A Week at Home

It's been a busy week since coming home from BC.  Ooooh  those mountain passes are terrible in the winter, but we made it back safely.

Canada followed the example set by the Americans and had Black Friday sales here - Black Friday being the day after the American Thanksgiving.  They're really a big deal south of the border.  Our sales were not quite as great as the US ones, but most of the stores participated and there were lots of bargains to be had.  It was great fun being out and about with the crowds, getting lots of Christmas shopping done at great discounts.

Yesterday I had a birthday date with my 9-year old granddaughter, Charlie.  What an interesting child she's turning out to be.  We sat in a restaurant of her choosing for two hours and we chatted the whole time.  She has a lot to say and makes very intelligent conversation.  Someone had told her that the world is coming to an end in December so we had a discussion about the Mayan Calendar and superstitions and science and the planet's life cycle, etc.  It's good to enjoy her while she still likes hanging out with 'old' people! 

Charlie's 9th Birthday Portrait

I spent a day this week with Mickey scrapbooking - the best ever scrapbooking day I've had - I was really on a roll and got lots of pages done.

Here's some of the best ones.

Hope this week is a good one for you.

Last Day in BC

Today we relaxed with the family, went for a drive, and just enjoyed our time together.

Their bull mastiff, Maisie, loved all the attention she was getting.  She enjoys company as much as her family does.

She likes to challenge Mary for the role of alpha female, but Mary knows how to handle her.  Maisie is just a pup after all - barely a year old - and she's still learning her place in the pack.

I wanted a picture of silly Baron wearing his new glasses, but every time I went to press the shutter button on the camera, he moved.  I got some cute expressions though.

This stance and expression is just like his dad.

And this was his 'this is as good as it gets' expression.  He really does look handsome in his glasses.

Layla and I were drawing on her white board when Maisie decided she wasn't getting enough attention.

Then we went for a drive from Oliver to Penticton, stopping for a look around Kaleden on Skaha Lake.

This shell is all that remains of an historic old hotel on the shores of the lake.  It has no roof, windows or floors and you can look in the front window holes right out through the back ones and onto the lake.  You can see vines growing through one of the windows from the inside.  The back yard is well kept with picnic tables for a nice recreational area on the shore of the lake.

It was a cold windy day at the beach at Skaha Lake.  Just look at those waves rolling in.

We spotted a brave and lonely para-surfer out there in the cold.  He looked like he was really enjoying himself as he skimmed along the waves.  We couldn't understand why he didn't freeze out there.  My hands got numb just holding my camera.

Can you spot him out there on the water just to the left of his para-sail?

 Meanwhile, a bundled up Baron runs along the beach to try to keep warm.

 When the para-surfer came close enough to us so we could see him better, we noticed that he was bundled up against the cold too. What fun he was having!

In the evening, back at Mary and Greg's house, we had a belated birthday celebration for Lloyd, whose birthday was last month.

Layla and Baron had painted pictures on canvas for him - very colorful.  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of Baron's, but it was very colorful too.

And now we need to get a good night's rest for our 12 hour drive home tomorrow.  We're concerned that all the rain we've had here in the valley has translated to snow in the mountains so we want to be well rested for what could be a trying drive home.  It was worth it though to be able to visit these kids of ours who live farther from us than any of the others.

Christmas Fair at Spirit Ridge

This has been a very good day, in spite of the fact that rain fell continuously the whole day and into the evening.

Lloyd and I enjoyed a 3-hour lunch with some friends that we hadn't seen in 32 years.  The talk went on and on and still we left with a lot of things yet to talk about.  Bill and Meredith are one of those couples who, when you see them again, you pick up right where you left off.  That is, if you even recognize after so long a time between meetings.  It's a happy circumstance that they now live just a few miles from Mary and Greg here in the Okanagan.   We'll definitely be getting together with them again.

But the main portion of our fun day happened when Mary, Greg, Layla and Baron arrived at the Spirit Ridge Resort for the Christmas fair.  So much to see and do.  The rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits and the only event it cancelled was the hot air balloon.  The basket was there, with the operator in it lighting the huge flares, but the balloon itself couldn't be inflated or attached because the rain would make it too heavy.  Everything else was perfect though.

Mary, Layla and Baron with the hot air balloon basket

We checked out the many beautifully decorated Christmas trees of which these are just a few...

Just ignore that strange child in green He's not ours.

including a frightening Hallowe'en themed tree, while drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows and hot apple cider.

The kids played in the bouncy castle room...

While their parents and grandparents watched and visited together....

Mary and Lloyd

Then we went to the cookie and ornament decorating room where the kids got down and dirty with cookies, ornaments, paint, frosting,  and candy of all types.

while parents and grandparents looked on and even helped a bit.

Then it was off to the bonfire pit where the kids toasted marshmallows with their Dad's help

and, using the chocolate and graham wafer crackers provided, they made delicious s'mores

Papa with his first ever s'more

Layla savoring her s'more

 We admired the giant tipi tree of lights.

And then, for the grand finale, the kids got to sit on Santa's knee and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

Baron was less than thrilled!

 We topped the day off by going out to dinner before coming back to our rooms to rest up for tomorrow's adventures with the Bournes.

Hope your day was a happy one too.

Over the Mountains and Through The Woods...

Yesterday was spent in the truck - driving, driving, driving - for 12 hours.  Over the mountains and through the woods to end up in Osoyoos, BC.   We had a very enthusiastic welcome from the Bournes when we finally got to their home.

But today's blog is about the mountains.  I took a few pictures as we drove through Jasper and the Yellowhead Pass.  Have a look:

This is near the entrance to Jasper National Park.  I love the darkness of the trees against the mountains and sky

This is in Mount Robson Park, just across the border into British Columbia.  There were a lot of low-lying clouds.  This one seems to have fallen into the valley and is just sitting there.

I turned my back to the mountain in the previous picture and this was my view.  It's difficult to get a picture of Mt. Robson when it's not hidden in the clouds.  I was lucky yesterday. We used to travel this highway a lot back in the 70s when we lived in Prince George and would travel to Edmonton a lot.  This is a very familiar scene for us.

As it got darker, we were treated to beautiful sunset colors reflected in the fluffy white clouds.  My favorite is this one with the trees  against the sky.

Another light cloud has fallen into the valley

And finally the sun is disappearing behind the hills and the rest of the trip was completed in the darkness.

Today promises to be a fun filled day with Mary, Greg, Layla and Baron, as Spirit Ridge Resort, where we're staying, hosts a Christmas fair with a hot air balloon, crafts, Christmas tree festival, finishing with a bonfire and hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Stay tuned as I try to capture the excitement of the day.