Good news for norwegian skiers (as well as skiers from the rest of the world searching a new place where the powder is still untracked). Five small powder resorts in the northwest for Fjord Norway have created a ski region - where one pass gives access to all the lifts. It is available from the 2008/2009-season on. And to warn you: We are talking small-scale, draglift, no-fancy-restaurant style resort, where you get the very essentials of skiing - good powder snow, nice terrain and good people - and basically nothing else. The new skipass is called "Alpepasset" - and for those of you that read subtitles in big international ski movies may recognize places such as Strandafjellet, Stryn and Fjellsetra. The "Get Lucky" ski movie from Field Productions contains a bonus track from Strandafjellet - worth checking out. The Sunnmøre Alps mountain region is amazing also for ski touring and winter climbing, and the best winter surf of Europe is only two hours away - at Hoddevika, Stadlandet. The only question is: When will it start snowing?

I don't think much people would come but I'm gonna do it anyway here are the details:

If you want to put the party details on your site that would be a lot of help and

HOPE EVERYBODY COMES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye!!!!  :)

P.S. I have a tutorial on how to do mission 9 on Club Penguin so go check it out. (Is the post before this one)

I've decided that I want to be Scandinavian. They have the most well behaved people, the finest cycle paths, and Abba. Not to mention the fjords, saunas and smorgesbords.

I've also realised that, after half a lifetime of using PCs, Macs are better.

Am I having a mid-life crisis?

Dave.

On Friday night, Mr. Snow and I discovered our favourite fish restaurant in Oslo. With informal but attentive and friendly service, Restaurant Fjord beat the socks off Solsiden, also food-wise. It's a good-looking place as well, and someone must have had lots of fun designing the walrus-tusk chandeliers (only in Norway, I tell you).

The restaurant operates on a menu that changes weekly, you can choose from a three-, four- or five-course meal. East-West fusion is definitely on the menu, but does not seem to cross continents too violently in a single course. For example, the halibut and pollack mains were grounded firmly in their root vegetable puree and French sauce tradition, but both dishes also had a lightness that does not come easily.

The Salma sashimi starter on the other hand was clearly Asian, with reduced soya sauce (or possibly Marmite?!) for dipping. I was also thrilled to bite into an old favourite, salt and pepper fried prawns, or the Cantonese yim kok ha, on the same plate. Celebrity chef-owner Ole Jonny Eikefjord alludes to China as a source of inspiration in this article, so no surprise perhaps. Next time, even with shell on?

It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and berry desserts, and Mr. Snow reported full satisfaction with his cheese platter. So if anything (and just to be picky), I would point only to the fennel and mussel soup as the odd one out on the night's menu. The mussels were fine, but the breaded scallop tragically too tough (good try on textures though). Also, the horseradish (and/or mustard?) overpowered the dish. But overall, only a small blip on a horizon of delicate, balanced flavours.

Must go, if you love fish. And actually, even if you don't.

I realized that My Year Online hasn't focused enough on food, given what a big part of (my) life it is. So, more on the places that have filled my belly and made it sing this year coming up!

The day started with a two hour drive to Lake Manapouri where we caught a boat across to the hydro-electric power plant. We were taken a few hundred metres underground to the power station which produces 14% of New Zealand's electricity, through a series of man-made tunnels linking the lake to to fjord below.

We drove along the isolated road built purely in support of the powerstation's construction - and New Zealand's most expensive road per mile.

We left our bus at the point the power station's exit tunnels meet the fjord named Doubtful Sound. Here we took a cruiser for a long tour of the fjord and out to the sea. At one point we pulled under a waterfall so we could catch and drink some of the freshly fallen water.

The day was wet and misty. This region has some of the heaviest rainfall in the world - up to 12 metres per year. This rain creates hundreds of temporary waterfalls since the mountains offer nowhere for water to accumulate.

As a fjord the mountain walls were carved by glaciers, resulting in sheer faces reaching 1000 feet at some points. The deepest section is 462 metres.

We travelled back using two buses and two boats. We finally reached our hotel after 8pm for a quick meal and bed ready for a 6am wake-up call!

The other path to northrend is from stormwind harbor.  This one is kinda confusing there are a ton of docks and ships in the brand new harbor.  Since menithal harbor now takes you to northrend instead of auberdine you now reach auberdine from storm wind harbor.  The farthest dock will take you to the Borean Tundra.  The Borean tundra doesnt feel nearly as epic but is also a good starting area.

As we near the time of change of season, summer is making every effort, with the help of our big friend, to leave us with the summer memories we cherish most of warmth and brightness.  

Our friend is even playing with the patterns of the clouds to remind us of turning and change.  Speaking of change, my favourite sign-sighting of the last few days is:  "Do you fear change?  Then, leave it with us.".  No, this is not an election slogan but the sign on the "tip" jar at a coffee shop where I, uncharacteristically, stopped to buy an iced coffee the other day.  

I posted a pathway earlier in the season.  Here's one I took on Monday.  

And to complete another series, here's what the tourists were seeing on Sunday, the 7th, at Stanley Park:

This was a better day than that one two weeks before!!  See previous post.

Sunrise today was at 6:42.  The sun set at 19:36.  There are still pleasantly long evenings especially on these days filled with the work of our big friend.  A fine month, September!!

I am enjoying my tomato harvest each day.  It's not as good a harvest as the last three years.  The weather was too wild for the poor little dears early in the season.  However, they are ripening very beautifully on these sunny days.  George used to take up his tomato plants, which he had in a glass house, at the end of September. We are doing well.  I continued to harvest tomatoes until Remembrance Day last year.  Now, that's on my balcony of course.

I'm surprised at how little fog we've had so far.  Lots of dew but very little fog.  I suppose it will come later in the season.  I'm also pleased to report that, so far, there is very little colour in the trees.  Now, I hope for that to magically change as I journey to higher elevations next week for some photo taking.  I'm testing the means of transportation in the Lower Mainland, ship, helicopter and train.  So far, so good.  

I trust that this finds you well and enjoying the sun and the fruits of her labour whether from your own garden or those of the farmers of B.C. and Washington.  Speaking of which, I am really into B.C. cheeses these days.  Yum!  Tiger Blue, and, now I see why I like it, double cream camembert.  Guess that one shouldn't be repeated!  They are both from Poplar Grove in Penticton.  Excellent.  Not that I'm beginning a food column.  Just touting the products of our region and our big friend in the sky.  I actually thought they were both from the island cheese makers.  But Penticton is the winner in my taste tests so far.  The place I was taken into exile when we left B.C. was a great cheese-making area, with a cheese factory in almost every tiny village.  My mother was in heaven since she loved fresh curds.  We were able to get them from the factory whenever we chose. I think the owners were some of "ours".  My one great aunt was always making a detour to her favourite factory, in Forfar, (a name I always found amusing), whenever she drove out from Ottawa.  Those days passed when Kraft began taking them over or buying the milk quotas or making changes the details of which I now forget.  I wonder if that area has a new wave of local makers.

Speaking of olden days, my next scheduled adventure is on a train.  I love trains and have been plotting rides for a long time.  They were a major feature of my life until I moved back to B.C. twenty years ago.  My last train trip was on the Toronto Montreal run twenty years ago.  Ironic that I associated trains more with B.C. but have not been on one since I moved back here.   

I may do some entries about ice melts, glacier calving and the like.  If you don't want to read those, please don't! I'm finding the information flow in the regular media annoying.  One catches a tidbit and then there is no context and no follow up.  These matters and other matters geological/geographical interest me. Perhaps you too.  I know it goes beyond sun watching and becomes more about earth watching.  However, I will label the entries, should they actually appear in more than my imagination.  The labels will guide your reading.  I figure if I do the research for my own sake, I might as well share it.  

Until next time, I remain your friend and bulletineer,

Daphne

Enjoy the sunshine!!

FJORD
DOCK
September 27, 2008
9:00 am CPTZ Time

Enjoy. Comment If Your Coming.

(Agence Science-Presse) – Comme chacun sait —à condition d’avoir étudié la géologie— un fjord se forme lorsqu’une calotte glaciaire se retire : l’énorme masse, en glissant, fait une énorme incision dans le sol rocheux. Jusque-là, ça va. Mais comment la glace réussit-elle à faire une aussi énorme incision? Des chercheurs de l’Université du Colorado ont publié récemment dans Nature Geoscience un modèle informatique qui apporte en partie la réponse : sous la calotte glaciaire, il y avait déjà des vallées de toutes tailles et l’énorme masse de glace, en glissant d’abord dans les vallées aux formes les plus favorables, a contribué à les élargir. Plus ces vallées s’élargissaient et plus il y avait de glace pour s’y insérer, donnant aux fjords la profondeur qui les caractérise aujourd’hui.

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Par la poste: Reflet de Société 4233 Ste-Catherine Est Montréal, Qc. H1V 1X4

 6th sept

5am pst

dojo

FJORD!

hope to see u there!

-Ting-

As you may know, my work is featured on little website called FJORD [ http://fjordphoto.org ]. If you are not familiar, The FJORD Collective showcases 60 or so up and coming photographers whose work is prominently featured on the internet. Eventually, the plan is to create a book to showcase these photographers and their work, thus expanding their audience and also changing the way in which their work is viewed.

I am pleased to report that FJORD is in the running for the Photography Book Now awards in which the winner gets $25,000 to complete a project of their choosing. Aside from the main contest, they have recently announced a new category, the People's Choice Awards.

We (FJORD) are asking for your vote for the new category. The prize has yet to be announced, but we figure all of the attention we can get is good attention in regards to the publication of the FJORD book project.

Only Blurb registered users can vote and everyone gets one vote only. If you do not have an account it takes only but a minute to create one. Please vote for FJORD here:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/294956

Thank you, thank you, thank you in advance for taking the time to help us out!

1. FIRST CARD TO RAY TOOLBEAR GETS A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP.

2. FIRST TWO BUDDY REQUEST TO RAY TOOLBEAR AND SURVIVOR91 WILL BE ACCEPTED.

JUST A REMINDER OF MY HUGE BIRTHDAY BASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF YOU ARE COMING I'm GONNA GIVE AWAY A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP. FIRST PERSON TO SEND ME A CARD WINS. THE BIG BASH WILL INCLUDE Partying, Find Four, And MORE PARTYING. Special Guests Will Appear. LETS MAKE THE ROOM FULL. IF IT DOES I WILL GIVEAWAY ANOTHER 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP. I FEEL THIS IS GONNA BE THE BIGGEST PARTY I AM HOSTING!

THE DETAIL FOR THE PARTY IS:

FJORD
DOCK
Sunday, August 31, 2008
2:00 pm CPTZ Time

...

1: FJORD ENTRANCE

...

1: WATERFALL This waterfall is buried deep in the innermost part of the fjord. My photos don't convey the height of Fjord walls very well but this waterfall plunged off the cliff and turned to midst before it hit the rocks or water below. I am of the notion a waterfall is a waterfall but this is a waterfall! The waterfall is on the right top cliff.

The low clouds made the trip a dark and moody experience. The rocks loomed above us and our guide told us stories of rockfall and tsunami like waves inside the fjord. Knowing their was really no escape I decided to play with my exposures so I capture that feeling...just in case we made it out.

...

A lesser, but beautiful in its own right, waterfall.

...

1: HIKERS We picked up hikers that had just finished a hike and dropped off the hikers that were about to undertake the Traverse. We were told they would not let you off the boat without a permit or a guide.

Details on the excursion:
We drove about 1.5 hours from Humber Valley Resort to the beginning of the walk into the Fjord. We were told to allow 45 minutes for the walk. We arrived a little late and for fear of missing the boat (which was prepaid and booked from the resort) we walked very fast and did it in 0.5hr. It's a low level walk on mostly boardwalks over marsh, very easy for families to do. The boat tour is 2.5 hours and costs $45/person.

If you are really adventurous you can do a 4 day Long Range Traverse Hike that will start at the end of the Fjord. You'll hike up the valley and I can only imagine the incredible view once you reach the top. Maybe one day I'll find myself there.

Photo-buddy/Paper Mag Contributor JOHNNY MISHEFF just wrote a quick word and had a Q&A with Laurel on the Paper Mag blog:

http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/08/i_heart_iheartphotographs_laur.php

There are some cool photos from the opening, including one of me shooting JOHNNY with my YASHICA!!!!

Bond Street Gallery - www.bondstreetgallery.com

The show is up until September 6th. HURRY!!!!

Nous avons commencé la journée par la visite d'un point de vue au-dessus du fjord. Cette eau calme qui serpente à travers la montagne constitue un paysage qui laisse rêveur. Au milieu, les bateaux et kayaks semblent tous petits tant le cours d'eau est immense. Le reflet du ciel et de la montagne viennent parfaire ce tableau. Quelques bleuets ramassés le long du chemin ont fait la joie du petit Charlie. La température de l'eau dans le fjord, nous ne la connaissons pas. Dans le lac Saint-Jean, nous y avons juste trempé l'orteil, et cela nous a suffît. La température de l'eau affichée à l'entrée du parc était de 20 degrés Celsius. Je précise, parce qu'ici les températures sont données en degrés Farenheit. Et là, on parlerait plutôt de 70 degrés...

L'après-midi, nous sommes partis pour une petite randonnée dans une baie du fjord, la baie de la rivière Eternité. Après 1,5 km de marche et une bonne heure, nous voici arrivés à un magnifique point de vue. Le chemin n'a pas été facile car le dénivelé était assez important. Le chemin était pourtant bien aménagé pour le rendre plus facile d'accès, avec des escaliers de bois aux endroits les plus difficiles. Charlie n'a pas eu à faire beaucoup d'effort assis dans le sac à dos de son papa. Lui par contre est monté avec 12 kg supplémantaires dans le dos...

Pourtant, le soir arrivé, c'est Charlie qui a montré le plus de signes de fatigue. A tel point qu'il s'est endormi au restaurant sans avoir pu goûter quoique ce soit ! Dommage pour lui, parce qu'il était vraiment très bon, probablement l'un des meilleurs qu'il nous a été donné d'essayer. Il se situe dans L'Anse Saint-Jean et s'appelle L'Islet, en référence à la petite île au milieu du fjord que l'on peut apercevoir depuis la terrasse.

Tous bien fatigués nous n'avons pas donné notre reste au moment d'aller au lit. Cette nouvelle journée qui débute devrait nous amener vers encore d'autres points de vue toujours plus fabuleux.

I captured this image this morning in Lofthus, one of the major tourist destinations in Western Norway. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the sharply defined cloud layer looked very beautiful against the mountains. It clearly shows the "lifting condensation level", the exact height where the stratified air is cold enough for the water vapor in the air to condense. The picture was taken handheld with my Canon 40D and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens. I used four frames of the same scene to create the panorama image in my banner.

This image is priced at $50 with SnapVillage.

Image: www.superguus.com

I love a good pony story and these two are about as cute as it gets. Guus is an unpedigreed duckling at the riding stable until Jolanda convinces her parents to buy him. From there, they become dressage stars in Holland.  Watch the story in English on YouTube here:

Or visit the Super Guus website here.  Buy the book and practice your Dutch!

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