A Quick Annual Trip

A few family members and I took a quick road trip to visit my niece.  We had a lovely time and took her to lunch, a movie and dinner as well as had a nice visit and delivered presents. My niece didn't let me forget any of  my promises right down to the popcorn at the movies and the hot chocolate before taking her home. She is so cute and we had a brief but loving visit with her.

We rushed back to Vancouver Saturday to try and avoid the snow that was forecast for the mountain highway. I was very pleased that we beat all the bad weather and traffic though we certainly saw a lot of traffic heading north. We made a stop at Harrison Hot Springs to try and find eagles that were resting there before making their annual migration but we didn't find any. Along the highway two passed us in flight overhead and I spotted one young one (at least 5 years old because it had a white head but it's body was small) perched on a tree as we rode over a bridge. I couldn't get a photo.

Since there were no eagles to be found we stopped at Wal-mart in Chilliwack. It was super busy with long line ups at the cashiers in all lanes including express lane check out. Even the self-service aisles were full which is saying a lot because Canadians really dislike self-service as a check out option.   My companions decided to skip shopping but I didn't know that so I wandered about buying a few groceries. Fortunately the express lane I was in was moving along quickly.

I stayed at the Thompson Hotel downtown and it was the first time I've stayed there. I enjoyed my short stay. All the staff was friendly.  My room was quiet and the bed was comfy. It was a bit cold overnight and the shower wasn't very hot but it was good enough.  I could have adjusted the heating but I was too lazy to figure it out.  I was disappointed that the pool and hot tub were not functioning but there is nothing the hotel can do about a pipe problem except to fix it. The breakfast was very satisfactory.  I would stay at the hotel again if the price was right but I do also like to check out different hotels.

Over the years I've stayed at 6  different hotels and 4 motels In Kamloops. I prefer several of the hotels (Sheraton Four Points, Holiday Inn on the North Shore, Pacific Inn & Suites and the Thompson) and have stayed at the first 3 on several occasions each. I would not recommend other hotels (unnamed) I've stayed in because of cramped rooms, dark rooms, poor breakfast set up or bit sketchy area. I also recommend the Fortune Motel on the North Shore.  It is very clean and roomy and they have a rudimentary kitchen set up if you like or need to cook or have snacks that need refrigeration. You need to specify that you want a kitchenette or you will get a standard room. They also have a swimming pool though I haven't used it.  Across the busy street you will find a small mall with a full scale grocery story, fast food,banking and so on. The only drawback is it is on a busy street though after hours the traffic is really not that bad. You can ask for a room facing toward the mountains and you should be fine. Also the motel is a cinder block motel just in case that is important information to you.

 

A nice breakfast was included in the room cost.  Sausages, scrambled eggs, waffles, cold cereals, various breads and muffins, yogurts, fresh fruit, juices, water, coffee and tea were all on offer.

I took my swimming suit but unfortunately a pipe had burst in the hotel's new pool area so it was not usable while I was there. I can't count the number of times this has happened to me while visiting various cities and towns. I wasn't too upset though as it allowed me to get more sleep before breakfast.

My view looked out over the parking lot, the shopping mall, the bus transit area and the industrial park and mountains beyond. The last several years these mountains had snow on them and there was lots of snow in the valley. This year there is none but that can change rather quickly. The first year I spent in Kamloops the snow didn't fall until December 24th on Christmas Eve.

The residential development on the mountains is located on Indian Reserve lands. There is a wonderful view of the city from up the hill.

Sorry for the blurred photos.
You can see how the weather changes dramatically.
All the snow you see is less than an hour south of Kamloops.

Linking in with

Our World Tuesday this week.

Enjoy your Christmas holidays.
 

Early August

Hello friends,

It's the end of another week. Time passes so quickly.

I had great news today. My nephew has successfully completed his Master's Degree in Psychology and will commence his PhD studies in a few short weeks. I am very proud of him. We have long had a "deal" that once he has completed much of his education we will travel together to France. He reminded me of it today.

In other news the wild fires which have been burning for weeks now continue to wreck havoc several hours to the north of me. The air quality in much of the province is very bad and has now affected my city for a few days.  Have a look at the sky in the photo below.

This has been the picture for much of the past 3 days. Our province has not seen fires this bad for about 60 years or weather and we've been smashing temperature records all week. What we need is some good rainfall but there doesn't seem to be any in the forecast. The moon has turned orange. You can see it peeking out of the trees in the photo below (sorry the trees are in the way and I wasn't high enough to see over the trees). I read on line news today which said a controlled burn a few days ago is now an uncontrolled burn due to high winds (*sigh). It is threatening a power station that supplies electricity to Vancouver Island and Vancouver. Crews are working hard to make sure it isn't impacted but at this stage only God knows the outcomes.

 As of 6:23 a.m. PT Friday, 10 communities had reached a seven out of 10 on the Air Quality Health Index:

• Central Fraser Valley.
• Central Okanagan.
• Eastern Fraser Valley.
• Kamloops.
• Metro Vancouver - NE.
• Metro Vancouver - NW.
• North Okanagan.
• South Okanagan.
• Squamish.
• Whistler.

When the index shows a number of seven or higher, Environment Canada recommends that children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions "take it easy" and reduce outdoor activities.
The general population should do the same if they start to cough or feel an itch in their throat.

(Source: CBC News, August 4, 2017)

Yesterday when I was out running errands I had to make a dash for the bus and I ran as fast as I could for almost 1 block.  I noticed later in the evening that my throat was very sore. I've also had an intermittent, irritating cough for a few days. I'm largely indoors but it is too hot to go without throwing open the doors and windows and running the fans so I guess I must be breathing in the small particulate matter which is in the air.

With the run of hot weather I haven't felt up to much though I am keeping very busy with the daily things of life. I've made a bit of progress with some household updates; mainly buying new accessories for the kitchen, dining and bathroom areas. This has also meant decluttering a bit in these areas and giving away things.  All the giveaways take time because one must take photos, place the advert, respond to emails and phone calls and then hope the people show up to pick up what they requested. Sometimes there isn't much interest in what is posted. It is all a matter of timing.

With the really hot weather this week I haven't done much reading. Even so it won't be difficult to meet this year's reading goal as I'm several books ahead of schedule.  Currently in my reading pile is The Legacy of Pemberley by Rebeccah Ann Collins. It is the 10th book and final book in the series. The funny thing is I didn't know that when I picked it up so I've had to try and decipher who everyone is.  If are a Jane Austen fan I'm sure you will enjoy the book just as I'm enjoying it.

There Was a Country:A Memoir  by the late Chinua Achebe is also in my current reading pile.  It is about his personal account of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War of 1967-1970.

Besides these two books I've got several more on hold request at the library.  I've also downloaded several free ebooks this week from both Amazon Kindle and Kobo (Canada's version of Kindle).  I probably wouldn't spend money on these books but since I got them for free I will now be introduced to some "new to me" authors.

As you can see, I won't be without reading material any time soon.  The nice thing too  is that I'm already prepared with reading materials for any future travels. While I still prefer reading a paper book you can't beat the convenience of an ebook. I can carry an entire library of books in my mini Kobo.   Such wonders. My grandfather and great-grandmother would have marvelled at the thought if they had lived long enough to know about it. I think my grandfather would have especially liked an ereader. Every time I saw him he would be reading.

My niece will visit me in a few short days and  I'm looking forward to her visit. We always have fun and I do things with her that I wouldn't otherwise get to enjoy.  While she is here we will celebrate her recent birthday and her brother and I have a few surprises planned.

In coming weeks and months,  I'll be trying to solidify future travel plans with my nephew.  He is a very busy guy so it will be difficult to pin him down over a mutually workable period of time to travel. I do hope we can work it out.  I'll also be working on a few other fun plans.  More about these in future.

I've been busy helping students and widows in Kenya.  There is always great need there. Sadly the little toddler with the cancerous tumour on his eye passed on.  We were unable to save him though the doctors tried hard.  My friend Jonah worked tirelessly to get the City of Nairobi to provide land to bury the lad who died while being treated in hospital in that city.  Ordinarily one would be buried on the family compound.  However the sad fact is this young lad and his mother were turned out of their rural home due to the boy's tumour. The father thought his wife and the boy were cursed.  As a result they had been living in a shelter for some time and the boy had been many hours away in hospital for much of the time.

Last but not least, Kenya will be having it's national elections on Tuesday, August 8th, 2017.  It is a always a very tense time.  If you are a person of prayer,  please pray for peace and safety for the nation and it's people as well as fair election outcomes.

Take care until next time.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Friday Foto Friends.

Rain & Other Things

I've been a bit spoiled this Winter. It seems to me that we've had far less days of rain this season where I live.  I don't remember getting any snow either, though there may have been one day of light snow around Christmas.  We also seem to have had far more sunny days which was a welcome change.

As I get older, I'm finding it harder to deal with weeks on end of heavy rain and gray skies without a break of a few hours here and there.  Fortunately this year we had many breaks from the rain and I think more sunlit, bright days though I didn't research the statistics to see if my observations are real or wishful thinking, lol.  When it did rain, it rained heavily, making up for the drier days.  In fact the rain has pounding the patio both last night and tonight.  More rain is forecast all through to early next week.  Besides fewer days of rain, I think it has also been warmer than usual though my heating bill doesn't reflect that (I believe the heating rates have gone up quite a lot this year and I did not want to shiver in the cold this year so I've also used more energy than previous years though not nearly as much as many people I know).  The apple blossoms on the trees on a side street near my home are in full bloom right now and it is at least 4-5 weeks too early.  They were early last year too but about 2 weeks later than this year.  Last year the blossoms fell off in heavy rain before I could enjoy them in sunlight. I have no idea how the annual Cherry Blossom Festival made out last year because it isn't held until the 2nd week of April if I recollect and the blossoms in my neighbourhood were not so nice to look at by then.

I haven't posted to my blog in awhile and some of my regular readers may have wondered what happened to me.  I was out of town for several days. I've been back for a week but have been busy.  I've also been recovering from a very bad bout with the cold and haven't had the motivation and energy to resize all the photos I planned to share with you as a result.  All photos in this post were taken with my phone camera and most of them from a moving vehicle.  These factors affect quality but I think the pics will still give you a good sense of the weather and the locations.

These first two photos are about an hour north east of where I live. I always seem to take photos at this point in the journey because it is the first place where there is a wide open field and a clear view to something. In this case, the beautiful mountains. It is farming country as you can see from the fields, the barns and silos.

The next photo is about another 30 minutes up the highway and is the place where the highway starts it's ascent into the mountains.  You can see the  mountains loom large and are quite close to the highway at this stage of the journey.

It was quite a misty and foggy day. I thought it added to the atmosphere. At least it wasn't raining or snowing.

In the next photo we are getting close to the small City of Merritt, BC.  The city is nestled just in the valley to the left of the photo.

And in the next photo we are in the outer fringes of Merritt.  This is cattle country and you can see that the area is semi-arid.

When we get to Kamloops another hour to the north east, the gray skies are still with us.  But no matter because we spend most of our limited time indoors while we are there.

On this trip I was away a little longer than usual because I also attended my cousin, Patrick's funeral.

The next few photos show the landscape are on the way to the funeral venue located approximately one hour east of Kamloops.

The weather on the way was still very inclement.  Road crews were out widening portions of the highway so there was also a bit of traffic delay for some of the funeral attendees. Fortunately, we left early for the hour drive and got there in plenty of time.

The crowd was overflowing at both the church and reception. Many relatives made the 12-16 hour road journey to attend from the north or the 5-6 hour journey from the south. One of Patrick's sisters flew in all the way from Australia. Having made that trip several times myself, I could well imagine how tired she must have been from the journey let alone fatigue from grief and the shock of suddenly losing her younger brother.

It was easy to see how well loved Patrick was. The officiating priest made a comment at the service about how "amazing" the turnout was and how one person's life can impact so many in a positive (or negative) way. The graveside service was not so packed. It was raining and the grass was waterlogged so it was a bit tricky to figure out where to stand or walk.  I was grateful I was wearing boots to keep my feet dry.

 

My mom could not attend the service so I ordered the floral wreath on her behalf from the family. The flowers are white because other floral arrangements (not in the photo) were all in white.  The roses each of us were given to place on the casket just before the body was lowered, were also white.

After the reception and our quick goodbyes to relatives who had journeyed so far, we made the hour's drive west to see mom again.   The sun was setting nicely and I captured these colourful clouds and the pretty, pastel and yellow coloured sky.  Look how some of the colour in the sky perfectly matches the Denny's signage! I always appreciate the small moments of beauty in an otherwise dreary looking day.  It's important to look for those moments especially in trying times.
 

We had a nice visit with mom and while in town we stayed in new to us accommodation at the top of the hill. The hotel  is small and quiet. The staff were all super friendly and efficient.  Complimentary juice and coffee were on offer all day as well as a complimentary breakfast. I was feeling very tired while away so didn't take advantage of the breakfast.  I preferred to sleep in a bit and get breakfast later.  The room had comfortable beds and a small discreetly placed microwave and fridge as well as the usual complimentary in room amenities like coffee/tea/ironing board/hair dryer, toiletries, television and good Wi-Fi.  Before check out I realized there were also free newspapers in the lobby each day.

The hotel is well situated near banks, restaurants, gas station, pharmacies and coffee shops.  It also  has easy access to the highways. The only thing that wasn't appealing was all the dirt on the floor in the hot tub/exercise space.  But it is Winter and hard to keep things clean when there is outside access to the gym. I think overall, the value was excellent. If one is interested in an indoor pool and a fully fitted fitness room then this facility wouldn't be suitable (they do have an outdoor pool).  But I believe they have arrangements with the hotel across the parking  lot for use of the indoor  pool and water slide for children.

After we spent some days visiting, we made our return journey home.  The weather was still raining a bit but the highways were clear of ice and snow. While I was drafting this post tonight I heard the weather man say there would be 15-20 cm of snow tonight on the same highway through the mountains.

 

  By the time we got closer to home, it started raining heavily.

A magical rainbow came out.

Closer to home, a beautiful pastel and blue sky appeared at sunset.

As always it is good to get home.

~~~

I'm not sure when I'll post again.  This cold I have has been lingering and interfering with my motivation levels.
I'll take it as a sign to rest and catch up on a few others things.

While I've been recovering from the cold, my friends in Kenya continue in their recovery from the serious affects of the venomous snake bites the suffered in late December.  I received news that my friend Jonah, Missions of Hope Kenya  had a relapse over the weekend.  He collapsed due to heat exhaustion and dehydration while attending an outdoor event. He spent the day at the local hospital and is now on medication and bed rest.

 Just before that occurred he told me that the Pokot man was recovering well in hospital. I haven't had a further update on either of them.

It has been very concerning that these two men are struggling so much to regain equilibrium. Both of them have had a circuitous journey to healing.

They need continued support and prayers.

Joining in with a few memes this week:

Our World Tuesday

Last Trip in December

My brother and I made the journey to spend Christmas with our mother.

We left early in the morning but not too, too early. 

The sun was rising.

But over the water there was a bit of fog.

Near the City of Chilliwack you could see the sun rays peeking through the clouds.

I always love the approach into Merritt as seen in photo below.

As we got north of Merritt, the sky was a glorious colour and the sun was brightly shining. It was a perfect winter day.

The weather was still nice as we arrived in Kamloops.

Here is the view from my hotel's breakfast room the next morning.

I enjoyed watching these ducks on the river while I read the paper and ate breakfast.

I also enjoyed the big bear and the beautiful Christmas tree.

On Boxing Day (December 26th) it started snowing in the mid afternoon.  It snowed all night long.
The hotel which was very quiet the day before filled up during the snow storm as travellers sought the safety off the roads.

The next morning after visiting mom one last time, we headed back to the big city.  The snow abounded everywhere.

Just outside of Merritt, this is what the sky looked like.  I like the way the sun is trying to shine through the cloud cover.

The overnight snowfall made everything look like a winter wonderland and it continued snowing for the entire return journey except for the last hour of our trip.

We were travelling on Sunday and the traffic back to the city was very heavy.  I guess most people had to work on Monday.

It was rather chilly in the mountains. The roads had just been plowed so all was good as far as driving was concerned.

Right around Langley City the traffic slowed right down and there was long line of immobile cars. We turned on the radio to find out why.  Fortunately the radio announcer immediately mentioned that there had been an accident and that the last of the line up was being cleared. Thankfully we were barely detained and the traffic started moving again.

I am always glad to travel; especially to see mom.  But I'm equally always glad to get home.

The next morning, I was greeting by a sunny snowy scene (final photo).
It has been bright and sunny since then and quite cold.

 I have a long faux fur coat and that has kept me warm. I don't get a chance to wear it often but now and then it comes in handy.

Over this coming week the weather forecast is for a bit of rain, a bit of sunshine and some snowy days too.

I've been enjoying the break in our weather.  Usually we get long rainy days which can sometimes last weeks without a break though the last few years the weather is not normal.  The national meteorologist says "expect the unexpected".

I hope you enjoyed my picture tour. 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.

I look forward to your visits and your comments and to visiting your blogs in the coming year.

Blessings.
Joining up with Our World Tuesday this week
and
for the first time, I'm also joing Mersad's Through My Lens meme.

Thanks for stopping by.

Note: All photos taken with my phone except for the last one taken with my Sony camera.