Semi Plunges into Vedder Canal off of Hwy #1

A serious noon hour crash on the Vedder Canal bridge closed Highway #1 for most of Saturday and into the evening.

Two semi trailers travelling westbound collided on the bridge deck and one ended up in the Vedder Canal. Abbotsford Search and Rescue Fire Chief, Mike Helmer said "the two semi trucks got to close and one lost control. The drivers door was sheared off by the other truck and when the truck landed in the river, the diver was able to get out of the cab." He added it was a "Christmas Miracle" he survived the crash because last year a semi truck also went off the bridge deck in the same way and that driver did not survive.

Two small cars were also involved when they collided with the jackknifed semi on the bridge deck.

Four people involved in the crash were transported to local area hospitals with minor injuries.

The driver of the jackknifed semi was uninjured. The driver of the truck in the river was rescued by search and rescue members using an inflatable boat.

The bridge deck is damaged and will require an in depth inspection before it reopens.

Travellers were required to detour around the accident scene through the back roads of Chilliwack which provide a picturesque setting.

Frozen Fraser River - Ft. Langley

The mighty Fraser River has been frozen solid for almost two weeks. The consistent days of cold weather and heavy snow have made the river impassable for the Albion Ferry Service. There are a few boats docked at McMillan Wharf and the owners are hoping the river thaws out soon.

Mild temperatures and rain in is the forecast for the new year. Hopefully that will get the river moving again and the ferry back in service.

Suburban Wildlife - Raccoon Visits Backyard.

We were so lucky to get some footage of the big healthy critter on Christmas Eve. It looks like he or she knows his or her way around our back yard. We have not had a problem with raccoons in the past. It looks like this one likes cat food. I hope he/she stays clear of the busy roads.

The Stockings are hung by the Chiminy with Care

Tonight is Christmas Eve. The tree is decorated with a beautiful collection of special ornaments from the past decade. Each year we have added new ornaments to remember the year. The stockings are hung on the mantle and a blazing fire keeping everything warm. Boxes and bowls of candies and cookies are placed on every surface. Eggnog and assortment of goodies, cakes, meats, cheeses, biscuts, crackers, and appies are ready for the guests. Chilled cocktails, warm mulled wine and mulled apple cider is ready to be served.

Seven boxes of hot appetizers, one case of red wine and one case of white wine with gallons of eggnog to mix with my favorite Appleton Spiced Rum is ready.

Everyone has worked very hard to get ready for this evenings festivities, months of planning, dozens of invitations to very special and close friends, weeks or decorating, days of cleaning, hours of preparation and it is all ready to go.

It has been snowing, and snowing and then it snowed some more. It has been snowing, all day and all night and then it snowed some more. It snowed so much, the snowplows could not get out of their garages. Flights are cancelled, highways closed, the power is out. The sky train is stopped because of falling trees and the only people moving are the emergancy responders.

I have a feeling, deep inside that I will be eating appitizers and drinking this wine until June.

Merry Christmas Everyone and God Bless.

The snow fall is over three feet in the past 24 hours. Temperatures are hovering around -3.

The last time we had a white Christmas was in 1998. My daughter was two years old.

This Christmas will go down in history as the snowiest.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland (Cloverdale and Ft. Langley)

Bundle up and take your camera to shoot great photos everywhere. Start in your own back yard and take a walk or drive around your neighbourhood. You will be surprised at all of the great photo subjects you will find.

Mighty Fraser River - Frozen Shore to Shore.

No one I spoke to could remember the last time this section of the Fraser River has frozen over. It just doesn't seem right to see the River, so strong swift, now still and somewhat quiet. If you listen closely, you can hear the creaking of the ice as it shifts across the river.

The Albion Ferry Service has come to a complete stop. It is impossible to move the ferries when there is no passage. They are not ice breakers.

The Big Deep Freeze started at the beginning of last week. Large chunks of ice were spotted floating westward toward the Pacific Ocean.

The temperature in the area continued to dip and the ice continued to build. The ferry service was slowed down to dodge the ice and by Thursday the service was cancelled all together, leaving many people stranded without vehicles or a way to get across the river.

By Saturday the service was stopped altogether, a sign at the end of the wharf tells commuters, "No Ferry Service due to Ice".

There are several large boats at the end of McMillan Wharf and a few people live aboard the decrepit vessels. Some of the owners said they were worried about the ice damaging the hulls of the boats and were worried they would sink in the middle of the night. One owner was moving to South America in a few days and wondered if he would have a home to come home to in six months or would it be at the bottom of the Fraser River.

Other people made there way to the end of the Ferry dock to take photos of this very rare and special event. As one woman said, "it is natures beauty and natures wrath that makes this river so unpredictable yet powerful and tranquil at the same time".

Vancouverites lending helping hands during cold weather.

I received a message on one of my posts.I cut and pasted the message below.

On Saturday evening December 20, 2008 about 40 recovering addicts served hot turkey and ham dinners, chili and hot soup, chocolate bars and soft drinks and distributed warm clothing and blankets to more than 400 homeless people in Pigeon Park, our pocketbooks not as deep as the movie industry, everything was paid for by the participants and a few generous benefactors, this was a labor of love not an exercise in public relations slide show on youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYtC54kaPoM pictures on http://servantsofhope.2010homelesschampions.ca of this years and the previous years event.


Twitter Flash mob meets up for helping hand.

People who twitter sometimes tweet and sometimes meet. This time the meet-up was a greet up and helped up many cold and grateful residents of the Downtown east side of Vancouver.
Janice Laing @JaniceLaing came up with the name Vancouvertweetupheatup and very quickly many more people got involved. Yam De La Pena who is @tyamdm thought the idea was great and everyone met up at Cambie and Pender with garbage bags full of warm clothes, blankets, sweater, chocolate and smiles. David Watts @davenotary wanted to ensure everyone had warm hands and feet and purchases more socks, hats and gloves from the nearby Army and Navy. De La Pena hopes the name Vancouvertweetupheatup on Twitter will inspire more people to get together to help the homeless.

For the full story and photos of this event, flashmob at vancouversun.com.

Snow and cold claim more lives and more snow expected.

Three people have died in as many days in the Vancouver area due to severe weather conditions.
On Friday, a homeless woman burned to death on a city street in downtown Vancouver when her candles she was using to keep warm, ignited her sleeping blankets and quickly engulfed her in flames. Vancouver Police tried three times to get her into a shelter but she refused because she did not want to part with her belongings. Mayor Gregor Robertson is now working very hard to provide shelter for homeless people with pets and some shelters will be allowing shopping carts or have a shopping cart valet.

On Saturday morning,Abbotsford Police found an 87-year-old woman frozen to death on her driveway by her neighbour. Police say the woman was found around 1pm and had been in the snow for some time leading investigators to believe she may have collapsed due to a medical condition in froze in the snow and frigid temperatures before she could get help.

On Sunday, Port Coquitlam Police were called to King Albert Avenue and Porter Street where 63-year-old man was found dead in his cold van. Cpl. Brenda Gresiuk of Coquitlam RCMP said the coroner will examine whether freezing temperatures Saturday night played a role in the man’s death.

Police say the man lived in the old van and had no real source of heat.

In addition to the three deaths, Police in all communities have been responding to a number of serious traffic accidents and fire and ambulance have been busy with numerous medical calls.

Vancouver Airport has reported several cancelled flights and a high number of flight delays.

Police have issued a warning to all drivers to stay off the road unless it is an emergancy.
Dispite the cold tempetures, the local ponds and lakes have not frozen through and it is exptremly unsafe for people or pets.

Dispite the cold, wind, snow and hazordous driving conditions, Vancouver and the Fraser Valley will have a beautiful White Christmas. The last time Vancouver had a White Christmas was in 1998 and Victoria had its last one in 1996.

Homeless woman burns to death trying to stay warm

Less than a week before Christmas, Vancouver is recording a death due to the extreme cold weather.

A forty-seven-year old homeless woman died after she burned to death on the streets of downtown Vancouver. Police and fire responded to what was first reported as a trash fire on the corner of Hornby and Davie Streets around 4:30 this morning (Friday December 17, 2008). When the fire department arrived they discovered a plastic cart with a person inside engulfed in flames. Unfortunately they could not save the woman. Witnesses Calvin Peitre tells of flames reaching a height of six feet as several people ran towards the fire with blankets to try to save the woman. One man stopped with a fire extinguisher.

Police had the busy intersection in the business district of downtown Vancouver closed while they continued with their investigation, erecting a tent and tarp screens around the pile of burnt blankets, sleeping material and the dead woman's belongings.

Police spokesperson, Cst. Jana McGuinnes said the Vancouver police patrols had three conversations with this woman over night and offered her shelter on all of the occasions but she refused, preferring to sleep on the busy sidewalk.

Police say the real tragedy is the woman was well known in the neighbourhood, suffering from mental illness and was offered shelter but refused each time. She died after she built herself a small fire and was quickly overcome by the smoke and flames.

Although there are several shelters in operation in Vancouver for homeless people, women do not always feel safe or welcome. Some homeless women complain of the smell, bedbugs, creepy men and conflicts with people they do not like but know them from living on the streets.

Several Churches have opened their doors to offer a church pew and the Salvation Army is asking for more blankets in every municipality.http://www.salvationarmy.ca/
http://www.ugm.ca/

The new mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robinson, has been working on a new program to help with the ongoing problem of homelessness in Vancouver. The newly established group is called, HEAT.

http://vanhomeless.freebase.com/

Read the link below about Vancouver's first pet friendly homeless shelter.

http://www.theprovince.com/friendly+shelter+opens+homeless+Vancouver/1093773/story.html

ScarJo's S'not for sale.

Scarlett Johansson is one of my favorite celebrities to watch. She is smart, poised, friendly, grounded, stylish and married to Vancouver Boy, Ryan Reynolds. When the couple comes to Vancouver, I report their sightings to People Magazine for the "Caught in the Act" section of the dot com magazine. I also was lucky enough to gather inside information on their wedding which happened on the West Coast of Vancouver Island a few months ago. All celebrity news, sightings and behind the scenes tid bits are welcome. Email me.

The item below should be filed in the section of " to weird to believe". Sn


ScarJo's Germs Worth Thousands
Posted by Jarett Wieselman at 10:07 AM on December 18, 2008
Wrapped under: GenPop
There have been a lot of freaky things sold on eBay -- Justin Timberlake's french toast, Britney Spears' gum, air from Angelina Jolie's vicinity -- but I think this latest auction takes the cake. On "The Tonight Show" yesterday Scarlett Johansson was telling Jay how Samuel L. Jackson had gotten her sick during their promotional rounds for "The Spirit."
"I feel like it's valuable in some way," Scarlett said of her two-for-the-price-of-one celebrity cold. "I could sell it on eBay." Well, that's all Jay needed to hear as he pulled out a tissue and prodded the actress into blowing her nose and auctioning off the Kleenex for charity.
I thought the stunt was crazy, but then I clicked over to eBay and discovered that the high bid as of this moment is $2,050! It's nice to see that even in these tough times, people are still willing to shell out in the name of charity.
I mean, two grand is nothing to sneeze at.

Treat your pet as you would a toddler.

Imagine putting your two year old in the back of a pick-up truck or leaving them outside when temperatures dip below zero.


That is the mind set pet owners should adopt when thinking about leaving their pets outside during very cold weather.


Dogs never belong in the back of a pick-up truck at anytime but especially during cold weather. Dogs do not have hands or fingers to hang on with nor are they able tell their owners they are afraid. The truck bed will be frosty, making it slippery and very cold. Remember the tongue on the steel post. It wouldn 't take much for a larger dog to get hurtled into traffic if the truck goes into a slide or a skid on icy streets.


Put the dog in a crate that is secured to the cab, in the cab or leave the dog at home.
Cats, dogs, horses and other pets need special care and attention during extreme cold weather.
Unfortunately, domestic pets have lost the ability to generate enough body heat to keep themselves warm when the wind whips and the snow falls.



Dogs should never be left outside unless they have a heated dog house unless the dog is a breed that is accustomed to the outdoors such as Huskies or Great Bearnaise. If the dog does live outside ensure the dog has a warm blanket and the kennel is facing away from the wind.

Consider buying your small breed dogs a cute little sweater. Slip it on when you take them out for that quick walk and ensure their feet are cleaned of salt before returning indoors. Many pet stores sell sweaters for dogs and there has been some success with dogs wearing little booties. Most of the time the dogs will try to shake off the boots but watching them walk in their sweet little boots is worth the price of buying them.
I recently spotted a pampered pom dressed up in baby pajamas - looking very content and warm.

Never let a dog lick sidewalks or roadways. The sweet taste of antifreeze will kill a dog or cat within hours. If you catch your dog liking the driveway, take him to the vet immediately.



Ensure horses have blankets and a fresh supply of water and straw. Horses grow a winter coat over the fall but it offers little protection against the snow and rain.


Cats should be kept inside all of the time anyhow but if your cat likes to venture outside to do his business, ensure you give the hood of the car or truck a bang to startle the cat out of the engine block. Too many cats are killed or maimed by seeking shelter close to a warm engine block of a parked car.
Hopefully everyone will stop and consider their animals this winter and keep them safe and warm. For more information on caring or adopting animals see the sites below.

A final note, if you have been feeding our fine feathered friends remember to put out fresh suet blocks and fresh birdseed. The birds have a hard time finding food when there is a blanket of snow covering the ground. They will depend on your feeder as a source of food all year.

More information:http://www.spca.bc.ca/

http://www.asecondchance.ca/

http://www.spca.bc.ca/biscuit/index.shtml

http://www.spca.bc.ca/Surrey/

http://www.lapsbc.ca/

Metro Vancouver into a deep freeze.

Cold temperatures continue as the mercury plunges. Cold wind from the north whipped through the Fraser Valley yesterday causing power outages and damage to barns in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

The cold snap has also temporally shut down the Albion Ferry, which provides free Ferry Service between Fort Langley and Maple Ridge.

Large chunks of ice have gathered around the dock area of both docks and have made it impossible for the ferries to travel the Fraser River.

Commuters are being asked to use the Pitt River Bridge or the Mission Bridge both adding hours to the morning and evening commute.

Langley has set up emergency shelters for the many homeless at local churches. One church that has opened its doors offers an Extreme Weather Emergency Shelter is the Langley Evangelical Free Church on 48th and 208th street in Langley. The shelter will be open from 7pm to 7am and will stay open for the week of cold weather. The shelter offers a hot meal with a mat and some blankets. The church organizers are expecting up to twenty people a night.

I met a homeless man named Richard today. I really felt sad for him because it was so cold outside and he was lying on the doorstep of the church hall.
I went over to the IGA and bought him a turkey sandwich and a hot tomatoe soup.

I walked over to him and said" hey mister, you don't know me but you look cold so I brought you some soup".

He was so grateful. He said he was so hungry and cold. I pegged him being in his mid fifties. He was sitting down and padded with as much clothing as he could wear. He didn't have gloves or a hat.

I noticed his black hair was standing on end. There was a nasty gash the size of a deck of cards on his scalp. His hands were dirty and stiff from the cold.

I told him about the shelter at the church at 48th and 208 and he said he didn't know about it but he would try to make his way over. His name was Richard.

Richard and some other homeless men were camped out at Saint Josephs Church on the Fraser Highway at 204th. The were surrounded with their belongings, and looked cold and weary.

I asked Richard how he became homeless. His answer was not a surprise to me. He confessed it was drug and alcohol abuse. The story quickly unfolded.

He once had a job and worked and had a place he shared with someone else. Then he lost his job,lost his place, drank more, did more pills and couldn't find someone to share a place with so he ended up homeless. His scars tell a story of him experiencing violence, something very common among street men.

Richard said he has been homeless for about one year. He had a shopping cart with a few bags of clothes and nothing else. I noted he smoked. I wondered how he got the money to buy cigarettes at ten dollars a package and was sure he had a bottle tucked away in his belongings to help him get through the nights.

The other men were in their twenties. They were fit and looked able to work at any job but they had their own reasons not to work and or live in an apartment or shelter. I was afraid of them because they looked menacing and unpredictable. I wondered if they were needy or druggie criminals.

Unfortunately, homelessness is one pay-check away, one missed rent check, and there is an eviction notice. With no friends to count on and no job prospects, you end up on the street, just like that. I also noted the majority of homeless people are men with a very small number being female.

Unveiling Ceremonies, Stanley Park Restoration Donor Recognition Monument

At the unveiling (l-r):

Special guests and honored donors under the tent.

From (l-r)

Susan Mundick, GM of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation; Raj Hundal, Chair of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation; Chris Gailus, MC; Gregor Robertson, Mayor of City of Vancouver; Mr. Mark Warawa - MP Langley.

Park Board Chair Raj Hundal was joined today at Prospect Point by Mayor Gregor Robertson and Mark Warawa, MP - Langley to unveil a monument in recognition of the Stanley Park Restoration donors. The event marks the second anniversary of the devastating windstorm that struck the park in 2006 and provided an opportunity to thank the community for its support for the successful completion of the Restoration Project.
Prospect Point, the site of the monument, took the brunt of the devastation windstorm. Comprised of 8 monolithic basalt rocks quarried near Squamish, the monument evokes the geological makeup of the Point itself. The intent was to use natural materials that were native to the area. The same basalt rock has also been incorporated into the massive planters with in the redeveloped, surrounding landscape.

Appearing in the Video. Chris Gailus, MC and the unveiling.

Ten Days to Christmas - How to do it on the thrift.

It is never easy to go through the Holiday Season on a tight budget but if you don't have the money, you have to get somewhat creative out of necessity. Christmas is about giving from the heart. Homemade treats are always welcomed. I have never been ungrateful to a tin of home made cookies or candy.
Below is my top ten ways to make it through the holidays on a tight budget.

10. Make your own wine in the summer and give everyone a bottle in a special wine sock.
9. Use Christmas Cards you bought on boxing day last year. Enclose a family letter and photo.
8. Make Christmas Candy such as Almond Roca and Cranberry Pistachio Bark and give it away as gifts.
7. Re-gift nice gifts that were not needed or used.
6. Photoshop with artist effects and enlarge some of your best photos, matte them and sign them. Instant art work.
5. Start saving money around October and set a budget per person and stick to it.
4. Forego lattes at the mall when Christmas Shopping. Same for lunch out with friends.
3. Invite some friends and neighbours over for Christmas Dinner and ask them to bring a bottle of wine and a dish for the feast.
2. Ask the kids what they would like for Christmas if they were to receive only one gift.
1. Try to make Christmas about the Birth of Jesus, family and friendship and remind the kids it is not about buying gifts.


Recipe for Quick Almond Roca
Make sure you have a candy themometer.

1 TBSP CORN SYRUP
1 1/4 CUPS WHITE SUGAR
1 CUP BUTTER
1/4 CUP WATER
1 1/4 CUPS TOASTED SLIVERED ALMONDS
3/4 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, gently boil syrup, sugar, butter and water until "hard crack" appears on the candy themometer, 300 degrees F or 150 C . Do not stir. This steps takes at least 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add almonds and stir well. Spread on an ungreased cookie sheet and , begfore candy is allowed to cool, sprinkel with chocolate chips. A they melt, spread the chocochips evenly over the candy. Cool in refridgerator or freezer or outside on the picnic table like I do. You can substitute chocochips for mint chocochips or shreaded Calebault chocolate.
Break into piece and put into small celophane bags. Tie with a bright ribbon and Voila, a very nice and tasty Christmas Gift.

Another one of my favorites:
Cranberry Pistachio Bark

1lb good quality white or milk chocolate
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup shelled pistachios

BC is famous for Cranberries. Buy lots.

Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Let cool to room temperature. Roast pistachios at 350 F (180 c) for 5 to 7 minutes, set aside and cool.

Stir Cranberries and pistachios into melted chocolate. Pour onto foil-lined 10 x 15" (25 x38 cm) edged cookie sheet.
Refridgerate for at least 1 hour, then break into pieces. Makes about 1 1/2 pounds,(750 g).

Local Ski Resorts Finally Open

With a recent cold snap, the local mountains are finally open.
check out this site for all BC Mountains.http://www.onthesnow.ca/british-columbia/skireport.html

Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain the Mount Seymour are opening with limited runs in operation.
Check out the links below -

46cm of fresh snow! Cypress Mountain opens today for the first day of the 2008/2009 Winter Season.

http://www.cypressmountain.com/index.asp
Cypress Mountain is the official site for Freestyle and Snowboard venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The resort offers the best snow in the area with the most runs and most lifts in the area. Cypress is only thirty minutes from downtown Vancouver and offers a bus shuttle service. There are a vast number of runs at different skill level.s from beginner to expert . There is abundant parking and spectacular views of Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean to the west from most chair lifts. Bring your camera for memorable photos of your day on the hill.
With the best Winter Skiing & Riding in Vancouver, Canada's most popular Cross Country Skiing Area, a huge Snowtubing Park and our unique Snowshoeing Tours, Cypress truly offers something for everyone!

Grouse Mountain
http://www.grousemountain.com/Winter/

Grouse Mountain offers much more than a place to ski. With an abundance of family activities available, it is a destination everyone should visit while in Vancouver. There is really something for everyone from wee babes to senior grandmas and grandpas.
There is skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, sleigh rides, sno-limo, helicopter tours, theatre in the sky, several dining rooms with spectacular views day or night and of course the sky ride to get to the top of the mountain.
Grouse Mountain claims to be only 15 minutes from downtown but perhaps that is by helicopter. The actual time is between 45 minutes due to traffic delays.
The resort is beautiful and has wonderful amenities.
I love this location for school trips and to bring the kids for a sunny day of fun.

Mount Seymour is not open today and has received no new snow.

Watch for more ski and snow related photos from local area mountains.

No Charges for RCMP - Taser Death of Robert Dziekanski

The B.C. Crown says there will be no charges laid against four RCMP officers in the tasering of Robert Dziekanski, prior to his death at Vancouver airport last fall.
The reason is Crown has said the RCMP acted within the guidelines set out in a model on attending events such as this, assessing the situation and deciding to apply appropriate force and the use of the taser.

The BC Corner has concluded Robert Dziekanski died of sudden Cardic Arrest brought on by stress due to restraints. He had no drugs or alcohol in his system but could have been suffering from extreme fatigue and alcohol withdrawal.

Dziekanski was a nervous flyer, had never flown before and felt ill during the flight.

Dziekanski, a 40-year-0ld Polish immigrant landed at YVR October 14, 2007 died after being tasered a total of five times, for a total amount of thirty one seconds of electric shock.

He became lost and agitated after failing to meet up with his mother Zofia Cisowski who had been waiting for her only son for fourteen hours. When the two did not meet up, Zofia returned to Kamloops.

Frustrated, exhausted and not able to speak English, Dziekanski became agitated and began to toss furniture. Airport security was called as was the Richmond RCMP.

Four members of the RCMP approached him and Dziekanski retreated with his hands up. It was clear he was not a threat. One officer shot him twice with a taser, delivering 50,000 volts. He fell to the floor and was barely breathing, and tasered three more times. Two officers knelt down on his neck and back and handcuffed him. Dziekanski did not resist or make any attempt to harm the officers at any time. In fact, he look relieved he would get some help. Dziekanski went into medical distress and not one of the RCMP officers offered assistance. Once the ambulance arrived, the RCMP officers were reluctant to take off the hand cuffs.
Dziekanski died within minutes, due to lack of medical attention that could have been provided by any of the three attending officers.

The compelling tell-all video story was video taped by a citizen journalist who later sold the compelling video tape to local news stations. Some local news stations would not show the complete tape because the news anchors said it was too graphic. (See the links to Youtube below.)

The fall-out of this horrifying and extremely sad event was heard around the world. Stunned views watched in horror, a video of a man in obvious need of help, tasered twice, handcuffed and left to die at the feet of his captors while a room full of on-lookers stood by helplessly, separated by glass walls. Many were moved to tears and angry when the RCMP would not offer assistance.

Several memorial services and protests followed in the weeks after the event.

His mother was emotionally devastated by the events which unfolded and has not recovered.
Today she said she is disappointed by not surprised the three officers will not be charged.
Recently, one officer has come under investigation again.

The South Delta Leader reported on October 25, 2008 21-year-old Orion Hutchinson of Tsawwassen was struck and killed by a Jeep while riding his motorcycle near his home.
The Jeep was allegedly driven by Benjamin Monty Robinson, an off-duty RCMP member who was also involved with the tasering incident which claimed the life of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) last year.
Robinson is expected to appear in Surrey Provincial Court Jan. 15, 2009 to face charges that could include impaired driving causing death and exceeding the .08 blood alcohol limit.


See the memorial videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0RH0AHvjf4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_orKsOnWBWk&feature=related

See the airport video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLlfavV80xU&feature=related

Moon Jellyfish, Lion's Mane Jellyfish, Spotted Jellyfish and Seahorses

The spotted jellyfish is a curious little creature. A large transparent bell shape with equally distanced spots distinguishes this jelly fish from others. Originally from Australia, it is now being spotted in the Caribbean region. They move quickly is short spurts of energy.

The Lion's Mane Jellyfish is the largest known species of jellyfish. They live in the cold ocean regions from the Artic to the Northern Atlantic and the Northern Pacific Oceans. The tentacles are known to be the longest with some reaching up to several meters long.

The Moon Jellyfish is one of the most common of the jellyfish family. They are found in cold water, along the Northern Atlantic coast of Canada to the North Eastern European coast.

They love to live in estuaries and harbours and eat plankton and microscopic small creatures throughout the oceans.

Seahorses are generally found in the warmer waters of the world. They are actually simple fish with bony plates instead of scales. The most interesting thing about sea horses is the male will carry the babies and they will swim away from his tummy when they are ready to be born.

A female will lay about 2000 eggs in a pouch and they become fertilized in the pouch. The male then nurtures the eggs through a series of blood vessels. Between 4 to 6 weeks the baby seahorses are ready to be born. It takes about two days to deliver the babies and this leaves the males exhausted.

There are about 35 different species of Seahorses and they range in size for 5 to 30 cm. A relative to the Seahorse is the Sea Dragon.

Lunch Time at the Aquarium - Sea Otters

The Aquarium held a contest once the baby was past the three month mark. the public submitted over five thousands names and it was narrowed down to a dozen over time.

The baby beluga is now six months old. Her name is Tiqa. T - for Tuesday, the day of the week she was born, I for Imaq, the name of her father, Q is for Qila, her mother and A is for Arura , her grandmother.

Aquarium staff continue to monitor the baby beluga and will be introducing her to solid food with in a few months. Tiqa enjoys swimming in the main pool with her mother and grandmother while her father and another Beluga, Kavna, remain behind the scenes.

The Aquarium Beluga trainers work with the trio everyday and are actively training the Tiqa to come to the trainers when they are in the pool enclosure. This will ensure the medical staff will be able to draw blood samples or perform other medical tests or examinations. The trainers do not feed the small beluga but do give her head and tummy rubs, something they say she enjoys very much.

This video stars Tanu. He is enjoying some lunch at his home in an exhibit at the Vancouver Aquarium.

The eldest Sea Otter, Nyac died on September 23, 2008. She was a survivor of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Nyac lived a very long time and enjoyed the company of other sea otters at the Aquarium. It is believed she was twenty years old. Nyac was diagnosed with Lymphocytic leukemia, which is rare in Sea otters but has been associated with other sea animals coming in contact with petroleum products.

See more at www.vanaqua.org/ottercam .

Sunset from Stanley Park

Orangetendril jellyfish.

Lions' mane jelly fish.

Spotted jellyfish