Vanilla Pod @ Poplar Grove
Ian Sutherland (L), Paul Jones (C), Tony Holler (R) Newly opened, the Vanilla Pod Restaurant at Poplar Grove Winery is one of the Okanagan’s most gorgeously situated winery restaurants. I’m eager to try it out. Poplar Grove’s founder and executive winemaker, Ian Sutherland, and president and owner, Tony Holler, join yours truly in the dining room, where the “transparent” decor minimizes the border between outside and in. “Nothing gets in the way of the dining experience... Read More
Bookshelf
Summer in the Okanagan means time to kick back and read. Check out these titles by Okanagan authors: Bear of a Honeymoon, by Laurie Carter; The Bridge, Don’t Look Back, by Faye Cyr; Fall of a King, by James Fuller; Financial Fitness for Beginners, by Diana E. Young; Food and the City, by Jennifer Cockrall-King; Getting Paid to Pay Attention, by Marilyn Strong; Hooks, by Julie Oaks; New Dawn, by Cherron Dawn Abernethy; The Price of Freedom, by Simon Ivascu & Wesley Pop;... Read More
Lori Mairs
Lori Mairs is an Okanagan artist who truly embraces the saying “go big or go home.” She spent the first 24 years of her adult life in service to people with developmental disabilities. But one snowy night near Christmas, at exactly midnight, she quit her job. After some discussion with her great aunt, a professor at Stanford University, Lori decided to go back to school. She graduated first in her class with a fine arts degree from Okanagan University College in 2005. As an... Read More
Wine, Music, Cowboys…
Did you know that music can influence your wine purchases? In a new study, researchers played German music in a store for a day and 73 per cent of the wine sold that day was German. The next day when French music was played, French wines made up 77 per cent of sales; a clear and sobering demonstration of how easy it is to subliminally influence us all. So it got me thinking, do we have music that Okanagan winemakers could play that sounds purely Canadian? Gordon Lightfoot comes... Read More
Festivals Kelowna – Renata Mills
“I’m an administrative goddess on steroids,” says Renata Mills—and she needs to be. Along with her job as executive director of Festivals Kelowna, which brings a wide range of cultural events to life around the city every year, she has a busy family life looking after her husband and two daughters. Festivals Kelowna is one of those groups most people are only vaguely aware of. It falls under the aegis of the city and is loosely tied to the city for funding. “We meet... Read More
Okanagan Types, Tips and Secret Bits
Ordinary, extraordinary Okanaganites – Pigeon-holing? Not so much my style. But a few months ago, I was people-watching from a downtown Kelowna bench and it struck me that there are some incredible types milling around. The girl with the sandals and the pug? She just might head up the latest game studio. The guy on the bike? Maybe a sommelier, stay at home dad or Ironman contender. Sure, the Okanagan’s got unique places to explore and activities to try. But even more fascinating... Read More
Community Roundup
Okanagan communities fall into three loosely defined geographic regions. The Central Okanagan has emerged as the commercial and transportation hub. Kelowna has a sophisticated urban appeal while Peachland, Lake Country and West Kelowna retain more of a small-town feel. Extending into the rolling farmlands beyond Vernon at the head of Okanagan Lake, the North Okanagan is different from its southern neighbours. Life reflects the region’s cattle ranching and agricultural... Read More
Ironman
Penticton attracts top athletes to the annual Subaru Ironman Canada, slated for August 26, 2012. Photographer Bruce Kemp has captured the spirit of athletes, volunteers and spectators in this powerful photo essay. Download the PDF. Read More
Shopper’s Lament
I find shopping painful. My wife would rephrase that. To her, I’m just a painful shopper. But confusticate it how you will, people spend years of their lives in crowded malls and checkout lines. My wife and daughters call this fun. It isn’t fun, it’s a game of snakes and shadows, and to survive you must walk softly and carry a big debit card. A lobotomy would also ease the pain. Shopping is a mission. To enter a mall is to declare war. Toilet paper and shampoo are hills... Read More
