Slocan Lake

Touring my stomping grounds. 

Coming Home

Gardening Season

Planting Day!

Pendleton

Part of what there is to see in Pendleton.

Portland Food Trucks

 

Must do in Portland - Food Carts - Check it out here.

An Untraditional Christmas

My family loves Christmas.    Over the years, our traditions have become like a finely oiled machine.  Driving around looking at Christmas lights (especially as soon as the person coming home for Christmas has just arrived from a long journey), perogies (the recipe that my mother created and cannot be duplicated), my sister's Christmas cake (that she has perfected), and like many others - the feast, the tree and beautifully wrapped presents.

The family is scattered now so Christmas has become the tradition of following the one who works in retail.  Aimee has to work both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day so her mobility is restricted.   Three months ago she moved to Victoria so this is where I have come to spend Christmas.  The complication is the other child who is spending Christmas with his "in-laws" and will join us on Boxing Day. 

We have decided to have Christmas on the 27th. 

Which means that Aimee and I are hanging out in Victoria on Christmas Day - not doing Christmas things.  

Except we aren't doing them alone.  In Starbucks, Aimee lined up for the coffees while I secured a seat.   There was a lineup for the hour we were there. 

We had decided to go out for Chinese food for our Christmas dinner.  After 15 phone calls with the only one restaurant with the worst reviews open, we decided to go out and see what was happening.   We did find a Burger King which was pretty busy; Aimee said if we went there, we would have been the only ones employed.  But really our palates were set on Chinese food. 

We went into China Town; there were a few restaurants open but not as many as I had imagined.  One that told us there was no room.  Reservations only is what the sign said on the door.  I went inside.  Do you have a reservation? they asked.  No.  Sorry, she said.  Can I make one?  She looked at me.  8 o'clock.  Yes, I said. 

It is time.  Ready for Christmas dinner....

The Red Tablecloth

If I am lucky, I can catch an idea when it is born.  It reminds me of seeing a falling star.  It only happens when you are looking for it.  

Yesterday, I was sitting at my dining room table, covered with a beige patterned table runner and four complementary green placemats.   The idea landed with a definitive tone.  I wanted a tablecloth. 

That I was contemplating a tablecloth on a quiet Saturday afternoon, I would not have seen two days earlier.  An out-of-town friend was coming to visit for the long weekend.  As is a habit of mine when guests are coming, I was cleaning the house, selecting menus and organizing in ways that nobody else would notice.  Except me. 

On Friday morning, I got a text message.  “Severe weather warning in Southern Alberta.”  Southern Alberta was the only route between my friend and I.  We watched the weather channel and looked up the road conditions.  We agreed.  The snow storm kyboshed the visit.

As I percolated the news, I thought of my next 3 days.  Except for theatre tickets, I had cleared the decks for the visit with my friend.  In a life of full-time work and many interests, a weekend with no plans just never happens.  As the ideas of what to do began cascading in my mind, I heard the voice of another friend, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” What if I didn’t make any plans?  What if I just let my day unfold with going from one inspired moment to another?  A novelty.  I can work with that.

I sat at my computer.  My email deposited an notice from the library telling me that a book I requested had arrived.  The tablecloth idea happened right then.  Which brought me downtown, strolling down the streets at a pace that I can’t seem to find in a regular day. 

The tablecloth is red, not matching my blue Japanese pottery but then blue on red is striking.  This red is bright and cheery, just what is needed as the nights are increasing and the sun is hid behind clouds.  I never would have bought it had my plans not changed. 

My table looks stunning.  Every time I stop and admire, I see an important metaphor for my life.  When plans change, a whole new world of possibilities arise.  

Travel Packer

Winter descends

After nearly 18 years in the Kootenays, I am still awestruck by fall.  The expanse of time that the leaves take to turn colour and flutter to the ground.  The array of yellows and greens and reds.  And ever present green.   Warm fall days with clear skies slide into increasing cloud and rain.   When the clouds clear and mountains are revealed, I look up.   Each week, the line of snow creeps down the mountain side.  And one day I will wake up and see a blanket of snow everywhere.  When I saw the snowfall warning last week, I didn't really believe it.  November is our arrival.  Up on the mountain passes, it is a different story - snow falls earlier up there.

Perhaps it was all wishful thinking.  My snow tires on in the shed.  I have my appointment set to put them on - November 1st.  No snow before then, thank you.

I am never too hasty to get on my snow tires.  I certainly would if I was taking a road trip but now I can have the indulgence of "winter denial."

It is probably that state that piqued my interest in the latest BootsnAll 2012 Indie Travel Challenge prompt for week #39 on Travel Packing.  Not even snow on the ground and I am thinking about getting out of here.  I will settle down but it is always a bit of a shock.

Over the  years I have changed by packing style.  It had to happen.  Pulling a huge suitcase that flopped on its side on a cobblestone street and then lugging it up 2 flights of stairs was enough to send me out to the luggage department.  Large luggage was out - I learned it was easy to exceed the weight limit.

Finding the right combination of luggage was a trial.  Layovers meant walking around airports.  I grew weary of heaving a heavy computer (even Macs can be substantial) bag over my shoulder.  A carry on with wheels solved that issue.  Because I also travel on Jazz Air Canada regional flights, the wheeled luggage doesn't easily fit under the seat.  I bought a computer case that I carry on the plane when the bag is Sky Checked.

I usually travel at Christmas.  Bright wrapped packages sit alongside socks and t-shirts.  Though I now have a new appreciation for carry-on luggage, clothes and gifts need more room.  I bought a medium size suitcase from Winners.  A couple years later, after seeing a broken wheel assembly on my suitcase in the luggage carousel, I was convinced that I am a frequent-enough flyer.  I chose Travelpro.   "The choice of flight crews and frequent flyers."  I found a half-price sale at The Bay. 

My present amount of luggage is 3.  Usually 2 of 3 travel with me depending on where I am going. 

When I went to Mexico in 2007,  I packed all my luggage in carry on - 3 ounce bottles and all.  I brought a collapsible duffel bag in case I found a treasure that had to come home with me, but I didn't use it.  Buying silver for gifts reduces the need for space.

No Baggage Challenge intrigued me when I first saw it in 2010.  Travel writer Rolf Potts has figured it all out.  Clearly, he sees no necessity for a flat iron.   

Photo of the Week - Clover Point Park - Victoria, BC

Sunset from Clover Point Park

This 10.39 acre park is largely asphalt - perfect for windy days when you just don't want to get out of your car.

Photo of the Week - Carnevale - The Venetian - Las Vegas

In August when we were visiting The Venetian, we came upon some interesting foliage.  There were two who looked like this:

And then they started moving....

Photo of the Week - Lakes in Northern Manitoba

Photo of the Week - Rocky Lake

Rocky Lake, Manitoba - north of the 54th parallel.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 17 hours, 9 minutes during the summer solstice and 7 hours, 22 minutes during the winter solstice.

Photo of the Week - Bonanza Pass

The Bonanza Pass, also known as the Blueberry-Paulson, is the mountain pass in the Monashee Mountains in BC.  On the east side is the Kootenays and on the west is the Boundary region. 

Photo of the Week - Coastal Redwoods

Coast Redwoods at Muir Woods, California

Coast redwoods occupy a narrow strip of land approximately 750 kilometres long and 8 to 75 km  wide along the Pacific coast.  The most southerly grove is in Monterey County, California, and the most northerly groves are in extreme southwestern Oregon.

This native area provides a unique environment with heavy seasonal rains - 2,500 millimetres. Cool coastal air and fog drip keep this forest consistently damp year round. Condensation from coastal fog accounts for a considerable part of the trees' water needs.  Several factors, including the heavy rainfall, create a soil with fewer nutrients than the trees need, causing them to depend heavily on the entire biotic community of the forest, and complete recycling of the trees when dead.

The thick, tannin-rich bark, combined with foliage starting high above the ground provides good protection from both fire and insects, contributing to the coast redwood's longevity. The oldest known specimen is about 2,200 years old.

 An estimated 95% or more of the original old-growth redwood forest has been cut down.

Photo of the Week - Kangaroo

I have a dream.  I have had a dream for a long time.  I would like to go to Australia.  I am not sure of when the seed was planted.  It has followed me much of my life and though I have saved money several times specifically for this adventure, life has intervened. 

It sits on my to-do list and the more I experience the world, the more I think I need to go there.  Here's my reasons:

• No matter how many wines I have tried, my favourite is an Australian Shiraz.  Eaglehawk to be precise.  Perhaps you think that I haven't tried enough wines.  Perhaps you think that I haven't given BC wines enough of a try.  Last week when I was in Kelowna, I tried 17 types of wine.  And none matched the Shiraz.  If Kelowna's wine tours are grand, I think Australia's will be spectacular.
• There is an Australian Shiraz that shares my name - Rawson Retreat.  Looks like some of the ancestors have made it there already.  Which means if I go to Australia, I could see it as a family reunion.  I hope they aren't the branch of the family that had to leave town if you know what I mean.
• Australia has it all - beaches, cities, country, a most unusual rock - Uluru - and animals that we just don't see on this side of the globe.  That pretty much matches my style.

Which brings me to the photograph.  If you can't get to Australia, bring some of it here.  The kangaroo above  lives close to Kelowna.  The owner told me that it was really a wallaroo which is somewhere between the size of a kangaroo and a wallaby.  Apparently there are about 60 species of kangaroos, all residing on one island.  Clearly, I have much more to learn.

This fellow (could be a female) lives with about 10 others on Kangaroo Creek Farm. 

Last Sunday, I ambled alongside toddlers to the outer edges of the grassy area where the kangaroos were nibbling on grass.  Some of the children had branches of leaves that grabbed the kangaroos attention.  Focussed on their lunch, the kangaroos were nonchalant as we pet them.  I approached one and opened my hand so it could see I had no harmful intentions.  And then it decided that I looked edible and bit my finger. 

I was bit by a kangaroo.

How about that for a first?

Photo of the Week - Cuba

Hibiscus growing by the side of the road

How I spent my Christmas vacation

"Where are you going for Christmas?"

"Winnipeg."

"Don't forget your winter jacket.  After all, it's not called Winter-peg for nothing."  

Talking about Winnipeg brings out the joker in everyone.  What will be remembered about Christmas 2011 is that it was not typical prairie winter weather.  Most days the temperature was above freezing and where was the snow?  

We canned the idea of sledding or cross country skiing and got down to the business of origami.  Which fit well with our sleeping schedule of bed at 3 am and up at 11.  What I found out on my winter vacation that it isn't too hard to fill the hours between midnight and 3.  

Ryan brought his book on unit origami.  Also called modular origami, it is the paper folding technique of using more than one piece of paper to create a larger more complex structure which may be a tetrahedron, cube or other shapes.  

Here is some of the paper folding we did:  

And here are the instructions:

What I learned was that if you want to make a cube, you need 6 of these.  And then to put them together, you need a Ryan. 

What is a travel writer?

This photo of the week was inspired by one of the writing prompts from November's 30 Day Indie Travel Project.  The prompt was about a favourite travel quote.  

I found a list of inspiring travel quotes on the Matador Network website, which has a department called MatadorU where I am currently doing a travel writing course.  (I am on Chapter 9 of 12!)  Here is the quote:

"Too often...I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." by Louis L'Amour

Mr. L'Amour is not an author that I normally quote.  I haven't even read any of his work.  Western fiction is not my chosen genre - it's a guy thing I figure.  When I did a search, I found out that when he died in 1988, he had 105 published books.  He definitely had a lot to say, even delving into travel writing with his quote.  

Which brings me to the quote and how it relates to me.  As I have been moving through my travel writing course, I have been introduced to many ideas and people writing in the field.  People travelling in the field.  Some people have logged the number of countries where they have travelled.  Travelling to every country is one blogger's goal.  

I am in kindergarten compared to them.  The number of countries in the world is tricky to count because there is some discrepancy but it is between 193 and 196.  One blogger has been to 70.  

I have been to 3.  Unless I count the time the motor fell off the boat in the Usumacinta River.   We rowed to the closest shore while the helmsman tied the motor onto the back of the boat with a rope.  That shore belonged to Guatemala.  We were there for about 20 minutes.  I am thinking that when the travel blogger said he had been to 70 countries, he didn't mean stepping inside the border for less than half an hour.  So I don't count Guatemala. 

I don't count Belize either.  Technically I was there for one hour.  I didn't get off the plane.  And I can't remember why.  What I do remember is sitting on a tarmac in a Central American country is very uncomfortable.  

When I thought of the 70-country blogger and myself, I wondered what makes a travel writer.  Louis L'Amour helped.  So did my friend Katherine who said it isn't how many countries that you have been to but how those travels have changed you.  

This photo, taken at Kaslo's May Days, captured the sentiment:

What is a travel writer, really?

Photo of the Week - Sedona

Sedona, Arizona - February 2011

Visitor at the Ashram

Today I am beginning a new feature of this blog - Photo of the Week, a picture from my travels whether near or far. 

The following photo was taken at the Yasodhara Ashram on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake.   

Visitor at the Yasodhara Ashram, August 28, 2011