We've Got Questions ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  Here are some questions for you.

1. Where did your mother and father grow up?

My mother and father both grew up in northern Alberta in several small communities close to what is now the city of Grande Prairie.  They were both born in Grande Prairie, Alberta too.  Back then it was a one horse town but today it is a thriving and much larger city.

Grande Prairie as you approach from the west

It looks very flat around this area but that's a bit deceptive because there are gently sloping hills and valleys all around just off the main highways and byways.

The following photos are not really in order of how we visited or passed through but they will give you an idea of the scenery in the area.

It was summer when I was last there. This beautiful flower pot decorated the entry to the hotel.

More northern scenery

And more....I think this was just after entering Alberta from northern British Columbia 

We visited relatives in Grande Prairie & East to Valleyview before visiting an uncle in Fairview.

Not too many of these old wood buildings are still standing.

Now we are heading west to Dawson Creek, British Columbia (BC)

2. Where did you grow up?

I grew up mainly in a small northern city in the province of British Columbia. The city is called Dawson Creek. It was small back then and it's still quite small today. It's claim to fame is that it is the place where the Alaska Highway begins.  There is a sign to show where the highway begins at "Mile 0".

3. What was your favorite meal your mother made? What is your favorite recipe to make?

That's a difficult one.  My mother could make something out of nothing and it would all taste good.  Whatever she made was filling, 'stick to your ribs' food so you were not always hungry.  The dishes that I recall liking a lot are spaghetti and meat sauce and roasted chicken pieces.  The chicken was to die for, so tender and juicy and reminiscent of KFC chicken with flavour.  My favourite as a child.  She also made wonderful bread, muffins, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, cakes and pies, with the latter being her specialty.  One of my brothers took after mother in the pie making department.  I didn't inherit mother's skill of making pies.  You would laugh if you saw my sorry attempts, especially concerning lemon meringue pies. It's too bad I don't have a photo of my efforts to share with you. I can laugh about it now but I remember at the time being frustrated when my efforts did not pan out.

I don't really have a favourite recipe but something I make often is a stir fried noodle, vegetable and meat dish or a stir fried vegetable and meat dish to have with steamed rice. Perhaps my favourite recipe is one I don't make very often.  It's a Greek meal of chicken, lemon potatoes, Greek salad, Tzatsiki sauce and pita bread.  I'd make it more often but it's quite time consuming and labour intensive because almost all of it, with the exception of the pita bread, is made from scratch. I prefer making something that is quick to put together but now and then I like something a little more involved.  I also love to bake but try not to do too much of it because I eat too much when there are freshly baked goods in front of me. 

I especially like baking bread.

4. What are the advantages you enjoy where you live?

I'm assuming you mean, where I currently live which is a considerable distance from where I grew up albeit in the same province. 

I live in the large metropolis of Vancouver, British Columbia. I love it for its plentiful trees, green spaces (parks and private gardens), and spectacular scenery (beaches and mountains). I live in the rain forest and I even like the rain.  However, as as I get older I'm finding that even a winter with more rain than snow is still a bit too cold for me.  The other thing I love about where I live is the fact that I don't have to travel out of town to access government services or health care and we have an excellent public transportation system.

I hope you enjoy this photo heavy post. I couldn't resist sharing a lot of photos.

Thank you for stopping by!

Skywatch Friday in Early January

We took a drive out to Langley City and Chilliwack at the weekend. I had to return an item I'd ordered on line and I wanted to try another item on at a brick & mortar store.  It's a good thing I did that because the fit wasn't quite right. I saved myself some money from ordering and the time it takes for delivery and mail in return for the improper fit.

As you can see it rained that evening but the pretty lights of Christmas were still up in an area of town known as District 1881. I don't think I've ever been to this area before. We didn't really explore. We just drove around and stopped at a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant for dinner before heading back to Vancouver.

Here is a film I found on You Tube about District 1881. It has become something of a tourist attraction which seems to have caught the locals by surprise.

While most of the rest of Canada is dealing with heavy snowfall at the moment, here at home, the next few days are expected to be dry and sunny.  Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to get some day time photos to share on Skywatch Friday.

Thank you for stopping by!

Drama in the Sky ~ Skywatch Friday

 

Joining up with Skywatch Friday today.

Currently ...January 5, 2026

Happy New Year everyone, 

I hope the year has started well for you despite all the tensions in the global community. 

I always take time at the beginning of each year to ease into it. I just can't jump back into things when a new year begins. I've never been able to do that. 

So true to form I've been taking things very slowly.

Here are a few snippets of the first few days. 

Recent activity

Decorations came down on January 1 and went to storage

Looking to fix or buy:

The handle on my bottom mount refrigerator broke some time ago and I've been searching for a new refrigerator ever since. Why buy a new one instead of repair it, you might ask? It's because I've never liked the current refrigerator. Much of the time it freezes all the fresh vegetables.  It has a few other quirks. Anyway, long story short, I searched high and low and couldn't find a refrigerator I wanted in the right colour, energy rating, features and price.

So we decided to try and fix it only to discover that the original part is discontinued. I found out the number for a substitute part and ordered it.  Today I learned that the company cancelled the order was cancelled because the substitute part has been discontinued.  It's such a shame because the 'fix' is actually very simple if one had the right replacement part. 

They sure do not make things to last anymore. We either have to live with the refrigerator as is, without the handle or buy a new refrigerator.  I think for now we'll just live with it. Hopefully something suitable will be available for purchase later in the year.

I also ordered some dress shoes online. They were leather, on sale and though they were 3 inches high, I thought they might work since the sole was also quite high. They arrived in record time.

Once I put them on and walked around, I could feel they aren't going to work.  It feels like I'm walking on stilts.  They are 3 inches high though they don't look so high in the photo. There's no point in keeping them if I can't walk around in them. The other 2 items I bought (cardi and leather gloves) were perfect.

Currently reading

A birthday gift from a cousin of mine

Last year I set a modest reading goal. Once I met it I kept on going and was surprised to end the year at just over 20,000 words read (59 books). Some of you may recall that I planned to spend more time on crafts and less time reading.  I did spend a bit more time learning a new to me craft (bead embroidery) but not nearly as much as I'd like. I haven't set a new reading goal for 2026 but will do that later this month.

Word Theme for the Year

My theme for 2026 is REST. When I looked back over 2025, I found I was busy dealing with a lot of things that were not of my design or idea. I had so many tasks that had to be fulfilled in order to meet the schedules and needs of others. Some of these were health related, some were family related and others were related to the building and condo in which I live. It meant less time to do the things I wanted  and it also left me feeling quite tired. A long and lingering cold that started in the Fall and continued until recently also ate up a lot of my time. Right now I'm just trying to prevent any relapse as I make my way forward.

Immediate Future

I have a number of medical appointments and other appointments in January. I'm also trying to clean and tidy so I can get some projects underway and deal with a few things lingering from 2025. A cousin is travelling to her sister's not so far away from me for her annual 'birthday' visit and one of my brother's may also visit soon to see his new baby granddaughter.  Both of these visitors to Vancouver mean I likely get a chance to see them which will be lovely since it's been awhile.

I'm looking forward to 2026.  I don't currently have any big plans because there are huge financial costs coming in the year for more building renovations. Nonetheless I'm hoping to make some modest gains in a variety of areas.

What about you dear reader? 

How did your 2025 go and are you looking forward to 2026?

End of 2025 and a Few Last Minute Images

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Tuesday was a super busy day for me.  The day included running errands in the late afternoon and early evening. I thought it would be fun to share some snippets of what I saw while I was out. I made my usual trip to the library to return a book and pick up another. 

There was a chill in the winter air and fresh snow had fallen on the mountain tops. Today was a treat in that it was so nice to see the mountain peaks in all their glory today.  Not only was there freshly fallen snow on the mountains but the sky was clear enough and bright enough to enjoy the view.

I was out in the neighbourhood running a number of errands when I took the following "night time" images.  It was only about 5:30 p.m.   Apparently we'll be experiencing a wolf moon or super moon which will reach it's full peak on January 3rd just after 5 a.m. I doubt I'll be up that early to take a photo. You can read more about the moon here in case you're interested.

A popular outdoor seating spot in warmer months.

I enjoy all the Christmas lights at the time of year.

I'm reading my last book, number 59 of the year which will bring me to 20,100 pages read. I didn't think I'd meet the 20,000 pages because I slacked off a bit from reading to focus on a few other time consuming things. However, reading is an easy, pleasurable activity when you have a few minutes to spare so I always have a book on hand. 

My first book of 2026

If I don't read from you or post again before the end of the year I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. May God smile on you and your loved ones in 2026.  

Joining in with Skywatch Friday for the first time in 2026!