Summerland Flatlander Blues: Tuesday, October 6th!

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy. -George H. Lorimer, editor (6 Oct 1867-1937)  

On our way to Italy

Hi Patrick Thanks for the newsy email and apologies for my tardiness in responses! I have no excuses only pure laziness! We just returned from Southampton late last night after looking after Tris for 4 days so that Marnie could continue with her blessed submission which has to be submitted in another 3 weeks. It was great spending time with him but exhausting!
 

Lecce

Glad to see you continue with your house projects, well at least organizing them to be done! The fireplace looks grand and yes I agree there is nothing like a real fire on a cold evening. Staring into the flames with a glass of something in hand is very therapeutic! We usually have one going a few times a week during the winter. I cut down three old cherry trees this past summer so have lots of wood available for the coming winter.

We had a good but short visit with Mark and Krissy. Of course they always have friends in tow so we didn't have them to ourselves for any length of time! It was truly unfortunate that Krissy had such a bad break towards the end of their visit but fortunately it did not happen at the beginning which would have been a disaster. 

Gayle enjoying the pool at the hotel

They had made arrangements to visit Munich two days before they were due to fly back to Vancouver. I wasn't happy about Kris traveling there but she insisted on going since they had paid for accommodation and plane tickets. Dave was traveling with them so At least Mark had some assistance. They had booked a flight from Newquay with Flybe to Gatwick for a connecting flight with Easyjet to Munich. In great Krissy and Mark style that didn't exactly go to plan!

I dropped them off at Newquay airport which gave Gayle and I a couple of days to get the house tidied and get packed for our trip to Italy. After a couple of hours we received a call from Mark saying they were still in Newquay. The plane was in the process of taking off when a flock of gulls flew up from the runway and hit the right engine! The pilot put the plane in reverse and slammed on the brakes coming to a shuddering halt! The prop on one of the engines had been bent and smoke was coming out of the rear of the engine. They taxied back to the terminal but didn't have a replacement aircraft so by the time a replacement aircraft flew in from London they had missed their connecting flight. 

Looking across the ravine at the cave houses Materra

They decided to take a chance and got the next flight to Gatwick only to find all flights were booked to Munich that day and the following day. However Easyjet got them a flight to Innsbruck where they had to take a two hour coach ride from there to Munich! All this just to attend a beer festival! They did say though that it was worth it since the drive from Innsbruck to Munich was stunning. We met them at Gatwick  on the Friday since  we were all staying at the Holiday Inn at the airport and flying out within an hour of each other. We thought we would have them to ourselves for at least one evening but no, their friend Nicky who lives in London came over to the hotel for the evening so joined us for dinner! The following day I helped Mark to get his bags and Krissy to the check in desk. Fortunately the hotel is located in the south terminal so is only a few minutes walk to the check in desk. Said my goodbyes then returned to the hotel to pick up Gayle and bags for our flight to Bari.
 

Delightful Italian meal in a cave restaurant in Vieste

We arrived in Bari late morning (flight was only two hours) and immediately took a coach to Lecce where we stayed at the Holiday Garden Inn for two nights. This was a very comfortable hotel and only a short walk to the old town of Lecce which dates from Ancient Greek times and flourished under the Romans. It contained a kaleidoscope of cultural wonders and it's Renaissance and Baroque churches and buildings were wonderful. From Lecce we went to Matera where we stayed at another Holiday Garden Inn hotel for a couple of nights. Matera is truly a remarkable ancient town and thought to be one of the first inhabited places in Italy which originated as a prehistoric troglodyte settlement. Even today people are still living in the same cave houses but with much upgraded modern facilities! We took a guided tour of the town and the guide told us that her father, as a young boy, lived in one of the cave houses with his parents, siblings and animals and by animals I mean donkey, and goats! He left the cave dwelling when the government rehoused all the occupants to modern housing. 

Service taking place at church of Saint Angelo built over a cave

The town later became a world heritage site and restored to its present state where people now live albeit without any farm animals! We also used this base to visit Alberobella which consists of Trulli traditional local houses unique to Apulia. We also visited the old town of Bari which was a thriving walled port even before the Romans. It also has the incredible Basilica di San Nicola which houses the 900 year old crypt of the final resting place of Saint Nicholas, Patron Saint of Russia. From Matera we headed to Vieste where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. Vieste is a pretty village dominated by a simple 13th century cathedral. It cascades down a promontory surrounded by the Adriatic.

With Tris on Sunday at Kingston Lacey House, Hampshire

We used Vieste as our base to visit Trani, a delightful place which was an important port during medieval times with its lovely Romanesque architecture and the Castel deal Monte built by Frederick II. We took a drive through the Umbra Forest or Dark Forest as it is known and visited Monte Sant Angelo atop a lovely hill top village with superb 360 degree vistas of the surrounding forest. The magnificent abbey built over a large cave where the Archangel Michael is supposed to have appeared in the 8th century to the then Pope. It became an important medieval place of pilgrimage for many including the Crusaders many of whom scratched messages of hope on the walls which can still be seen. All in all it was a very interesting trip. I can see why they call it undiscovered Italy since, although there is obvious tourism in this part of Italy, it does not have the same draw as other areas of Italy such as the Amalfi coast, Tuscany etc. The countryside is quite uninspiring. It is very flat and since the Puglia region of Italy is the main producer of olive oil and wine it is mile after mile of olive trees or vines. What isn't planted with olive trees or vines is mainly scrub-land.

You must be looking forward to your upcoming trip to India. I'm sure you will have some interesting experiences. My brother in law Pete spent three years in India and really enjoyed the experience. I mentioned that you were going there on a visit and he recommended you don't cycle there! Seems the only rule of the road is there are none and road accidents and deaths are an accepted norm! I think he may have exaggerated a little!! Have attached a few photos. Won't bore you with too many holiday snaps! Kind regards to you both, Derek

Given the forecast for the next few days I decided I'd better try to log a 100+ km ride today in case more cycling wasn't possible later in the week. That being the case I determined that I would try for a decent AVG and to enable this I'd keep to the flats, more or less. Left just after midday and only real climb I had was up Vancouver Ave, after PTC/Lakeshore/Riverside loop, as part of what has come to be a standard start. Whistled along 97 to Summerland, dipsy-doodling into the Red Wing complex, on the south side of the highway, for the first time, just to see what place looked like. Much the same, mirror-image, in fact, as community on north side. Still, it gave me a few more k's so happy about that.

By the time I was at Crescent Beach and had made three loops there, I had 40 km on the clock so knew I was in reasonably good shape, distance wise. On way south from here, I toyed with climbing Peach Orchard but decided I'd go for a higher AVG ride rather than a steep hill one. Soon back in Trout Creek and then on to 97 again. By the time I was finished with one loop of Red Wing North, I had 61 km on my trusty odometre, so I knew I needed to head for Green Mountain Road to collect a few more precious km's. Followed Channel Parkway to GMR and once there on it as far as Westhill Road before retracing my steps. Left onto Penticton IB Road all the way to 97.

Wind was at my back here but once I crossed the highway and cut through Skaha Lake Park to hit Eastside Road, making for OK Falls, it had become a head wind! Didn't mind all that much, as long as it stayed behind me on way home! Rode past turnoff to Blasted Church and up McLean Creek Rd for a km or so in order to give me the distance I wanted once back at Burns Street. Pleased as punch that the wind did push me along on return run so was able to push my AVG up to 23 kph by the time I hit South Main. Was able to maintain my speed on the slight uphill grades between there and Government so when I hit the final stretch I felt very optimistic about achieving my goal. Hit all the lights so didn't even need any minor dipsy-doodles to prevent myself from having to touch The Dreaded Burning Ground!

Just before home, pumped up White Ave to Government and said hello to neighbour, Doug Deans, owner of Grape Escapes, as I turned around. He was just getting out of one of his smaller wine tour vans. Form what he said when we chatted this past July, I think he is a pretty good cyclist. One of his regualr training routes is to Lost Moose Lodge! I've done it once but apparently group he trains with does it every Wednesday. Anyway, met my challenge for the day so can't complain!  Stats for ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/920641798#.VhRjEiapYGM.email

Hi Aarturo! Thanks so much for all the fabulous, more than professional snapolas! I'm going to "play" with Flickr as soon as I've a moment so please bear with me! Let us know about popping by for a drink, sometime this coming weekend. Not a big deal. Only if your family's busy schedule allows. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio

P & C -- C&P On behalf of Virginia-Vicky et moi Thank you for the wonderful Sunday supper the company. I trust this email connects! DBJS 

Little N'Kwala Blues: Monday, October 5th!

Within one linear centimeter of your lower colon there lives and works more bacteria (about 100 billion) than all humans who have ever been born. Yet many people continue to assert that it is we who are in charge of the world. -Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and author (b. 5 Oct 1958) 

Hi Jane and George, so sorry to hear about your friend. Understand completely that you will want to be there. We are coming into Vancouver on the 16th so could have dinner with you on Friday nite. Look forward to catching up and discussing your visit here in the Spring. Hugs Corinne
 

Hi Chloe, George, Jane and dog are not coming now for Thanksgiving due to death of friend and his memorial service on Oct. 11. So i'm fine with Mark, Krissy and dog here. Let me know what all is decided. Peter and Lynne are coming for dinner as well. Love Mom

Wanted to say goodbye to Nancy and David before they left to drive back to Vancouver so had decided that I'd drive straight to Summerland to meet hiking group there. After I thanked N/D for the lovely visit, I wished them safe travels and took off. At the IGA parking lot in plenty of time and found a very large group waiting. Twenty-five in all, by the time everyone arrived. We set off just after 9:00 am to leave our vehicles near the KVR trestle, just down from Summerland Sweets. Once we were over the trestle, Big Al and Jud divided us into two, more or less equal groups. Jud would trek to the top of Little N'Kwala, hiking counter-clockwise around the base of the mountain, while Al's group would head up in a clockwise fashion, taking a steeper, slightly more arduous route. People decided which route was best, given stamina, knee problems, and the like.  

I chose to go with Al and although he said it would be a much steeper ascent than other more gradual approach, it really wasn't very difficult, compared to some of the extended climbs we've encountered on other hikes. Still, many in our party were taking off jackets once up first grade as the sun was shining and its warmth plus their exertion had warmed them up. Chilly enough when we met at IGA and I was the only one wearing shorts. Many were also wearing gloves but I thought this was a bit much. Nevertheless, the ground we covered was quite open so going was pretty easy, most comfortable actually. Quite enjoy walking over pine needle carpeted ground, so soft and crunchy underfoot.

Monday's outings are intended to be relatively short hikes so we had reached the top of Little N'Kwala by just after 11:00 am. Lovely spot to have our lunch with a terrific view of Summerland spread out below us, made even better as we had a phenomenal sight-line to the KVR trestle we'd walked across at the very start of the hike. An added benefit was the arrival of the steam locomotive and its five or so carriages. While we munched those of us, so inclined, we were able to snap numerous photos of the tourist train as the crew shunted the locomotive from the back of the train to the front, all done on a small siding before the stat of the trestle itself. Only regret I had was that Big Al wanted to head down before the engine started up again, pulling the cars back off the trestle and up the grade, further north. Shortly after we headed back down, taking a slightly different route, we heard the train's whistle so hoped some of Jud's party had taken a few shots of the most picturesque, white plume of steam which issues from the engine's smoke stack at such times.
 

Fairly steep descent, initially, so felt  a bit like a mountain goat as we were edging our way, sideways, along very narrow tracks, controlled slip-sliding much of the time until we gained flatter terrain, and from then on it was literally a walk in the park. Last section was on the same "road" we'd followed on the return from an earlier hike so was able to concentrate on chatting with my companions and not have to worry about capturing and new vistas. Back on the trestle by 12:30 pm, almost to the dot of when Big Al suggested we would return. Stats fro hike:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/919616438#.VhMb532fNDs.email

Thanked those in the lead group, for the warm companionship, and then headed back home. Most of the group were going to Summerland Sweets for java and/or their home-made ice-cream. I had a doctor's appointment later that afternoon and didn't want to be late. First appointment with our new doctor here in Penticton. Since I was having my annual physical, which I wanted to undergo before renewing my extended travel insurance, I didn't want to risk the appointment, given the fact that we were extremely fortunate to finally find a doctor who would accept new patients! Life in Paradise!

Hello Monday Hiking Enthusiasts! A quick note to thank both our esteemed co-leaders, Counter-Clockwise Jud, and Clockwise Al, for such a de-loverly outing. Thanks to everyone else for the good spirits and camaraderie.  Sorry not to have joined you at Summerland Sweets as I'm sure it was another spirited gathering. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Wow! 24 people today! Next Monday Al will take us up Grant's (I think) Mill, north of Twin Lakes, south of Penticton. So we will depart Home Hardware in Penticton at 9 am, and Summerlanders can carpool at the IGA Summerfair parking lot at 8:40am. I know, it is Thanksgiving Monday.... We are still planning on going! Afterwards we will likely go to Opus for coffee or whatever beverage of your choosing....Pam   It's Clark's Mill, not Grant's Mill

 

Great Patricio, you turned the wringer on again! Cheers, Aart & Jos 

Eduardo asked me this morning to send the photo again I took on
Rattlesnake Mountain hike from 2014 that quite nicely shows that
Summerland is build in an old volcano crater. You can clearly see the
"circle" of crater remnants, that the "Summerland Valley" is surrounding by. This is no doubt why the area is so fertile and lush. Enjoy the view AND the wine! Cheers, Aart Thank You, "Dank"   Aarturo. Ed ******

Tour Guide Blues: Sunday, October 4th!

Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

Hi Patrice, Thanks for the note and the great pictures!. I think it’s fantastic that you’re involved with that group as they look like a lot of fun and like to do healthy activities as well to counteract all the other horrible stuff you /they do. 

I must agree with your thoughts on making art and when I see such things I have a desire that wells up in me to start on my long awaited run at making my own art pieces, funky furniture etc. I can feel the time coming soon as there is some light at the end of the tunnel as far as getting some projects done around here as well as a desire to de clutter and off load a couple vehicles as well as other junk in my life and give me some room to try new ventures.
 
When are you guys leaving for India? how’s Chloe? take care and ttys, Al

Hello Winte-Tasters and non-cyclistii! Glad you enjoyed the outing! We did as well. Great to share the experience with such like-minded friends. Must away as we are off with friends, Nancy and David, to show them some of the surrounding area. Plan to head to Indian Rock first and then work our way back, eventually through OK Falls and Oliver to give them some sense of the gorgeous landscapes there. Look forward to seeing you both on Monday. Greetings and best wishes from Mme Coriandre. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Just outright fantastic shots. So fantastic that I would like to have them all! Downloaidng gives me very low resolution. Is there a way you can bring them on a flash drive and I can then put them on my computer? Let me know please.
Cheers, Yours Aarturo, the eternal low flying Flatman Yours, Aarturo

Hey Padrun Inckt, Here are my photos in 2 emails,  otherwise I have to make them too small. Cheers, Aart 

Dear Pat and Corinne, I​t is with profound disappointment that we have to renege on our plan to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with you.​ We are going to attend the​ memorial service for Ken Millard.​ We got to know Ken over the past year through our close friends and neighbours, Barbara and Gary-co-founders of the Galiano Conservancy. Ken was the Director of the Galiano Nature Conservancy and ​ hired Amira to work with him over the summer- another surrogate grandparent and mentor for her. She is pretty choked and will come from Kamloops to be at this memorial.

We are sorry for the short notice. We have been looking forward to the
​weekend with you. This ​ has​ been a difficult decision for us to make​ . ​We understand you will be in Vancouver on the weekend of the 17th/18th. ​ We would love to see you when you are here if it works​? Can you set aside
​Friday​ evening or daytime Saturday or Sunday? W e will host you here at Jane's
​-- brunch or dinner, whatever suits you​.

We look forward to getting to Tummler's reach sometime soon. It may have to wait until after your trip to India -- assuming you return and do not end up in an ashram somewhere. Fond regards to you both, G & J​

Hello Jane and George: Please accept my heartfelt sympathy to you both, and Amira, on Ken Millard's untimely death. Understand completely about not coming for the weekend but please don't give it a second thought, under such sad, difficult circumstances.

On a brighter note, very pleased that we will be able to see you on Friday evening, prior to being ashram bound! If it is any consolation, the bedroom which had been reserved for you has already been re-booked. Chloë, before asking us, had invited Krissy and Mark, along with Porter, their dog, to stay, over the weekend as well! As we thought that you two, along with Morita, would be here, we said No! Didn't mind K/M but having two dogs seemed a bit much. So now they will take your reservation!

Furthermore, Chloë also invited another friend, Lee, with her two hyper-active children! We've seen them in action and I must say I find it difficult not to speak my mind about their ridiculous behaviour. The parents don't seem to think anything is amiss so not really the children's fault, I suppose.

Anyway, we suggested Lee stay at the vacation home her parents own, in Trout Lake, lower Summerland. It is a huge house, 6 bedrooms/bathrooms, according to Chloë who has seen it. The parents are spending Thanksgiving elsewhere, with a sister Lee doesn't get along with! As a compromise we will have dinner there, bringing along the turkey, etc. Lynne and Peter will join us as well so, in spite of what I've described, I imagine it should be fun. At least we won't have to clean-up chaos which I'm sure Lee's offspring will wreak on the grandparent's house

Busy next few days of shelf building so looking forward to finally making a start on wine storage area. Again, much sympathy. Fondestos, Patrizzio!

Re: Our booking at Radisson Blu Hotel GRT, Chennai As requested, here are the additional details of our arrivals in Chennai to confirm the airport transfers.

Peter Lighthall will arrive on Jet Airways India flight 525 from Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, October 27 at 2:00 p.m. Lynne Lighthall will arrive on Air India flight AI42 from Delhi on Wednesday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m. Corinne Durston and Patrick Dunn will arrive on Lufthansa flight LH758 from Frankfurt on Wednesday, October 28 at 11:50 p.m. Please let us know if you require any additional details. Thank you. Lynne

Hola Patricio ( and Cora Lee)--Sorry I was in flagrante delecto (or some such state of undress and wetness) when you dropped by this morning. It would have been nice to say hello to you two and your guests. Timing is everything … so "they" say. I'm just catching up on some desk duties including some Indja stuff. 

Yes, you are correct in recalling that the hotel payment in Chennai is due when we get there. I gave them my VISA number to guarantee the reservation but that is all they can use it for unless we don't show up at all! Peter gets there the day ahead of us, as you know, and he will check in and give them his VISA number for payment for our room. You two can pay for your room as it suits you. The current price for your room is $135.00 CDN. There are some additional charges for taxes and service charges, which I think will add about 10-12%. Interestingly, the room is more expensive for the one night that Peter is there on his own than it is for the night when all four of us are there. Go figure …Cheers for now, Lynnie

Similikameen 3A Blues: Saturday, October 3rd!

There is more to life than increasing its speed. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)

Hi Patrice, Hope all is well with you guys. I’m guessing you’re busy getting ready for the big trip coming up soon..when were you leaving again?.

I am resending the email I referred to the last time we spoke on the phone where I was mentioning my friend Ron Howarth. I guess you just breezed over the email as you were probably running late for a hike , bike outing or wine tasting!. Anyway when you have time check the info and say hi to Ron if you have a chance.

Nothing too exciting here as i am just plugging away on my dump trailer trying to get it fixed as I have someone who wants to rent it and the Bobcat and is waiting for me to get finished. I worked a week on star trek a couple weeks ago and am set to go work on flash for one week next week so quite pleased that I am getting work but just here and there as it’s what I would prefer and I have people calling me which is always best.

Colleen is supposed to go for a girls night at the cabin for tonight but is having some tummy troubles this morning..probably due to some goat curry we had at our neighbours last night!. Hopefully that sorts itself out and she can enjoy herself. Take care, love to Corrine for us and we’ll talk soon...unless you’re too too busy of course!. Cheers, Al

Hello Goat Curry People! Sorry to hear that Marilyn has an upset stomach. Obviously not enough fabulous Okanagan wine to counteract hot spices! Trust you will be feeling better soon, Daaaarling! Thanks for re-send of email in question, Big Al. In fact, I did read letter to Greg at NuWave but did miss Ron's contact details. Thanks for those. I will try to connect, at some point, as it would be great to meet him. Stay well. Take care of yourselves. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

As we had arranged to have Jos and Aarturo join us at Orofino's pizza pick-up party I needed to leave Burns Street in enough time to be able to cycle to Keremeos and meet them at the winery around noon. They were going to drive, from Summerland, where they live, to our place, to arrive around 11:15 am and then Cora Lee would chauffeur them in our car. (I didn't want to cycle back so needed a vehicle with a bike rack.) At any rate, it was quite cool and very cloudy when I set off, around 9:45 am but I knew, if forecast was to be relied upon, that "sunny and breezy" was predicted, particularly for the Similkameen. 

Had never ridden 97 south, from Penticton to Keremeos, although I was reasonably familiar with most sections of the route, from the opposite direction, having ridden it a number of times, either in Granfondo or once from Osoyoos, via Keremeos, and then home. This being the case I was reasonably pleased to find that the first few uphill climbs were not overly difficult. Stretch one covers, once one leaves 97 for 3A, is, once again, not as daunting as I feared it would be, rising in a series of fairly longish, but not overly steep grades. Fortunately, I had the wind at my back so that helped, considerably. It took me about an hour and a half to reach the turn-off for Twin Lakes Road, almost exactly half the distance I assumed it would be to Orofino. Beauty was that at this point it was all virtually downhill or at least on the relative flat right into Keremeos.

This being the case I knew the "worst" was behind me so I focused on trying to up my AVG. Shortly after I started to climb towards Kaleden my AVG was 25.5 kph but was only 17 something kph, above TLR. Must say that I did enjoy the exhilarating descent and even the flat stretches before and after Olalla. However,a  few kms before the outskirts of Keremeos the wind shifted and came straight out of the west, more than breezily, let me tell you, so I had to struggle a bit, standing up in the saddle just to make some headway. Once I reached Upper Bench Road, however, I was away to the races, so to speak, as the wind was now behind me again and I flew along, soona t Barcello Road and then pulling into Orofino. Stats for ride: 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/918835449#.VhHEVd2lNAA.email

Arrived at just before noon but no sign of my companions so I parked my Trek, took off my helmet and camel-pack and started to taste. Had knocked back a glass of Chardonnay and chatted with a number of other guests before I saw the Eqinox pull up across the road from the already full parking area. Wlaked my Trek over to the car and stowed it and my gear. Had asked Cora Lee to bring along a change of clothes but I really wasn't all that uncomfortable, (Weather was cool enough that I didn't really perspire all that much and considerable wind was rather chilly so my riding jacket came in handy.), in my riding clothes. Exchanged my clip-ons for my orange Crocs and followed the gang back to the party.

And what a grand, fun-filled gathering it was. Much like the one we had attended in June so we knew what to expect. Jos and Aart were delighted to be part of the festivities and we introduced them to Virginia and John, the gracious owners, as well as to Alison and Aaron, regular staff members. Also met Carly, Aaron's wife, as she was helping with pizza dough production. Met some other Wine Club members who had attended the Winemaker's dinner in July so it was fun to catch up with them. Glorious, glorious day, although wind was so strong that it kept blowing items off the the various picnic tables but didn't keep us from enjoying the wonderful pizzas and delicious mini-cupcakes for dessert. In addition to the delicious 2014 Blind Creek Chardonnay, 13.6%, the Webers were pouring the Red Bridge Red, 14.6%, always a stalwart, the Wild Ferment Syrah, 14.4%, wonderfully peppery, and their flagship, Beleza, 2012, 14.8%, a Bordeaux style-blend, rich black fruit, spice and terrific minerality. Quite a selection for pizza! Once again, Cora Lee was treated to her own special gluten-free pizzas but I helped her eat some of them!

Spent two glorious hours sipping and nibbling and chatting and then it was time to go. Thanking everyone for the splendiferous dining and tasting we loaded ourselves and our wine into the car and took off for Corcelettes, another winery we'd not been to since it had changed from being Herder, (owners divorced and winery sat idle for a year or two), as I wanted to taste the new product and show Jos and Aart the spectacular view from the tasting room. Unfortunately, the new tasting area is on the ground floor so view is not quite as stunning. Liked some of the whites but wasn't too, too impressed with the reds. Still, new owners are a lovely young couple, he is Swiss and she is from Tuktoyuktuk! In a strange series of events, her mother moved to Cawston to grow grapes and the daughter eventually followed. At any rate, a winery to watch over the next few years.

Homeward bound after that and The Sisterhood snoozed while Aarturo and I jawed our way back to Penticton. Wanted to share a snort or two of malt with him but Kos wouldn't allow it so we waved goodbye and made ready to receive Nancy and David, due to arrive around 4:00 pm. Started dinner preparations whiel Cora Lee continued to nap and when the Lower Mainlanders knocked on the front door, we were ready to welcome them. Lovely time chatting over cheesen and crackers and a Blackhawk Pinot Gris before we sat down to a very tasty dinner of pork loin, with a wonderful fresh plum sauce; mouthwatering broiled zucchini, smothered in cheese; boiled new potatoes and tomatoe and bocconcini salad. Everyone was so pleasantly full by the end of the meal that everyone declined desert. Had been a long day for everyone, wine-tasting for us, drive from Vancouver for N/D so around 9:30 pm we bade one another a good night. While the others repaired to their separate bathrooms/bedrooms I managed to load the dishwasher before I, too, made my ablutions and fell into bed for a much needed sleep. 

Hi Corinne & Patricio, Thank you for a great afternoon, really enjoyed it and ... look forward to more. See you Monday, Cheers, Aart & Jos

Hi Patrick, I have been incredibly slack of recent times not being in contact for months it appears so I will attempt to give a brief history of the last several months, my apologies if I repeat things you may already know.

So the trip to Europe et al. was great highlights basically a cycling guide who had no idea where we were going or anything about the things that we could see. This made for a fantastic cycling adventure. We lost the barge on several occasions and consequently spent up to 9 hours riding arounds the place trying to find it. There were many highlights including sailing into Paris and then going underground through Paris in a boat and ending up in the middle of town, amazing. Met some great people four Americans even though they were republicans and Baptists the funniest people I have met for a while excluding some crazy Canadians. 

We followed on from the bike and barge after 14 days of riding punctuated by drinking of an evening to move onto to Saint Malo for three days. Fell in love with the place and wanted to buy a house there though thankfully we resisted then on to the Channel Islands and Guernsey for three days, a lazy force 9 gale across the channel made the crossing fairly chunderous for a bunch of school kids but we had a good time on the Island and did the bus thing around the place.

Off to the UK to catch up with Claire’s relatives in Devon for 5 days Absolutely great, very relaxing and we took up golf. Then back home to reality.

So we have now bought the golf clubs and joined a club and try to play once a week starting to think we have actually sort of retired. I have done nothing about any other extensive trips at this point tho we are off on a camping holiday for two weeks later this month travelling to Victoria to catch up with my brother.

Other news is that Claire may be joining the work force again we are waiting to see if a tender to the Government is successful. She was asked to be a part of a program to encourage indigenous people to stop smoking in communities so we have our fingers crossed that it works out. For my part I have slowly stop delivering training and now I am writing training programs and such things so we are still engaged in the world this is very important for us.

On to important things Claire hits 60 next year so of course you and yours are invited 30 July our place I can supply a car if you want to go for a holiday somewhere. Our plans for 2016 is local holidays in our caravan and we are in a state of flux for 2017 and we are looking at doing a pensioner cruise from Vienna to the Black Sea in the May possibly followed by a small bike trip though not sure if this becomes too difficult then we might look at a plan B though we are not sure what that is at the moment.

On a local note we now a have a dog a rather large Great Dane Lily ( a rescue dog she is three years old and a modest 50 Kilos in weight) so she is now providing us with some great enjoyment and restrictions in terms of our travel options though we are working through these issues for local travel and overseas travel in 2017. We trust your move was successful and you have now found many great cycling tracks to go on.

We will probably come back to Canada in 2018 and do the inside passage we think depending our experience with the river cruise in 2017 Cheers Greg and Claire

I can't find a picture of the new woodburning fireplace...may I see it please? The bed is lovely...too bad the wall behind it is hideous xoxo

Indian Rock and Roll Blues: Friday, October 2nd!

I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (2 Oct 1869-1948) 

Hello Leapsters! Just a quick note to say how much we are looking forward to "quaffing" some local plonk when you are here for Thanksgiving!

Cora Lee is off to Richard Cannings' campaign headquarters shortly and I'll be suiting up, not long thereafter, for a ride to Indian Rock, far end of The Naramata, as far as one can go north, on paved road. Fab scenery and molto huffing and puffing on climb back up from lake. I assume/trust you are bringing your bikes so I'll introduce you to this particular route should this be of interest.

Fairly cloudy at the moment and forecast predicts some showers around 2:00 pm so hoping to beat the rain. Better outlook tomorrow, mostly sunny and breezy. As mentioned, in last message we are collecting the fall release at Orofino. On yesterday's hike, Aarturo mentioned that he is thinking seriously of joining me on ride but have yet to hear form him with confirmation. Shades of Peleton/Book Club! Any word on the latter? Also shades of someone, (Ragin'), we know who "claims" he want to ride but always at another time!
 
Must away as Mme Coriandre has commanded that I be home in time to help her drain pot of ripe tomatoe pickle we are making. We started laster evening once we were back from an art opening at the Lloyd Gallery. We strolled down around 7:00 pm. Local artist is Robyn Lake, in green, leaning against counter. Some of her larger canvases are priced around $3,000, so I'm thinking of starting to paint, en plein air, instead of cycling/hiking, using anaemic porch cleaner for my paint thinner! That way I can quaff the resulting solution! Stay well. Take care of each other and the environment. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Lloyd event and pickle production line! Plan to start making our own soap soon. We have a black sheep in back yard and Cora Lee intends to start weaving my cycling garb! Back to the land here in The Okanagan so we spit on Salish Sea Folk! 

Hello again, Salish Sea/Lower Mainland Folk! Sorry, forgot to include snaps in last message. Obviously too, too much porch cleaner!  Cheers, Il Conduttore!

Left shortly after 10:00 am and knew I was Indian Rock bound. Wanted to do this ride again, after John had first introduced me to the route, a week or so ago. Quite cloudy and cool but almost perfect cycling weather. Started out,as per usual, and was soon humming along Naramata Road. What a wonderful swooping descent into tiny, picturesque community of IR. Vista of Penticton, as I climbed back up, was wonderful, Okanagan Lake and hills behind were painted in gorgeous muted blues. Short dipsy-doodle up road to Chute Lake and then I was on my way to Partridge/Boothe to descend into Naramata itself. Decided to go past Sandy Beach Lodge, as far as road would go north so did just that and then made my way back to Naramata Road via Old Main, right along the lake for a bit and then back up into hills of the various benches. Wind was against me as I headed south but I didn't mind as any climbs were minor in comparison to ones I'd already done. Home by 1:15 pm to Mme Coriandre's displeasure as I was too, too late to help her put the finished ripe tomatoe pickle in jars! Cannot please everyone so might as well please myself! Stats for ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/916450438#.Vg74FeIhtTY.email 

This coming Monday Jud will lead us to Little Nkawla from the trestle bridge in Summerland. "The route is quite easy, some rough road some gradual going uphill, some walking through the trees at the top and then trails downhill back to the vehicles

Stopping for lunch and some short breaks it takes about 3+ hours to complete the circle:. So we will leave the IGA parking lot in Summerland at 9am. Pentictonites can carpool at 8:40am. Afterwards we will stop for coffee and/or ice cream at Summerland Sweets! Bring your own coffee mug! They only serve coffee in paper cups......Sounds great!_  Hanneke

Hello Favourite Naramatians! Trust you are both well. Finally getting around to dealing with my backlog of email and I came across Lynne's confirmation for hotel in Chennai. I know Corinne answered your question about our arrival time, Lynne, but  I just wanted to make sure that we will pay once we arrive. Is that correct? As well, I assume our share will be around $110 CDN +/-, without taxes and service charge. Just don't want you to be out of pocket or have any misunderstandings, particularly at the very outset of the trip! 

As you know were are off to Orofino tomorrow. On yesterday's hike, Aarturo mentioned that he was thinking seriously of joining me on ride there but had a call late this afternoon and I'm riding solo. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Lloyd event and pickle production line! Plan to start making our own soap soon. We have a black sheep in back yard and Cora Lee intends to start weaving my cycling garb! Back to the land here in Penticton so we spit on The Naramata!

Darke Lake Blues: Thursday, October 1st!

For there is no friend like a sister / In calm or stormy weather; / To cheer one on the tedious way, / To fetch one if one goes astray, / To lift one if one totters down, / To strengthen whilst one stands. -Christina Rossetti, poet (1830-1894) 

Unfortunately I can't do the hike today. I'm hoping someone will get this message that's going today. Cheers Teresa

Hi Patrizio! Thanks for the update from the wilds of B.C. Yes, we certainly do miss playing bridge with you, but more importantly, we miss you! Actually we were visiting our friends cottage in the Sushwap area 2 weekends ago, and were so close to you, but didn’t have the time. However, we definitely will see you in the early Spring. Will let you know and maybe we can visit. So continue to sharpen up on your bridge playing so that we can have some competitive games. (hah) Charlie

Up just before 8:00 am to have a quick mug of java while I made my lunch and filled my camel-pack for coming hike. Cora Lee was up and dressed by the time I was ready to leave. She needed the car as she was planning on shopping, for the weekend, later on. After she helped me on with my socks and hiking boots we headed for Home Hardware. No fellow hikers there so I assumed all the Pentictonites who might otherwise have been there had opted for the overnight trip to Manning Park. 

This being the case we made for Summerland and ours was the second car there. St Kilian was first to arrive. Aarturo rolled up just after Bad Boy and I introduced Mme Coriandre to my trek companions before she sped off. Mr Ski Patrol and I clambered into the back of Kenneth's truck and we headed for the Summerland/Princeton Highway to eventually turn off on Fish Lake Road. About 24 km from the IGA lot to the shore of Darke Lake and a wonderful drive through picturesque Meadow Valley. Have never been through such a thick forest of Golden Aspens, a member of the poplar family I learned, also considered a hardwood.

Darke Lake is not all that large but certainly makes up for its size with its stunning beauty. Most of the hike was a fairly steep uphill grind but we often followed various trails so the going on such was fairly easy. However, at times, we had to cross very thick patches of dead fall so the going here, for me in particular, was pretty slow. Came across a four very large piles of Black Bear scat so rest of the group were happy that I was usually so far behind! Still, most enjoyable. Once at the top of the second highest peak we decided to go no further as it was the considered opinion of them what knows that there wouldn't be a view from there. Stopped on a small, rocky, open clearing to have our lunch. St Kilian revealed it was his 71st birthday so everyone congratulated him. Only discovered this as he was replying to birthday wishes on his phone while he munched.

Refreshed, we headed back down. Going again, at times, was slow when we traversed more dead fall, but other than that the steep slopes were not all that difficult. Back on the shores of Darke Lake after about four hours so a pretty comfortable outing. Headed back to Summerland once we returned to the truck and St Kilian invited everyone to his palce for a beer. He had offered to drive me back to Penticton as he wanted to take his new motorcycle tires into the Honda dealership there. The tires were to be replaced on Friday so this way he could ride his bike and not have to ask his wife to bring them in for him. 

We stopped at IGA to change vehicles and then met at St Kilian's home, a few minutes away. He and his wife, Shirley, (Ken's cousin), have a lovely home and we sat on their back deck and chatted for half an hour before heading off. Birthday Boy dropped me off just as Cora Lee was off to volunteer at Richard Cannings' campaign office so she visited with St Kilian for a few minutes before he took off to deliver his tires. Wonderful hike and it was fun to have such a small group. Terrific lads and I'm very fortunate to have been introduced to them. Stats for hike:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/915785079#.Vg3YiyownS0.email

Hello Three Musketeers, D'Artagnan, et al! Thanks to the Hulkomaniac for such a wonderful, wonderful outing! Thanks, as well, to the Birthday Boy for refreshments, at his place, after such a terrific hike. Only complaint I have is that all the Babes were sorely missed, by Aarturo, ((one with hat, glasses, 'stache and pearly whites!), especially! Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Rosita! Still waiting to hear back from you! Thought that you and Dusty would enjoy seeing our attempt at making ripe tomatoe pickle. We started once we were back from an art opening at the Lloyd Gallery. We strolled down around 7:00 pm. Artist is Robyn Lake, in green, leaning against counter. Some of her larger canvases are priced around $3,000, so tell Dusty to get working! Last one is the pickle production line! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio, still your Favourite Son-in-Law! PS: Note, (above), is one I sent with album of today's hike. 

Thanks for the photos Patrick!! Beautiful scenery!!...looks like you had a fun day!!...am really enjoying the Monday hikes!! Did I thank you for the photos from White Lake?? Can't believe how fast the week has gone by!! Cheerios!!...A la prochaine fois mon ami...

Hi Murielle! Glad you liked the snaps. Thanks for all the thanks! Missed you and the rest of The Sisterhood today but will look forward to seeing more of you this coming week. Enjoy the weekend. Cheers, Patrizzio!

I like that!!...Sisterhood!!....:-) That's the type of male relationship I miss...
Have one brother who lives in Edmonton and too busy to visit!!...still works as a realtor!! Grew up with many 1st , 2nd & 3rd cousins...there was no hidden agendas with relationships Simply good times,...good laughs and good results!!
See you Monday!!.... Murielle:-)

Thanks Patricio, your emails are always so refreshing! Great Shots. Aarturo 

Hi Aarturo! Glad you enjoyed the snapolas! We strolled down to the Lloyd Gallery around 7:00 pm this evening for an opening. Lovely food, from Wild Scallion right across Front Street from the gallery. Artist was Robyn Lake and since some of her larger canvases are priced around $3,000, I think we should start painting, en plein air, instead of hiking! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Patrizio! Thanks for the update from the wilds of B.C. Yes, we certainly do miss playing bridge with you, but more importantly, we miss you! Actually we were visiting our friends cottage in the Sushwap area 2 weekends ago, and were so close to you, but didn’t have the time. However, we definitely will see you in the early Spring. Will let you know and maybe we can visit. So continue to sharpen up on your bridge playing so that we can have some competitive games. (hah) Charlie

Hi Champagne! Great to be missed. I miss all your put downs! Thought that you and O Susannah would enjoy seeing our attempt at making ripe tomatoe pickle. Have to do it on our own since Rosita and Dusty are not living beside us any more!

Went to an art opening at the Lloyd Gallery this evening. Prices are such that I might even give up cycling/hiking and start painting, en plein air!  Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio, still honing his more than formidable bidding skills!




 

Garage Re-arrangement Blues: Wednesday, September 30th!

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. -Truman Capote, author (30 Sep 1924-1984) 

Hello Cornwall! Trust you are both well. Have been meaning to send along greetings for some time and when we chatted with Chloë, last night, I was reminded that I'd not done so. She told us that she thought that she'd broken her big toe at work yesterday. She was dashing to answer a phone and caught her toe on a desk leg, I believe. At any rate, I told her, rather flippantly, that she she go and live with Kriissy! Was upset to learn about her latest "accident"! I gather it was pretty serious and, the least of it, some anniversary present for you! Belated congratulations, (and sympathies), to you both! Hope Krissy is recovering satisfactorily. At least Mark seems to be doing well in his new role. Did I send you the snaps of his time here? Had a great, if brief, visit.
 

On a brighter note we are expecting more visitors, Nancy and David, from Vancouver, this weekend. Nancy and Cora Lee were in Library School together, (back in the '70's!), so good friends. Looking forward to doing a bit of wine-tasting with them. Ironically, have been so busy since moving here that we only have time to visit wineries with visitors! Not complaining but just reporting the facts. (Per esempio, only recently tasted at Nighthawk. New winery discovery as place has only been open for about six weeks! Tasted there last weekend with friends, Penny and Mike, from London. They did a bit of the same trip to Banff as you, this September, before visiting us. They also visited us in Cornwall, although they stayed at a hotel in Truro.)

"Nothing but the facts, Ma'am!" Please identify quotation to win a free case of Orofino wine. We are off, on Saturday, to collect our Fall release from this wonderful winery in Keremeos. The owners put on a pizza-pick-up-party for Wine Club members. Went earlier this Spring and it was loads of fun. They even have gluten-free crust and Cora Lee had two pizzas of her own, much more than anyone else! You can sample the new releases while chatting and nibbling so a fun affair. Have invited Jos and Aart, lovely couple from hiking group. They live in Summerland and will come to our place to take our car to Keremeos. Corinne will drive as I plan to ride there, (only about 55 km), so I'll leave a couple of hours ahead of time to meet around noon. After event I will put my bike on rack and drive back together. Jos and Aart are very active and ride themselves but are uncomfortable with cycling on highway. I'd rather ride on less busy thoroughfares, obviously, but shoulders on 3A are wide and clean so I don't mind. Almost better than some of the busy roads in Cornwall!!! 

While we are in Inja will ave a couple, Louise and Henryk, staying here while we are away. They are good friends of Corinne's sister, Pam, and when they learned that we were going to be on holiday they wanted to rent our place. They are looking for a spot in the Okanagan and so wanted to stay here beforehand to get a better idea of where they might wish to buy a home. Henryk is quite "handy" so I suggested that he do some of the work we wanted done on the place instead of paying rent. 

In this vein, must away as I plan to rearrange the garage today. Made a start, a few weeks ago when friend, Branko drove up from Vancouver to help build a work-bench, storage shelves and replace a window so things are starting to fall into place. Want/need to make room for more shelving I'd like Henryk to build. Also hope he will be able to install the in-house vacuum system we brought back from Winnipeg. Piping will go in the crawl space but power unit will be mounted in garage. On and on and on! Have included album from latest hike. Fondestos from Mme Coriandre to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!
 

Patriçio, Oh, don’t read the manual. Manuals are for weenies. Real men just do it! You will not believe how the Dewalt will simplify projects. Makes me want to visit again and go crazy on shelving, etc. whatever!

Impressive ride, I must admit. Maybe I will put my motorcycle back on the road and join you next time. I can be like the escorts in the Tour de France!

A pick up for the charity event would be appreciated. I am home from Yakima (probably) late Friday aft, so we can touch bases then, or Saturday a.m. On another note, I have taken up a new hobby, mushroom farming! The attached photo is a typical example of mushrooms I have growing in the yard. Happy to send you some. I hear they are excellent in omelettes and salads! hasta la vista//bjp 

Hello Mushroom Man! Just a quick note to say how much we are looking forward to your return to continue shelving project! Following your advice, I've already recycled manual! Thanks for offer of mushrooms but we have some growing in our front planter. Not your radioactive reds but large ones, nonetheless. Stay well. Take care of yourself. Fondestos and Cheers, Il Conduttore!  

Hi Colin! I thought film stars never aged! Here is the Winner of the Chicago Tribune's best Tweet of the week: "I thought my vasectomy would keep my wife from getting pregnant but apparently it just changes the color of the baby."

Hello Lower Mainland Folk! Trust you are both well. Played any bridge since we left? Cheers, Patrizzio!



Dear Patrick and Corinne Great to hear from you-- I think Burns Street Base Camp is pretty apt. 101 km--what a ride--and what terrific fall weather. So lovely! You really must celebrate your blessings.
 
Today is the official opening of the Robert Lee Alumni Centre. It is very beautiful! Will be re-enacting the Great Trek and all. However, rest of us have classes and must try to run the university while all these activities are going on. The Education 100 Alumni dinner was very good and it was great to have education alumni honored.

Saturday went to the Best of the Fringe and saw God is a Scottish Drag Queen Part III Very entertaining monologue by Mike Delamont--lots of media used and very clever lines--seeing man from God's point of view and God as a Drag Queen. The Scottish accent adds loads to this no "bullshit" look at religion. God is distressed as the Ten Commandments handed down to Moses don't seem to be working.

Who do you vote for in this election? Is Penticton a Conservative riding?? Didn't manage to go to Word on the Street--celebrating Don Currie's 75th birthday instead. It was a magnificent day so I think it went well. Corinne must breathe a sigh of relief not having to worry about going to such events. Anyways must run for now--lots of love Jo-Anne

Hi Miss Marps! Glad to hear that you are now "running"! In a different sense, Richard Cannings is our NDP candidate. Cora Lee has been volunteering for his campaign office. A few weeks ago, now, September 11th, we went to his campaign kick-off in Kaleden. Evening itself was certainly quite a genuinely stirring political event, as far as such rallies go. Corky Evans gave an extremely heartfelt speech. He expressed, in a far, far more articulate and insightful manner than I could, my thoughts and feelings about what Harper and his government have done to the country. While I respect Richard and certainly support him, he is not as passionate a speaker as Corky so I trust voters will listen to his needed, critically important message rather than his low-key delivery. 

Our riding, South Okanagan-West Kootenay, is a newly, re-drawn one. The Okanagan has traditionally been Conservative and the West Kootenay, traditionally been NDP, as you might know. We are hoping that, overall, the NDP will prevail. Of late, as you are probably aware, their support has been slipping, nationally, and here, as well. We are afraid that many voters will opt for the Liberals, (I'm not impressed with the Liberal candidate, Connie Denesiuk, although Lynne Lighthall is a supporter.), in order to oust Harper. Gaia forbid that Harper is re-elected and/or that Marshall Neufeld, Conservative candidate, wins. In an interview he stated:
 
My desire is to serve the people of our communities and further their priorities. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada has weathered economic instability with our Conservative plan of low taxes, a balanced budget, economic growth, and benefits provided directly to families.

We attended an all-candidates meeting, a week or so ago, and I was most impressed with Samantha Troy, the Green Party candidate. Although just recently nominated and new to both national politics and the race itself, she articulated the GP platform more sincerely and pointedly than did any of the other candidates, their respective platforms, etc. We will be voting in the Advance Poll as we'll be in Vancouver on Election Day. Cheers, Patrizzio!

thanks for this Patrick. too bad about the tasting. i will get someone else. Spiffy helmet and welcoming fireplace. we are now with puppy but are in mourning with a lost cat. the competition was the last straw i guess. matt

Hi Glasgow! Sorry to hear about disappearing cat! Cora Lee mentioned episode. Nine lives so who knows! I also gather that "visit" to Falcon was a bit of a fiasco! With respect to tasting, I see from email list that you will proably be in good hands with Sir Andrew and Ricardo! I'll be thinking of you, in front of fireplace, with malt of my own! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Oh, Faithful Dutch Servant and fearless leader Ken, Any idea how long the hike will be and the extremity for tomorrow? Yours truly, South Okanagan Princess​

I would say a South Okanagan Princess should be able to do this. Unclear when we will be back exactly (depends on the level of creative blundering we do), but I would say we should be back no later than 2:30PM (Teresa has to be back by 3:00PM). With hugs ... Yours faithfull, but above all humble low flying Dutchman 

Hello Low Flying Dutchman and High Class Consort! Just a brief note, not a 500 page novel, to say that I have "negotiated" with Mme Coriandre and she has agreed to allow me to cycle to Keremeos. This being the case, Lady Mary suggests you "carpool" to 611 Burns Street, (Not Home Hardware parking lot!), to arrive around 11:15 am, Saturday morning. Change to our car and proceed, forthwith, (No stopping for malt sampling!), to Orofino. I will depart early enough to be waiting at winery to greet you three around noonish. We have friends arriving from Vancouver, later that afternoon, so we should be home to greet them, hence the timing mentioned above. Trust this suits your busy schedules. We can fine-tune things, domani, over course of Dark Lake hike. Cheers, 'yer ever obsequious, nay grovelling, Patrizzio, able to fly under the lowest of low Flying Duchmen!

Hi Chloë and Hallmark Exec! Finally had a chance to look at the description of The Daughter. Looks terrific! Did you see it? Guess you will pay for my ticket when I go! Why don't you get into the movies since you know so many relatives of actors? Can't Ms Tinsel Town help smooth the way? Pay is better, I assume!!! And all those opening night hors d'oeuvres, not to mention free hootch! You will really be able to host a "real" Oscar Party!
 
Must away as I have orders from Lady Mary to rearrange the garage. So much to do and so little time. (David and Nancy, from Vancouver, are arriving on Saturday and Whirlygig and Calamity for Thanksgiving, then into Vancouver on 16th. Gulp!!!) Love and Cheers, Dad! Pics: Have my work ahead of me!

I find today's photos quite disappointing to say the least...

Hello Jake and Virginia! Here is the Rock Creek Hat Fiasco album! Cora Lee would like to chat about her editing duties! As well, we'd like to invite you to dinner, at our place, this coming Sunday. If you are free and interested, anytime after 5:30 pm. Perhaps we can chat, domani, on hike, if you plan to join outing, or else on Saturday at FM. If neither, give us a shout when you have a moment. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

“Vancouver Writers Fest's Opening Reception” “Glad you et. al. will be there! - Sandra”— Vancouver Writers Fest Hi Sandra! Really looking forward to seeing all you VWF folk as have missed being close to the action, so to speak, on Granville Island and Studio 1398! Cheers, Patrizzio!