Paint the Town Red

Some of you might be wondering why so many patriotic posts about the Winter Olympics?  Well, I’m an unabashed sports nut.  I cannot get enough of these fabulous and sometimes wacky winter sports.  Perhaps having competed at a provincial level in one equally wacky and wild winter sport – broomball, has not only left me with a concussion, but also a love of competition.  And…how can I not feel blessed to live in Canada where freedom is a gift? If you are like me, this afternoon I am going to “get my red on” and cheer for my doppelgänger, Clara Hughes, as well as Cindy Klassen, Kristina Groves and Alexandre Bilodeau.  CTV is doing a great job profiling our Canadian athletes and I dare you not to be moved by their stories of determination and courage.  If you are on-line, check out their profiles here.. 

I took the photo above the other evening on an overnight work junket in Ottawa.  I was staying at a groovy boutique hotel in downtown Ottawa called The Hotel Indigo.  Each room is decorated in refreshing greens and blues with stunning photos backing each double-wide bed (mine was a swath of birch trees).  On the eve of the start of the Vancouver Olympics I was feeling particularly patriotic as I unpacked my beloved Team Canada jersey and thought I should take a snap.  I donned it, along with my styling red Olympic mitts and took off downtown to see if I could take advantage of the dwindling golden light of sunset for some shots on Parliament Hill.  If you want to see some of the snaps I captured before my face froze, check out my new February Adventures gallery here.