Living

I nspired by recent mayors' campaigns in Metro Vancouver and Toronto to shed the pounds and get fit, I walked into a spin class at the Port Moody recreation complex, set up the saddle, strapped my sneakers into the pedals and prayed I would make it t

I t's been more than two years - and the birth of a baby - since I've been to the gym and let's just say the results of such inactivity are, well, not good.

A s a naturalist, I am usually alarmed when an animal or plant species gets pushed to the top of the most endangered list.

V irtually every well-tended garden is now going through its cycle of summer colour but a certain flowering shrub is just around the corner, preparing to steal the show.

Books Plus runs in The Tri-City News each Friday to highlight programs and happenings in the Tri-Cities' three libraries: Coquitlam Public Library , Port Moody Public Library and Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.

I t's salmon time at the market. The Fraser is teeming with sockeye and we are all eagerly trying to get our fill. While sockeye is the epitome of salmon perfection, there are four other species that are well worth getting to know.

"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." - Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi (1970) Back in May 2011, we looked at Port Coquitlam's west side and saw how the area is slowly changing with the times.

Books Plus runs in The Tri-City News each Friday to highlight programs and happenings in the Tri-Cities' three libraries: Coquitlam Public Library , Port Moody Public Library and Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.

F inally, it looks like summer is here and even though it's July, there's still time to plant lots of food crops and enjoy those delicious summer flavours.

T he Silk Road is an interconnected series of ancient trade routes linking Chang'an (today's Xi'an) in China with Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. It extends over 8,000 km on land and sea.