Osoyoos Desert, BC

A beautiful mother's day in the desert--the southern tip of the Okanagan right on the USA/Canada border.

It is one of the earth's most beautiful places in my opinion. I want to live on an acreage there someday. 

The pictures include one of spotted lake--a sacred aboriginal place for centuries. It exists on aboriginal land and as of yet one can only view it from the road. All of the landscape in the area is an ecosystem at extreme risk--vineyards are chewing up the land to grow grapes in this precious area teaming with rare and endangered plant and animal species.

I captured the dessert interpreter centre statue of an aboriginal warrior with a real raven resting on his spear. The ratttlesnake sign is for real. The area is alive with the shake-shake of rattles.

My day began with breakfast with my dear mom, sister Theresa and Joop as well as all my darlings and Peter. And it ended in the desert--one of my favourite spots on earth to visit.

 We drove across the border (risking our lives as the American border official went ballistic on Peter because he dared drive ahead before the green light went on!) and dined at a Mexican restaurant.

I received many lovely cards from my daughters and a gift of two black pug bookends to add to my collection. Tabitha composed a song titled "A Happy Mother's Song" and played it for me on the piano. She'd hand written the entire score of notes out by herself. She is amazing!

I realize that I have explored the entire Okanagan from tip to tip in the past two weeks. First, I traveled to the northern tip, past Armstrong, to explore an old graveyard. Next I explored Vernon  (of course central Okanagan is covered as  I live in Kelowna) followed the next weekend by West Kelowna and Penticton in the south. This weekend I went to Oyama (central Okanagan) followed by an evening in Summerland (south-central Okanagan). Lastly, I crossed the southern most tip of the valley entering Osoyoos and then into the American Okanagan valley yesterday.

Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway

Miranda and I building an inukshuk sculpture to join an amazing long line of inukshuks decorating the side of the bike path along the Kettle Valley Railway.

Heading to Kamloops early tomorrow for one night. Will have to time either pan for gold along Tranquille Creek or canoe on Paul Lake. I'm thinking it's time for gold panning.

Been unusually tired these past weeks. I want to go to bed early and sleep in. I don't want to get up before 6 and head to the gym. Hopefully my laziness passes soon. School starts again for me and the girls--yikes! Not until Sept 8th though--so we have a good week plus of holidays left. It's a good time to go camping as the tourists are starting to leave for the season. Must get my passport updated so I can zip across the border.

I most definitely want to bike the KVR again next week and do a day trip down to Osoyoos. Summer isn't complete without a trip down to the desert to walk amongst the rattlesnakes and pick up a case of nectarines.

Passions of the Mind

A beautiful Orange Orb spider in our lavender garden. The wind was blowing the lavender, thus the pic came out a little blurry.

I have been resting my knee yesterday and again today. I want it to fully heal and soon so I can launch into my workouts by Monday.

Kyran goes home tomorrow. Miranda and family will drive him and spend a few days in Nelson visiting. My family? Hmm...we have sailing lessons next weekend and swimming lessons for the girls the following two weeks. September long weekend will be our Kamloops weekend: gold panning, canoeing, ghost hunting. I am hope full Miranda and Theresa and families will join us in Kamloops for that weekend. I would like to do a trip down to Osoyoos this week. It is nectarine season and we could use a crate. Unfortunately, Peter and my passports just expired and we will not have enough time to renew them in order to zip across the border into Orville for our favorite Mexican food--they have a great restaurant run by a Mexican family just across the border--we have been know to drive down to the states just for supper and back again.

It is amazing how one leg injury can catapult one into a depression. I already feel desperate--knowing I can't hike, run or bike for a few days. It is what I do. I hate not moving!

Oh, most exciting: we will be seeing the new Hayao Miyazaki film downtown tonight! I love that director. He is brilliant.

Also, I am re-editing Sugar Shack at Sea--and realizing what a bang-up novel it is! Once my two junior fiction novels are completely reedited--then I am off to pound the earth getting them published.

Still undecided about how to fit in painting. I think I may just write a novel and then alternate with painting a series. Write-paint, write-paint and depending on my sales--I will alter the sequence to go with what it is my meal ticket at that time. I love doing both, they are burning passions of mine. I cannot, not do one of them--this is how I must juggle my passions mentally, so I can free my mind up to get down to business and create!

Saddened by the high suicide rate and poverty up in the Canadian Arctic. The youth suicide rates continue to climb at unheard of rates. What can we as fellow Canadians do to help?