of the birds gather, until the whole flock is there, and as they do this, the circle gets smaller until they are just swooping and circling over the chimney. Just before the sun sets, in one magical moment, they start down the chimney, one after the other to roost for the night. It's over in a moment but so miraculous to see! I saw about 100 birds go in for the night.

It was difficult to get a good picture as it was a little rainy that night, and I didn't want to watch the whole thing through the lens, as I may never see this amazing bird show again.


The Robie Tufts Nature Centre.


A few of the Chimney Swifts going down the chimney to roost for the night.

I'M BACK

I got back from my trip yesterday afternoon, but still have two more weeks of vacation ahead and lots planned. My Mother came back with me on the train and is here for the next week.

I had a wonderful time in Nova Scotia. Did so many things that I will have to take some time to blog about after vacation has come to an end and things calm down. I'll probably be blogging about this vacation into the winter!

Highlights of my trip that I will be blogging about in the future; Seeing the Chimney Swifts in Wolfville, going out on a boat in Lunenburg and seeing the Puffins, spending a great afternoon in Tatamagouche, and of course, eating fresh seafood everyday!

ON VACATION

This will be my last post for a few weeks. I start a three week vacation after work today and am leaving for Nova Scotia in the morning.

I'm really looking forward to my trip home this year as I have lots of "touristy" stuff planned. It's always nice to see Mom & Dad, family & friends, but sometimes I think they forget it's my "vacation" and I want to do stuff, not just visit.

This year Mom and I are spending a night at a beautiful B & B in Lunenburg and going on a 3 hour whale watching tour where I'll be able to see the Atlantic sea bird, Puffins, for the first time. We also have plans to spend time in Wolfville, Liverpool, Fishermans Cove, Tatamagouche and of course Truro, where I'm from.

I'm also looking forward to having some great seafood and doing some shopping while I'm there. It's going to be a good trip!


Looking forward to seeing the Puffins.


Will be seeing the Chimney Swifts come in for their nightly roost in Wolfville.


Fresh lobster, nothing like it!


Lunenburg Waterfront.


This old train station in Tatamagouche has been renovated into a restaurant and motel, and was featured in the CBC production, "The Week the Women Went".

RATTRAY MARSH

On Saturday we decided to check out a new park that a fellow blogger told us about called "Rattray Marsh" in Mississauga, off of Lake Shore. Great walking trails with lots of "look out" spots. We forgot to take a picture of the Marsh, duh! Oh well, it's a good excuse to go back.

I'm sure Rob will do a more detailed blog about our time there, but I just wanted to share a few pictures with you.

Rob on one of the many walking trails through the woods and along the marsh.


Female Red-Winged Blackbird sitting in her nest, probably on eggs. Hardest picture to take as the nest is out in the Marsh and very well camouflaged, I only found it because I watched her land in it.


We think this is the silhouette of an Eastern Meadowlark, but with the angle of the sun, we couldn't really see him.


Me at one of the "look out points" along the trail, the marsh is just to my right.


Male Red-Winged blackbird looking down at us.

CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE

The first bird to ever land in my hand to take some seed was a chickadee at a park close to our house. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I ever had. It also made the chickadee's one of my favorite birds. Since then I've had them land in my hand lots of time for seed, and have always been disappointed on a birdwatching outing when they haven't.

We didn't have chickadee's in the yard for a couple years despite our attempts with their favorite seed and feeders. It was rather frustrating as we knew how close to the house they were because of the park nearby. Finally, one day we heard that familiar call, "fee bee, fee bee" and a chickadee was here, but he didn't stay long and only came around now and again.

This year all that changed, and I am very happy to report that we have a pair of nesting chickadee's in the yard! They chose to move into a birdhouse that has been up in the yard for a few years now, and was put up as more of a decoration then anything else. We didn't know at the time that this shape of birdhouse is the chickadee's favorite.

It's been fun to first watch them check the place over, and over again. This went on for at least two weeks, and then finally move in and build a nest. I don't think the eggs have hatched yet, as we see both of them flying around the yard a lot for food. It's very enjoyable to watch them pop in and out of their house, and we're waiting patiently for the little ones to arrive.

Rob snapped the beautiful picture above of the male chickadee yesterday afternoon, just before he went into his house. He has some food (a bug) in his beak, for his lady.

Here's another picture taken in early May before the lilacs bloomed to give you a better look at their nesting home. I wish I could see inside!

ANGELS & DEMONS

The Da Vinci Code is one of my favorite books, and I was pretty disappointed with the movie. For this reason I wasn't sure if I was going to see Angel's & Demons, even though I had just recently finished the book.

Yesterday afternoon I had some time to kill before meeting up with friends, (which you can read all about here) and decided to go see it.

I am happy to report that I really enjoyed the movie! They changed it quite a bit, but I liked the changes and I think it made for a better movie. I'm really glad I decided to see it after all.

There is something quite decadent about leaving work early to take in an afternoon movie by yourself and I'm sure I'll be doing that again in the future.

JERSEY BOYS GETS EXTENDED AGAIN!

I woke up to happy news, the "Jersey Boys" has been extended here in Toronto right through the summer, until September 27th, 2009!

I love this musical. I first saw it back on March 24th with a girlfriend and was truly blown away. I left the theatre knowing I'd be back to see it again. I purchased first row of "premium seating" (which means your actually in the 3rd row) for Rob and I to attend on Saturday, May 2nd not long after seeing it. It was amazing, again! And it was great to be so close. Seeing the facial expressions of the actors helped get me into the story even more, as well as all the great songs. Rob really enjoyed the show too, more then he thought he would. It's hard not to sing along and get up and dance! I'm glad you get a small opportunity to do that at the end of the show, it's much needed!

As much as I love all the music in the show, it's Frankie Valli's story that truly impresses me. His loyalty to his friends, even when they may not of deserved it, is heart warming.

Jeff Madden, a local actor plays Frankie like he was born to do it, and the whole cast if fantastic.

It's a show you can't see just once and I'm sure I'll be seeing again now that it's been extended for a few more months, and they say "third times the charm!"

SUPER EASY PORK RIBS RECIPE

I like to cook, but don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, so when I find a fast and good recipe, I like to share it.

This one is for pork ribs, and they turned out wonderful, very moist and tender. We had them with a garden salad, corn on the cob, and baby potatoes. This was our holiday Monday meal, and it was a good one!

The recipe:

1 bottle of BBQ Sauce (any flavour you like, I used the 750 ml size)
1 Cup of Orange Juice

That's it!! Mix together and pour over ribs in a roasting pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours, or remove from oven after 2 hours and place on hot bbq grill for a few minutes per side while continuing to brush with sauce mixture.

I did them in the oven for 3 hours, but next time I'm going to try to finish them on the grill, and see how they are.

Recipe was found at www.cooks.com
Enjoy!