Blogs from Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, North America

The Di(e) has been cast! Dianne has sent in her final retirement letter! There are three months left in the school year and we know it isn’t over until it’s over, but this time, it may be over. As I start this blog entry we are on Pender for a few days and Dianne has had a chance to get out in the yard and work on her plants. She is really looking forward to finally fixing this place up. The renos are done but the property needs quite a bit of work. A lot of overgrown brush needs attention, the low spots (which are currently lakes) need to be levelled and some raised beds need to be designed. A small greenhouse may even appear. She really wants to get at it; I think this time ... read more

This is the 5thAnnual Announcement of the Beginning of Dianne’s Last Year in the Work Force. This MAY actually be the last year as she has been planning activities in 2015, 2016 and even 2017. And they don’t include school. Detail plans will be developed for our Cross Canada trip, our (last?) European trip and a driving trip to the States to visit friends we met in China. Maybe Dianne will decide to work another year to pay for these trips? To practice her travel planning skills, Dianne just booked a week-long trip to Cuba for Spring Break, 2015. I did notice that this didn't interfere with her working so it isn't conclusive proof that the end is in sight. Marguerite Christensen This April, just after celebrating her 96th birthday, Dianne’s mother died peacefully in her ... read more

NOT FOR SALE: Luxurious Okanagan lakefront living. Custom built 5800 sq.ft. home. Well appointed, extremely tastefully decorated two storey modern waterfront property with guest house. All rooms boast spectacular lake views and mountain vistas. Complete Chef's kitchen featuring industrial gas stove and appliances, abundance of granite countertops adjoining the great room perfect for entertaining. Floor to ceiling windows leading to outdoor living space, where you will find your own private boat dock and small beach. Concrete polished floors and hardwoods throughout, movie theatre, stone fireplace, west facing sun-drenched decks. RATHER, welcome to Willow Haven, the elegant home belonging to our good friends Ron and Bev's son Dave, who welcomed us into his home for the first two nights of our adventure. And what an incredible start to our trip indeed. We have been absolut... read more

Set off 9.00a.m. - been looking for those bears for days!!! Finally come across some today, had a few stops, saw a cinnamon bear, a big black Grizzly and her two cubs and then a normal black bear - so exciting!! Alongside the roadway as we were driving up to Mt Robson - the bus driver pulled up so we could get a shot. Drove through the last of the Rockies and into more hills and farming areas as we headed more south to Kamloops and Vernon. Had lunch at a fantastic German bakery. Arrived at our hotel around 5.00p.m. - Sparkling Hill Resort - absolutely amazing!!! Built by the Swarovski family - 3.5 million crystals - it is a bit over the top - but stunning just the same! They put on a lovely dinner ... read more

Off to Vernon Well, we are off to our third Canadian City in three years. The end of June saw us packing our bags and saying goodbye to Kamloops. The year went incredibly quickly and was full of great memories. I never thought I would like living in Kamloops because of the heat but it was a pretty good experience. Of course, it is a bit of out of the frying pan into the fire…. we’re moving to Vernon, a notorious hot spot. Big Red On the Mother’s Day weekend, Dianne and I decided to walk to McArthur Park in Kamloops for a picnic. The 6.5 km walk winds along both sides of the Thompson River and ends up at the big athletic park I wrote about in an earlier blog. When we got there we ... read more