Hornby Insights

A few weeks ago I went to Hornby Island - a small patch of paradise that can be found off the Vancouver Island coast.  I went with my friend Laureen and left the boys at home to fend for themselves (well not entirely - I left some frozen meals in the fridge!!!!).
I could recount to you events from the weekend but that would be superfluous as the photos can do that job.  Instead I want to share with you 10 things about me that were confirmed on this kid, husband, clothes washing, house cleaning free weekend....

1.  I am one lucky girl as I live with my favourite people in the entire world and I get to be with them every day.
Whilst I enjoyed my time away I couldn't help but wish that Bren and the boys were there with me to share in the beauty of this special place. They would have loved it as much (maybe even more) than me!!

2.  That being said I do love my alone time when I can just be.......

3. I really really really love mornings.  Especially that time of the day when the sun just starts to peak

over the horizon.  I have clarity of thought  and develop some of my best ideas at this time of the day.

4.  Creative people inspire me.  I spent the weekend with a group of incredibly talented, creative women - all photographers.  I loved listening to their conversations and watching them work. They inspired me to take photographs that were a bit different and out of the box.

www.jessehollandphoto.com

6.  I think I'm quite creative anyway but this weekend sparked an interest in wanting to know what makes someone "uber creative".  What do they do differently from the rest of us that helps them tap into that creativity and come up with ideas or images that make an impact.

A 'pear' task inspired by the lovely Michelle Wells
michellewellsphotography.ca

5.  I feel extremely uncomfortable in front of the camera. I don't know why but it makes me feel very self conscious.  I'd much rather be behind the lens.

www.jessehollandphoto.com 

www.jessehollandphoto.com

6.  I really really really really like to laugh.  I love being around people or in situations that make me laugh and feel good.  I think a day without laughter is kinda sad. Actually its downright depressing......    

7.  I love to travel.  I don't care how.  I don't care where.  I just love it.  The fun is not just in the destination its also in the journey. (It took 3 modes of transport and 12 hours of travel time to get to Hornby Island from Kelowna!!)

8.  I think I could be a closet vegetarian!!!! Everyone took turns to cook meals - a few featured tofu - but  all featured tons of veges cooked in the most delicious ways. I ate a little of the chicken on offer but I did not miss animal protein!!!

"Goats on the Roof" market - Coombs - Vancouver Island
If you travel to the island - go here!!! Not only are the goats on the roof hilarious but the market itself is AMAZING...

9.  I want to grow old surrounded by the things I love.  We visited a pottery gallery and met 84 year old Heinz Laffin.  This lovely man continues to work at his rustic studio creating a wide array of works on a non-electric pottery wheel.  He walks with a stoop, a result of years hunched over his pottery wheel but has a smile that would light up a room when he speaks about is work.

 

10.  I really enjoy photography . A lot!!!!  

A Quick Visit to the Lower Mainland

Ordinarily even the thought of travelling 5 hours for a weekend away would seem ridiculous.  However an exchange to another country (and one as beautiful as Canada) is far from ordinary and calls for decisions that may seem strange to some but to us is absolutely normal (and necessary).  

So it was a few weeks ago that we decided to drive to the lower mainland to visit our friends Derek and Marie.  We shotgunned it from Kelowna after the kids and Bren finished school and arrived 5 or so hours later.  The drive over the once snowed in Connector and then the Coquihala was beautiful.  With the absence of snow and fog we were able to clearly view the surrounding mountains and landscape.  In Hope we saw trees in full bloom, snowcapped mountains and rushing waterfalls.   

Canada certainly puts on a beautiful show in the spring.  

Hope

Derek and Marie took us on a walk around Rolley Lake.  This lake is small compared to most in BC however it makes up for that in its surrounding rainforest.  The kids relished exploring its many nooks and crannies.  There were streams to throw rocks into, trees to climb, a dog who loved nothing more than fetching and returning a tennis ball and no snakes or spiders to worry about!!

It was worth every single minute of driving to get there.  

Ben and Kira

Now That's More Like It

Coming to Canada I knew that it would be cold.  I knew there would be snow.  Indeed I knew that their winter lasted waaaaaaaay way longer than ours does in Australia.  What I didn't know however (or which I think I conveniently stored in the 'forgetaboutit' lobe in my brain) was that winter liked to make itself known every once in a while during spring, and possibly summer and then again in the fall.

We've had it all weather wise this week.  On Monday we woke at 6am to a woodpecker hammering away at the metal flue on the roof (spring) only to find that there was a light sprinkling of snow on the ground (hello winter!!) Temperatures didn't get much above 10c  and we were treated to hail, sleet, snow then a bit more snow that day (hello winter again!!). We also found out that the highways that connect Kelowna to the Lower Mainland had to be closed for a period of time due to heavy snowfall at the summit (about 50cm worth!!!).

Yesterday the weather was sunny but not warm.  Today however was sunny and warm enough that   Brendan's newly shaved head even got sunburnt (hello summer).   I do feel sorry for Bren - his head is very red and sore looking (picture the head of a matchstick) but I can't help feel a bit glad because it finally means that spring is getting its act together.  The weather on the weekend is supposed to be fine with temperatures in the early 20's.  Now that's more like it!!!  Oh and yes Bren will be wearing his trademark Akubra hat from now on (hey it might even keep his noggin warm if it snows on him).
The photos I've posted were taken a few weekends ago when the weather was just fabulous and the kids could get out and play to their hearts content.

So this is Spring?????

Unlike Australia where each season begins on an arbitrary date that neatly and evenly divides the year  into four parts, North American seasons begin and end on dates that are determined by the position of the sun.  (You can read about it here if you are interested in the details!!) This year the spring equinox occurred on March 21st and thus so did Spring.  I think though that someone forgot to tell mother nature!!!  My  image of spring is this - flowers blooming, green grass, warm weather, sunny days, birds tweeting and winter gear packed away.  The reality though has been quite a bit different.  Not that I'm complaining - it just meant that we got to enjoy winter conditions for a bit longer - especially at Big White where the mountain received 60 cm of fresh powder in its final week of operations.

We attempted to visit the Myra Canyon Trestles for the 2nd time.
However although the weather was warm, there was still too much snow on
the ground to bike along the trestles with any success.

Yep - we pushed our bikes for a couple of km's along snow covered roads.
It was not easy and we gave up after learning that the trestles
were still covered in snow.

Biking on snow is rather slippery - but it is fun!!

A light sprinkling of snow in early April.  It was rather pretty and didn't last long.

Brrrr - Look how wet we are!!! This was taken last Saturday on a hike up Kelowna Mountain.
It was cold and wet and we even got hailed on!! Definately NOT spring like.   The view however was awesome.
We plan to hike it again on a clear day.

What the???? This was also taken last Saturday in an area about 1/2 an hour from our house.

Road Trippin - Part 7 - Home to Kelowna

 As mentioned in part 6 of road trippin’ (if you haven’t read it please do) we drove back to Kaslo for breakfast at BlueBelle’s Café and Beanery after which we took a short tour through the town.  Not much was open here unfortunately so needless to say the tour was very short!!  Kaslo and the surrounding area is quite pretty and I am sure that it would be a great place to visit in the summer to go camping and fishing and maybe even try the “world’s best fish and chips” (we shall see JB’s at Woodbury, we shall see).

From Kaslo we drove to Ainsworth Hot Springs for a soak.  The hot springs here are similar to most commercially run hot springs in the region in that the water is housed in pools similar to what you would find at a public swimming pool.  However here there are caves that have hot spring water flowing through them.  The temperature of the water inside the caves is about 10c warmer than in the pools and it is dark and steamy so it was difficult to stay inside them for more than a few minutes at a time.  After soaking long enough to get wrinkled fingers and toes we headed to Nelson for a quick look. 

                                        

                                       

Nelson is the cultural hub of the Kootenays with a number of galleries featuring local artisan's work.  It is also very much like Byron Bay in that it is a melting pot of different types of people, from hippies, to the outdoorsy to the rediculously wealthy.  We took a little bit of time to explore one of the local galleries and the surrounding shops on Baker St.  The shop fronts have retained their old world charm, while the interiors are thoroughly modern.

After leaving Nelson we headed along highway 3 through Castlegar then onto Grand Forks.  The landscape flattened out and very little snow lay on the ground.  Grand Forks is situated in the Boundary Region of BC. The mountains to its south form a natural border between Canada and the US. 

Grand Forks itself was uninspiring for the most part save for a fantastic little gem of a cafe called the Happy Days Diner.

The interior is styled in a 50's theme with loads of memorabilia and menus inspired by movie and music stars of this era.  The food was fantastic, the service even better.  The boys won over the staff with their natural charm - even taking away a free donut each.

The drive from Grand Forks to Kelowna was fairly uneventful.  We stopped briefly in the desert like city of Osoyoos then headed north.  Just outside Penticton; a city at the southern end of Okanagan Lake; we spotted a loon and her chicks swimming mightily against the flow of the river that feeds Okanagan falls.  We then followed Okanagan lake through Penticton and Summerland before stopping at the quaint lake side town of Peachland.  The 'beach' in Peachland is made up of small pebbles and has a grand view of the lake.  Whilst in Peachland we once again saw snow and small hail falling lightly. 

The nanny and bumps effect had an impact just about everywhere we went on our trip.  Incredibly even as Mum and Dad left Kelowna their plane flew through lightly falling snow!  And not only that as they arrived back in Australia southeast Queensland experienced huge summer storms!!!   

Mum and Dad’s wish for when they came to Canada this time around was (apart from visiting us!!!) a winter experience.  That they certainly got – as well as some unforgettable experiences.  We had a great time with them and can’t wait for their return in the summer