On Holiday ~ Tuesday 4

 Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Summertime means travel time for many people.

Let's talk about travel and holidays.

1. Will you be traveling this summer at all?

I will be travelling up country to Kamloops two or possibly three times to visit my niece.  We generally don't overnight on these trips but it makes for an extremely long day there and back.  On one of those trips we hope to carry on and keep on going to Edmonton, Alberta and possibly even farther north to visit some relatives.

I've posted a few very old photos of Kamloops and a map from Kamloops to Edmonton.  Vancouver to Kamloops by car is a distance of 354 kilometres or 220 miles.  It is an additional 807 kilometres or 501 miles from Kamloops to Edmonton.  From there we would likely carry on to other northern towns and cities before returning to Vancouver.  You can get a better look at the map if you click on it to enlarge.

A view to North Kamloops and Bachelor Heights

2. Will there be day trips in store for you? visits to the beach, evenings out?

A true day trip to local area probably won't happen but there will be some visits to different venues at least once or twice with friends.  I'll likely post about it on this blog and share some photos. I always like to go to the beach as well and take some photos there though I'm not sure I'll get there until autumn this year.

I love going to the conservatory but don't get there so often. Here you can see a lot of tropical birds and inside the conservatory is very nice, warm and tropical so it mimics the natural habitat of the bird life.

Another nice location is the rooftop garden at the city's main public library branch downtown.  In the photos below the sky looks overcast. I remember the day well and it was alternately hot and cloudy/windy. I hope on my next visit there it will be a day of sunshine.

There are a great many places to visit but sometimes it's difficult to find time to be a tourist in your own city.

3. Do you eat out more in summer ...  do you go for ice cream or treats more?

I probably eat out a little more in summer though not too much more. Eating out is just too expensive but if I'm out and about and I feel too hungry then I will have a sit down meal most often rather than a snack on the go. I do like ice cream treats too, especially Banana Splits at the DQ on summer days.  But they've become very expensive so a McD's soft ice cream treat is often the alternative.

4. What is your favorite place to visit and what is the most exotic place you've been to?

My favourite place to visit is Kenya, East Africa for the scenery and the people. I also love Australia for the spectacular scenery and the informal nature of the Aussie people. 

Green Island, Australia (Great Barrier Reef)

Sydney Harbour, Australia

I've forgotten the location but it's near Nakuru, Kenya

Typical huts in the countryside & laundry hanging to dry

Wildlife freely roams the park while you dine nearby.

Fisherman on Lake Bogoria

A buck peeks out at me

Water buffalo with pink flamingos in background, Lk. Nakuru

One of many food distributions we did near Kericho, Kenya

Both of these countries are exotic with their unique flora and fauna and their people are very hospitable. I'd love to visit these two places again but more than likely will get to Kenya before I make it back to Australia. I'm hoping that I'll be able to travel to a new country on my next visit to somewhere but we'll have to see how things go.

Road Trip - Part 1

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas  Day however you spent it.

I love Christmas but I always feel good when the day has passed.  I can take time to relax and catch up on some rest.

These photos are taken on our road trip from Vancouver to Kamloops for a Christmas  visit with a loved one. I thought it would be interesting to share the scenery along the way. 

First up is a map to orient ourselves.

Our drive begins in Vancouver (near the top of the yellow area on the left). We are driving along the 'green line' (Highway 1) past Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford to Chilliwack and beyond.

Here is a map of the entire province British Columbia on the left and Alberta on the right with cities like Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary and world famous parks like Jasper and Banff 

We left around 7 a.m. and it was still dark.

As we reached and passed  Chilliwack, there was a lot of low lying fog.  The entire southern coast and Fraser Valley have been experiencing a lot of heavy rain (atmospheric rivers) in the coastal areas of British Columbia (like the states of Washington and California).   There has also been a lot of flooding and evacuations and you could see that the fields still have a lot of water in them.

I'll be sharing more photos of the scenic drive in future posts. I apologize in advance as I did not get photos of the actual towns and cities for the most part. It's rather hard to do that without stopping and we were trying to beat the bad weather.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. I hope to visit yours soon.

Autumnal Equinox ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4... are you ready for Autumn?

Monday,  September 22 is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of the Autumn season.  

Autumn is the name of the season and fall is the term for the time of Autumn when leaves begin to fall from the trees.   Let's discuss it.....

1. Are there pumpkins or chrysanthemums on your porch or are you planning on putting some out?  

No. Most of us in Canada do not decorate for the seasons. We generally only decorate for the major holidays.

2. Are stores around you showing Autumn clothing and decor now?  Here in New Jersey, leaves on some trees are changing slowly and temperatures are way down. What is it like in your neck of the woods?

I haven't been in the stores for a long time other than grocery stores and pharmacies. A few days ago, I noticed that the pharmacy has their Hallowe'en items out on the shelves. It means that clothing stores and other retail shops likely have their autumn items out now. The leaves have only just started to turn colour but not much yet. 

3. Do you have plans for Thanksgiving yet?

I have thought about the Thanksgiving meal. We'll probably have chicken with stuffing and all the sides instead of a big turkey.           

4 . If we can arrange an autumn trip or get away for you, where will you choose to go and why?

I don't much feel like travelling with all the turmoil in the world. DH has been away in Kenya for some business related matters and to see family. I hope he'll get home before long. He didn't want to be away so long but dealing with the government business can sometimes take awhile.  

If I did take a journey I would only want to go up country a bit. It's fantastic weather and scenery at this time of year. We call the area the Thompson Okanagan, around Kamloops, Chase, Kelowna. I would also like to go even much farther north to Prince George and beyond into northern British Columbia around Dawson Creek and Alberta around Grande Prairie and Edmonton. Autumn is the best season to see the beauty of the area. 

Here is a map so you can have a look (Click on the map so you can read the names).

Also, if you click here you can see some posts and photos of the area I've made in previous postings. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Staying Put ~ Moving On: Tuesday 4

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  

Sometimes we live in the sameplace where we were born and remain there all of our lives.

Sometimes we move away and never come back because of jobs, marriage, circumstances of all kinds.

Sometimes we choose where we will live and we have definite reasons for staying there even though we might be far from family.

1. Are you far from family and if so why? Would you like to have them closer and have you discussed that with them?

When you say 'family' I assume you mean immediate family. I have some of my immediate family near me and some far away.  I haven't discussed being closer with the far away family members. They have their reasons for living where they live and I have mine. In fact they have their own family members too and are rooted in their various locations.

2. How did you come to live in the state you are in? How about the city/town.

I was born in the Province of British Columbia (BC).  A province is similar to a state.  My birthplace is and where I grew up is about 1200 km north of Vancouver, BC which is where I live now. I first moved here for university and then work.  I have lived and worked in other parts of Canada but have been in Vancouver the longest of any other place I've lived so it is my home.

Signage at Mile "0" of the Alaska Highway

3. What good things keep you living where you are?

What's good about your state and town?

Now that I am retired I remain in my city because it provides the best access to health care and there are many things one can do here to stay active and entertained.  I consider myself fortunate in that I've had no issues accessing the health services of a family doctor or various specialists.  This is a major problem for so many others, especially those that live outside of the Greater Vancouver area.  Sometimes I've considered moving to a quieter city which is marginally less expensive to live in.  It's the place where several of my immediate family members grew up and where several of my loved ones are laid to rest.  The key impediment is lack of access to a family doctor.  In fact, the issue was highlighted on the news just the other day.

A walk in Stanley Park

False Creek view to downtown

Granville Island

Granville Island Aqua Bus

So I stay put to access health services and all the other wonderful things in my city.  It's a terribly expensive city but it is in a very beautiful, scenic setting.  There are so many cultural activities, festivals and concerts to take in.  If you are a sporty person there are also a plethora of sporting activities to enjoy such as running, hiking, walking, skiing and other sports.  Vancouver is a very walkable city and has a variety of malls and neighbourhood shops where one can enjoy a variety of foods and shopping.  One of my favourite activities when I have a bit more time is to take a walk in a particular neighbourhood, have coffee or lunch and take photos whether it's raining or sunny.

View to downtown Vancouver from Spanish Banks

Lights of Hope fundraiser for the St. Paul's Hospital

Trout Lake for the Aboriginal Day festival

I also love the province because by and large, the scenery is spectacular wherever you travel througout the province.

Going north on the Coquihalla Highway

Kits flying in Steveston's Garry Point Park

4. What things might convince you to move to another state or just another town?

Better access to health services. 

Downtown Hospital, a new one is being built 

Right now the provincial government is streamlining the process for health workers in USA who want to move to Canada and, in particular, to the province of British Columbia (BC). The government and relevant authorities have dramatically reduced the wait times for credentialing and the requirements for credentialing to help expedite the process for those who want to move to BC and work here.  It's likely this will improve health care staffing across the entire province including smaller towns and villages.  

Since March 2025, over 1200 doctors, nurses and health professionals have expressed an interest in moving to BC.  The government says that number includes 573 physicians, 413 nurses 133 nurse practitioners and 39 allied health professionals.  Since April 177 nurses have applied to work in BC and 113 have already been registered with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives though it isn't clear how many have actually been hired. 

The government and health authorities have tried a variety of things to increase the number of doctors in particular including opening new medical school.  However these initiatives take a lot of time to increase the number of health care professionals. Hiring people from other countries would increase the numbers more quickly assuming the province will have the flexibility to hire immigrants. I believe that these numbers were recently reduced by the federal immigration minister before our last election (pre-April 28, 2025).  The federal government has been trying to reduce the immigration numbers overall due to the housing crisis. I sense that things are on the right track to improve both housing and health care.

Drive to Kamloops, BC

Near Seton Lake, BC

Kamloops, BC to the North Shore & Bachelor Heights