Eat and drink, experience the province – and save on gas along the way
Summer is precious. If the hard hike up a mountain is winter, the view you get upon arrival is the reward of a few months of warmth and sun. It makes you want to find a way to take it all in.
Gazing upon it is a good start, but that will only take you so far before this metaphor falls apart. For when it does, we’ve gathered a few gems from our archives into an informal guide to having a great summer (no one wants a formal guide for that anyway).
Whatever your view contains, we hope these stories will help turn it into memories that make for warm thoughts throughout the years to come.
From the team at techlifetoday, have a great summer.
1. How to pack a picnic
Afraid to pack potato salad? Don’t be, with these food safety and packing tips from a Culinary Arts grad.
2. Go on a day trip
Now throw that picnic cooler into the car and hit the road! Check out these great day trips from Edmonton, designed by author Joan Marie Galat (Biological Sciences Technology – Environmental Sciences ’84).
3. Take in a music festival
The only thing better than catching some rays in the summer is when they’re accompanied by live music. Mike Anderson (Marketing ’98, Business Administration - Management ’99), president of Trixstar Productions, offers five tips for making the experience a summer hit.
4. Barbecue everything
Fire + food = good. To make sure that equation never changes, here are meat and veggie barbecue tips from a Professional Meat Cutting and Merchandising instructor.
5. Never forget a camping item again
Who would know the requirements of camping better than a former wildfire camp manager? We think no one. See what you think – here’s Forest Technology instructor John Caldwell’s packing list.
6. Get a locally made beer
We know: Your Bud Lite is already made in Alberta. But a craft beer from a small brewery is made by a local small business using a lot of high-quality ingredients from the province. And it’s delicious. Check out our growing list of breweries owned or operated by grads.
7. Spend less to get everywhere
Gasoline is expensive. On the weekends, when you want to use a lot of it, it seems to cost more. From two Automotive Service Technician grads, here are eight tips to improve your mileage.
8. Eat a lot of pastries
Are donuts your thing? Croissants? Can’t decide? You don’t have to – there are cronuts. Whatever your pastry poison may be, a NAIT grad has you covered. Put on a loose-fitting pair of pants and take our tour of local bakeries.
9. Put away the phone to hear a good old-fashioned tweet
Peep-quiz! How many bird species live in Alberta? If you live in Edmonton, you might have trouble counting past “magpie,” the bird that seems to dominate the urban landscape. But the answer is actually more than 400. To see many of them, check out the map above for places recommended by a Biological Sciences Technology instructor.
10. Watch an afternoon pass from a patio
Summer is also a great time for doing very little. That’s an activity that pairs well with snacks and drinks – ideally outside at a spot owned or operated by a NAIT grad. If the patio is your habitat of preference, with a view of people united in enjoying their own version of the great outdoors, here’s your list.
Banner image by Rudzhan-Nagiev/istockphoto.com