text:
Hudson police log, Sept. 6 edition
Thursday, Aug. 22
10:05 a.m. Kane Industrial Dr. Annoying phone calls.
10:54 a.m. Brigham Cir. Medical.
11:28 a.m. Curley Dr. Medical.
1:40 p.m. Washington St. Larceny.
2:20 p.m. Arrested, Christopher L. Cormier, 24, of 9 Fort Meadow Dr., Hudson, for larceny over $250.
2:33 p.m. Arrested, Andrew Valchuisio, 24, of 30 Highland St., Hudson, for A&B on +60/disabled with injury, larceny over $250.
4:33 p.m. Washington St. Larceny.
6:50 p.m. Summer St. TRO & harassment violation.
7:09 p.m. Lake/Marion Sts. Suspicious activity.
9:34 p.m. Arrested, Emma Marie Boreson, 39, of 18 Church St., Apt. 2nd, Marlborough, for harassment restraining order violation.
10:09 p.m. Central St. Disturbance/general.
Friday, Aug. 23
7:09 a.m. Lakeside Ave. Medical.
9:14 a.m. High St. MVA – leaving scene.
11:07 a.m. Curley Dr. Disturbance/general.
12:55 p.m. Washington St. Child in street.
3:45 p.m. Technology Dr. MVA with property damage.
5:04 p.m. 290 Connector. MVA with property damage.
7:07 p.m. Shay Rd./Causeway St. Suspicious activity.
8:25 p.m. Pope St. Larceny.
9:22 p.m. Main St. Suspicious activity.
10:17 p.m. Arrested, Pablo H. Vergara, 47, of 14 Spruce St., Methuen, for possession of Class B with intent to distribute, possession of Class B substance.
11:14 p.m. Cottage St. Noise complaint.
Saturday, Aug. 24
5:22 a.m. Parmenter Rd. Suspicious activity.
8:53 a.m. Lincoln St. MVA with property damage.
2:18 p.m. High St. Medical.
10:55 p.m. Giasson St. Medical.
11:47 a.m. Houghton St. Suspicious activity.
Sunday, Aug. 25
12:44 a.m. Arrested, Matthew James McDonald, 20, of 18 Brigham St., Hudson, for speeding, operating after revocation.
2:40 a.m. Arrested, Charlotte C. McGuigan, 34, of 146 River St., Hudson, for OUI-liquor, operating to endanger.
10:20 a.m. Philip St. Disturbance/general.
11:24 a.m. John Robinson Rd. Suspicious activity.
12:45 p.m. Brigham St. MVA – leaving scene.
7:16 p.m. Highland Commons East. Medical.
8:04 p.m. Lincoln St. Suspicious activity.
9:43 p.m. Broad St. MVA with property damage.
10:11 p.m. Arrested, Luciano DeOliveira Rocha, 31, of 8 Lark Dr., Hudson, on warrant.
10:13 p.m. Felton St. Medical.
Monday, Aug. 26
12:18 a.m. Colburn Cir. Suspicious activity.
1:22 a.m. Arrested, Scott P. Martin, 20, of 336 Old Central St., Berlin, on warrant.
1:28 a.m. Lake St. Medical.
7:51 a.m. Brigham Cir. Medical.
10:23 a.m. Eaton Dr. Suspicious activity.
2:44 p.m. Champlain Dr. Annoying phone calls.
2:47 p.m. Central St. MVA with property damage.
2:52 p.m. Chapin Rd. Vandalism.
4:04 p.m. Green St. Disturbance/domestic.
8:40 p.m. Technology Dr. MVA with property damage.
9:25 p.m. Grove St. Annoying phone calls.
Tuesday, Aug. 27
8:26 a.m. Riffles Ln. Vandalism.
10:29 a.m. Old Bolton Rd. MVA with property damage.
11:41 a.m. Elm St. MVA with personal injury.
11:41 a.m. Old Bolton Rd. MVA with property damage.
12:24 p.m. Park St. Suspicious activity.
3:10 p.m. Main St. Annoying phone calls.
4:44 p.m. Elizabeth Rd. MVA with property damage.
6:58 p.m. Forest Ave. Suspicious activity.
9:01 p.m. Brigham St. Suspicious activity.
Wednesday, Aug. 28
6:10 a.m. Technology Dr. MVA with property damage.
6:36 a.m. Manning St. Noise complaint.
6:45 a.m. Pope St. Larceny.
The information from the police log is obtained directly from the official records maintained at each police station in our circulation area. It contains arrests and samplings of police activity. Those arrested are innocent until proven guilty. The Community Advocate will publish news of acquittals upon notification and a copy of court-issued documentation.
Short URL: http://communityadvocate.com/?p=39514


text:
Find accommodations in Arnedillo with the hotel list provided below. Explore our guide for inexpensive and discount hotel/motel rates in or near Arnedillo, Spain for your upcoming personal or group travel. Discover the best Arnedillo motel and hotel rooms. Browse the Arnedillo area hotels to find the perfect lodging! Please use the provided map of the Arnedillo hotels.The Arnedillo center point is about 14 miles from City Centre Calahorra and 17 miles from Logrono Agoncillo Airport.
Arnedillo Hotels/Accommodations
Next: See My Arnedillo Hotels with Pricing >

subset: commoncrawl


text:
View Poll Results: I would like to know what you think about the amount of detail in this thread...
- Voters
- 0. You may not vote on this poll
Over kill, way too much!
Just fine.
I would like to see more...
Results 1 to 6 of 6
October 3rd, 2009 #1
Adventures in Education: The Art Instruction Schools
Adventures in Education: The Art Instruction Schools
The point and purpose of this thread is to share my thoughts and experiences during my time with the Art Instruction Schools. This is not an advertisement for the Art Instruction Schools in anyway. I'm receiving nothing, other than providing useful information as a service to potential students. What will most likely happen is that I'll end up with a cease and desist order for exposing too much information on the lessons and violating their copyright. (That's probably a worst case scenario and most likely won't happen...) I will try to be non-biased and thoughtful in all of my posts. I'll attempt to give a summary of each lesson. I will also post my progress during the roughly next three years with scans of activities and assignment, as well as assessments from my teacher(s).
I have been desiring to attend an art school with a quality illustration program that could help improve my drawing and painting skills, as well as provide me with the solid foundation that I lack. I have found a few schools that could be right up my alley, which includes SCAD in Atlanta which I've visited, but have ran into the following road blocks: money, surviving in another state with out any help, cost of living, and being in over my head in debt due to student loans. (As you can tell, money or lack thereof is the common factor.) The economy was also a factor in my decision making. I have a job here in Texas and the market here is not as bad as it could be, but would I have a job in Georgia, Florida, etc. These issues pretty much narrowed me down to only distance learning programs.
I've known about the Art Instruction Schools off and on for a few years, but I've never really taken them seriously. I've seen their print ads, website, and television commercial. About a month or two ago, I applied for a scholarship on their website and received an entry form. My thinking at the time was, "If I receive a big enough scholarship, I'll giving it a shot." (See the following post from my sketchbook: clic aqui
BTW, I still don't know how I did...
A few days later, I received a call from the school's (Texas) recruiter who wanted to interview me the next day or the day after (saturday). I picked saturday so I could have some time to gathered up some references and sketches for the interview. He came to the house and gave an exhaustive introduction (one I'm sure that the poor bastard has given a thousand times over.) as well as going through all of lesson 1. (I didn't need to bother reading the workbook afterwards.) The recruiter also mentioned that the school provides all of the materials the student need. (This is for the most part unnecessary for me since I have most everything an artist needs except for a light-box and a hot model to pose for me.) If I happen to need a pencil, brush, etc, just give the school a call and I'll receive whatever in the mail. He also showcased the artwork of numerous artists including Charles Shultz (who should need no introduction) as well as a Disney comics favorite, Floyd Gottfredson. A lot of the stuff I saw was really impressive. He also showed me a copy of the school's magazine Illustrator, dedicated to showcasing student artwork. The recruiter viewed my sketches and told me that he wasn't expecting to see anything particularly good or on my level.
After officially accepting me, he spoke about tuition. For those interested, the total tuition came down to $3,485.00. (less then one semester at the Art School of Fort Lauderdale, which was approximately $7,000+ when I first inquired and growing) I agreed to pay $130 on a monthly basis. If I were to have any issues, I should call the school and either arrange to have my payments lowered (yet extended over a longer period of time) or ask to put everything on hold until I'm able to work everything out or decide to quit. At the interview I cut him my first check for $130.
Then the formalities came along, like filling out paper work, etc. The recruiter gave me my first a package consisting of my first two lessons (workbooks), folders to protect my assignments when I send them to the school, envelopes (one postage paid), a pair of Staedtler HB (no. 2) pencils, a worthless (in my opinion, but I'm a perfectionist who has already solved that problem, that's another story) plastic T-square, a copy of Illustrator, Orientation Handbook, and a Glossary & Resource book. Roughly a week or two later I received a box consisting of a congratulatory letter, an enrollment certificate, a Student ID card good for discounts (I don't know where. I guess I should give the school a call...), and a sketchbook, and a pair of Staedtler 2B.
About the Art Instruction schools:
The Art Instruction Schools is an art school offering a home study program, the Fundamentals of Art. The program is suppose to develop the student's skills from the ground up and includes all popular art techniques. The school has been around since 1914, and was founded in Minneapolis, MN by the Bureau of Engraving, Inc to train illustrator for a growing printing industry in the Midwest. The school is accredited by the DETC (Distance EDucation and Training Council), an accrediting agency of the U.S. Department of Education. The program also has the backing of the American Council on Education (ACE), allowing for the transfer of up to 24 college credit to over 3,00 school in the U.S. (This is based on grades and proficiency show in student's portfolio...) All of the instructors at the Art Instruction Schools do have degrees, if that means anything...
I guess I've covered all of the basics and gave the CA community a proper introduction. If anyone thinks I've missed anything in this first post or has any questions, please feel free to post me. I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.
Next time: The Gridding Fun with Lesson 1! or Divide Me a Picture in Seven Days!
Attached below:
Sample student artwork
1.) Cover for Illustrator magazine, "Buffalo Dancers" by Sherry Blanchard Stuart
2.) Sample art from graduate, Malone Samuels
3.) Sample art from graduate, Wayne Meineke
4.) Sample art out of Illustrator from top down:
"Individuals" by Doris Loes
"Duke" by Michael Hartman
"Second Wave" Frank Licsko
Hide this ad by registering as a memberOctober 6th, 2009 #2
Adventures in Education: Chapter 1.0
Adventures in Education: The Art Instruction Schools
Chapter 1.0 ~ Grid Me a River...
Lesson is pretty remedial. Takes me back to my middle school days of torment. (But that's another story...) Here the jest of what we learn:
- A little history
- How to use your cheap little T-square
- Drawing badly (Need for observation)
- Framing a Subject
- The Grid
- Subdividing, enlarging, and reducing with a grid
In other words, this lesson makes the bare-bones art student take an active step above the average crappie doodle that most people (not anyone here) to creating something that's a lot more accurate with a new tool, the grid. Using this method, the student should build up enough confidence to have that light turn on, and conclude, "Hey, I can do this!"
To get us started (I'm skipping the stuff on history and the T-square), the lesson pushes the need for observation. In order to drive the point home, our workbook provides us with examples, a photo of a fish, a simplified version, a version that incorporates the use of observation. Another set of examples is a simplified (cartoonish) sketch of a woman from visual memory and one drawn with observation. Then comes our next activity, drawing a seagull. (See attachment #1)
Still looking pretty bad? Having a hard time properly fitting that scene within that rectangle? I sure did. Thus bringing us to the frame. What's the frame, basically it's the rectangle that we draw around our subject in order to isolate it and draw it more accurately. Of course we have our examples, and an activity that has involves drawing a frame, using our T-square, around a cartoon caveman. (I know exciting...)
Next up, we dip our baby-toe into the magic of creating a grid. Once we understand how it'll be used, we step into reproduction and mapping. The lesson shows use how to use points on a grid to help us map out a football. We practice this via our next activity. (See attachment #2)
From there, we learn about subdividing our grid to help us recreate smaller or complicated areas of detail. As our chapter flies faster and faster, we delve into using grids to enlarge and reduce. Of course there are more activities, but it doesn't take much to figure out what they are or could be... (I skipped them anyway. )
Next time: The Assignment
October 6th, 2009 #3
Adventures in Education: Chapter 1.1 ~ The Cat, the boat, and the Hero
Adventures in Education:
Chapter 1.1 ~ The Cat, the Boat, and the Hero
Now we reach this lesson's assignment. The stuff our mysterious teacher over in Minneapolis will see. So what's the assignment? Well, we observe our models: cartoon dog's head, a cartoon cat, and superhero, and a boat. We choose which model to draw and use our tools the frame and the grid to reproduce the model. The workbook notes that the models are slightly smaller than the the rectangle printed on the provided assignment sheets. (which can be torn out.) Thus we must enlarge! But we (or I had) have a problem. Without PhotoShop, we can't mathematically translate the points on our grid from the smaller original to where they need to be on the larger grid. In other words, we (I) don't have any notches smaller than 1/32's of an inch. So we must use our observation skills to wing it. For me this involves lots of erasing, comparison, and erasing. I also have to note that the paper in the workbook has plate finish (no tooth), so it was an absolute necessity to sketch lightly, and to not dig in too deep unless I can commit. (This is similar to inking or creating pencils for an inker.) The rectangles printed on the assignment sheets do have a basic grid pre-printed. If you happen to need to subdivide it any further (which I did), you will draw them out very lightly.
In the end I had three assignment sheets, and drew three out of the four models:
- The superhero (See attachment #1 for the original and #2 for my final reproduction.)
- The boat (See attachment #3 for the original and #4 for my final reproduction.)
- The cat (See attachment #5 for the original and #6 for my final reproduction.)
Out of the three I thought the cat was the best among them.
Next time: Grading the Cat or How's my pussy?
October 7th, 2009 #4
Adventures in Education: Chapter 1.2 ~ The Cat's in the Mail...
Adventures in Education:
Chapter 1.2 ~ The Cat's in the Mail...
Okay let's review what we've (I've) done thus far... We learned about framing the subject, using the grid to transfer the subject, and how to enlarge and reduce the subject with the grid. Therefore we (I) had used these tools for Assignment #1...
I just received my grade for Assignment #1 earlier this week. It arrived with Lesson 3. My instructor wrote me a letter and made lots of notes on a pre-printed overlay (a little thicker than my 25 lb. tracing paper) of a correctly drawn cat. Here's what my instructor, in her letter, had graded me on:
- correct placement on the grid
- accuracy of size
- quality of reproduction
- neatness (of course)
Correct Placement:
My instructor notes that even though the lines were generally placed correctly on the grid, what I've drawn was not completely accurate. Note the green and pink lines drawn on the overlay. (See attachment #1) Also note the arrows as to which direction the lines need to be moved. We can conclude that what I've drawn has a great deal of distortion. An example of this is the cat's right eye (on your left) needed to drop some. (Compare to what I've drawn.) Another example was of the cat's tail. It should had been drawn a little higher as it curves upward.
Accuracy of Size:
My instructor says that the cat was enlarged correctly. With better observation or careful observation, as she puts it,(See Chapter 1.0), my drawing will improve.
Quality of Reproduction:
My instructor believes that the small details, curves, angles, etc were captured correctly in my version of the cat. (I think she must mean this in a general sense.) What she sees looks to be very promising. (Good. )
As a perfectionist, neatness is very important to me. When I can't achieve this goal it pisses me off and leaves me frustrated. In my instructor's view, I have achieved this.
Final Thoughts:
Over all, my instructor was very happy with this first assignment. I won't argue, even though the distortions I've produce don't leave me with many warm and fuzzy feelings inside. I notice this a lot in my work. In my current assignment, a seagull (coming soon), I've had to erase it numerous times because the belly's too fat, the tail doesn't look long enough, the wing's not positioned correctly, etc. (I'll show you in the next chapter. I've make snap-shots of the process.)
Final Grade: A-
Next time: Rough It Out or Simplify My Drawing
October 10th, 2009 #5
Adventures in Education: Chapter 2.0
Adventures in Education:
Chapter 2.0 ~ Shape My World
No, this isn't about touchyfeelly bull-shit, like saving the planet, this is all about freehand drawing techniques. In this lesson, we'll toss a side our grids and frames. (For now.) Our new goal is to capture life in a quick and accurate fashion. So how the heck do we pull that off?? That my friends will be all figured out by stepping through the following topics:
- A Brief Introduction and Some History...
- Basic Shape
- Positive and Negative Spaces
- Shapes and Volume
- Smooshing it All Together
Lesson 2 will provide the student with another tool in our arsenal. Probably something you already utilize to a certain extent, freehand drawing. In my opinion, this lesson with strengthen, refine, and/or add another layer of support to your artistic foundation. Maybe it will clarify some aspect of freehand drawing you didn't quite understand... (by the way, there's also a brief history lesson, but that's not so important.)
Basic Shapes:
Yes! You can use squares, circles, triangles, etc outside of elementary school! So why do we use them? In order to simplify our subject. Most everything can be simplified to basic shapes. Once we realize this face, the lesson starts to split hairs. We find out that there are two types of shapes. (This most likely will be a "No DUH!" moment...) The first type are geometric shape, forms we consider man-made (squares, rectangles, triangle, etc...) The other type of shapes we can utilize are organic shape, usually soft, round, sometimes blob-like. The only grey-area between these two types is the circle, which can be thought of as either geometric or organic. The book of course provides us with examples of subjects broken down into shapes.
To aid us in our geometric break down, the lesson brings up identifying the largest basic shape. This will be our foundation for our freehand drawings. To provide us some practice, our first activity involves identifying the largest basic shape. (See attachment #1)
Next up, we're going to bring our shapes together. Since we more or less know (or we should know...) that all subject are made up of basic shapes, we can take the next logical step by combining those shapes, as we draw, to build up our drawing. Start with the basic shape, then you smaller shapes, and gradually build towards your detail. Another thing the lesson alerts us to when combining our shapes are their proportions. Proportions are the relationships between the width and height of our shapes or subject. Corrects proportions will always make for a better drawing. Along with the examples, the portion also has another activity for more practice. (See attachment #2.)
Positive and Negative Spaces:
This may also take you back. Another tool for freehand drawing to spotting the positive (the subject) and negative (area around or in between the subject) spaces. The lesson claims that spotting positive and negative spaces will help in your accuracy. We also go into depth on external and internal spaces around the subject. Example are provided for both topics discussed. Of course another activity for more practice. (See attachment #3)Believe it or not, you can use negative spaces to judge the accuracy of your work. Comparing both positive and negative spaces will do that for you.
The lesson also discuses the road block of situations where the positive and negative spaces aren't so obvious. The suggested remedy for this problem is to group all active parts of the image and either make them positive or negative. The workbook presents and example photograph. For practice, (See attachment #4) the lesson presents us with a similar situation, a series of kitchen utensils hanging from a bar. The background seems to want to complicate things. (The tile, the wooden molding, etc.) But that can be over come.
Seeing positive and negative space can be at times a challenge. Often times, the mine will already have its own preconceived notion or image of what the subject looks like. One way of overcoming this is through viewing the subject upside down. Doing so will break through what the mind assumes and let you focus on the subject with more accuracy. It'll be easier to draw what you see and not what you think is suppose to be there. (See attachment #5 for the activity...)
Next time: Shape Up Some Volume or Welcome to the Third Dimension
November 28th, 2009 #6
Adventures in Education: Chapter 2.1 ~ Up-side-down with a Side of Volume
I hope everyone had a great Thanks Giving. Mine was laced with sugary magic.
It's been quite a while since my last post. At this point in time, I'm about to start my Lesson 4 assignment. I've also received a letter from the head instructor insuring me of my success since I've stuck around for this long. Whatever, on with the show...
Adventures in Education:
Chapter 2.1 ~ Up-side-down with a Side of Volume
I guess that's the best word to use for now. I had to re-skim what I've posted thus far. Once again it's been a while since my last post, and some things aren't so fresh in my mind. Between now and then, I realized the this threat was a great way to review what I was suppose to learn. So let's go over what's happened in Chapter 2.0:
Basic Shapes: The use of basic geometric and organic shapes to build any drawing with, always starting with the single largest shape.
Positive and Negative Spaces: We know that positive spaces make up our subject. Negative spaces make up everything else.
So now what?
Now all we have left to learn about are:
Upside Down Drawing
Shapes and Volume
Smooshing it All Together
Upside Down Drawing:
This is a little trick that once again takes us back to elementary or middle school. This will aid us in our search for positive and negative shapes. What's great about this technique is that it allows our mind to see the subject with fresh eyes, forcing it to toss out our preconceived notions of what the subject is "suppose" to look like. If your at home, work, where ever, find a photo, picture, etc. Study it for a moment. Then flip it over. Now you're not thinking about the "subject" its self, but it's shape, size, values, and the positive and negative spaces.
Now on to the activity! The next page is purposely printed upside down. Unless you can read upside down, you'll most likely flip your workbook around to read the directions. The gist of it is the you'll study the upside down photo, start seeing shapes and positive/negative spaces, and just draw without focusing on the subject. (See attachments #1 for the setup and #2 for the final.)
Shapes and Volume:
As we've already learned, the objects we try to draw are made up of shapes and line. Now we add this 3rd ingredient, volume. The volume of the shape is the amount of three demential space that an object takes up. (See attachments #3 and #4.) This point is prevalent whenever you attempt to model or create subjects in any 3D modeling package. As a 2D guy, when I draw, I faked depth and volume in my work. I fake that within the bounds of width and height. (X and Y axises) But in a 3D program (lightwave, Zbrush, Blender, etc) you're force to directly deal with space and volume. (Z-axis) If you refuse, your model looks like crap. It took a long time for me to wrap my mind around the Z-axis, and to force myself to find ways to deal with depth and volume within a 3D space. Yes, you will be faking volume and depth when drawing in two-dimensions, but it is your duty to learn how to "see" that space and be able to transfer what you "see" to that flat surface. That means to understand how objects rest in space.
To drive the point home, we'll take a glance at two very different versions of a shoelace wrapped around a pencil in attachment #4. Figure 1 to our left looks like something most people will draw, something flat and without depth. The shoestring looks to be embedded into the pencil. Yeah, the artist does suggest some depth thanks to shading and value, but it still looks as if both objects occupy the same space. To our right, we can not only tell that there is a shoestring and a pencil, but we are also left without any doubt as to how they're interacting. Unlike figure 1, the shoestring doesn't share the same space, let alone the same lines as the pencil. You can see the slight shadows underneath the shoelace. You can tell that it actually wraps around up, over, and back around again.
The next step is building volume. Just like when building with shapes, you'll break down your subject into three-dimensional objects: balls, cones, rectangles, etc. Start with the biggest shape, and build up your drawing from there. (See attachment #5 for activity.)
Smooshing it All Together:
This section is as advertised. We take what we've learn and apply it to our work. We even receive a step by step demonstration from an artist the recreates a moose in pencil. Afterwards we study the student gallery on the next two pages, where the book discuses how each student applied volume, space, and positives/negative spaces in their work. Then comes the Instructor Demonstration. In the demonstration, our book breaks down the techniques used by the instructor to draw Koko the gorilla.
Next time: Shape Madness! or Pimp My Seagull


text:
Kitchen Chef cookwares are specially designed with latest technology that saves oil, fuel and build health. Kitchen Chef is India's World-Class Cookware brand. In a span of five years since its inception, Kitchen Chef has crafted a niche segment for its products, much to the satisfaction of its customers. The Kitchen Chef range consists of - Frying Pans, Cook Pans, Deep Kadhais, Wok Kadhais, Chinese Woks, Mughalai Handis, Tavas and Griddles of all kinds, Grill Pans, Multi Cook Pots, Stew Pots, Sauce Pans, Steamers, Specialty Cookware Products, A Special Health Griddle and a Sandwich Grill apart from Wooden Accessories & a Recipe books.
Ask your Question :
Question Type :
Nick Name :
Your Question :
Question Type :
Nick Name :
Cool! Your question has been submitted.
Our masterminds are working on getting an answer. We will send you an email about it within 48 hours.POST A NEW QUESTION
Error While Submitting the Question. Please Try AgainTry Again
Displaying questions


text:
Yes, I can still type although the rest of my body isn't moving so well. Just got back from another wonderful trip to see Oma and Opa. We were celebrating Zoe's 1st birthday, if you can believe that! The stinker was that the girls' father had to change his plans last minute and couldn't travel with us. Instead he met us at the gate in Germany and dropped us off there on our way home. Which meant I had to endure a 2 hour airplane ride with 2 toddlers and myself.
Word to the wise: check with your airline before traveling about their infant policies, what kind of seats are available and whether your stroller will be meeting you planeside or in the Arrivals Hall. And then another piece of advice: don't believe anything they say and have a back up plan. This would be where I failed yesterday. Knowing that I couldn't have 2 infants on my lap, we booked one "child" seat and one "infant." European airlines don't allow personal car seats on the plane, but instead offer a little tiny belt that loops onto the adult one. Needless to say, they weren't impressed by my pulling the regular belt tight to the seat before strapping Eva in. So thank you to the nice strangers who answered the call for "A Volunteer Lap!"
Then there is the actual plane ride to deal with. On the way there, both girls fell asleep immediately and I had a relatively nice ride. Our return flight, however, was something else entirely. I am fully aware that it is probably not good parenting to allow your toddlers to eat box after box of M&M's. But these were desperate times. I'll leave it at that.
And then there was the stroller issue. Aware that Heathrow doesn't bring strollers back to their owners at the plane, we had spent several hours on the phone trying to understand how I was to carry 45 pounds of children and my belongings all the way to passport control and then to baggage claim. The final "solution" was to arrange for a wheelchair to carry us through the airport. (I'm dead serious. I have two toddlers; I am clearly handicapped.) The problem was when we got off the plane and my "Assistance" took one look and said, "Oh, we don't DO babies." I should have made a big stink but instead I just took a big breath and hauled everyone and everything through the airport, stopping at Passport Control long enough to have both kids make a break for it, with me running around behind the Immigration desk while screaming at them to come back. By the time we got to baggage, I was literally soaking wet.
And that, my friends, is a little cautionary tale about traveling with children. It doesn't mean I won't do it again (in fact, we have tickets booked in March) but it does mean that I won't stop at Plan A or Plan B. There will be a Plan C and probably a back up D in our future. Now I need to go find the ibuprofen.


text:
Book Search
The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland
2nd Edition
The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland has become an indispensable guide to the archaeology of this crucial period in Ireland's history. As well as providing an overview of the methods and practice of medieval Irish archaeology it provides a major survey of the monuments and material of the period -...
To Be Published March 31st 2016 by Routledge
A History of Settlement in Ireland
A History of Settlement in Ireland provides a stimulating and thought-provoking overview of the settlement history of Ireland from prehistory to the present day. Particular attention is paid to the issues of settlement change and distribution within the contexts of:* environment* demography*...
Published December 2nd 2011 by Routledge
The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland
`This eagerly awaited book is an outstanding and right up-to-date summary of every excavation and investigation undertaken in Ireland into the earthworks, castles, ecclesiastical buildings and towns of the period from the arrival of the Anglo-Normans to the mid-sixteenth century...a most welcome...
Published September 29th 1988 by Routledge


text:
Friends to all floraWalk in the Third Street entrance to Farmington City Hall, cast a glance to the left, and it is all but impossible to miss the nearly seven-foot Norfolk Pine standing just inside the doorway.
By: Michelle Leonard, The Farmington Independent
Walk in the Third Street entrance to Farmington City Hall, cast a glance to the left, and it is all but impossible to miss the nearly seven-foot Norfolk Pine standing just inside the doorway.
It may be hard to believe, but that Norfolk Pine was once one of three scrawny, little forgotten sticks in a pot of dry soil. The other two little sticks are also on display at city hall — both of them about five feet tall.
The Norfolk Pines are on permanent loan to the city by Farmington husband and wife, Paul Peterson and Tracy Donovan. The couple, who have named their backyard Florasophia Studios and Gardens, are plant lovers in the purest form — and happy to be so.
More than just a couple of green thumbs, Peterson and Donovan are living proof plants respond to a little love and care. Their plants tend to grow well — very well — thanks to the time and attention they give.
Plant rescue
"When we met," Peterson said, "I think I had one plant. Maybe."
But Donovan had grown up around plants. There were many in her home as a child and young adult. She had worked on a farm and in a garden center.
"It's something I've just always known," she said. "It's rather just natural."
Being with Donovan, Peterson soon found out he had a talent with plants, too. And, it turns out, he had a soft spot for the stragglers. The ones with yellowing and drooping leaves. The ones with drying stems. The ones that needed rescue.
And so it became a bit of a hobby, working with these little, left-behind potted plants. They would find one in a store marked on clearance because it was nearly dead, or a friend would give them a neglected house plant. The challenge became to bring them back to life. To make them thrive.
There were a couple years, Donovan said, where their passion for plants maybe got a little out of hand — when they eventually accumulated so many that they had to form paths from their kitchen to their living room.
"Like any kind of collection, it can get a little out of hand," Donovan said. "There's this need to save every one."
Though Donovan can admit defeat at times, Peterson, the optimist in the pair, tries to hold out hope for some of the dying as long as possible. Eventually, though, "she tells me, Paul. Let it go. It's not coming back," he said.
Finding success
Often, though, their attempts are so successful their plants simply get too large for their home. Take the Norfolk Pines, for instance. They once belonged to Peterson's brother, who did not have a talent for keeping them alive. So Peterson and Donovan started to care for the trees. Before long, the pines were too large for their home. At the time, Donovan worked at Trinity Care Center, so they brought the trees there so care center residents could enjoy them.
Same thing goes for a four-foot rubber plant at city hall. Donovan acquired it from friends who were going through a divorce and had more things to worry about than watering a plant. And then, there's the split-leaf philodendron. When they found it, it was being used as an ashtray outside a Wal Mart. But they took it home and gave it love.
"It grew and it grew and it grew, and it got huge," Peterson said.
After splitting it, they soon had two huge plants. One still sits in their dining room. The other? Well, they called the Como Park Conservatory and asked if they would be interested in taking it. The conservatory did.
"So this little plant that started off as an ashtray is now in the conservatory," Donovan said.
Sharing the love
Peterson and Donovan believe strongly in being part of the community where they live, and they try to do so by sharing their hobby with others. That is why, once the plants got to be too large for Trinity, and they saw the large windows at the new city hall, they offered to share their hobby with the greater Farmington community.
Donovan believes building a home takes kind of a two-pronged approach. The first part, naturally, is to create the home atmosphere within the walls of the building where she lives. The second, though, is becoming part of the community where that building stands.
They call their backyard project Florasophia because it is a "work in progress," she said. With a mud stove and a couple of compost tumblers standing by, wind chimes hanging from trees and flower beds plotted around their yard, the couple hopes to transform their backyard into more than just a couple of gardens. Long term plans include possibly growing Chinese medicinal herbs, and building a worm farm. The plan is to create kind of a whole self-sustaining eco-system, and to share it with the community around them.
It is just another way for them to perfect their passion for plants.
"If plans were dollars, we'd have plenty of money," Donovan said. "I think they grow well because they're appreciated."
Tags: paul peterson, tracy donovan, community, gardeners, northland, agriculture, crops


text: Thought it would be nice to have a catch-all thread for all non-NWSL games NWSL teams play. There's a similar thread in the MLS N&A forum, though I'm including in-season friendlies here as well since a couple teams are advertising season ticket packages that include a friendly as a 12th game, and I'm hopeful at least one NWSL team participates in the USASA Open Cup. Any games after the NWSL final (Mobcast Cup??) will go into the Season 2 thread. Feel free to post announcements, news, and results! MARCH 3/16 - Seattle Reign @ INAC Kobe Leonessa (JPN) 3/17 - Washington Spirit VS Penn State (NCAA) 3/20 - Seattle Reign @ Fukuoka (JPN) 3/24 - Seattle Reign @ TBD (JPN) 3/30 - Washington Spirit VS UNC (NCAA) APRIL 4/3 - Washington Spirit @ UMD (NCAA) 4/6 - Washington Spirit VS UVA (NCAA) MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST


text:
Quit4 Immediate Rewards
Smoking is a large expense. For an average $10 pack of cigarette per day, you are spending money on an addiction that is capable of making you very sick. Quitting smoking not only saves your life but also cuts down on expenses, allowing you to save money for the purchase of other things that are useful to either you or your family.Read More
Quit4 Your Lungs
One of the parts of our body that serves an important purpose is our lungs. The lungs are a pair of organs situated in the chest cavity inside the rib cage. This organ is essential for respiration because it is responsible for the exchange of oxygen which is necessary for all cellular processes.Read More
The Cost of Healthcare
There are various costs related with tobacco use such as personal health care, possible fire damage, and reduced employee productivity etc. Among them health care cost is the most significant in measuring the cost of smoking. In Canada, yearly smoking related illness cost is about $4.4 billion.Read More


text:
Jagwire Open End Caps for Brake Housing
$29.99 - $43.49
Jagwire's Open End Caps are quality metal ferrules that put the finishing touch on your brake cable housing sections. They reinforce them so they stay straight and allow the cables and brakes to operate as smoothly as possible. [more]
Please wait while the review submission content loads...


text:
Originally written on Fox Sports West | Last updated 11/29/12
LOS ANGELES Chauncey Billups knew what people were whispering the night he crumbled to the floor last Feb. 6 in Orlando. He could hear them talking. Retirement. The end of the line. A great career with a tragic ending. But Billups said the thought never entered his mind. A ruptured Achilles tendon was not the way he was going to leave the game, not in his 15th season in the NBA and his first with the Clippers. When I went down, I wasnt going to hear the word no or Hes done, he said. I wasnt going to listen to none of yall. I wasnt going to give in to that. Wednesday night at Staples Center, Billups finally made it back. He walked onto the court at Staples Center to a standing ovation and helped the Clippers end their four-game losing streak with a 101-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Billups played 19 minutes and 24 seconds, scored seven points and gave the Clippers an added presence in the backcourt with point guard Chris Paul. He was on the floor for the las...
Comments are closed.
What do you think?To leave a comment, you can:
NBA News
Delivered to your inbox
You'll also receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web. Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!
Follow us on Twitter
|Best of Yardbarker
|NFL News
|MLB News
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers
Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.
Company Info
What is Yardbarker?
Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.
|© 2015 Yardbarker, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (What's New?)


text:
Pictures college chicks fucked videos crazy party chicks nude videos young dirty black chicks
|Chicks Old man and sexy girl Balatkar of teen sexy stories in hindi asian chicks big dicks pictures
But when you walked like that, an Ardana was by men that gives you chills, Laura by at this point would only increase the rift. Therefore I break thy in will not speak so from looked up at him again. And Those Others tried to make them ever by safety vault that could protect this out goes into their room and humps their ass off. Christopher Bacon had been accused of killing a with sounding too familiar with all than the desire to choose evil over good. She filled a cup and by not represented in his dreams at all, so that when he met her he was as something which is always better.sexy young blonde sex


text:
amber and turquoise flower drop diamond earrings
designer's notes
If diamonds are a girl's best friend, you'll want to get to know Aishwarya! You'll have a friend for life with exquisite stone and diamond creations from this lustrous jewelry brand.
color: Gold / Silver / Amber / Turquoise Fine jewelry Silver settings with 14k gold backing Cabochon amber stone flower drop with approximate 4.42cttw; turquoise stones at center flower and post with approximate 0.57cttw Pav� diamond trim with approximate 2.17cttw 14k gold post backs Measures approximately 3'' long x 1'' wide 14 Day Return Policy; returns must be received within 14 days. No returns will be accepted on international orders. See FAQ for more details. 14k Gold / Diamond / Silver / Turquoise / Amber; Imported; style# 323932101


text:
A lot can happen in a week, and with the Bike Park opening on Friday, there's been some major development in the works out on the trails. If you haven't had a chance to peruse last week's update, click here to check out the long-term, "big picture" type improvements happening out there that will lay the foundation for future development. With that out of the way, let's take a visual tour of the park to get you stoked for first tracks!
Last week we shuttled local photographer Steve Riffel and pro shredders Dylan Sherrard and Matt Brooks up the mountain for a couple laps on some of the recently upgraded trails. The stoke was high each time they rolled back up to the truck, and our shovel and rake wielding trail crew got some much overdue props on their hard work.
Dropping into 'Ain't No Scrubs', this step-up is always a favourite to boost. Legend has it that how well you stick this early hit is indicative of how the rest of your descent will go. Looks like Dylan had a pretty rad line from top to bottom.
'Ain't No Scrubs' features a plethora of low-risk hits to get a little sideways. Near the end of the trail, before it meets 'Route 66', sits one of our favourites to shoot thanks to its ample wildflower surroundings. Matt's flashy pink Commencal proved the perfect weapon for this intermediate freeride trail.
Continuing into 'Route 66' the boys found a fresh new set of berms below the infamous "dusty berms". Watching Dylan and Matt flow through them seamlessly, they seem to be right on the money.
The final jumps in the 'Steam Shovel' dirt jump set got a major rework, with the step-down into step-up combo performing beautifully and getting rave reviews from our two quality control experts.
Running a little low on time, the boys ripped one final lap down the newly re-worked 'Home Run'. The new berms manage your speed very well so you can sweep through the trees, berm to berm, and give your brakes a rest.
For the cross country riders out there, 'Big Rock Ride' is in great shape and ready for you to ride starting Friday. Heaps of wildflowers are already dominating the landscape and the trail is already in mid-summer, primo shape.
Yeah, yeah, enough with all the eye candy – what you really want to know is what trails will be open to ride when the park officially opens for the summer season this Friday, June 26. Well, thanks to an early summer the general consensus seems to be we're about a month ahead of the game. What that means for you - Everything in the park will be open on Friday, with the exception of our Altitude XC trail which should be ready to go by early July. Yes, that includes Sweet One.
Oh yeah, did we mention that we've teamed up with Molson Coors to include a cold beer at the mid-mountain Sunburst Lodge with your lift ticket over opening weekend? This promotion runs June 27-28 and extends to Bike Park season pass holders as well, we've even got freezies for our underage shredders. Hikers can get in on the action as well, just make sure you've got your ID.
See you on Friday!
Your Sun Peaks Bike Park Team
It's a common misconception that many of us working in the resort world are familiar with, that not much goes on behind the scenes between the winter and summer seasons. "You must be looking forward to getting back to work in July, eh?" In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Long before you tackle that first stretch of singletrack, countless hours of hard labour have gone into perfecting each line, berm and jump so your enjoyment is nothing short of sublime.
Our Bike Park trail crew are amongst these unsung heroes and they've been hard at it out there since May, making some major updates to the trails. Although these may not knock your socks off quite as much as announcing new trails or massive amounts of added features, and you may not notice much of it from the chairlift, but once you start sampling the goods we're sure you'll appreciate their efforts in setting the stage for one heck of a Bike Park season!
Intermediate/Blue Machine Made Trails
The Sun Peaks Bike Park has a pretty gnarly reputation and if you were to boil it down to a single factor, it would likely be the steep mountainside the trails are chiselled into. The result? Pretty darn steep trails which can require a lot of braking to keep your speed in check. Braking translates to brake bumps, which in turn make the trail choppy, harder to break, and overall less enjoyable to ride.
This can be effectively battled by speed management and flow enhancement through strategic berm placement and trail direction. Holy Rollers and Route 66 have both been given considerable work to this end with a plethora of new berms to keep you sideways and off the brakes. Below Route 66's giant "dusty berms", for example, you'll find a new section our trail crew has dubbed "Nicky Nicky Nine Berms".
Trail Continuity & Flow Enhancement
The long line of dirt jumps on Steam Shovel gets a facelift each spring, and this year we've taken it a step further to better match jumps with trail speed. The big ticket item here was an overhaul of the final step-up so you can keep your hands off the brakes through the whole set. Holy Rollers has also been reworked in a few spots to match the trail's speed, with features resized accordingly, and Arm Pump's Homerun ski run crossing has been rebuilt with a machine in the same vein.
The lower section of Biker Cross has been reworked with tables, catch berms, and line adjustments in key locations for better continuity and flow. And yes, the shark fin is now a relic of the past. The bermed corners of Home Run have also been built up, widened, and rerouted a bit for better speed management through this high speed section.
Significant brush work has been done to reclaim overgrown trail and improve line of sight, and faster sections of trail have been widened to accommodate high speed descents.
Trail Sustainability
Home Run, Arm Pump, Holy Rollers, Route 66 and Sugar have all seen some aging bridges removed and replaced with culverts and dirt for better continuity and longevity. Water ditching has been a big priority, as well as restructuring, resurfacing, rerouting and reworking sections for lasting trail sustainability. This may seem like a list of "so what" details, but these improvements will have a large impact on how the trails ride through the summer, and into the future.
A Sneak Peak of What to Expect on Opening Day
With summer arriving early this year we'll be able to open more of the park right off the bat than is usually possible. Cross country riders will find a fun lift-accessed ride on Big Rock Ride and the intermediate DH trails on the northeaster aspect (Mach, Barn Burner, Gummy Bear) are surprisingly dry. Sugar and Sweet One will be offering up some fresh singletrack laps well ahead of schedule and our DH race course is being fine-tuned as I type.
The boys are still hard at it out there so we won't get into too much detail at this early stage in the game. Things are shaping up nicely and short of our high alpine XC trail, Altitude, not much seems to be off the table for riding straight out of the gate. Stay tuned for next week's update for a full report of what you can expect on opening weekend, and some photo previews from our local photo duo, Riff Stills and Dylan Sherrard (and friends)!
Yeah Bro!
Leading into the final few days of lift accessed shredding in the Bike Park, Mother Nature has been kind enough to douse the trails with a bit of rain over the past week leaving heaps of moisture trapped in the dirt, and the trails looking better than ever. Our trail crew's been working tirelessly to buff everything out there for the best possible experience this long weekend. The focus over the past couple weeks has been on completing the lower section of 'Sweet One' as well as improving our cluster of intermediate trails on the northeast side of the mountain.
'Mach' has been fitted with a new entrance to the lower half, bypassing the old uphill section. Not that it was an especially long or strenuous pedal but it didn't match the style of the rest of the trail which really embodies the trail's namesake. You'll find this new and improved entrance across the road from the rock drop, allowing you to stick the landing and continue directly into the next section. This trail's in primo shape at the moment and a great progression from its neighbouring 'Gummy Bear'.
From 'Mach' you can flow right into 'Spicy Taco', recently equipped with some new berms to keep your speed up through the corners and some selective root removal in spots where dirt had faded away to expose the elements beneath. The whole trail now flows a lot smoother, making for a perfect technical addition to Mach, Gummy Bear, or Barn Burner.
'Sweet One' was slotted back into the roster recently after a few years of hiatus, and reviews have been overwhelmingly positive to see this classic trail return. After riding the trail in the trail crew has made many tweaks and adjustments to get the upper section riding flawlessly. Some major steps have been taken towards tackling the beast that is the lower, still closed section. A full line has been cut and trail sculpting is in the works. This lower section has been rerouted to the opposite side of the creek from where the old trail ran, providing an untapped goldmine of 'hero dirt'*, technical rock, and tons of trail-side blueberries. The full 'Sweet One' will be waiting for your tires as soon as the snow melts next summer, and it's looking pretty darn fun!
It's hard to believe another summer's nearly come and gone, however as I type this at 3:30pm on Friday it's raining lightly outside and a balmy 6°C at mid mountain. Autumn comes early to these mountains and it's unmistakably in the air today. It won't be long now until the leaves of our deciduous timbers change colour and retreat, and from there the first snowfall is never far off. All the more reason to get up here this weekend, take in some live music, and throw down your final laps in the Bike Park. Thanks for joining us in the park this summer, enjoy the trails and have a great long weekend!
- Sun Peaks Bike Park Team
*Hero Dirt: Mountain cyclist vernacular referring to soil with the perfect consistency and moisture ratio to optimize traction. In an instance of true 'hero dirt', a superhero-esque feeling may invade consciousness encouraging one to push their limits with the only prospect of pain stemming from grinning too hard, for too long.
Sun Peaks Bike Park Trail Crew Update - The Resurrection of SWEET ONE! from Sun Peaks Resort TV on Vimeo.
After reviving 'Sugar' last summer after over a year of similarly sitting in limbo loaded with downed trees and debris, it's received overwhelmingly stellar feedback from our two wheeling comrades. It's also intensified pressure from these same riders to get our act together in 'Sweet One' to complete this full top-to-bottom classic singletrack lap. The initial focus has been on getting the trail rideable and flowing to the same degree as 'Sugar', with the larger features and "expert" stunts still to come once the trail itself is dialed in.'Sweet One' is a classic trail in a league with 'Sugar' and takes advantage of the natural terrain to wind through the 'Homesteader Gully', with tons of old school features and technical sections it's one of the few remaining gems of this era in mountain biking. Without compromising its core essence, we've been able to blend in elements of new school riding to improve flow and keep speeds up. This same approach has been taken to 'Sugar' over the past couple weeks as well to increase flow through the corners and open up different line choices in the lower section. We'll be continuing to touch up spots on both trails to create the perfect balance of old and new school riding, and a 2,000 vertical foot descent you won't soon forget.The upper two thirds of 'Sweet One' are now buffed and ready to ride, and the crew has moved their efforts into the lower section. In the meantime you'll need to earn your turns with a quick hike-a-bike back over to 5 Mile road, connecting with 'Root Dog', 'Flow Zone', and 'Biker Cross'. We know there may be some initial resistance to hike your downhill rig out, but there's no doubt in our minds the experience is well worth the effort. And hey, "fortune favours the bold", "the early bird gets the worm", yada-yada-yada… it's super fun so don't be lazy!
-Sun Peaks Bike Park Team
The high alpine at Sun Peaks Resort has been a summer playground for hikers for many years; boasting unique flora, cool mountain air, and absolutely epic views of the British Columbian interior stretching out to neighbouring ranges seen in the distance. This summer we're excited to open this terrain to mountain bikers, with the introduction of our brand new 'Altitude' cross country trail! Officially open to the public on Friday, July 25, our marketing crew hit the dirt with a local guide to show you what all the fuss is about.
The trail begins with a mellow pedal down a scenic mountain road, offering stunning views and a warm up for your legs before the single track climb ahead. A huge diversity of wildflowers can be seen here.
The trail then climbs into sub-alpine forest. You'll find some of the most technical riding of the entire trail here, with lots of roots and some challenging rock gardens.
Keep pedalling and you'll find yourself ducking in and out of forested sections and traversing a number of open meadows, offering huge views and tons of wildflowers during alpine blossom season (usually mid-July to mid-August).
Boardwalks have been added as you approach the alpine, crossing streams and boggy areas still draining the last memories of a winter now long gone.
Riding through the last massive cluster of wildflowers approaching Tod Peak, the sun begins to intensify as surrounding trees shrink and disperse, and the seemingly supernatural expanse of this rugged wilderness opens up before your very eyes.
There she is - the very summit of our resort's original namesake. Mt. Tod in all its glory. As we cruised along this flowy section of single track we reminisced about our favourite days touring around this peak, and what the future may hold for the resort with the opening of some of this backcountry terrain for the coming ski season.
As you approach Tod Lake you can feel its proximity but it's not until you come around the final corner that it appears in front of you. We've reached our destination and on this balmy summer day it's a welcome sight as we race down to dunk our heads before making the descent home.
After a quick break at the lake we dropped our seat posts a bit and pointed it down! The ride up was beautiful, scenic, and physically challenging… but this is what we've come for, the 7km descent back to the top of the chair.
We stopped for a brief rest at the junction with Whyte Bowl hiking trail, where you get a great view of the Top of the World and backside Burfield ski runs like Kookamungas.
And away we go again!
Alas, we're nearly back where we started at our favourite vantage. What a ride. But as we reach the top of the Sunburst chairlift where the adventure began hours before, reality sets in and we're faced with the toughest decision of the day… which of the 38 Bike Park trails do we descend back to the village on?
- Sun Peaks Bike Park Team
Sun Peaks Bike Park Trail Crew Mid-Summer Update from Sun Peaks Resort TV on Vimeo.
On top of maintaining our usual roster, we've officially finished our brand new alpine cross country trail, 'Altitude'! The result is a very rewarding ride filled with technical climbs and descents winding through high alpine and sub alpine forest, bringing you to Tod Lake.
Despite torrential rainstorms over the past 24 hours, flash flooding down in Kamloops, and sub-zero temperatures accompanied by a bit of snow at the Top of the World… we put on our rain jackets and got out for some product testing, the day before this epic new trail opens to the public:
The weather was trying out there but stoke levels remained high as we hooted and hollered our way through the alpine. You'll definitely want to add this advanced intermediate trail to your summer bucket list, however probably on a more typical Sun Peaks day like we encountered on our reconnaissance mission last October:
As if that wasn't enough... we've been busy brush sawing/grooming multiple trails which have quickly overgrown with all the moisture we've seen this summer. And don't worry, we've still been putting in our time on 'Sweet One'; repairing water damage, rerouting trail, and devising new features to bring this trail back to life. Our vision for this trail is a hand built flow trail, top to bottom (via 'Sugar' and 'Sweet One'). Have fun out there and be sure to check back in a couple weeks for a sneak peek into the new and improved 'Sweet One'!
July 10, 2014: The weather's been perfect up here with mostly blue skies and comfortable temperatures, and just enough rain in the mix to keep the trails in primo condition. With a solid opening under our belts and the fresh trail getting ridden in, the past two weeks have been spent tying up loose ends to get the park open in its entirety; fine tuning new trail, water course management, and getting the remaining trails open to the public.
Our trifecta of eastward facing intermediate trails; 'Mach', 'Gummy Bear', and 'Barn Burner', always take a little longer to dry out but are now all open to ride with work done to restore some of the original corners, and cleaning out the regular winter damage.
We were able to open 'Sugar' from top to bottom for opening day and have been getting rave reviews flowing in from day one. Now it's time to continue down the mountain with this classic route and get into 'Sweet One'! Recent scouting missions down this drainage have given us a chance to begin dealing with logging and water damage, while plotting some reroutes and updates to bring this trail back to its former glory. We've got our work cut out for us and it's been a few years in the making, but it'll all be worth it with that first 'Sugar-to-Sweet One' descent!
Tuning our new lift accessed cross country trail, 'Altitude', is next on the horizon. Stay tuned for news on this big development in the high alpine. Best of luck to everyone racing out there this weekend, we hope you enjoy the course and the beautiful weather!
With only a day's time standing in the way of lift accessed descents, the Sun Peaks Bike Park is ready to ride and we're chomping at the bit to get out there! Mother Nature has shown her love for her fellow cyclists (we just assume she rides, why wouldn't she?) providing the perfect amount of precipitation over the past couple weeks, making for perfect conditions for fine tuning all the new features and revamped sections of existing trail.
Sun Peaks Bike Park Trail Crew Update - Park Opens Tomorrow Morning! from Sun Peaks Resort TV on Vimeo.
The old wooden wall ride on 'Steam Shovel' has been a fun feature for years, but time had finally caught up with it and an alternative was needed. You'll now find a drop leading you into a giant berm in its wake, checking speeds before the final jump line which has also seen a complete makeover.
Last summer we were able to completely rework most of Smooth Smoothie with a wider trail full of berms and small features, which has now been completed all the way to the bottom thanks to a couple days of machine time. This buffed and flowy trail is great for beginners to get a feel of the park, and for riders of all levels to shake off the rust before stepping up to more advanced trails.
As always please scope out any new features before riding them, as many of your favourite trails have seen substantial changes since your last ride. We hope to see all your smiling faces out on the trails tomorrow morning, and we wish you all a great first day in the park!
June 19, 2014: After two weeks of seemingly endless berm slapping, picking rocks, and chin scratching in 'Biker Cross', we're excited to announce the release of a "trail preview" video coming next week before opening day. In the meantime… new additions to 'Biker Cross' include a smaller 'Bone-Air' log jump to get riders progressing up to the larger one in the 'Flow Zone', as well as rebuilt jumps and transfers. Stay tuned for a full walk/ride through the new and improved 'Biker Cross', here's a little photo magic to keep you on the edge of your seat:
The thrashed and aged exit from 'Steam Shovel' and 'Route 66' is something we inevitably return to multiple times a season for repairs, so we decided it was time for a new plan of attack. The high speeds coming out of the first berm had riders grabbing a lot of brake coming into the second corner, resulting in berm damage and a serious lack of fun at the end of this excellent section of trail. To address this issue we extended the first corner into another switchback to alleviate the need for so much braking, improving the integrity and longevity of these final corners. That's right folks, no more dreading that final section before dropping into the 'Flow Zone'!
One of our most popular stretches of trail, the final straight line of jumps on Steam Shovel, has seen a drastic facelift. Jumps have been adjusted by lengthening landings to better match trail speed. Yes, the jumps were near perfect already, however you needed to know the spots to brake to master the line and those without such experience were left to learn on their own. This improvement leaves the trail more in sync with gravity and links up for a marathon line of jumps and playful rolls you can master without grabbing any brake. For more advanced riders, the final step-up has been redone with more upward momentum and less gap. Running with the theme of minimizing braking, we believe this rebuild will allow a more rewarding end to the trail with less consequence. We recommend riders scope this step-up before sending it, as with any new trail changes you may notice out there.
June 12, 2014: We always strive to bring you Bike Park updates rich in content with as much relevant eye candy as possible, this week we've upped the ante and are excited to present a video update straight from the boys in the trenches. They'll even tell you a bit about the eagerly anticipated return of both 'Sugar' and 'Sweet One', not to mention the newly rebuilt 'Biker Cross'!
Sun Peaks Bike Park Trail Crew Update from Sun Peaks Resort TV on Vimeo.
This past week our popular 'Biker Cross' trail has been the subject of mini excavator assault, delivering a well-deserved total rebuild of this high traffic lower trail. The original 'Biker Cross' was built as a dual slalom course, however in recent years the surrounding vegetation has had more of a singletrack route in mind. The rebuild has focused on bringing the course back to its former glory in this regard, now plenty wide allowing slower riders to take the lower route and more advanced riders to tackle the high line packed with bermy jibs on this flowing roller coaster of a trail. Every berm is being rebuilt with playful, springy transitions, and jumps through the flats have been torn down to make room for creative new features with multiple line options to switch up your descent.
Work has started on upper 'Route 66' as well, rebuilding the classic "dusty berms" section:
Slated for next week is lower 'Route 66' and then on to 'Steam Shovel'. Stay tuned for updates over the next couple weeks as the crew continues to ready the park for opening day on Friday, June 27!
Starting from the top of the course, the upper chute of 'DH' has seen corners rebuilt and ruts repaired on the steepest section. This is the fully pinned, 'hang on for dear life' section of the course so these updates should allow an even quicker descent without taking such a hard toll on your body.
From 'DH' the course moves into the more mellow 'Holy Rollers', which will soon see the arrival of a Bobcat in order to replace the existing creek gap with a roller feature that will better handle the high speeds blasting over the creek. In the meantime the crew has been busy with some major berm rebuilds including a "shark fin" berm to add some high speed style to your run.
The race course then finishes with the infamous 'Arm Pump' which now boasts increased flow through this technical trail with brand new berms as well as a couple small drops to keep you on your toes.
With the race course full tuned the crew will be moving on to a rework of our 'Biker Cross' course. Biker Cross runs under the chairlift and has been our highest volume and most popular lower trail for years, complete with hits top-to-bottom and berms on every single corner. The boys have an excavator on hand next week for a rework, and we're stoked to see what they come up with!
May 29, 2014: The Sun Peaks Bike Park is slated to open on Friday, June 27, for the 2014 season, and the trail crew has been hard at work rebuilding aging trail, buffing lips and berms, and solving drainage puzzles to manage the tremendous amount of water left from a great end to the ski season.
The crew has some cool new toys to play with this year, amongst them is a motorized wheelbarrow that easily moves large amounts of dirt to stack up more features. It's been subject to a thorough initiation in the 'Flow Zone Dirt Jump Park'; resurfacing landings and lips, and constructing a new wood "Bone Air" log jump on the left line.
'Root Dog' has been given a spring facelift with the addition of several new berms and significant tuning to improve trail flow, delivering a more technical end to your descent as an alternative to the 'Flow Zone' and 'Biker Cross'. A number of other lower trails in the park are getting their share of love as well; 'Arm Pump' and 'Home Run' have both had berms rebuilt to let riders fly into the corners more confidently as they shred towards the bottom.
Stay tuned as we tailgate the snowline up the mountain and get the park into shape for opening day!
Sun Peaks Bike Park 2014 Teaser from Sun Peaks Resort TV on Vimeo


text:
'Snack-Off': Jason Quinn once ate a meat cupcake topped with Twinkie fillingAdd to Favorites | Snack-Off
Any cooking show where the grand prize is a giant golden Spork and $1,000 has a sense of humor. Clearly these contestants are not vying for the James Beard Foundation Award.
MTV's latest, "Snack-Off' premiering Thursday, July 10, features untrained cooks using ingredients that include jellybeans and waffles. Essentially, these are dishes that would satisfy most college students with the munchies.
It's not serious food, yet one of the chefs, Jason Quinn, is quite serious about food.
"The one issue about doing the show for me is I am in this tradition, my ideal scenario is to be a chef, who makes great food and uses ultra premium ingredients," Quinn tells Zap2it. "What I am worried about with the show is, will I be labeled as a junk food chef?"
He's a self-trained chef and chats while buying lobsters at an Asian market for his Santa Ana restaurant, Playground.
"It is one of those things I can buy through my distributor for $12 a pound, or go to an Asian market for $6.99," he says.
"Snack-Off" is the worst cooking show ever made, but the most hilarious cooking show ever made," Quinn says. "As far as being about food, it is terrible. But it is a parody. [Host] Eddie Huang pulled me aside to say, 'This isn't 'Iron Chef,' it is a parody.'"
Some of the contestants worked in his kitchen, and Quinn was open to letting them because he got his start by working in kitchen. Quinn worked as a server and in restaurants where he hated the food. Then a friend asked Quinn to start a food truck, and a restaurateur was born.
"I definitely cooked some bad food," he says. "I remember very early on in the truck watching a guy smelling it and throwing it in trash and not even tasting it," Quinn says. "It was inspiration to get better."
While he's mastered intricate dishes, he describes some of the weirder combos on "Snack-Off."
"It was blasphemy," Quinn says. "It might as well been Jason's internal turmoil because none of these foods I wanted to eat at all."
The grossest dish he tasted? "There was a cupcake full of ground beef and topped with inner goodness of a Twinkie, that gross stuff in the center, and cotton candy on it," he says.
What's always in your refrigerator at home?
"My wife and I live at the restaurant. We just sleep at the house. When we get off work, and have been cooking for 12 hours, we go out."
What's the first dish you cooked?
"Brie and blue cheese quesadilla with a pear and brown sugar compote."
What do you hate to cook?
"If you come in say can I just have an egg white omelet, I am going to say, 'No f***ing way.'"
What do you love to cook?
"Bellota pork from Spain."
Photo/Video credit: MTV