Yesterday was the grand opening of the 2010 Olympic Volunteer Centre, which is in Squamish. To celebrate they were having a big parking lot party, and I was invited, as a representative of local athletes, to give a quick speech.

Should I be surprised that the day after I got home from Calgary this is what I woke up to?

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, for the following stellar reasons:

1) I don't have to shovel the puddle, unlike those of my family members currently digging themselves out in Eastern Canada.

Every year there is a huge Sikh festival in Squamish that, as far as I understand, commemorates the martyrdom of the fifth guru. Despite my lack of Sikh religious knowledge, but given my keen power of observation, I can only assume it is a siginifcant holy day.

What I do know ... the Sikh community sets up all these tents and tables, and they give out a LOT of free orange food ...

So, want to hear something totally awesome? My podunk hippie little British Columbian town, which apparently boasts a 15 per cent Francophone population, had a big St-Jean Baptiste celebration for the first time ever this year. They closed down the main downtown street, and there were local French musicians and vendors, and Québecois cuisine, and of course a beer garden.