Emerald Lake, Snowshoes and Fever

2012 is quickly coming to a close, so Tom, Andrew, Ashley and I made an end-of-the-year excursion to Emerald Lake Lodge near Field, B.C.. Tom proposed to me at this very lake in July of 2009, and Andrew proposed to Ashley there earlier this year, so we all attach some sentimental meaning to this particular lodge. Or at least...  I do!

This was the first time we have been to the lake in the winter, all of our previous experiences have been in the warmth of the summer. Our first matter of business was to go snowshoeing!

Tom modelling his snowshoes.

The four of us always seem to have good luck with weather, whether it be winter sports or summer hiking. It was about -5 at the lake, perfect weather for a walk in the snow.

Tom and Andrew trudging along lakeside.

Tom was the first person to fall into the snow, and he did so multiple times during our two hour outing. We saw a few other individuals out on cross-country skis. But for the most part, we were on our own in the quiet.

A view of Emerald Peak.

Ashley and Andrew taking a break on a snow covered bench.

When we finished snowshoeing, we took a dip in the hot tub. Of course, Tom and Andrew decided to run from our cabin to the hot tub barefoot in the snow. It's no short distance from the cabin to the hot tub-- probably 150m at least. As Ashley and I trailed behind them (shoed and clothed), one of the Emerald Lake employees called after us, "At least you're wearing shooooes!"

Within hours of returning from our outing, I started to feel not-so-hot. I was struck down with a second cold in a mere two weeks! SO UNFAIR! I spent our last night at the lodge huddled in bed with a mild fever, while everyone else watched a movie in our adjoining rooms.

Tom and I.

Now that I'm home, I'm stilling dealing with a runny noise and a pesky cough. Hopefully I'll be able to beat it quickly.

2013 is almost upon us. Stay safe, and have fun! 

Happy New Year!

Penguin Plunge

Nothing saying Christmas Eve day like penguins, right? Right?

The Penguin Plunge exhibit has been open since February at the Calgary Zoo, and I have wanted to check it out for months. However, rumours of hour and a half waits kept my enthusiasm at bay. It was a high of -22 degrees  today, and people had better things to do than go to the zoo-- so Tom and I decided we wanted to spend out afternoon there.

At the entrance of the park, we were greeted by a group of penguins huddled together in the snow. You can see from the photos that the penguins are very close-- basically within touching distance. Although a sign warned us, "We hang by the glass but it does NOT mean we want you to pet us or give us weird things to eat! Help our keepers care for us by giving us space and keeping your belongings to yourself. P.S. We bite too!"

King penguins hanging out by the exhibit glass.

King penguins.

When we entered inside the exhibit, the only other soul's were the volunteer and trainer. The volunteer told us that the exhibit stays at 5 degrees year-round. She also told us that all of the penguins have been raised in captivity. The King penguins had never seen snow before their arrival at the zoo, so the zookeepers leave a door open so they have the option to go outside if they want. Clearly the King penguins love the snow-- they were ALL outside.

Gentoo penguin in a slow belly slide.

The exhibit is constructed so that you can get up close and personal with the penguins. This also means that it is relatively easy for the penguins to escape from the exhibit. The trainer told us that the penguins often make escapes when there are few people inside. Once the penguins are out, they immediately want back in! The trainers or volunteers will then have to corner the panicky penguin (squawking, pooping, and generally freaking out), and the zookeeper will walk the penguin to a back door to let it back inside.

Two Rockhopper penguins warming up after a meal.

We could see penguins playing with squid (i.e. lunch) in the exhibit. And we spotted to Rockhoppers who had apparently just gorged themselves. The volunteer told us that when the penguins eat a lot, their body temperatures drop, so they will shiver to warm themselves up. The Rockhopper on the left in the photo above will often do a little jig to warm up.

It was actually quite nice with the zoo being so empty. Many of the animals were sleeping out of sight-- presumably keeping warm on such a chilly day. But the animals who were out were very active with only a few people out and about to watch them.

Two Bactrian camels smile at us while munching away.

This camel was busy scratching his butt on the hitching post. He (or she?) seemed quite content in the snow.

Bactrian camel hanging out in the snow.

The only elephant in the viewing area was the male elephant, Spike. He pushed his ball around, and entertained us by feeling around inside a locked box for food.

Spike, the only male resident elephant at the zoo.

In the African Savannah exhibit, we viewed the hippos frolicking in their enclosure, and the giraffes nibbling at some branches. We also viewed the Rock Hyraxes taking an afternoon nap, and the warthogs family snuffling about.

Two Rock Hyraxes snuggled in their home.

Male warthog.

All in all, we spent about two and a half hours at the zoo before we joined the rest of our family for Christmas dinner. Not too shabby of a day, if you ask me!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Nuts for Christmas

A few years ago I was browsing through a Cosmo or Glamour magazine when a photo caught my eye. It wasn't a photo of shoes or clothing, it was a photo of a yellow bowl overflowing with pecans and pumpkin seeds. On closer inspection, I saw it was a recipe for homemade bar nuts. 

Spiced Pepitas and Pecans recipe.

I was intrigued by the unique combination of spices-- cinnamon, allspice, cumin and cayenne pepper, and decided to give it a try. This will be my third year making this nut mixture for Christmas. I love making it! It fills our house with the most delicious smell, and the taste is even better. The recipe is very simple. Although it only calls for pumpkin seeds and pecans, I have modified the recipe to include almonds. I mean, really, you can't go wrong with almonds!

You may recall that I posted about this nut mix last year. But I love it so much, I decided to document my "making of" this year.

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2) In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt and spices. Set aside.

Sugar, salt and spices.

Almonds, pumpkin seed and pecans.

3) In a large bowl, beat egg whites and water until frothy.

Nuts in the frothy egg and water mixture.

4) Stir in pepitas and nuts, then add sugar mixture. Toss until all are completely coated.

Nuts completely coated.

5) Evenly spread pepitas and nuts onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until crispy.

Nuts ready for baking.

The prep work for these nuts take less than 10 minutes, and you can clean up while they are baking. Afterwards, I like to portion them out into individual treat bags and give them as holiday gifts. So... Co-workers, if any of you are reading this, expect a bag coming your way in the near future.

Of course, there are always a few people out there who are allergic to nuts. So I will be making Mint Blizzard Chocolate Chip Cookies as a substitute.

Nut mix in our Christmas tree!

Only five days of work until the holidays begin! Hooray for Christmas!

Metric-- Live!

 A few years ago Tom (and X92.9FM) introduced me to Metric. Metric is a Canadian indie rock band from Toronto. I have listened to hours worth of their music, and I was happy to hear that they would be touring through Calgary again. Jeff, Steve, Billy and I picked up tickets right away.

Jeff and Steve had seen Metric in concert before, and they promised me crazy dancing from the lead singer-- but I guess she's changed up her act. There was no crazy-dancing to be seen.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself! Here are some shots from the night.

Emily Haines.

Emily Haines and James Shaw.

Emily Haines and James Shaw.

Exiting from the encore.

One of my favourite Metric songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEz8N8AT-yo