14th Annual Roots & Blues Festival in Salmon Arm, B.C. - August 18,19,20

Fifteen-year-old gifted blues guitar player, harmonica player and vocalist Jimmy Bowskill.

Check out more photos of the Roots & Blues Festival on my link: rootsandblues2006

Later -- EAG

Laugh - and feel good

boys of summer

Simply Irresistable.

Climbing onto the trestles of a bridge.
Then standing around in search of bravado.
And then,
one by one
they plunge into the water
below.

Watch out for those shopping carts and deadheads. -- EAG

(By the way. I'm officially on holidays as of 5 p.m. tonight. Yaaah!)

Monkey Sea, Monkey Do

If only they'd stay away from the swimmers. -- EAG

"the tail that wags the dog"

Send In the Clowns

Really. This was how my day started yesterday. I'm serious. No clowning around.
More on this topic later. -- EAG

"I'll be doggoned..."

Woof!
What is it with some people and their pooches?

I can just imagine dog owners working their pets into a frenzy with phrases like, 'let's go for a car ride, here boy... coffee-time, Starbucks.'
The poor mutt probably is doing circles around the car in anticipation of a chocolate-coated doggie biscuit with a half-cafe double mocha venti iced latte.

You can't tell me the poor bassett hound doesn't realize how silly he looks -- even if the ear muffler does have a useful purpose at dog shows.

But pink booties on a poodle. Nutty. Don't you think?

Gone are the days when the term "poop and scoop" meant you pumped out septic tanks for a living. -- EAG

Summer Reading Program

I've been noticing lately that it doesn't really matter what you're reading when you're at the beach.
As long as you have something to read.

Just a couple more days before I get my holidays. Then I can lie in the sand with a book.

Let's see. Do I check out Oprah's book club or choose one of the books my wife is reading?
The shelves of books at the cabin might offer some late night company.
Or maybe it's time to hit the magazine rack at Chapters.

I've wanted to pick up a copy of the Message and read through the scriptures in a fresh way. Hmmm... choices.

Read on. -- EAG

blow by blow

I play the saxophone.

It was my main instrument growing up.
Alto sax, then tenor and eventually I picked up the soprano saxophone. I've always really enjoyed playing. I've learned that who I am as a horn player is linked to how I am hardwired as a person.
I used to get down on myself for not being able to play like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker or Paul Desmond. But their lives were extremely different than mine. They lived life through their time, and their experiences. The hardships they went through - the life choices they made, are what made them the great players they were.
Their gifts are unique to them.
My gifts are unique to me.
I now get it.

Fine. -- EAG

sister act

Kamloops born and raised Sadie Campbell strums the twelve-string guitar as her sister Carly Campbell belts out an Eagles classic tune at the Hot Nite in the City Show and Shine on Saturday in Kamloops.

wake2wake

"Very cool," wakeskating on the South Thompson river. These kids were boarding without boots attached - just a flatboard, a rope
and lots of guts. Cool. -- EAG

reading between the signs

Stop!
It's the word no drummer likes to hear.

If my parents had pounded their feet on the floor everytime I was practicing downstairs I might not be still playing today. I was given the space and time to play. And, eventually the sound became easier on mom and dad's ears.
But, knowing when to stop playing really is essential to becoming a better drummer - or musician for that matter.

Here's what professional drummer and percussionist Carl Albrecht has to say in his article "Space, the Final Frontier" Or "Why Do Drummers Overplay?" in the Nov/Dec 2004 issue of Worship Musician.

"The importance of dynamics, colouring and leaving space in music cannot be overstated. Quite often I (Carl) hear drummers and other musicians trying to play everything they know in one song. They are so absorbed in their own thing they forget to hear music as a collective sound of everyone present."

"Play music, not just drums."

Visit his website: www.carlalbrecht.com

Stick with it. -- EAG

the smell of money

Sale possible for pulp mill


By MARKUS ERMISCH
Staff reporter
Aug 04 2006


As Weyerhaeuser considers the sale of its white-paper business, the industry giant's Kamloops pulp mill may be thrown into the fold, according to one industry analyst.

A shutdown, however, is unlikely.

"I assume that it's a mill that's probably one of the few that's a keeper," said Kevin Mason, managing director of paper and forest products with Equity Research Associates.

"From all the things that I've seen on it, it's still regarded as a fairly decent mill, although to really make it efficient, you want to do some upgrades. But it's definitely in far better shape than a lot of the other mills out there."

Selling the mill - Mason speculated it may be sold to Domtar Inc., Boise Cascade or a combination of both - would make sense for Weyerhaeuser.

If the Washington state-based company does sell its white-paper division, a few of its pulp mills will be part of the deal, said Mason, thus ensuring that the potential buyer is not left short of pulp.

But to survive, the mill needs to be upgraded to make it run more efficiently, said Mason.

Local Weyerhaeuser management, despite the uncertainty surrounding the Kamloops mill, is toying with the idea of introducing gasification technology to reduce its reliance on expensive natural gas. It has signed a tentative deal with Nexterra Energy Corp., a company that has sold the technology to Tolko Industries Ltd. for the company's mill in Heffley Creek.

The fact that Weyerhaeuser is considering this technology, however, is not necessarily an indication of what Weyco headquarters has in mind for the Kamloops mill.

"We're moving forward until we know something, and part of moving forward includes that project," said Bob Taylor, general manager for Weyerhaeuser's B.C. operations.

"We think it's a good project that makes sense for the mill."

Taylor said he does not know when head office will decide the fate of the Kamloops mill.

One of the first people to hear the news of any change will be Rene Pellerin, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 10B.

The union represents about 370 workers at the Mission Flats site.

"We've been hoping for an announcement for a long time," he said.

"It would be easier on all of us if we knew where we sat.

"But again - it's a waiting game, and we've been in this waiting game for a while."

Meanwhile, Canada's position as the world's largest producer of pulp continues to slip as the country is being overtaken by Brazil.

As a result, the entire pulp industry is undergoing a dramatic change.

The Weyerhaeuser mill closure in Prince Albert, Sask., is but one example.

However, mills in British Columbia's Interior are, for the most part, not likely to suffer a similar fate.

According to Mason, they are low-cost pulp producers compared to mills in central and eastern Canada.

Fibre costs in B.C., said Mason, are about half of what mills in eastern Canada pay, while energy is cheaper on the West Coast.


© Copyright 2006 Kamloops This Week
v

Me and hockey legend Bobby Orr

I met my hockey idol today. When I was a kid my hockey hero was Bobby Orr. When neighbourhood outdoor hockey teams were picked I was always No. 4 - Bobby Orr. I got the Boston Bruins team coloured socks, I even received a copy of the book "Orr On Ice". He was my favourite NHL player of all time.
I don't follow hockey much now -- but when I was a child it was pretty big.
Although I've met countlesss national political leaders, even the odd actor - I've never had the desire to ask to be photographed together. But, Bobby Orr.
I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Keep your stick on the ice. -- EAG

giving thanks

freshwater jones practice

fwj practice

'getting my groove on'

Ah... yes! Too many weeks away from pounding on the skins and jamming with the band is about equal to Ulmer's gargantuan appetite for extra helpings of hamburgers during yesterday's barbeque with the band. Dan the Man joined us and added some nice acoustic guitar sounds into the mix. I can hardly wait until next practice.
Stickin' with it. -- EAG

you think that's funny...

alas... it's finally the long weekend. -- EAG

workplace hazards

You think you've got a strange workplace.... well let me tell you! --EAG

cat scratch fever

About the only thing I would envy about being a cat is their ability to scatch themselves in places that I wish I could.

They have absolutely no shame.
Wouldn't life be great without experiencing the sense of shame.

I can hear my grade school teachers' voice still, saying "shame on you David," for something I'd done that was wrong.
I've even said it to myself in my 'inside' voice. Letting myself know how I'd blown it. Stepped over the line. Gone my own way.
I'm so thankful that God knows my heart. He wants me to know His.
Being able to go to Him in prayer and receive forgiveness is the way I can turn over the guilt and shame of my sin to Him.
That's why He sent His son to earth and, ultimately down the road to the cross. It was for me. For my sin. My shame.
He wanted me to be close to Him during my brief time on this earth. To know Him. To understand His will for my life.

Thanks God. --EAG

"where's the beach?"

10 working days and counting.
Summer holidays can't come fast enough.
Wasn't I on holidays already this time last year?
My body clock feels way out of whack.

It just seems that a pair of feet in the sand seem to epitomize the Summer experience so well.

I can hardly wait to walk my tired dogs on a hot, sandy beach.

Cowabunga dude -- EAG

Summer -- part ll

August finally has arrived. 11 working days and counting, to the start of my scheduled holidays. -- EAG

"Ha ha ha ha ha.... Wipe Out"

Yes, those are the lyrics of the popular sixties hit 'Wipe Out' by the teen sensation The Surfaris.
There. I just dated myself.
This is a pic I grabbed during Saturday's B.C. Summer Games on Shumway Lake. 14-year-old trick skier Adrienne Davidson of Vernon had a good 2nd run but lost it towards the end of her last effort of the day.

Cheers -- EAG

feels like 'my' day

After running all day long shooting sports at the B.C. Summer Games I've had just about enough. I feel like the the player getting straight-armed in the face. Ah, at least the game ends soon. It's nearly 5 o'clock. Quitting time. --EAG

boys of summer

If it looks like summer,
If it sounds like summer,
If it feels like summer
Then it must be summer.

Somehow it only feels like summer about two days out of each week for me.
I need to find a beach and plant my feet in the hot sand.
Maybe build a campfire and eat some smores.
Or, collect rocks on the beach.

Anyway -- holidays just seem so far away. -- EAG

left, right, left, right

When I came across this shot I took last year along the South Thompson river it reminded me of my walk with God. How we all can sometimes wander off on our own course. We can get confident in our own stride. And pretty soon we're strutting like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. I know I definately would not look good doing the Richard's strut. Just not me.
I'm probably walking more like the Charlie Brown shuffle.

Psalms 86:11 says: "Train me, God to walk straight; then I'll follow your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear."

Psalms 119:1 says: "You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right -- you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel."

Later -- EAG

"last one in's a rotten egg"

O.K. So why can kids be so unbridled with their reactions to water and adults can't?
We tend to stick one toe in the water to test the temperature -- then both feet. It takes a lot longer for us to even get close to the level of excitement that kids can experience almost instantly when it comes to getting wet. They just jump right in.
It kinda reminds me of the Steven Curtis Chapman song, Dive.

...My heart is racing and my knees are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there's no turning back.
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That's telling me it's time
To take a leap of faith.
So here I go.

I'm diving in, I'm going deep
In over my head, I want to be
Caught in the rush, lost in the flow,
The river's deep, the river's wide,
The river's water is alive
So sink or swim, I'm diving in.

...But we will never know the awesome power
Of the grace of God
Until we let ourselves get swept away
Into this holy flood.

...Come on let's go. - EAG

"oh...canada"

Keep your head up. Those are good words of advice for anyone. Especially for a photographer.

My dad would tell me as a child, "Don't run with your hands in your pockets." I forgot his advice until about eight years ago when I fell with my hands in my pockets and broke the face of my watch. A few scratches on my arms and a bruised ego helped remind me of my father's sage words.

I caught this shot of the canadian flag while heading to my last photo assignment of the day. One I wasn't looking forward to all that much -- a lacrosse game. You know the fans must be dedicated when you walk into the arena and are overcome with the damp, smell of sweat hanging in the air. Yuck! As the lyrics of our national anthem state, "We stand on guard for thee." Maybe those sweaty teenage lacrosse players could make a few extra passes with a stick of 'right guard'.

Smell 'ya later -- EAG

mercury rising in the Thompson-Okan-oven

Today I like my job. A lot. It's pretty nice when you can head to the lake to do a story on hot-shot water skiers beating the heat with a dip into the emerald-green waters of Shumway Lake for the Water Ski & Wakeboard B.C. Classic championships this weekend. The three event competition -- slalom, tricks and jumps -- concludes Sunday and is a precursor for many young athletes coming to Kamloops for the upcoming B.C. Summer Games. My godson Christopher and brother Curtis Sowden are attending the clinic and competition this weekend. It seems not that long ago I used to one-arm my slalom turns. At least for one, maybe two turns and that was it. Spaloosh! It didn't take long before I started acting my age. At least on the water. -EAG

header goes here

The Canadian U-20 national girls team played Mexico in the first of two FIFA soccer matches in Kamloops, British Columbia on Wednesday night. The new Hillside Sportscentre was officially opened with a new stadium filled to capacity with soccer fans. The game was a draw at 2-2.

look up... way up

Ever lay back and look up at clouds in the sky? I've been doing that a lot in the evenings. I been making a point of trying not to be so busy before heading to bed each night. Sitting out on the patio looking up at the heavens has been a favourite pastime of mine. I don't really care that I don't know much about the constellations. Or if I remember all the different names of the type of cloud formations from my college geography classes. Instead, I simply enjoy their shapes and textures. Just like in childhood days when you didn't really care about the where or why. Or how things happened. Just that they did. I enjoy keeping the mysteries of life a mystery. In a childlike faith sort-of way. It just is. They just happen to be there... just because. No really... why? ...cause.
As I lay back and admire the heavens each night I'm always reminded that my Creator made it just so.
It's His handiwork.
His design.
And that's pretty cool. - EAG

a nother an ni versary... remember the flowers and card

Yes, today is our 22nd wedding anniversay. Carolyn and I met in Kamloops in 1982 and married in 1984. I'm looking forward to a special dinner out tonight and some quiet time with a glass of wine together on the backyard swing. Anniversaries really are a time to outwardly agree that you both made the right decision so many years ago. Actually it's more like we just listened to God's voice in our lives and were obedient to Him. He's a great matchmaker. Cheers. - EAG

blog newbie

Yes. It's true. I love and hate at the same time. Blogging that is. Something to do with old dogs and new tricks.
Hi. You may know me from an actual real life encounter. Maybe at one of The Well gatherings with freshwaterjones. Maybe our paths haven't crossed yet in the physical realm - only by the meter of one keystroke after another on a glowing screen.
Anyway, hello again.