Vancouver Queers :: Will You Be at Davie + Howe?

Vancouver is a-talking about what's coming to Davie & Howe in October and it's all the buzz....

Much speculation has been going around about what would be going into the prime intersection in gay-town.

While I was glad to hear it's not going to be a Starbuck's or a BlockBuster or yet another Safeway, I couldn't get the skinny on what was coming to the location exactly. I'm super intrigued, though, as I like the way "whatever-it-is" is flirting with the gay community.

What I Did Find Out

It's going to be a new Canadian brand and that they are launching in Vancouver before going national. Hmm.... a brand of what? We also heard from a very reliable source that this new yet to be named Canadian brand is going to definitely support the LGBT community.

Even though it's quite coy, I'm very curious--curious enough to join the online bandwagon! You should, too.

I'll keep my ear to the ground and let you know what I can uncover between now and Oct. I'm excited to see so many cute faces out and about and online! Join me in the fun.

Who is Canada?

If you've never been to Canada or don't know any of us lucky enough to live here, here is a primer from NBC's Tom Brokaw...

Here Come the Olympics!

After making its was across Canada toward Vancouver, the Olympic torch arrived in Whistler on Friday to much fanfare. While they didn't ask Patty or I to be a part of the Olympic relay (do they know who we are?!), the flames arrival is still buzzing through the Village. The photo included here is of Shania Twain, who lit the flame in her hometown (Timmins, Ontario) a month ago.

While gallivanting around Whistler Village yesterday, we ran into one of the people who was lucky enough to be part of the relay. She posed for a photo with us and said they get to run 300 meters with the flame before handing it off to the next relay member (and she got to keep the torch!).

Beyond the flame (it was lit in ancient Olympia, Greece in October), which is the biggest Olympic symbol--second only to the colorful rings--Whistler and Vancouver are all ready to host the big party next week. When we left Vancouver, nearly every single parking meter had been bagged, Olympic traffic lanes had been added and everyone was a little on-edge waiting to see if anyone's going to show up. Surprisingly, the streets were eerily quiet (because there is nowhere to park), everyone is taking public transit. It's like the perfect Utopian society without cars on the road or smog.

We are headed out today to wait in line to hopefully score some tickets, so keep your fingers crossed. More soon...

AIDS Walking

On Sunday, it was AIDS Walk here in Vancouver. The spectacular 10K route, which took Aids Walkers around the Stanley Park sea wall, was rivaled by the beautiful day. It was warm--75 degrees [insert: laughter from Arizona friends]--and sunny.

The perfect day for a stroll along the ocean. Along the path were many AIDS Walk cheerleaders and several GLBT choirs, one of which I shot a little video of singing "What a Wonderful World." At that moment in time, it truly was.

A permanent fixture on the Stanley Park sea wall is the man pictured here. Kent Avery, who spends his weekend days balancing rocks on another for passersby.

Despite the incredible advances medicine has made around HIV/AIDS, it's still so important to support our brothers and sisters who've contracted this rabid disease and the researchers who are trying to cure it.

Salmon Fishing

Patty and I played hooky and went salmon fishing yesterday for the first time. It was a hot day on English Bay and after the sunrise, we bathed in the sun while our poles fished. (They drag behind the boat in holders--it's the lazy man's way to fish?).

But the fish were not havin' it.

Apparently, a pod of orcas had come into the bay earlier in the week and scared them. We did catch two fish, who didn't know any better (too young and naive). Poor little things.

Despite not catching dinner, it was a great way to spend the warm day! Thanks Chris!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Patty and I are up in Whistler this week enjoying Canada Day (July 1) and the 4th of July. Earlier this week, Patty surprised me with a ZipTrek tour, where we were harnessed (in public--heh em) to heavy-duty wire and zipped from one tree to the next above Fitzsimmons Creek between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. It was AMAZING! It's also an eco-tour, where we learned about how the Whistler rainforest is self-sustaining and all that good stuff.

This ziplining business may seem familiar. In the L Word Season 3 cliffhanger where the girls went to Whistler for Shane and Carmen's botched wedding, Alice went ziplining to overcome her fears/Dana's death.

Anyhoo, you can live vicariously through us in this video.

PS: Don't start any fires or blow any fingers off tonight! And don't drink and drive!

Ziplining in Whistler, BC for 4th of July
Uploaded by LipstickDipstickShow. - Exotic and entertaining travel videos.

Canadians :: Check Out Bonnie Ste. Croix

My friend, lezzilicious Bonnie Ste. Croix, will be touring Canada this month and into July, so I wanted to give peeps a heads up for her upcoming shows. If you're in eastern Canada, check her out!

Thursday, June 24th, 2009
OTTAWA @ the RAINBOW BISTRO. 9PM to 1AM
76 Murray St. Ottawa. (Murray St. & Parent St. in The Byward Market) PH:(613) 241-5123

Sunday June 28th, 2009
MONTREAL
CASA BELLA. 7PM to 10PM
602-A Boul. Cure Labelle, Chomedy (Laval) PH:450-686-8388
Please try your best to CALL AHEAD and reserve for this one!!! The owner's are requesting this so they can be prepared for meals etc.

July 9
Fredericton, NB
Crumbs Café. 551 King St. PH: (506) 472-8106

July 10
St-Andrews, NB
Kennedy Inn. 218 Water St. PH: (506) 529-8844

July 11
Rothesay, NB
Sessions Café. 8PM. 140G Hampton Road. PH: (506)-847-1321

July 14
Tyne Valley, PEI
Britannia Hall. 7:30 PM Opening for "Lazy Jacks"

July 15
Breadalbane. PEI
The Dunk. 3864 Dixon Road.

July 16
Charlottetown. PEI
Summer Concert Series at Peakes Quay.

July 17
Halifax. NS
The Company House. 2202 Gottingen St.

July 18
Penobsquis. NB Timberland. Route 114 (just outside of Sussex)

July 24
Gaspe JacquesCartier Commemoration Show.

July 26
Gaspe La Petite Eglize, 8 PM, 208 Montee Wakeham

Snow Makes Me Wet

It was another beautiful day in Whistler yesterday. The sun was hot and the snow was dripping--no pouring--from rooftops. Spring is definitely in the air up here in the Canadian Cascades. Soon enough, people will be heading down the mountain on bikes instead of skis.

Patty and I took it easy yesterday, and decided to spend the afternoon strolling through the Village taking in some sun. We snapped this picture at Fitzsimmon Creek, which runs between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb.

In a month or so, it will really be raging once the mountain starts melting.

Spring Skiing at Its Finest

We're up here in Whistler for a long weekend of spring skiing and what a day it was yesterday. This photo looks a little hazy, but it was sunny and warm--so sunny the Village was nearly sold out of sun screen.

This photo was taken from the top of Blackcomb Mountain, right before our final run.

The little phallic thing far in the distance is Black Tusk, which is rare to see. The clouds usually keep it well insulated.

More to come from the slopes...

Final WinterPRIDE Recap!

What a week we had up in Whistler! Saturday night proved to be the highlight for Lipstick (probably because I just got to play and didn't have to work!). We had a fabulous friend in town--Jenny (pictured to the right; she's beautiful, fabulous and SINGLE, believe it or not!)--and hit the champagne bar at the Bearfoot Bistro for bubbles and oysters before the girl party. Of course the renowned restaurant was packed with gay men, sitting in huge parties all over the room.

Our intimate pre-party was the perfect kickoff. After a medley of oysters, paired with a delicious bottle of Charles Heidsieck--and a tremendous amount of laughter--we headed into the village in search of the lezzies. We found the Shred Betty Bash right on the edge of the mountain, literally in the building where the gondolas are housed. The girls who put on the Pampered Pussy Party (Mandy and Leigh of Flygirls) threw this party, too, and did a great job with the venue. Beyond the sea of women gyrating on the dance floor, there were wild, Yeti-looking (albeit hot Yetis) women dancing with colorful hoolahoops on platforms (see video).

We saw a lot of familiar faces at the party and it was a really good time. We danced the night away and, again, had way too many laughs. Lesbians are such a funny bunch to watch and mingle with--never a lack of fodder for a hungry advice columnist/fiction writer.

Thanks WinterPRIDE for having us back! Be sure to look for our WinterPRIDE vlog (posted on Curve.com in March) recapping our whole week in video. There will also be a new webisode posted on Curve.com of Lipstick & Dipstick helping a couple who needed some advice in Whistler ext week, too, so stay tuned in!

Whistler Saturday Recap

Dipstick pushed off this morning for home and I'm still up here in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. Today, I finally hit the slopes. It was a bit of a scene getting up this morning after the Pampered Pussy party last night. The sexy party went into the wee hours (you'll have to wait for more about that on our vlog on Curve's website).

Tonight is the big girl party--Shred Betty Bash. Surely there will be some great pics from our night of debauchery. Stay tuned....

Whistler Fun I

Dip and I have been whooping it up in Whistler this week and having a fabulous time at WinterPRIDE. Last night, we hosted Gay Retro Bingo + Games night. About 100 people cameo out for the event and we had a blast! As promised, I wore an afro and rollerskates. Dip was a butch version of Harvey Milk meets David Cassidy.

Today, Dipstick is hitting the slopes on her first ski lesson. God help her. It's a gorgeous day here in Whistler and there is still time to hop in your car or book a flight to get here for this weekend, when we'll take it up a notch higher at the Pampered Pussy party.

I shot a little video of Dipstick yesterday playing in a huge pile of snow at the center of the Village. She will embed it here (if she's not at the Urgent Care center) after her day on the slopes.




Cah!

See You in the Snow!

Dipstick and I are headed to Whistler today for another year of fun at WinterPRIDE. If you'd like to join us (you'll miss out if not), come on up the mountain! The details of our events are below. We hope to see you on the slopes, too. Dipstick will be taking her very first ski lesson and I hope to be nearby with a camera.

WinterPRIDE

Retro Queer Bingo + Games Party

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

8pm -10pm

Telus Conference Center

(Rumor has it Dipstick will be posing at Harvey Milk and Lip will have an afro and be on rollerskates)

Pampered Pussy Party

Friday, February 6, 2009
9pm -2am

Telus Conference Center

(Rumor has it there may be dirty games and a vibrating saddle)

For more: http://www.gaywhistler.com/

Slip Sliding Away in Whistler

In honor of New Years Eve, Patty and I went innertubing yesterday on Whistler mountain. It was a beautiful afternoon and we decided it was time to hit the slopes, kid-style. Patty shot this little video as we were sliding down the hill. Very good times. It's so much fun to be a kid again!

In lazy North American-style, you don't even have to "earn" the joy ride. They have a conveyor belt that totes you to the top. See pic of Patty hitching a ride below...

Join Us in Whistler for WinterPRIDE 2009

Come one, come all! This year at Whistler's WinterPRIDE, Lipstick & Dipstick will be hosting a crazy retro gay Bingo + Games night. The annual week-long celebration will be held the first week of February and our game night is sure to be one crazy time! And that's not all of it; we'll also be hosting the Pampered Pussy Party on Friday night, an evening of sexiness and dancing. If you live in the Pacific Northwest and have a passport, all you have to do is hop in your car and head to the border. If you live far away, book a flight now!

This is Lipstick & Dipstick's second year at Whistler's WinterPRIDE and let me tell you, we had a BLAST last year!

Details
February 1 - 8, 2009
Whistler, BC
www.gaywhistler.com

Follow this link for more info about the women's events this year at Whistler's WinterPRIDE.

See you in the snow!

Vancouver Christmas

So, it's Boxing Day here in Canada and it's still snowing. A lot. They expect rain tonight, so we'll see if the "Arctic Blast" for the Pacific Northwest is indeed over.

Since we couldn't get the car out of the garage, I made this little video, recapping our Christmas fun. I'm trying to teach myself a few new tricks in Movie Maker.

Tofino, Canada II

Well, I'm just getting around to posting another blog about our amazing time in Tofino.

First, I must talk about the Pointe Restaurant. WOW! Normally, hotels don't have the best restaurants and the food is typically sub-standard. Even the Fairmont's food usually blows. But The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickanninish Inn is stupendous! Patty is a foodie and, of course, I've always got an opinion to share (especially when it comes to lesbians and food) and we both give their nosh five stars. Some of the highlights include: brioche french toast, the warm spinach salad with Hillier's bacon dressing, their amazing clam chowder made with local fish, the pork belly appetizer, and their wild salmon with potato gnocchi. All of this deliciousness is couched so close to the sea you don't need to salt anything as the air itself is so salty. At high tide, the waves crash within feet of the big windows.

Beyond the gourmet cuisine, the service was sterling, too. Our favorite waiter was Danny. He's pictured here. We got to know the wait staff pretty well, as there really isn't anywhere in town to eat, so we ate most of our meals at the Inn. We did venture out for lunch one day, only to find one restaurant open--the Dockside Pub, a local haunt for fisherman. It was quite the experience. It was full of salty dogs and you could have heard a pin drop when Patty and I walked in. As pretty much the only women in the pub, the entire sea of unbathed, scruffy men watched us walk through the door and to our small table with a view of the bay. "We don't see many like you coming to these parts."

On our way back to the ferry at the end of the trip, we saw a black bear fishing in a river by the road. Gawkers that we are, we stopped and took pictures. We decided it was time to go after we opened a bag of beef jerky and he started walking and sniffing our way.

Thanks for the great birthday Patty!

Tofino, Canada!

*sigh*

What an amazing birthday I am having! Patty has whisked me away to Tofino, BC to stay at the Wickanninish Inn. The hotel is right on the turbulent Pacific Ocean and breathtaking. (Earlier this week, I knew she was taking me somewhere--she'd let me know that much---but had no idea where.)

This place is beautiful! Seriously amazing. The little video below is from the road from Nainimo, where the ferry docked from Vancouver. Also, the pic of me in my red vest was taken on the ferry deck. If you look closely, you can see the Vancouver city center.

The other photos oozing relaxation and zen were taken while we were waiting for our Sacred Seas massage. Foot soak, salt scrub, jetted tub soak, full body massage. *Double sigh*

More to come later...

Check Out Bonnie Ste-Croix

I met an amazing lesbian singer/songwriter this weekend. Her name is Bonnie Ste-Croix (she's French Canadian, big surprise by her name) and her voice is like butter. Be sure to check out her website, but also listen to the moving words in her song "You're the Reason." I tried to embed the Youtube link here, but it's not working.

Check out here instead: YouTubeBonnieSte-Croix

You can buy her cds on CDBaby.

Lake Louise is Paradise

Well, we saved the best for last. Last night, we stayed at Chateau Lake Louise and had an absolutely amazing evening and day on the shores of this natural jewel. Besides the color of the Flathead River—where my parental units are living—I’ve never seen water so blue. And it’s even more spectacular in person. It was cold, evidenced by the snow sprinkled on the grass around its edge and the warm down coats we’re wearing. In the winter, the lake freezes and people play hockey and ice skate on it. We’ll have to come back in a few months to strap on a pair of snow shoes for the view from the other side. In the summer, you can rent canoes and row across. Rumor has it there is a tea house at the base of the glacier.

The photo of the lake by itself was (kid you not) the view from our hotel room window. So is the video. Not a bad backdrop for morning coffee, eh? The lounge in the lobby, where we enjoyed decadent cheeses and Prosecco as the sun set, had just as stellar a view.

The road trip was so much fun and it really gave me a great perspective of Alberta and British Columbia. Even being from Oregon—with Mount Hood, St. Helens, et al—I was so amazed of the mountainous terrain throughout Banff Provincial Park (aka the Canadian Rockies) and Glacier Provincial Park. They seem to go on forever, both into the horizon and into the sky. Oh glorious world—may we take good care of her so generations to come can enjoy her beauty.