Mid-August ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope today finds you happy and healthy and that the weather you are is treating you right.

Earlier this week I had to run some errands downtown.  As it happens it was near the place where the cruise ships dock when they come to Vancouver. The ships dock within a short walk to downtown Vancouver and the touristy area called Gastown.  Gastown is the original Vancouver and it is still comprised of a lot of old buildings and cobblestone streets.

The next two photos look east to the entry to the Gastown neighbourhood.  Here you'll find lots of tourist shops with souvenirs, restaurants, coffee shops and a residential area.

It was a very busy day with tourists and locals alike walking all along the street.  I overheard some tourists say how much they loved the city. I only hope they don't end up changing their minds.  If they walk a little further beyond Gastown they will enter what is considered to be the poorest postal code (area) in the country.  There you'll also see the saddest sights around with many people battling all sorts of addictions. It really has become such a problem despite governments and all kinds of agencies trying to tackle the myriad of issues over many decades. Anyway, I digress.  This post is really meant to be about the beautiful day I was experiencing.

It really was a beautiful, sunny day.  Though there was a slight chill in the shade earlier in the day, it heated up considerably by the mid afternoon. I had to remove my light cardigan and store it in my bag.

The 'fluffy' white clouds against the pale blue sky evoked a sense of calm and peace.  Everywhere you look the people are smiling and enjoying themselves.  These are very enjoyable times to be out and about in the sunshine.

The ship that is docked is the cruise ship named the Coral Princess.  It's a rather large ship and was apparently custom built to navigate the Panama Canal.  The ship is probably travelling to Alaska though it could also have come up from California.  Have you ever been on a cruise and if not, do you wish to go on a cruise?  I've never been on one myself. Some day I'd love to cruise up to Alaska.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit my Skywatch Friday post.  I hope to see you again soon.

The "Ber" Months ~ Tuesday 4

There are just 3 weeks left until the "ber" months begin.  September, October, November and December.  Fall/Autumn begins in September and ends in December.  

Autumn begins in September and it is called that until leaves begin to fall and then it's called "fall". 

Sept means 7, Octo means 8, Novo is 9 and Deca is 10 but the numbers are off since the calendar was changed long ago from 10 months to 12.

Ber is an adjectival suffix from latin meaning month.  Let's discuss it.

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week to encourage blogging and enjoying the ideas and work of fellow bloggers.

1.   What foods make you think of the autumn months ahead?

Squash soups, pumpkin lattes, apple cider, pumpkin and apple pies, pumpkin and cranberry scones; all these foods and drinks make me think of the cosy autumn months.

2.   Are there any songs you associate with the fall month?

The beautiful Nat King Cole song,  Autumn Leaves.

3.   Are you looking forward to the ber months at all?  Why?

Yes, and No. "Yes" because I love the autumn leaves. I also love the cool, crisp air & taking walks to enjoy and admire the beauty of the season. I also like wearing heavier clothing in fall colours and not having to worry about becoming too hot. 

"No" because the older I get, the less I like winter.  It's too long and too cold for me and the ber months means winter is close behind. Over the winter, I also miss the growing season, the colours of spring and autumn.

It's difficult to take a selfie of one's outfit (I don't like mirror photos)

4.   School in New Jersey always begins after Labor Day and before that I would have dreams of going to school in my pajamas!  Did anything similar happen to you?  Did you dread going back to school or were you happy and excited?

I never had such dreams. Going back to school was always an exciting time. For some reason, kids like to go with their mother to buy school supplies and I was no exception.  It was also the time when we got new clothes for school wear.  In those days we didn't wear school clothes or 'good clothes' at home. We changed our outfits every day after getting home and wore our home clothes. Clothing lasted longer that way.

Thank you for stopping by my Tuesday 4 meme.  I hope to read your answers too!

Road Tripping Part 2 - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends & fellow bloggers,

Last week I shared some photos of the drive to Kamloops from Vancouver, BC. In this post we continue our journey with a peek at Kamloops from the lookout.  

The lookout provides a very beautiful view but on this day the smoke from wildfires burning to the west, obscured the city below and across the river.

The smoke on most of the return trip was not as bad but I suspect it's worse now.  More fires are burning and there has been a lot of fire destruction in several places to the west and the east of Kamloops.  It's very sad. Firefighters have arrived from Mexico & I think Australia to help our firefighters fight the blazes.

Near the Fraser River at Hope, BC

Near Chilliwack, BC

Farming fields of Chilliwack, BC

Passing through Surrey, BC on the way to Vancouver

 

Approaching the Port Mann Bridge.

I'm always happy to get back home safe and sound. Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

Update:  On Saturday, Premier David Eby declared a state of emergency in the province due to new, very fast moving wild fire situation.

B.C.'s wildfire service warns the conditions are explosive and unlike anything they've ever seen before.(Yahoo News August 8, 2026)

Road Tripping Part 1- Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend. I don't know about you but even now that I'm retired, I always look forward to the weekend. I guess it's because I know I likely won't take or make any business type phone calls for a few days, lol.

Last week my brother and I went on a day trip to visit a family member for the day. We travelled from Vancouver to Kamloops, which is a distance of 354 kilometres or 220 miles.  I'd been wanting to make this trip for many months but various things kept me busy at home.

Here are a few photos taken along the highway.  The skies were mostly clear when we left Vancouver.  But along the way and in Kamloops itself, the sky was very hazy due to the smoke from the wildfires burning several hours to the west of where we were.  I was glad we travelled when we did. If we had left a day later we would have been sitting for hours on the highway due to road closures caused by a vehicle on fire.

     

In the last photo we are beginning our approach into the city of Kamloops.  As you can see the smoke was pretty thick.

Thanks for coming along with us on this Skywatch Friday road trip.

Movie Night - Tuesday 4

Hello Friends.. welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Just 4 questions each week. So glad you are joining in and the more the merrier!

Books.. TV.. Movies are the topic of the week.

1.  A movie theme song will play every time you walk in the room.. what is it? (consider asking family or friends).

I misread the question earlier so I've deleted my original answer. I pick the theme from the movie, 'The Way We Were".

2. What movie are you eager to see... what book are you eager to read... what TV program are you interested in most?

I don't have any movies that I'm eager to see. It seems like the really great movies are no longer being made. If they're considered great by today's standards they are often about themes that are too dark and evil for my liking. I haven't even heard of many movies in the last few years that I'd really like to see.  But at the moment, there is a new movie I'd like to see by director Christopher Nolan, called "The Odyssey".  It's based on Homer's text of the same name. I might try to see it if the movie stays in theatres long enough.  It's a long movie at almost 3 hours but I hear it's good.  You've probably seen it talked about on television or read about it online.

I don't have one book in particular that I'm eager to read. I have a long list of books on my 'to read' list that I can choose from and I often just pick interesting sounding titles from the library shelves. I've just finished reading a book called, The Stolen Life of Collette Marceau  by Kristen Harmel. I enjoyed it very much.  Here is how one website describes it.

After the long-missing diamond bracelet connected to her family's World War II tragedy appears in a Boston museum, aging jewel thief Colette Marceau searches for answers. Her investigation reopens the story of her mother's Resistance work in occupied Paris and her sister's disappearance.

Currently I'm reading Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey. It's about four women who come together to save the summer camp that brought them together as friends and changed their lives. I'm loving it so far.

3. Is there a book/movie/TV program you often think about or that affects you in some way?

I'm a romantic at heart so I like and think about romantic movies.  The issue with them is that they usually end in some kind of tragedy which I don't like but I guess that is what sells movies. I'm thinking in particular of Anna Karenina based on Leo Tolstoy's novel by the same name and Out of Africa based on several books by Karen Blixen writing under her pen name, Isak Dineson.  I'm posting a clip here from Out of Africa where Karen reads a poem at the grave site of her lover Denys Finch-Hatton.

4. OK friend, it's your turn to organize our Blogger Movie Night where we get together as a group for snacks and movies!  What movies have you planned for us tonight and what snacks are we going to have?

I think it will have to be a sleep over night because the movie, Gone With the Wind is very long, clocking in at 3 hours and 41 minutes.  I'm thinking snacks with a southern flavour such as pimento cheese spread to have with crackers and celery, cheese sticks, perhaps some devilled eggs and some candied pecans. None of these are foods I typically eat in the north where I live but some of you are probably familiar with them.  For drinks we can have iced tea. Hmm, maybe I need to make dinner instead or invite everyone to bring a dish to potluck dinner.  I hope you'll come.

The End of July is Near - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, 

I hope this Friday finds you well and in good health.  Hopefully you're not experiencing any extreme weather one way or the other. 

I took a very quick road trip to Kamloops, BC which is 354 km (219 miles) northeast of where I live. It makes for a very long day to get to there and back to Vancouver as well as spend a few hours visiting in Kamloops.  But I'm glad it's done for now and hopefully I'll go again soon if the weather cooperates.  

I captured these scenes on the way back to Vancouver, BC.  I'm getting a late start on the travel but I hope to make a few more road trips before the end of summer.

What about you dear reader. Have you made any road trips in 2026 or do you have any planned for the summer?

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. 

Sending you good wishes for a wonderful weekend.

Tuesday 4 - Toiletries & Cosmetics

Welcome to Tuesday 4 which was started by Toni Taddeo and kept up in memory and honor of her.

How about talking about cosmetics and toiletries this week?

Let's jump right in, shall we?

1. What brand of shampoo do you think works best for you and what does it do for you?

L'Oreal Colour Radiance to help protect and maintain the hair colour.

2. Do you use cosmetics and if so what do you use?

Mascara (mostly Maybelline but also L'Oreal and a few others) and lip gloss (mostly Rimmel but I've used many others as well) but only when going out. I've only ever used mascara and lip gloss.  No foundation, blush & all the other things women use.

3. Do you use a washcloth on your face?

No. I use small, very lightweight flannel squares made for washing the face.

4. Do you have an all time favorite perfume or scent that you wear? If you don't wear perfumes, is there a scent that you love in general?

Long ago I wore scent but I no longer do.  We're restricted from using fragrance in most public places here and have been for many years.  At home, a family member is highly allergic to fragrance.  I even need to be careful about using scents in lotions so I mostly use unscented products.

When I wore perfume there were several I liked to alternate:  Y by Yves St. Laurent, Aromatics Elixer by Clinique & Knowing by Estee Lauder.  I also used Chanel No. 5 on occasion but I found the scent too heavy for my taste. 

The Estee Lauder fragrance seemed to change over time so I dropped it long before I stopped wearing fragrance altogether.  The Y fragrance became difficult to source in Canada several years before I stopped wearing fragrance. I think they still sell the Clinique perfume.  Except for Chanel #5, I suppose mostly what I used was Eau de Toilette, not Eau de Parfum and I do love a clean, not too heavy scent.

That's it for today's 4 questions. Thank you for stopping by.  Have a great week.

A Beautiful Evening ~ Skywatch Friday

There are just some evenings that are very beautiful and peaceful.  This was the sunset on July 15, 2026. 

I captured these photos as I started on an short evening walk. 

Thank you for joining in with my Skywatch Friday Friday post this week. Have a wonderful weekend.