Expansive Sky

English Bay Beach, Vancouver, British Columbia

Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.

Have a great weekend everyone and

a wonderful start to the month of August.

A Thoughtful Gift & A Pleasant Walk

"I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun."
Charles Swindoll

Yesterday I had a package from my blogging friend John of John's Island.  We have been friends for awhile now and have come to find we enjoy certain things that speak to simple pleasures in life.  One of those is coffee.

John lives in Seattle and I live in Vancouver. Both of our cities share similar weather patterns and the residents of both simply love their coffee. Do you think it has anything to do with all the rain both of our cities get over the winter months?

My wonderful care package; coffee mug included.

This morning I enjoyed my first cup of these "new to me" coffee. It was very nice!I even got a wonderful mug showing the Seattle Skyline.

It is a dark roast and I usually drink medium roast but I enjoyed this coffee very much. I even drank it black when I normally take cream. 

Receiving the gift was a lovely thoughtful gesture.

You meet some of the nicest people through blogging.

Most of  my regular viewers will know that we've been having a very hot summer
this year with little rain to speak of. One can see the dry grasses everywhere in a city that is known for lush greenery.

Still you can't beat the walks along the waterfront.

 

Joining in with Our World Tuesday

Travels in Beautiful BC and Kenya

Hi everyone,

I trust you all had a great weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. I have a little of this and that to share with you today. It has been a busy time in so many ways.

My niece was here visiting me in Vancouver, British Columbia, all last week.  We had a very nice visit together and managed to make it out to a few scenic spots in town where we enjoyed the scenery and beaches, went to the movies, visited her brother and had a small birthday party with pizza and cake. She always looks forward to the birthday cake.

Downtown in the West end of Vancouver near Davie St.& Beach Ave. People everywhere were enjoying ice cream. There was a nice breeze at the beach.

A view from the beach to the west. There are ships and sailboats everywhere!

The Honda barge being readied for the Celebration of Lights (Fireworks) competition which begins July 25/15.

 Saturday we travelled home together and I had a chance to visit with my mom for a few hours too.

On my last visit with mom I took her one full slip but she needed a few more. I finally got around to making them and two long flowing dresses last week (I didn't get any good photos).  These will take her through the Summer and into the Fall seasons though I will probably make her another dress and a few more slips before winter arrives.

 We also took her a mini CD player. It was hard to find one that was just the right size and which came with a remote control. My brother finally went across the border to Bellingham, Washington to find one.

On the map you can see Bellingham in relation to Vancouver, and also Kamloops to the north where we travelled on Saturday.

The skies were overcast and very gray when we started our journey.  Our final destination was Kamloops which takes between 4-5 hours driving one way (this includes restroom stops and lunch or dinner stops).
The temperature was about 24 degrees Celsius on departure.   By late afternoon in Kamloops the temperature had soared to 34 degrees Celsius.

I'm posting a few scenic photos taken from the moving car. We travelled on the Coquihalla Highway

Big farm and silos in Chilliwack.

 I've posted scenes of this route before in several other posts.

 I always find the scenery very beautiful and ever changing depending on light of day and the seasons of the year.

Cornfields of Chilliwack. Hot weather is playing havoc with this year's crops.

Rocky mountain and babbling brook between the City of Chilliwack and the town of Hope.

Getting close to the town of Merritt. The landscape changes to sand and desert spaces.

Leaving Merritt and a view of the lake to the east.

Getting closer to Kamloops

The descent into Kamloops

View to the north.  I brightened this photo a bit so you can see the town better.

I took a few photos of the flora and fauna along the way. I think this photo was taken between Merritt and Kamloops.

This is actually a view from the mountains on the highway travelling south to Vancouver just after dusk.

While I was travelling a few hours north to see my mom,  one of my Kenyan friends was also travelling north in Kenya.

This was Jonah's monthly missions trip to the Pokot people.

The volunteer missions team makes a quick weekend trip to these people in the very dry desert area of Kenya.
It takes about 12 hours one way travelling from Kericho to Marsabit area.

I found a map which doesn't have too many places marked on it so you can easily find the start of the route and the destination.

The drought in northern Kenya is very bad this year and the people are very hungry. 

 I am sharing these photos and a short video in hopes some of my readers will feel inspired to help with the regular missions to these dear ones in Pokot country.

This video of the women singing and dancing really touched me.
I know the harsh conditions they live in and yet they can sing and dance in the sweltering heat.

Photo & Video Credits: Pokot photos & video by Jonah, Kenya Missions of Hope

Joining in with Lady Fi and others at Our World Tuesday

Thank you for your visit.

As always I love receiving your comments or hearing from you about the missions.x

 ~~~~~~

If you can help, kindly send your donations via Pay Pal to kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com 

 You can write also write me at the same address if you have any questions,
or if you have any problems viewing the video.

Saturday's Critters

The following beauties were all photographed at Vancouver's Bloedel Conservatory last week.

The conservatory contains three habitats: tropical rainforest, subtropical rainforest, and desert. Over 200 birds of various species reside within the dome and are allowed to fly free.

I love the deep, rich colours in these plants.

 

The Bloedel Floral Conservatory houses about 500 species and varieties of plants from deep jungle to desert clime, all within the dome. The conservatory is home to Bougainvilleas and Browallias, citrus and coffee trees, Eucalypti and epiphytes, Euphorbia and various figs, Gardenia and Hibiscus. Magnolia trees share space with delicate lilies, yucca with pteris (ferns).

Perhaps you can just make out the waterfall beyond the palm fronds.

Also on display are an array of tropical fish. 

Koi Fish Pond

If you missed my post about the macaws and cockatoo at the Conservatory, you might want to have a look here.

Today I'm joining in with host Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Another Beautiful Sky Over Vancouver

Hi friends,

I hope you are all having a lovely week so far.

I have had a visitor all week and we have been busy trying to make the most of our time together. Check out skies from earlier this week if you missed it.

The weather has been cooperating very nicely too. The temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees Celsius and the temperatures are now very pleasant unlike much of the summer where it has been so very hot.

Tonight rain is in the forecast and we sorely need it. But only a very small amount of rain is forecast. I hope the forecast is wrong and we get a lot more rain than predicted so our water reservoirs can fill up.

 Earlier this week we also had lovely skies over Vancouver. 

You can check some out in my earlier post.

I took these photos on Wednesday evening. 

I was indoors when I spotted the soft pink clouds out my window.  

I grabbed my camera and ran out to capture the sky before the light completely faded.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.

Drop in there and check out other awesome skies from around the world.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy weekend. x

A Beautiful Day at the Beach

Hello friends,

 I hope this day finds you well and in good health. 

This week I have a visitor and so I am doing things I haven't done in awhile. 

Today we went to the airport to pick up my nephew who has had several weeks holiday in Croatia and several surrounding countries. 

I took his sister with me to greet him at the airport. After taking him home to the university we stopped for a beautiful view at the beach. There are several beach areas in Vancouver.  This beach is called Jericho Beach.
 (The high rises in some photos is where downtown Vancouver and the West End are located).
My niece remarked how much she enjoyed the breeze. 

Tomorrow we are taking in a movie.
Thursday we will celebrate her birthday which we do together each year.

The weather today was a lot cooler and much nicer than it has been.

I heard we are getting a bit more rain soon.

That will be most welcome.

I hope you are enjoying your summer so far.

I know many are on holiday right now.

Have a great week!