UASBC Vancouver Meeting "Sea Explorers": Jett & Kathryn Britnell.

Christmas At Hycroft Mansion.

 

November 20, 2011: This morning we attended the “Christmas at Hycroft” traditional holiday event (Nov 17 -20). Located in the uber upper class neighbourhood of Vancouver’s Shaughnessy district, the magnificent Edwardian Hycroft Mansion is a 20,000 square foot, 30 room manor that was built for politician and war hero General Alexander Duncan McRae in the early 1900′s. In it’s heyday, the parties held at Hycroft were legendary, especially the New Year's Eve masquerade balls. The guest book at Hycroft read like a Who's Who of the 20's and 30's; it contained names of visiting royalty, well-known business associates, politicians and the social elite of Vancouver. It was said to be an honour and a delight to be invited to Hycroft. 

Today, the mansion is owned by “University Women's Club of Vancouver” of which my lovely wife happens to be a member. The University Women’s Club holds this annual fundraiser to support its many scholarship and bursary programs and a number of charity and advocacy groups locally, nationally and internationally. The Club is also responsible for maintaining the stewardship of the grounds and buildings of Hycroft – a designated Heritage House.

Evening With the Authors & Artists - Dive Industry Association of BC.

 

Kathryn and I attended the Dive Industry Association of British Columbia’s “Evening With the Authors and Artisans” fundraiser last night. Local diving legend, Neil McDaniel, gave an entertaining presentation on his 2003 Bowie Seamount Expedition. In keeping with the evening’s theme, several authors and artists were signing and selling their crafts. We came away with a few of the silent auction items, so a great evening with friends and local dive industry folks. Congratulations to the event organizers for pulling together this exciting event!

The Civil Wars at The Vogue: Two Voices And One Guitar.

November 13, 2011 - Nashville-based country-folk duo “The Civil Wars” (Joy Williams and John Paul White) owned the stage at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver last night. The fact that it was my birthday didn’t matter, Kathryn and I wanted to see this dynamic duo who are on the rising curve to stardom. Touring in support of their latest release "Barton Hollow", the Vogue Theatre provided an intimate setting for Joy & John Paul’s exceptionally haunting vocals, sweet harmonies and exceptional songwriting.

The opening act, “Milo Greene” was a real surprise too! Delightfully entertaining, there was not a bad song in their set. Anyway, if The Civil Wars are performing on any stage in your town, go see them!  They are quite simply, AMAZING!

 

"With their playful banter and exquisite harmonies,

they create music that is as haunting as a nocturne,

soothing as a lullaby."
-USA Today- 

"The Civil Wars" - The Best Of What's Next!

WOW, going to see “The Civil Wars” perform on Sunday night! I only discovered their music when they appeared on Letterman two weeks ago. Downloaded their CD and have been listening to it in the car. The buzz is they are “The Best of What’s Next”. Purely by accident while searching for a guitar tab of their mesmerizing hit, “Poison & Wine”, I stumbled across their website. Low & behold, it said they’re playing Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre on November 13th, which coincidentally happens to be my birthday. I said to Katie, ”We’re, going!”

Check them out. http://thecivilwars.com/

Eat, Drink And Be Scary!

Kathryn Britnell: British Columbia Association Of Travel Writers Newest Member!

Kathryn's published travel writing has earned her a membership in the BC Association of Travel Writers. I'm sooooo proud of her!

Congratulations, Kathryn Britnell - You're A Nitrox Diver Now!

Kathryn passed her PADI Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN) Speciality Course this week which will now allow her to dive for a longer time at a given depth without an increased risk of decompression sickness.

Nitrox specifically denotes a gas mixture that has a higher percentage of oxygen than normal air (more than 21% oxygen); it is essentially air that has been "enriched" with additional oxygen. While EANx may contain any percentage of oxygen greater than 21%, the most common mixtures for scuba diving are EANx 32 (NOAA Nitrox 1) and EANx 36 (NOAA Nitrox II) which have 32% and 36% oxygen respectively. Special training and certification and required to dive with EANx.

Way to go, baby!

What's Your Name?, Whose Your Daddy? - The Zombies & Strawbs at the River Rock!

October 13, 2011. Went to see The ZOMBIES & STRAWBS tonight at the River Rock Casino Showroom. The ZOMBIES were a British pop group in the 1960s. Following The Beatles in 1964 as part of "The British Invasion" of the USA, they were the second UK group to score an American #1 hit. Their performance was  impressive and their hits, "She’s Not There”, Tell Her No and Time Of The Season” brought everyone to their feet. Tonight's band featured original members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. Jim Rodford(founding member of Argent and longtime member of the Kinks on bass). Guitar: Tom Toomey. Drums: Steve Rodford.

The STRAWBS, formerly a 60s folk and medieval band, became one of the better British progressive music groups during the 70s largely with the influence of Dave Cousins (the heart and soul of this group). I saw STRAWBS perform at the Ottawa Civic Centre during their “Bursting at the Seams Tour” when I was a teenager. Ever since then, I've listened to the Bursting at the Seams album regularly. 

We actually got to meet and speak with Dave Cousins, along with the other band members. Very nice blokes! Mr. Cousins is without any doubt one of the most distinctive, brilliant and enduring talents to emerge out of the mid to late 1960s British folk-progressive rock era. He is a rock icon and true poet. I was "absolutely thrilled" to meet him as I have been a fan of his work since I first saw the STRAWBS perform in Ottawa during the early seventies. What an honor! And I'm sure happy my wife was there with a camera.

Here I am after the show with Dave Cousins (leader, singer and most active songwriter of the STRAWBS since 1967). 

An iGenius This Way Comes: Steve Jobs Dies At 56.

"Almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."  ~ Steve Jobs

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." ~ Steve Jobs

"My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people." ~ Steve Jobs

"We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?"  ~ Steve Jobs

The Marshall Islands Creates Worlds Largest Shark Sanctuary!

The Marshall Islands have joined Palau, the Maldives, Honduras, the Bahamas, and Tokelau in creating a shark sanctuary in their territorial waters. Encompassing nearly two million sq. km of ocean and imposing a ban on commercial shark fishing, the Marshall Islands' new legislation includes fines ranging between $25,000 to $200,000 for anyone found to be fishing for sharks, or in possession of shark fins.  AWESOME!

aquabionic Warp 1 - The World's Most Advanced Fin.

A friend of mine, Simon Morris, has partnered with two others and founded a new company, CETATEK Products Inc., to manufacture a new diving fin using the world's newest technology. The "aquabionic warp 1" (Water Adapting Responsive Propulsion) is unique in the world, and is a patent pending design that is a departure from all others. Please see the computer animated video that explains the concept, at http://cetatek.com/scuba-diving-products/

They will be introducing the fin to the diving trade at the Diving Equipment Manufacturers Association Trade Show (DEMA) in Orlando, Nov. 2-5, at Booth 2471.  As a brand new company, they're trying to get the word out around the world and are looking for retail dealers in North America and international distributors on the other continents. For more information, contact, Simon Morris, VP Marketing & Sales at simon@cetatek.com

Congratulations To My Wife, Kathryn Britnell!

Kathryn has been welcomed into the illustrious ranks of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association as a Regular Member.

Founded in 1956, the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) strives to be a gathering point and resource base for an active membership composed of professionals engaged in the food, wine and travel industries. The association's membership includes professionals in culinary arts and sciences, the wine growing and production industry, destination travel, and in the hotel and hospitality management industries.

The Eye Of The Octopus.

Octopuses have highly complex eyes that compare to human visual acuity. Focusing is done by moving the lens in and out, rather than by changing its shape as the human eye does. A unique characteristic of the octopus eye is its rotational ability and its consistent orientation in relation to gravity. Using their statocyst, (a balance organ common to many invertebrates), octopus always maintain their slit-shaped pupils in a horizontal position. Hence, their brains can always safely interpret visual information on the basis that the eyes are horizontally aligned, though the body may be at any angle in the three-dimensional water column.

Crazy, Stupid, Dives - An Evening In The Depths WIth Jett & Kathryn Britnell

As part of the UASBC Vancouver Meeting “Sea Explorers” Speaker Series, Jett and Kathryn Britnell will be presenting their show, “Crazy, Stupid, Dives - An Evening In The Depths.” Divers are known to travel far and wide in search of adventure. The Britnell’s will share some of their undersea experiences from around the globe with sharks, shipwrecks and remote reefs, oh my!

The Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia (UASBC), is a non-profit group, who have worked systematically since 1975 to search for, locate, identify, survey, and protect many historic shipwrecks, and other historic resources, for the benefit of future generations.

Date:     November 30, 2011
Time:     7:30PM

Vancouver Maritime Museum 

1905 Ogden Avenue

Vancouver BC
    V6J 1A3

Keep Close To Nature’s Heart: Alberta’s National Parks

Icefields Parkway, Alberta

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir

Over the last few days of August and into the early days of September, Kathryn, Alex, and I took off for 5 day road trip to visit Banff & Jasper, Alberta and numerous points of interest along the way. We journeyed from Banff to Jasper via the spectacular Icefields Parkway and saw many beautiful sights and even drank some glacier water while standing atop the Athabasca Glacier. 

Established in 1885, Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park in the Rocky Mountains, whereas Jasper National Park (est. 1907) is the largest national parks in the Canadian Rockies. Both parks are comprised of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. Wildlife in the park includes elk, caribou, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, black bear, beaver, pika, hoary marmot, grey wolf, mountain lion and wolverine.  

As much as I love the sea, there is also something spiritual about being in the panoramic heart of the Canadian Rockies. It does, indeed, wash your spirit clean. 

 Peyto Lake, Alberta

 Peyto Lake Snowman, Alberta

     Athabasca Glacier Ice Bus

 Kathryn and Alex atop Athabasca Glacier

Jett and Kathryn Britnell atop Athabasca Glacier

 Castle Mountain, Alberta

View from Bow Valley Parkway, Alberta

 

Moraine Lake, Alberta

Athabasca Falls, Alberta

 Icefields Parkway, Alberta

Bow Valley Summit, Alberta

Mistaya Canyon, Alberta

Mistaya Canyon, Alberta

Bravo! Florida Bans Killing Of Tiger Sharks and Hammerhead Sharks.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has approved a ban to prohibit the killing of tiger sharks, great hammerheads, scalloped hammerheads and smooth hammerheads as a measure to protect predators that have suffered from overfishing. Unfortunately, catch and release fishing will still be permitted.

Over the past 20 years shark populations worldwide have sharply declined due to shark finning, a despicable practice now illegal in U.S. waters in which the valuable fins are cut from the living shark, which is then tossed back into the ocean to die. China and other East Asian countries fuel the senseless demand for shark fin soup, a delicacy that has generated a lucrative market for shark fins.

“Florida has been recognized as a pioneer and a leader in shark management efforts for nearly 20 years,” said the wildlife commission’s chairwoman Kathy Barco, in a written statement. “We recognize that maintaining healthy shark populations is critical to the sustainability of our marine ecosystem. The additional protections we are proposing would help preserve Florida’s valuable marine resources."

Way to go, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission!

Where Were You When Taylor Swift Left Vancouver Awestruck?

September 11, 2011: I have enjoyed the opportunity to see many performers since I was a teenager, but I must confess that Country superstar, Taylor Swift, in concert ranks as probably one of the top three concerts I have ever seen. The other top two would be the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan whom I have both seen maybe 9 or 10 times. Yes, Miss Swift’s Vancouver “Speak Now” concert tour is definitely a must see!

At the tender age of 21, Grammy Award winning artist, Taylor Swift, is clearly at the top of her game. We have never attended a concert where the audience sang along to some of the tunes with the fervor that Swift’s fans did. A role model for young teen girls, her wholesome demeanor is endearing. Her greatest songs were inspired by her unrequited love with some very high profile celebrity romances. She is a brilliant songwriter, classy and talented performer. On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, my wife and I were enchanted to be thoroughly entertained by Taylor Swift.  She’s the real deal! 

WTF!? Japan Hunts 195 Whales In Northwest Pacific Ocean.

 

(AP) TOKYO September 15, 2011 10:51 AM — Japan says it has caught 195 whales in the Pacific Ocean this season under a research program opposed by activists who call it commercial whaling in disguise. Japan's Fisheries Agency said Thursday that the fleet harvested 49 minke, 95 sei and 50 Bryde's whales and one sperm whale during its three-month Pacific expedition. 

I'm sure there a good people in Japan who are opposed to slaughtering whales. We could use more of them.

“It is meat and drink to me to see a clown" ~ William Shakespeare.

The Pink Clownfish is pinkish-orange with a white bar down either side of the face, and a white stripe along the back. It has a white caudal fin and is found on coral reefs at depths from 3m to 30m.  Usually associated with the anemone, Heteractis magnifica, this fish feeds on benthic algae and zooplankton and inhabits tropical marine waters of the Western Central Pacific, from the Philippine Islands, north to Japan, throughout Micronesia, south to Australia and east to the Samoan Islands.  This particular image was shot somewhere in Southern Leyte, Philippines.

California Wins One For The Sharks!

 

Bravo California! Assembly Bill 376 passed by a vote of 25-9 which effectively prohibits the sale, trade, and possession of shark fins within the state and effectively shuts down one of the biggest markets for shark fins outside of Asia. Good times!

Dive News Network Published Our Story: Bahamas Shark Diving.

Dive News Network just published our story, “Bahamas Shark Diving Safari” in two of their September 2011 editions (Northeast Dive News & Midwest Dive News). I was surprised to learn my images graced the covers of these two issues. The story is from a 10 Day Bahamas shark diving trip organized by Eric Cheng of Wetpixel (www.wetpixel.com) with Jim Abernethy’s dive operation (www.scuba-adventures.com) in West Palm Beach Florida. If you’re a shark photography fanatic, Abernethy knows all the best shark diving sites…and then some. Both highly recommended!

Prowfish: Alaska's Rarely Photographed Fish?

Seldom seen as adults, and rarely photographed in the wild, Prowfish were once thought to be an exclusively deep-water species that inhabited ocean depths between 300 to 650 feet. However, in Southeastern Alaska, they are increasingly becoming a common sight for cold water adventure divers who are diving aboard Mike Lever’s Nautilus Swell.

Initially, Prowfish were seen fairly often at depths of approximately 115 feet on the Princess Sophia shipwreck. The images posted here are some that I shot of these fish on this amazing shipwreck in April 2011. However, divers are now discovering these fish at numerous other dive sites as mentioned in this weblink:  Alaskan Prowfish

There is only one species of Prowfish (Zaprora silenus). They range along the Pacific coast of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to Monterey Bay, California, and also to Japan. Greyish in color with a blunt, rounded head with numerous large sensory pores that look like dots, Prowfish measure about two feet long and have no apparent scales. Their diet consists of gelatinous zooplankton and jellyfish, of which we saw many drifting in the water column.

Another Book Review For A Book In Development.

Focal Press publishes some of the best Photography and Digital Imaging books written by creative experts for creative people. Last month they approached us again to do a book review for them on a book in development that focuses on Travel Photography. Unfortunately, I'm unable to disclose specific details. :(

Taylor Swift - Back To September In Vancouver.

Since "The Monkees" unceremoniously bailed on performing in Vancouver, Kathryn and I decided to attend one of Taylor Swift's upcoming shows. And we're thrilled to do so as Taylor is without doubt one of the most talented singer/songwriters to grace a stage. Famed Celebrity Juice commentator, Perez Hilton, said last week on his website, "The "Speak Now Tour" is truly one of the best concerts we've ever been to - and we go see A LOT of shows!"

Here's a video of Taylor Swift's plaintive love song, "Back To December." A shame that you must experience the break up of a relationship to come to this realization, but hey, she's smart enough to figure it out and turn her life experiences into art!