UpTake on the Maple Leaf Happy Monday to all and I hope that you enjoyed the Super Bowl as much as I did! Whatta game! Now turn your attention UP north and get ready to TAKE a medal tally as the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are about to begin. 80 flags representing the nations competing in the games are being raised over the city and this UPTAKE is dedicated to the host of this major international event. Oh Canada! I am so excited that the games will be in Vancouver, British Columbia. I love the winter games and I love Canada! In just 4 days the Olympic torch that was ignited in Greece on October 22 will be making its way into the opening ceremonies to set ablaze the Olympic cauldron signaling the start of the games. Interestingly, the torch is kindled by the light of the sun, its rays are concentrated using a parabolic mirror to spark the flame. This flame is a symbol commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek God Zeus by Prometheus and is kept burning for the duration of the event...[more »]
Ski Lift on Sunday River Ski Resort The Sunday River Resort, located five miles outside of Bethel, Maine, is a year-round resort offering four seasons of alpine recreation in the mountains of western Maine. It being winter at the moment, Sunday River is THE ski destination for Maine and the surrounding states. With 132 trails and 16 lifts spread across eight interconnecting mountains, this ain’t no backwater ski hill. Ski operations are supported during the season with snowmaking machines, and the runs provide the full range of green/blue/black/diamond skill levels. Six terrain parks offer rails, jumps, pipes, boxes, and other features dependent upon the snow levels. Sunday River Bridge in Maine Sunday River is also an excellent destination for spring, summer, and fall. Crowds pack it in during the height of fall foliage, and visitors have thus far taken at least a million photos of the Sunday River Covered Bridge, which was built in 1872 and graces calendars year after year...[more »]
It's a lot bigger once you get up there. Ain't that always the case though? Do you remember ABC’s Wide World of Sports? Saturday mornings after cartoons, if I recall correctly. Maybe it was Sunday. Hard to tell, I’m old. What I do recall in crystal clear fashion is that “agony of defeat” guy. Remember? *dramatic announcer-guy voice* “The thrill of victory, (dramatic pause) and the agony of defeat.” And when the dramatic announcer-guy said that, the clip was some poor bastard loosing his balance and going arse over teakettle off the side of this huge ski jump. I remember my brother and I laughing and carrying on and deciding that we would have to fashion some sort of ski jump for our own selves come winter. We never did. That’s probably a good thing. The emergency room knew us by name already. What does the above have to do with anything? The Hills are Alive.....you know the rest. Well, the view from just outside and due North of...[more »]
