Myra Canyon Cruising

 Peter and I got up early on this Father's Day and headed up the Myra Canyon for a bike ride.
We saw this beautiful black bear on our way down from the canyon. Very fluffy and healthy looking--all this rain must have given her a good berry crop.
Next pick is me, biking through one of the train tunnels--I love taking photos in any situation, dark tunnel, cycling, camera in one hand. And the last pic is of Peter biking behind me. I just held the camera behind me and told him to bike in view on the lens--voila it worked.
The Myra Canyon smelled like heaven. The wind was warm and felt like the cleanest air on earth.
Tabs dance recital went well--she was adorable. It was a musical theatre number called "I don't want to showoff anymore."Will post pics soon. She insisted on roses after the performance. I gave her a potted mini rose plant so she can plant it in the garden.
We had a lovely picnic at the park in the forest--because vehicles are restricted, we always have the giant forest park to ourselves--out own backyard. It smelled heavenly too--vanilla poderosas, pine, wild sage and dill. Poor Fernando got pushed on the baby swing by his sisters and vomited afterward!

Monday: Tired at gym this morning--those typhoid meds tucker me out. Off to listen to Tabs choir this morning. Then I have 2 meeting at the Uni. Dropping Pip off at her Dad's office while I attend the meetings. I finished my art e-portfolio. It's OK. May post the paintings from it soon for your viewing pleasure ;). Tomorrow Tabs is attending the district track meet for long jump and I must attend Pip's preschool end of year party.

Bewitched Buddhism

Mommy and Pip.
The weekend has been good.
An early bike this morning along the Kettle Valley Railway with Peter, Miranda and John. It is simply an out-of-body experience. The smell of the air, biking between narrow rows of pines, is the most delicious smell in the universe. If there is a heaven, it smells just like that. And when we bike through the old train tunnels, blasted out of mountain rock, it is so dark in parts that you can't see a thing. It is like biking in a dream. You keep biking and fast through darkness, trying to reach the light at the end, trusting that if you keep peddling, all will be fine.
My mom and dad are in town . My dad dropped off my momma as she will be looking after my darlings while we are in Vancouver.
 Yes, the time has arrived...I am about to depart on a great adventure to actually see His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in person. And not to mention that his talk is being moderated by Mattieu Ricard--one of my heros! Life is amazing.
And Mistaya will be traveling to Vancouver at the same time on a Greyhound with 300 other Kelowna students to attend a special peace summit for youth. And the Dalai Lama will address the students as well. And so many other amazing people will be there: Jane Goodall, Mia Farrow etc. etc. Such a wonderful experience for Mistaya.
We leave tomorrow for Van and will be back on Wednesday.
Tabs was at a sleepover party in the neighborhood last night. I could hear the party from across the neighborhood as all the little girls sang at the top of their lungs last night under the evening sky.
Mist just returned from meeting a friend at a coffee shop.
We will all be heading over to M & J's for supper soon.
Excited as my home repairs look like they will be going ahead soon: a fence for the entire back yard, ripping out the remaining carpets in the bedrooms and stairs and replacing everything with hardwood--I can still smell the cat pee in Pip's carpet, no matter how many times it is cleaned!
I suffered a short bout of insecurity/boredom Saturday afternoon--the kind where all my relationships are flawed and I am not as enlightened as I'd had hoped--but a good meditation brought me back.
And I bought the first season of Bewitched. It was a childhood favorite! And my, oh my, how times have changed! It is the most stifling, sexist world for women that they portray. No wonder so many women ended up with Lobotomies during that time--ee gads--to be part of that society as a woman would have been so oppressive, one would need to be lobotomized to survive it!
But the show left its mark on me and my sisters. We had a cat named Tabitha, two cats named Darren and a dog named Samantha. And yes, one of my precious daughters is named Tabitha too. It is crazy, I have had several people at different times, tell me that my two oldest daughters look like the actress that played "Tabitha" in the series!

Pippi Gymnastics

Biking the Kettle valley Railway this morning.

It is paradise up there. Biking through the tunnels and between narrow cliffs the air is crisp and refreshing and biking on the hot, sun-soaked trestles (that smell of train grease) is exhilarating.

I am suffering from post-stress disorder as well as impending stress disorder. My skin has decided to flare up...I shall overcome!

Tomorrow I will be up bright and early--well perhaps dull and early---in time for trying out yet another hot and gruelling yoga class with Miranda.

Fernando has decided to fill Silver's shoes by peeing all over in the kids bedrooms. HELP! Get me out of this pet nightmare! I've never had more difficult pets in my entire life than Silver and Fernando. Silver has been adopted into a new home (Thank-G) and I will break that little Fernando's 'naughty to the nuts' spirit of his or else he will find himself knocking on a certain Aunties door in the Kootenays.

I am pooped from a lot of heavy duty workouts lately. So tonight the entire family (Pip did nude gymnastics on our bed as the rest of us tried to catch the odd glimpse of the screen through her antics) watched part of season five of "The Office" on a DVD until our player overheated. So while it cools down, I popped Pip and Tabs in the bath and managed a blog update.

Finally meditating again--just before bed each night. It is my much needed vice.

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.

Fabulous Fernando!

Ah...Dah...what was in that mug, anyway? Dah....that was no water... (sorry my darling Fernando--I couldn't resist!)

New research says dogs have the intelligence of a three year old human. The jury's out on Fernando! JK In actuality Fernando is one of the smartest dogs I know. That's what makes him an exhausting dog to raise. He needs constant supervision and stimulation. I just had to put up this pic though--he looks soooo ridiculous!

Beach yesterday evening--the water was warm and beautiful. I am continuing to edit Sugar Shack novel. Once complete, I will look at all options to publish them. My 2 junior fiction novels have the best chance for publishing at this time--so they are my focus, my passion. After they are published, then I bring on all my other novels and picture books.

Tonight a Kettle Valley Bike trip with John and Miranda and Peter. We will do all the trestle bridges. I can hardly wait! It is one of the most beautiful spots on earth. I adore hiking the KVR.

That and the Slocan Valley bike trip--top of the world places to cycle: gorgeous, remote and wild! Beautiful mountains and streams and rivers--cougars and bears. Yes, I should get paid for my plugs about Beautiful BC.

Tomorrow I am off to sailing lessons all weekend. Interesting. Next weekend I think we shall go down to Kamloops to camp, canoe and gold pan and visit my parents. All my ghost hunting crew can't make it that weekend, so we shall do our ghost hunt at the old TB sanitarium on Kamloops Lake in Sept or October. We will document it with video---so stay tuned it may prove to be fascinating.

And a sneak incite of what may be coming up in the New Year--a trip to Tibet and China! WOW! It is my dream to go to Tibet on a Buddhist Pilgrimage. Now, no more about that until it is all set.