Catch up (part 1)

Well it's been a bit of a while since I have properly posted, so whilst resting here in Osoyoos  (in my towelling gown!) I thought I would try and do a catch up.  Sue has pretty much covered lots of it, but I thought it would be good to get some of my thoughts down on the blog... so here it goes...

1 May 2010
A crazy outdoor day with a hike up to Margaret Falls in the morning, whilst we didn't see any bears (Grizzly or Black!) we did see an Eagle and lots of lovely wildlife.  The hike was around 3km and it was great to get outside and just take in the surroundings.  It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this place is!

 Kieran, Penny, Doug, Fred, Sue & Sarah hiking!

After lunch we went Dragon Boating with a local group (including Phyllis, Lynda's daughter).  It was so funny and really hard work.  Thankfully we were paired up with\an experienced rower so we actually managed to move the boat!  Unfortunately after about 30 minutes the heavens opened and we got rather damp (this had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact we couldn't row properly!), this meant we had to stop and try to get the boat back to shore (no mean feat!). But, it also opened up another opportunity, and that was to visit the RV showroom - I can't believe how big these 'caravans are... and they cost upwards of $100,000 CAD.

They are so luxurious, but you are required to get a special license to be able to drive them!  We then headed back to Lynda’s for an impromptu cheese and wine fest (in true Lynda style!).  Not only did we have fantastic wine (and cheese), but we were also fortunate to be able to try on Inuit jackets.  Mine was made with white fox fur... normally I wouldn’t have even tried it on or touched a fur, but the Inuit’s use every piece of an animal to survive, including the fur.


Penny and I then headed back to Renée & Ricks for dinner (with their friend Lloyd), including the now famous spinach, strawberry and raspberry vinaigrette salad (yumptious!).  As always we were totally spoilt... good food, wine and company (the emerging motto of the trip!).  The evening finished with a trip to the Barley Station and The Old Dog – something between a pub and a club(ish).  Chad (the youngest Councillor I have ever met – at 30!) was our host and showed us a very good time – we even got Lynda up dancing to Sweet Home Alabama.


2 May 2010

 Sarah, Renee & Rick

I joined Penny &Kieran in attending church on Sunday morning – which is very unlike me, but I have promised to open my mind and try new things!  It was good fun, very upbeat and friendly.  Obviously in true Canadian style this was followed by trip to Tim Horton’s! We then had to say goodbye to our wonderful hosts and head south to Summerland.

Michael, Sophia & Leoni were our hosts for Summerland.  They have a lovely home with Sophia’s studio located in the house and a swimming pool out front.  As with Marie and Renee & Ricks home, the views from the lounge are breath taking.  For dinner I had my first steak, and probably the best I have ever tasted, along with salads and edamame beans (yum in my tum!).

3 May 2010

This morning Kieran and I visited Summerland Municipal Council to find out all about their local planning issues.  I have taken copious notes, but the strangest point to come out of our discussions was the fact that Summerland has adopted a theme... mock tudor!!!  I did ask when Henry visited, and am no wiser why this style was chosen. But the design guidelines (in my bag alongside their zoning map) are encouraging the use of this style even in the signage around town!  It was great to chat with a fellow town planner and compare and contrast the different systems.  Canada is based on zones and by-laws, one of the biggest differences is the fact that there is only one by-law officer for the entire council, dealing with parking fines, animals and planning (amongst other matters!).

View from Lost Moose Lodge

Penny & Kieran at Red Rooster

We then went on a whistle stop tour of Penticton (larger than Summerland and about 20 minutes to the south).  We visited Skaha Lake & the Rotary Pavilion, Munson Mountain (and Penticton sign), the village of Naramata and the Red Rooster wine centre (for wine tasting in true Okanagan style!).  In the evening we joining the Penticton Rotarians for a BBQ at the Lost Moose Lodge for some yummy ribs, and a shared 5 tier chocolate cake (shared between 4, but meant for 1!).

4 May 2010
We visited the construction site of the new $23milion CAD Okanagan Collage in the morning, learning about the process, the sustainability aspects of the new building and how it will work with the existing building in terms of built form and education.

Ground Source Heat Pump being installed at college

Following this I went on a vocational visit with Nick Bevanda an architect in Penticton, who showed me round some of his developments and also chatted about his understanding and experience of the planning system.

Lunch was probably the smallest of the trip so far – a normal sandwich eaten at Linden Gardens (although no time to see the gardens which was a real shame).  The afternoon was spent at the Astrophysical Observatory – most of this visit was a bit technical for me, but interesting to find out something new (please don’t ask any questions about this trip!!!).

The day finished with a presentation to various local clubs.  We were given more time so expanded our talks.  They seemed to go down well and we got numerous laughs ( a good sign I think?).

5 May 2010
So yesterday we did physics, today we did biology, with a trip to the Agriculture Research Station which was really interesting and we got to see some amazing microscopes that cost a fortune!  We also did a short tour around the orchards (but no bear sightings!).

ICe Wine (& Penny) at The Local

Lunch was hosted at The Local in Summerland with a presentation on the wine industry (we needed to be educated beyond the taste aspect!!).  We had an amazing lunch with a variety of wines (and ice wine!).  Needless to say we all got a bit sleepy after lunch!  Thankfully we headed up to Summerland Sweets to find out about their industry and products which was interesting (and tasty!).

The evening was rounded up by a fantastic BBQ hosted by Michael at our house.  More wine flowed (you see a trend emerging here!) and dinner was salmon cooked on the BBQ on a saturated cedar plank to give flavour – this time we had spring salmon which was so tender and juicy.