Man has been living at Vancouver Airport since Aug. 17

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — It's like the movie "The Terminal," only it's real. A man has been living in the Vancouver airport since Aug. 17 — at the airport's invitation.

"I can't leave. I'm stuck here," Jaeger Mah explained to an airport volunteer who invited him to a party outside the airport Nov. 3.

Since the party happens to fall on the last of Mah's 80 days at the airport, he added, "Perhaps I could come after midnight."

Mah, 29, embarked on his unusual sojourn as the winner of a contest sponsored by the airport to mark its 80th year. The airport invited anyone willing to living there to submit a video application, and five of the 160 entries were posted online for a public vote. Mah, an entrepreneur with a video company and a background in entertainment marketing, dubbed himself "the Anderson Cooper of YVR" and won with 4,128 votes out of thousands cast.

The gig doesn't involve anything close to the discomfort suffered by passengers who've tried to nap in airport seating during a layover. Mah spends his nights at the airport hotel — though he admits to occasional naps in secret terminal spots — and he's got no complaints about the food, either. He's figured out which VIP lounges will feed him and which have the best snacks.

"I'm not sleeping on the benches," Mah says, "but I'm meeting some incredible people."

As he strolls through the terminals in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and worn hiking boots, it's clear he's become a fixture. Employees wave or shout hello. One stops him at the bottom of the escalators by the domestic baggage carousels and asks why he didn't show up for samosa snacks one day.

"I forgot," he says sheepishly with a boyish grin. All is forgiven.

Airport spokeswoman Rebecca Catley says the goal of the project is to show people what happens behind the check-in counters and security screenings at a big airport.

"A lot of people don't realize what goes on at an airport," she says. "We get a lot of requests for behind-the-scenes tours. We can't do that from a security perspective."

That's where Mah comes in. Armed with a digital video camera, he documents the airport's stories and posts them online. "My process consists of Facebook, tweets and blogs," he said. "You're constantly engaging with your fans. You have to give them what they want to see. I'm pimping myself out big time."

For his 14-hour days as contest winner and late nights spent editing video, he is being paid a per diem rate and a $15,000 fee.

"I want to devote my life to telling stories," he says. "You could call it some kind of journalism."

Mah's adventure brings to mind the 2004 film "The Terminal" where Tom Hanks' character found himself stranded at New York's JFK airport, denied entry to the U.S. but unable to return to his revolution-bound country. The film may have been inspired by the real-life drama of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian expat who could not gain entry to other countries and spent years at France's Charles de Gaulle International Airport.

Unlike either Hanks' character or Nasseri, Mah's stay has a definite end date. Still, he says, there were nay-sayers.

"People said 'Don't do it,'" he chuckles. "My dad said, 'If you want to do it, do it.'"

When The Associated Press caught up with Mah on Day 64, he was touring the airport's wildlife control operations. Standing at the edge of a runway with planes taking off, wildlife officer Nick de Jongh taught Mah about the various guns and noisemakers used to scare birds away from planes.

Hoisting a pump-action shotgun to his shoulder, Mah fired off a round. And grinned.

As the wildlife truck rolled past landing jets, Mah got a tweet from a follower who saw pictures of him in the old airport sheriff's cells he described as like being at Alcatraz.

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Cowgirl Museum opening exhibit on Sandra Day O'Connor's childhood

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Sandra Day O'Connor made her mark in history as the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, but she's still a hardworking cowgirl at heart, she said Wednesday.

An exhibit about her life opens this week at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, a tribute to the 30th anniversary of her appointment to the high court.

"It is odd that a cowgirl ended up on the court, isn't it?" she said Wednesday, joking that her 1981 nomination by President Reagan stemmed from his own love of ranching. "Probably because I had grown up on the back of a horse, he had more interest in me than other candidates."

O'Connor, 81, is an El Paso native who spent summers on her family's Arizona ranch that initially didn't have electricity or water. It later had two large windmills providing water from wells underneath.

Before touring the exhibit Wednesday, she said her time on the ranch taught her responsibility and how to solve problems on her own.

"Cowboys don't spend a lot of time telling you things. They just expect you to get things done and done right," O'Connor said. "But it's a great way to grow up."

The exhibit called "The Cowgirl Who Became a Justice: Sandra Day O'Connor" features spurs, chaps and a branding iron from the ranch and photos of O'Connor as a girl. The 3,000-square-foot exhibit also features a section from her time on the Supreme Court, including the 1981 White House press release announcing Reagan's intent to nominate O'Connor, one of her robes as a justice and a photograph from her swearing-in ceremony. She retired in 2006.

After touring the exhibit, which opens Thursday and runs through March, visitors can play iCivics in an adjacent area with about two dozen computers. O'Connor helped develop the web-based computer game to teach students about the government, legal system and federal budget.

In 2002 O'Connor was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, which honors women whose pioneer spirit typifies the American West. She is among nearly 200 women inducted since 1975.

Diana Vela, the museum's associate executive director for education and exhibits, said the Cowgirl Museum was humbled to create an exhibit "that honors one of our own." It shows the stark contrast between O'Connor's childhood on the isolated, rural ranch and her being thrust into the national spotlight decades later, Vela said.

As nine women were inducted into the hall of fame at a luncheon later Wednesday, O'Connor said the Cowgirl Museum is serving "a wonderful purpose."

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Dog missing in Tenn. turns up in Mich. 3 months later

By Associated Press

4:19 p.m. CDT, October 27, 2011

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Petey the wayward Jack Russell terrier is home.

After three months and hundreds of miles, the dog was reunited Thursday with owner Jim Arrighi in Erin, Tenn.

Arrighi's daughter, Tyanne (TEE-ann) Morrison, said Petey arrived in the care of a Michigan Humane Society volunteer who set out Wednesday from suburban Detroit.

Morrison said her 73-year-old father "actually just cried" when he got the dog back.

Arrighi left Petey in his backyard in July and the dog was gone when he returned home.

A homeowner in Rochester Hills, about 20 miles north of Detroit, saw Petey last week in his backyard and took him to a Humane Society animal care center.

Arrighi was identified as the owner when the dog was scanned for an implanted microchip.

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Winter destination weddings on a budget

Dreaming of a snow-draped destination wedding this winter, but fear it's out of financial reach? With proper planning and savvy shopping, it can be more affordable than you might think. Follow these tips to save without skimping on your magical day.

Activities: By arranging to have your winter destination wedding at a location loaded with amenities and activities options, you're relieved of the stress related to coordinating entertainment for your wedding party. Guests can enjoy the resort's hot tubs and snowshoeing trails for free, and other amenities are there to be experienced at their leisure. Samantha Goldberg, a celebrity event designer in New York City agrees, pointing to the Poconos and Vermont as popular choices. Her top pick for winter wedding favors? Ski lift tickets from your event's venue.

Extras: Many resorts are willing to toss in a few extras if you are booking their venue for your entire function, so it pays to ask the coordinator what they are willing to include. Book your wedding at the Edgewood Tahoe this winter for instance, and your guests will enjoy all house wine, champagne and beer for free during the entire event. Who doesn't love an open bar? Similarly, the Mountain Magnolia Inn in Hot Springs, North Carolina includes breakfast the next morning for your overnight wedding guests.

Decorations: Most destination resorts splurge on elaborate decorations for the winter holidays. This means a little extra greenery with candlelight on the tables could be all you need, depending on where you hold the ceremony. Scenery is also a serious money saver. By booking a venue overlooking something spectacular, your decorating needs are drastically reduced. For example, at Vail Cascade — a resort in Vail, Colorado — winter wedding guests overlook a serene, partially-frozen creek which makes for dramatic photos and adds to the frozen wonderland theme.

Transportation: The resort also offers package deals which include airline tickets for the bride and groom, and other establishments offer similar perks for couples booking destination weddings. Additionally, by scheduling the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception all at the same location, you eliminate the expenses of limousines, guest parking and possibly rental cars if the hotel offers a free shuttle service.

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Theriault is the best-selling co-author of the book "10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget," and founder of TrekHound.com, a website for independent travelers. She also founded TheLessonMachine.com, a website for teachers.

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Park Service offers more tickets in online lottery for national Christmas tree lighting in DC

By Associated Press

5:02 p.m. CDT, October 20, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service is offering more free tickets for this year's national Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Washington than in years past.

This year's lighting is scheduled for Dec. 1 in front of the White House. This year the Park Service will distribute 3,000 tickets for seats and 14,000 standing-room tickets through an online lottery.

The ticket lottery opens at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Nov. 3 and will run through Nov. 7 at 9:59 p.m. Tickets will be mailed to the lottery winners.

The president traditionally lights the tree, along with his family. Performers for the event will be announced in November.

Since 2009, the Park Service has doubled the number of standing-room tickets for the event.

Tickets are required for all who attend.

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Nelson, Canada, in living color

Reporting from Nelson, Canada—

Up in the northwest forest where Washington, Idaho and British Columbia converge, there's a lazy little international border crossing called Nelway, about the size of a gas station.

"Where are you headed?" a Canadian border patrol agent asked when my family rolled up a few months ago, heading north from Washington.

"Nelson," I told him as he began his search of our car.

"It's OK," said the officer, unenthusiastically. "Kinda hippie-ish. Very laid-back."

Not a problem, sir. The town of Nelson, semi-Victorian, substantially bohemian, sportier and more artsy than your average hamlet of 9,700 souls, sits in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, about 30 miles north of the U.S. border. Picture a college town that has misplaced its university.

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FOR THE RECORD:
Nelson, Canada: In the Oct. 16 Travel section, an article about Nelson, Canada, misspelled the last name of Nelson resident Ernest Hekkanen as Hekkaman.

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It has dramatic leaves in fall, skiing in winter, swimming and boating in summer, hiking and mountain biking much of the year. Thousands of American draft resisters and back-to-the-landers chose this area as a haven 40 years ago, and hundreds are said to remain, but it gets barely a trickle of U.S. tourists.

Just below the town lies the west arm of photogenic Kootenay Lake. Just above town rises Toad Mountain, where the discovery of silver prompted the founding of Nelson about 125 years ago. Nelson's stone and brick Victorians, once the province of off-duty miners and loggers, now house or neighbor eccentric shops, galleries and restaurants. The Sacred Ride (on Baker Street) peddles bikes. Downward Dog (Front Street) offers pet supplies. The Funky Monkey (Front Street) grills burgers. ROAM (Baker Street) promises gear for rivers, oceans and mountains.

Summer may be the busiest season, but "fall is the most beautiful time," said Virginia Wassick, who, with her husband, Duncan, runs the three-room Grand Lakefront Bed & Breakfast in a rambling old house near the lake's edge. In September and October, Wassick said, the guests "come and stay a week or two and sit on the deck, look at the colors and read books. I love the September-October people. They're so laid-back."

Nelson — about 150 miles north of Spokane, Wash., more than 400 miles east of Vancouver, Canada — is too little and isolated to stand as a major destination by itself. But you can fly into Spokane or Castlegar, British Columbia (about 25 miles south of Nelson), and spend a few days driving a 135-mile loop from Nelson past the mountains, lakes, rivers, meadows and towns of Kaslo, New Denver, Silverton and Slocan. Or follow the 280-mile International Selkirk Loop (www.selkirkloop.org), which includes handsome chunks of Idaho and Washington.

For us, Nelson was a three-day respite at the northernmost point of a 1,200-mile road trip that began in Seattle and ended in Portland, Ore. We window-shopped on Baker Street; bought many "Magic Treehouse" volumes in Otter Books for our 7-year-old daughter, Grace; paced the little pier that juts into the lake; took a skiff for a buzz around on the water; and drove across the big orange bridge — which locals call "BOB" because, remember, it's a Big Orange Bridge — toward the postcard views at Pulpit Rock overlook and Kokanee Creek Provincial Park.

With more time, we would have soaked at Ainsworth Hot Springs (about 30 miles northeast) and caught the free ferry at nearby Balfour (a 35-minute ride across the lake to Kootenay Bay). But we did ride an antique streetcar along the Waterfront Pathway to Lakeside Park, where you'll find an organic concession stand (summer only) and busy playground. Downtown, we shared a good but pricey brunch at BiBO, followed by a great (and pricier) dinner at the All Seasons Cafe, Nelson's top restaurant. Uptown, I took a ride on old BNSF railroad track that has been converted into a mountain-biking trail.

One day I drank hemp ale. Another, I ate a hemp cookie. But there were no purchases at the hemp boutique on Ward Street, so no hemp hat trick.

We stayed at the Prestige Resort, a pricey hotel at the water's edge that should be the greatest place in town, given its location. Instead, it felt like an opportunity squandered — a dull, dark building best suited to the housing of Dunder-Mifflin business travelers. Next time we'll look more closely at the New Grand Hotel (more character, lower rates) or a local B&B.

This being Canada, the town has a hockey team and a curling club, both busy from fall through late winter or early spring. The Whitewater Ski Resort, about 20 minutes outside Nelson, is a small operation (three chairlifts, 1,184 skiable acres, no lodgings) that gets big powder — an average of 40 feet of snow per winter. The resort's Fresh Tracks Cafe is a favorite among B.C. foodies, many of whom revere the "Whitewater Cooks" cookbook by former resort chef Shelley Adams.

"I just moved here to retire," Aza Samchuck told me one afternoon as he sat astride a bicycle and watched teenagers leap from a piling into the chilly water. He is 35, Samchuck said, but because he's done well in his profession, he can arrange a few lucrative days of out-of-town work per month, then hang loose in Nelson the rest of the time. Of course, I had to ask his profession.

"I tattoo people," he said.

For a less bohemian, more Victorian Nelson, head to Vernon and Ward streets, where you can nurse a drink inside the stone-faced Hume Hotel (1898) and gaze north to the old ivy-cloaked courthouse (1902) or east to the Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History (1902 again). Nearby on Victoria Street, there's the restored Capitol Theatre (1927) and the old jail, now Selkirk College's Kootenay School of the Arts. Near Latimer and Ward streets, there's the big, old red-brick fire hall (1913) and the old brewery (1899), now home to the new Nelson Brewing Co., which specializes in organic ales.

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Kauai remains a popular film location

Kauai has been a favorite film location since it stood in for Bali Hai in the 1958 movie version of "South Pacific." It has been Maui in the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy "Just Go With It" (released this year), and it played the Caribbean in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth of the Johnny Depp swashbucklers. Sometimes it even plays itself. In "The Descendants," which is to open next month, a father (George Clooney) takes his children to Kauai after his wife is incapacitated. "Every location is the real place," says co-producer George Parra. Here's a guide to movie sites (some on private property), with tips on how to explore them from film location manager Angela Tillson, who has been guiding film scouts around the island for 23 years.

Na Pali coast

What it is: Rugged cliffs in northwest Kauai. Not accessible by car — only by boat, foot or helicopter.

What it starred in: "Hop" (as Easter Island in the opening of this year's animated live-action movie); "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" (as a mythical island in the not-yet-released "Journey" sequel); "Six Days, Seven Nights" (as Tahiti, 1998); "King Kong" (as Africa in the 1976 film); "Tropic Thunder" (2008, set in Vietnam). "Just Go With It" used aerial shots of the coastline.

How to see it: "Try seeing Na Pali by boat or on a guided kayak tour," Tillson says. "You don't want to go on your own unless you're an experienced kayaker because of the currents; you have to know how to land a kayak on the beach."

Info: Tillson says there are several good companies that can get you there. (She suggests Googling "Boat tours down Na Pali" for a list.) The cost for seeing Na Pali by boat or sea kayak, based on checks with several supplies, ranged from $139 to $229 before tax (depending on length of tour and what's included). Kayak tours generally are available from April to early September.

Hanalei Town, North Shore

What it is: Small, charming town in front of Mt. Namahana with waterfalls in the background.

What it starred in: "South Pacific," "Lilo and Stitch" (2002) and "The Descendants." In fact, the Tahiti Nui bar (5-5134 Kuhio Highway) plays itself in "Descendants," and Parra says it's a great watering hole, popular with locals.

How to see it: It's west of Princeville across a one-lane bridge. As you arrive in Hanalei Town, you feel as if you've traveled back in time.

Info: See Hanalei Town under North Shore on http://www.gohawaii.com/kauai.

Hanalei Bay and Hanalei, Lumahai and Blackpot beaches, North Shore

What it starred in: Hanalei Bay appears in "South Pacific," "Lilo" and "The Descendants." "Hanalei Bay is unique just by the enormous size of it, very raw and mostly untouched," Parra says. Two rental cottages belonging to the Hanalei Land Co. were used as locations in "The Descendants," and Tillson recommends them for lodging. (Nalu Beach Cottage rents for $750 per night or $5,000 per week, and the Kauikeolani Estate (a historic house previously called the Wilcox Estate) rents for $15,000 a week with a one-week minimum. Hanalei Land Co., (888) 900-1454, http://www.hanaleiland.com.

"South Pacific's" Nellie Forbush washed that man right outta her hair in nearby Lumahai Beach. Sailors sang "Nothing Like a Dame" at Blackpot Beach near the Hanalei Bay pier (adjacent to the St. Regis).

How to see them: From Hanalei Town, if you stay on Kuhio Highway, the next beach will be Lumahai Beach (a five-minute walk from the road). (Lumahai is unmarked, but you'll see cars parked along the highway). To get to Blackpot Beach, Hanalei Bay and the pier, you turn right on Aku Road off Kuhio Highway, then go one block and turn right on Weke Road (which parallels Hanalei Bay). The road dead-ends into the parking lot for Blackpot Beach and Hanalei Pier.

St. Regis Hotel, Princeville

What it is: Luxury hotel

What it starred in: Cast and crew of "Just Go With It" and "The Descendants" stayed at the hotel. The latter filmed scenes in the lobby and at the Princeville Fountain, the focal point of the main entrance to the Princeville area.

How to see it: You pass the fountain to enter Princeville, which is about 32 miles northwest of Lihue airport.

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