Vernon BC's Silver Star resort is a wonderful winter wonderland

Is there anything lighter and fluffier than Okanagan champagne powder snow?


Todd makes a snow angel in a snow bank - photo by girlfriend

I took my girlfriend Deb ice-skating at Silver Star Resort's outdoor ice skating pond on Wednesday, Dec 28th.  It was amazing... A huge frozen pond with an island in the middle to skate around.  People played ice hockey at one end in their own rink, while we skated in a whole other huge rink.


My friends Jen, Deb and Jeff smile while snowflakes fall all around them - photo Todd

The snow fell lightly.  Six centimeters of light fluffy snow lay on the snow, that we could easily skate through.  People cleared paths in the snow with snow shovels while a small bobcat snowblower drove on the ice clearing the larger sections.


Todd and Deb enjoying the winter skating - photo by Jeff Stearns

It was very romantic.  It was kind of a blind double date with my friends Jeff and Jeni from Kelowna as Deb had never met them before, except for seeing their pictures on my website.


Jeff and Jen strike a pose while people play hockey in the background - photo by Todd Wong

Jeff Chiba Stearns is the award winning creative force behind the animated film "What Are You Anyways?"  His girlfriend Jeni has just joined the Save Kogawa House committee with me.  I first met Jeff and Jeni at the Vancouver Public Library for a community days display set up for the One Book One Vancouver program which was featuring Joy Kogawa's novel Obasan.


Todd skating and making turns on the ice - photo by girlfriend

It was the first time I had been to Silver Star Resort since skiing there as a teen in 1977.  I used to love it there... especially when my parents would take us out of school for a week of ski lessons.  Deb grew up skiing at Silver Star because her parents live just south of Vernon on beautiful Kalamalka Lake.

We had a wonderful time teaching Jeff how to play "crack the whip," playing tag on the ice, doing spins, and just experiencing the wonderful ambience of the gentle snow flakes falling down on our faces.  I made snow angels in the snow, and we had hot chocolate and poutine before walking around the quaint western style village.

Winter Solstice 2006 Dong Zhi at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens

We went down to the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens last night in Vancouver's Chinatown.  Chinese Winter Solstice or Dong Zhi was being celebrated as part of the Secret Lantern Society's extensive programming that took part at Chinatown, Yaletown, Westend, Strathcona and Brittania Community Centre.

Chinese Winter Solstice is also a time when there are special foods and activities, especially to be shared with family and friends. 

It was my girlfriend's first time seeing the Chinese garden all lit up with hand made lanterns and candles, and it was magically beautiful.  Even before we had walked into the garden, I bumped into musician friends Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault who regularly perform at the Garden as Silk Road Music.

Ji Rong Huang performed erhu in the Scholar's Study, and Alcvin Ramos performed shakahachi flute in the Hall of One Hundred Rivers.  Click here for a virtual tour of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens.

Because of rain, many of the paper lanterns were not hanging on the trees, in the ritual of returning the fallen leaves of Autum, to their original trees in new forms of lanterns.  Many of these paper lanterns feauting leaf designs were instead hung along the walkways of the gardens. 

My favorite lanterns are the floating ones designed like lotus flowers.  The gentle breeze pushed them around on the ponds, and they looked gorgeous in the dark.


A floating lotus lantern lit by photo flash - photo Todd Wong

We soon bumped into my friend Meena Wong showing the garden to a friend of hers visiting from Singapore.  My first dragon boat mentor James Yu was there with his mother.  James is also restorer for the gardens, making sure it is in good maintenance and running order.  He has taught me how to steer dragon boat as well as both Tai Chi, and  many stories about the Chinese garden and traditions.


Dragon Boat buddies Todd Wong and James Yu - photo Deb Martin

As we left the Gardens, we looked around in the Gardens giftshop, and I found a lovely little amulet thingy with the Chinese character for "Love" - which I bought as a gift for my girlfriend.  We also had some fun, doing water brush strokes on a "buddha board" where I demonstrated my long lost skills of having taken a class in Chinese brush painting back in 1980.  It was also a big surprise to meet the new Gardens giftshop manager Alexis who used to run the balloon shop in Deman Place Mall.  Alexis had attended my 2002 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner when her good actor /voice coach friend  Sonia Baker co-hosted with me.

A real big surprise was bumping into former classmates from Grade 7 at Laura Secord Elementary in Vancouver.  While I have bumped into Selina So over the past years through many Asian Canadian events, this was the first time I had seen Leslie Ikeda since 1978 - and we both fondly recounted that we had been in kindergarten together, as well as grade 7 and grade 8 Math. Winter Solstice really is a time for friends and family, as they meet at all the community events!

We met in the Terracotta Warrior gift shop, owned by my friends Charles and Grace.  It's a wonderful shop and I bought two silk ties - one with Pandas, another with dragons... and a special framed print as a Christmas present for my parents (shhh.... it's a secret for now!)


Classmates from Grade 7 Reunited - Selena So, Leslie Ikeda and Todd Wong - photo Deb Martin

Winter Solstice in Vancouver - Dong Zhi at the Chinese Classical Dr. Sen Yat Sen Gardens



Today is Winter Solstice.  It is a significant time for many cultures around the world.  In Chinese, it is called Dong Zhi in mandarin.  As a chilld growing up in Vancouver, I never learned about many Chinese traditions as my family became integrated and assimilated as 2nd 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Canadians.

Vancouver is a hub for cross-cultural events and the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Gardens is a leading proponent.  For the past two years, I have been attending the Winter solstice events at the gardens.  It is decorated with hand made lanterns and is gorgeous.  Leaves that fell during the fall, are placed on lanterns and hung back on the trees. I particularly enjoyed my 2003 Winter Solstice visit to the gardens where I met and talked with erhu musician Ji Rong Huang.

For this year's visit I have invited new friends to attend with me, from the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, and the Save Kogawa House committee.

If you come.... remember to bring your camera!