Holidays – JohnBollwitt.com

2018 Jan 012018 Jan 01

The Coldest New Year’s Day

Without a doubt, this has been the coldest morning of the New Year that I can remember. I do recall days of going to elementary school and being held inside for recess because the weather was unsafe due to the subzero windchills outside, mainly because there was always some kid who would lose his stocking hat on the bus ride in from the country or not bring gloves that day, but you never really grasp how frigid, cold weather can cause damaging effects that can last a lifetime.

Last night, as 2018 struck in the central time zone, windchills dipped to -34F, which is nearly at the point where subzero temperatures between Celsius and Fahrenheit are the same. Once -40 is reached, reference or calculation is no longer needed.

Today will certainly be quiet.

2017 Dec 242018 Jan 01

Walking in a Vancouver Winter Wonderland

Covered a lot of ground today and made some good Christmas memories.

2009 Dec 212009 Dec 21

Christmas baking

This past week, Rebecca and Keira teamed up on some baking of all sorts of Christmas goodies. I got to enjoy the fruits of their labour all the while having my camera in tow.
Continue reading “Christmas baking”

2009 Nov 11

Taking time for Remembrance Day

Rebecca's poppy

Where I grew up, Remembrance Day, or Veteran’s Day, wasn’t as observed as much as it might be now. Maybe that’s due to being a little older and wiser to what’s going on around me, but for the most part, today was just another day. We still went to school for the whole day while the banks were closed and the mail wouldn’t show up until the next business day.

Before even moving to Canada, there was always a small part of me that had to think about all of my family who served in the military. My grandfather, great uncle, great uncle, uncle, cousin, cousin, cousin, cousin, and brother. That’s just off the top of my head, but needless to say, there is a rich history of my family serving in the military, past and present.

All politics aside, this is why I often hold the belief that no matter what conflict is waged in the world, I hold nothing but the highest respect and support for those who risk their lives to protect the freedoms that so many of us probably take for granted. Their courage is commendable, and the sacrifices are vast.

It’s important to remember those who have given up everything in the past to help build a future that is our present. No one should take that for granted.

2009 Jul 19

Photos from Surrey Canada Day 2009

I know we’re almost through the month of July, but the City of Surrey held their annual Canada Day celebrations at Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre on July 1st. Miss604.com was an official sponsor of the day’s events (posts: Opening Ceremonies, Performances, Bif Naked), so Rebecca and I ventured out to wander the grounds, see the sights, and, of course, shoot some photos.

Just to highlight the very well organized event, here’s a few of my favorite shots from the day.

It’s a bit of a tradition to bring out a table full of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with red and white frosting, all arranged as the flag of Canada. Once the day is officially opened by the mayor of Surrey, people can come up and get one from various members of the city council, including the mayor herself, Diane Watts.

Local hip-hop act, Sweatshop Union.

An amazing performance by You Say Party! We Say Die!

Bif Naked was loud and in charge, as expected.

54-40 headlined the main stage and put on a stellar performance.

I have plenty more shots in my set on Flickr. Many thanks to the organizers of Surrey Canada Day 2009 for their hosting and making sure the day was a success. I keep being impressed with the events that Surrey puts on. Their events planning crew really know what it means to have something to do with your family and friends.

2008 Sep 02

A windy weekend in Osoyoos

We’re back from a (on, off, on, off, and then back on again) trip to Osoyoos for the recent long weekend. While it was great to spend time with some family and get out of town for a few days, it was painful to have barely a cloud in the sky and 40km/hr winds barreling down on the town. Made getting out and enjoying the desert climate a little tough. Even if you could handle the “breeze”, it would get a little tiring of debris blowing around, and that would be in the form of leaves, your towel, or plastic patio furniture.

The part that sucked the most was driving there and having a rainstorm dump enough water to cause some flash flooding on Highway 1 between Chilliwack and Hope. That made the 3.5 hour drive into 7.5.

Still, it was good to get away and disconnect for a few days. Plenty to eat and drink, and I even got to catch a few baseball games on TV.

And wouldn’t you know it, the day we leave was the best, most amazing weather of the entire long weekend. We were able to get in a little beach time before departure, but what a kick in the teeth. Thanks a lot, summer. I stick up for you and this is how you treat us? Yeah, see ya next year.

2008 Jul 052008 Jul 06

Photographs from Surrey Canada Day celebrations

Rebecca was contacted by the fine folks at the city of Surrey to be a media co-sponsor for their Canada Day events in Cloverdale. July 1st saw nearly 40,000 people crowd onto the Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheater grounds to play games, see stilt walkers, get their faces painted, and see a jam packed line-up of musical acts on the main stage, including the likes of Rymes With Orange, The Payola$, and Loverboy.

Events like this tend to find me with media access for the both of us, and of course that means I have to take my camera along with. You can read all of Rebecca’s coverage of the event [Surrey Canada Day 2008: The Schedule, Morning Recap, The Music], but the following are some of my favorite shots that I took.

Will is a really amazing musician. See him live if you can because you must.

That’s Mr. Bob Rock[wiki], ladies and gentlemen, in the flesh.

You can see all 104 photos on Flickr. Shooting outdoor events can be a lot of fun, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s loud in the photo pit, not to mention the sweltering heat on that day. Sometimes I feel intimidated by being surrounded with folks that have larger and much more expensive photo equipment, but the pictures that come out from my endeavors tend to speak for themselves. It’s not what you got that matters. It’s how you use it, and I’m doing my damnedest to learn my camera and get better with every shot.

The folks at the Surrey Canada Day event were amazing in terms of getting us the media access and letting us know the low down on what was going on, where everything was located, and were just generally awesome people. By far, the best treatment I have ever experienced in terms of media access for new media folks.

2008 May 23

A trip to Osoyoos in pictures

It must have been nearly a month ago, and it took me a long time to get the pictures posted from our trip to Osoyoos for a quick weekend getaway, so here’s a delayed recap in photos. Rebecca has some good posts about the trips and various portions of it here, here, here, and here.

Lots of rest and relaxation, but we don’t own a car. It’s nice to take long drives through the countryside, see the land, and listen to music. That’s what makes us happy.

2008 Jan 202008 Jan 19

The year of the eight

For New Years Eve, we ventured out to be with some friends for the occasion. Some were old, some were new, but all of them were people that have become new to our lives. I’ll even say that if it weren’t for blogging, they probably wouldn’t be friends. It’s amazing how that works, and 2007 has been another, amazing example of how life continues to progress.

Hi. This is a delayed, new year post for 2008.

I actually started writing this sometime ago, and it was even late to the mark when I tried to do that. Ever since getting the full time gig of a day job, it’s tough to find a lot of time to do the other things that really interest me. It’s not that I don’t like what I do. I’m just busy.

This last year has been down right insane. It started off with my approval for permanent residency in Canada, and it concluded with probably the biggest thing to happen in my professional career. I’m working for a group of radio stations once again, and the work is nothing short of a walk in the park. It’s one thing to say that it takes time to learn how to do your job. It’s a whole other realm when you work in the 2nd biggest market in Canada, not to mention those winter snow games in 2010 on the horizon.

I suppose that this is the point where I should make resolutions for this year, but there isn’t a lot to hope for other than good fortune and health. We work hard day in and day out, and there are days when that doesn’t seem like it’s enough. And at that point, which is probably what the main resolution I have for this year, is to enjoy time together more with Rebecca. Camping, traveling, and summer days on the beach, all squeezed in between the hectic lives that we have carved for ourselves.

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.“

2008 Jan 042008 Jan 04

A Dave Olson original of our very own

One of the neat things that happened just before Christmas was Dave dropping by to give us this present. An original piece of artwork that pays homage to Vancouver in the only way that makes sense to those who live the true life of a Vancouverite. I’m not sure that I fully qualify, but a combination of Dave and Rebecca has taught me a lot. Very cool.

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