INTO THE WIDE BLUE YONDER
You can still remember the day when your Uncle Bob – a retired airline pilot – took you to see the Canadian Snowbirds. Sitting atop of Uncle Bob’s shoulders, you stretched out your tiny five-year-old arms desperate to touch the airplanes as they gracefully rolled, twisted and turned above you. There were hundreds of wide-eyed onlookers, but as the Snowbirds zoomed by in their famous ‘flying V’ formation they seemed to dip their wings for you and only you. Now’s your chance to rekindle your childhood love for planes at the 45th anniversary of one of BC’s must do summertime events - the Abbotsford International Air Show. From August 10 to 12, experience the thunderous jets, amazing aerobatics, and pyrotechnic thrills all over again. The Abbotsford International Air Show will awe and entertain anyone young at heart and, at just an hour’s drive from Vancouver, it’s the perfect family activity. Don’t worry - the Air Show is just as magical with your feet planted firmly on the ground as it was from atop of your Uncle’s shoulders. For more information contact www.abbotsfordairshow.com.

“I’LL HAVE MY SALMON WIND-DRIED, PLEASE”
Nothing really says summertime in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains quite like barbequing with good friends, sipping a Granville Island pale ale and eating wild Pacific salmon. But if you really want to have fun this summer, ask your humble host if he’ll prepare your salmon wind-dried. We can’t guarantee you’ll ever be invited back, but it’s the perfect way to launch into stories about your recent St’át’imc Cultural Experiences tour. The St’át’imc Nation is made up of eleven communities, the original inhabitants of the territory that includes Lillooet and the surrounding area. There are a number of different tours to choose from, each one inviting you to explore a unique aspect of the St’át’imc way of life. You can even learn how to make wind-dried salmon, a staple of the St’át’imc diet and economy for thousands of years. Sampling traditional foods, visiting pit houses and caches dated at between 400 and 2000 years old, and viewing thousand year old pictographs are just a few of the activities you can experience on a tour of the St’át’imc Nation. The St’át’imc Cultural Tours provide an educational glimpse into the rich and proud traditions of the original inhabitants of the St’át’imc Nation; it’ll also make for great conversation at your next barbeque! For more information
visit www.tours.uslces.org.

THE SWEET SMELL OF SUMMER
Everybody has a special smell that they associate with summer. There’s the smell of freshly cut grass as you walk in the park enjoying the bright sun and soft breeze. The smell of the hot sand under your toes on the first day that it’s warm enough to go to the beach. The smell of a grape flavoured popsicle dripping slowly down your hand in the summer’s heat. A visit this summer to the Dragon and Unicorn Farm on the Sunshine Coast will leave you with a new favourite smell of summer – the sweet scent of rhododendron blossoms. Located in picturesque Roberts Creek, the Dragon and Unicorn Farm is comprised of four acres of beautiful rhododendrons. The rhododendrons bloom in a myriad of colours, from coral pink to deep red accented by bright yellow stamens. There is also an art gallery on site that features the work of over 50 local artists. June is the ideal time to visit the Dragon and Unicorn Farm, as the Farm celebrates its first birthday and the smell of rhododendron blossoms abounds. Email dragon&unicorn@dccnet.com or call 604-886-6504 for more information.

TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD
Remember back to January 1st when you taped your list of resolutions for 2007 to the fridge and vowed to make this year the year for change? #1 – Hit the gym. #2 – Spend more time with family and friends. #3 – Learn a new skill. Six months have passed and you’re not looking any thinner, you’re averaging four-days to return your Mom’s phone calls, and the only thing you’ve learned is that you’re really no good at keeping to your resolutions. The good news is that Quince Cooking Studio has a great opportunity for you to cross two of the three resolutions off your list. Take a fully-participatory evening or weekend Quince cooking class to learn kitchen basics, upgrade your skills, or expand your culinary repertoire. You can go alone or get together a group of friends and family for a fantastic evening with a culinary flare! The chic Quince Cooking Studio near Granville Island features a state-of-the-art kitchen, vibrant yellow chairs, and herb boxes for fresh rosemary and tasty thyme. Classes are led by knowledgeable instructors, and range in length from one evening to nine days. For more information contact www.quince.ca.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
There are only a few things that leave me speechless: a heartfelt compliment, a glass of crisp BC chardonnay, and the brilliant colours of Sea to Sky Country in the summertime. Every summer I find myself awestruck by the beautiful turquoise lakes, the enchanting emerald green forests, and the sunsets that leave the sky glowing in electric purple and red patterns. It’s enough to wish you had a paint brush, palette and canvas… well, that and the talent of one of BC’s best artists. Not to worry if you don’t, as the work of over 20 regional artists and artisans from Lions Bay to Lillooet will be showcased during the Whistler Arts Council’s ArtWalk event. Whistler’s fourth annual ArtWalk is on from July 1 to August 31, 2007. During ArtWalk, artists will have their art featured in non-traditional gallery spaces throughout Whistler Village, including cafes, retail stores, hotels and restaurants. Whistler Village is also home to the Children’s Arts Festival, two days of full-on entertainment on July 14 and 15. With roving musicians, zany characters, popular children’s performers, and arts & craft workshops, the Whistler Children’s Art Festival encourages children to explore their creative side. So, grab the family and head up to Whistler this summer where you’ll be surrounded by such spectacular natural beauty, it can only be described in a picture. Visit www.whistlerartscouncil.com for details.