Before this AUM beach ultimate tournament , I kind of had a liking for playing ultimate in the sand but after this weekend of playing in the sand, I've fallen in love with beach ultimate. It is incredibly fun with everyone making amazing layout bids into the sand showing off 3 foot plus layouts and of course, all the crazy blade-ass, scoober, hammer, thumber, and push-pass throws in the book. My team went undefeated Saturday and made it to the finals on Sunday. In the end, we were defeated by a better team...SDC..Sable din culottes with great players that really worked well as a team....Ray, Pat , Phil (I love playing with this guy...simply amazing), JF Trudel, Pierre Lavoie ,Stephanie Lavoie, Mel Presscott, Vero Bouchard, Sophie Lajeunesse. They played a crazy effective force middle defensive game that our team and I'm assuming most teams had trouble working out. It really felt like you were running for no reason and as a thrower, you had this extra player in your throwing path. Loved it a lot and learned a bit more about the game of ultimate this weekend. It seems that there will always be something to learn as this game evolves with time. All in all, it was an amazingly spirited tournament that made for an amazingly fun time and opportunity to play with and against many friends. Big thanks for the AUM and JL Champagne for organizing the event! Well done.

This was the last evening for the AUM indoor ultimate season and I was asked for a lift to the Loyola dome by a buddy of mine and thought that it would be a good opportunity to take a few pics. And of course, I brought my ulti gear in case there was any chance to play! I've seen some pretty good pics taken by others and I already had a pretty good idea of the limited lighting so I had to try it out. Was it possible to get a good shot or two. Uhhhh, sort of. Photos look OK on the web but I would never print any out beyond a 4x6. There was just a bit too much grain in the images for my taste. Maybe a black or white conversion would be good. In the end, I was lucky enough to pick up with a team that was initially short a few guys and thankfully, Jules was the captain of the other team, so she was more than happy to play against me ;~). Pretty fun and challenging game. In the end, we lost 26-15.

The Art Gallery of Alberta is an amazing work of architecture that you just can't take your eyes off of. It kind of seems out of place in a town like Edmonton which has never been know for its architecture. It seems only fitting that it has been located next to the City Hall building which seems to be only other contemporary looking building in town. Now that is not saying much seeing it is over 18 years ago. Regardless, I believe it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, the new Ice Hockey Arena for the Oilers , with its new home rumoured to be near city hall, will have just an ounce of style that the AGA has. Anyway, the real reason for the post is to mention the Yousuf Karsh Exhibition on until the 30th of May 2010. I've been wanting to view some of his work for quite sometime and imagine how amazed I was when I realized that AGA had his photos up for show. Now for those not familiar with Karsh, he is simply the worlds most famous portrait photographer (IMHO). Definitely worth the entrance fee, but if that wasn't enough there are a few more exhibits that will provide bang for your buck.

Today was a nice enough day to take a quick morning trip to the Morgan Arboretum located at the west tip on the Island of Montreal. The original plan was to visit the "Sugar Shack" located on the grounds but we later found out that the shack was not open for business. Nonetheless, we had an wonderful hike around the grounds and finished with an excellent lunch (Thanks Naomi!!!) in one of the heated shacks. The area is great for birdwatching with many chickadees to be seen feeding at the man-made feeders. I actually caught a glimpse of a ruby red Cardinal, a bird that doesn't visit Edmonton Alberta from my experience so this was quite the treat. Unfortunately, I didn't have the proper gear for bird photography so I just watched and enjoyed. One of the plaques located along the path noted that owls and hawks could be spotted in the area. Next visit, I will come better prepared.

Every year, the Montreal Botanical Garden hosts the "Butterflies Go Free Exhibit" in the Main Exhibition Greenhouse. This year is the 13th Edition and it runs from February 10 to April 25 2010. You can see from 50 to 75 butterfly species from all over the earth flying free around you! It is an amazing event and I'm planning to visit this week but not sure when. HERE is the link to some photos I took the last time I went. Enjoy!

Yup, you heard me correct. This photo was taken from the inside of my car during the soap phase of the wash. I instantly noticed that the soap was multicoloured and luckily the car wash was all housed in glass so that the sunlight could penetrate and give some type of glow to the coloured soap. I was lucky enough to have my Iphone on me and get it open and take two shots before the rinse cycle kicked in and away the soap went. I'm sure I could have made an even better shot if I had my DSLR on my at the time but alas, to quote the great Chase Jarvis.....”The Best Camera Is The One That's with You ...”. He has even gone ahead to prove it by publishing a book with pictures taken only with an Iphone and built an App around the concept.

Wow, the way the subject snaps out of the page on the black background really made me want to try it once again. This time with flowers... (NOTE: the photo above of the Orchids was taken with an Iphone 3Gs!!)

I love taking photos and now that I have a brand new Niece, I have even more reason to take photos!! I wanted to capture her in the classic Baby portrait shot where you see the baby suspended in air, usually a black background with only the hands of the parent/parents for support exposed. As you all know, babies are not good at staying still while you practice on them, so I decided to employ my cat. He is pretty good a stilling still long enough for me to play around with the camera settings and flash. Yup, a little sunlight and flash and pow...great shot. So when I had my next encounter with my little niece I didn't have to spend more than three shots to get it right. Good think I got it on the first shot because the second two she had already started to cry!! Yikes. Actually, I've got another great idea along these lines for a baby shot...maybe I'll do it soon.

Chase Jarvis asked on his blog where others have taken great photos. For me, I would have to say that some of my favourite shots have come from three places.....Switzerland, Maui and Montreal! I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel a few time to both Switzerland and Maui and to have lived/(still living) in Montreal.

A sign of spring??? Melting snow, warmer days, moss growing??....I sure hope I don't jinx it for all of us. The weather has been pretty stable and warm the past week here in Edmonton and I would have to say that today seems to be the first real day of spring with the warm air and sun shining. But that is by mid-day. It is a different story early morning still. Even though I was tempted to enjoy my breakfast in our three season porch out front of the house, I think I will try tomorrow morning. (image: snap shot with trusty Iphone 3Gs).