Sunday, August 30, 2009

Oh, how I loved waking up in Kelowna this morning. One of the most delicious memories I have throughout the year is waking up at my motel, walking a half hour past the beaches to Starbuck’s for my morning coffee, and then walking back. That gives me my nourishment, my exercise, and I’m ready to take on the rest of the day in the sunny Okanagan. That’s what gets me through the cold Saskatchewan winters.

I savored every moment of that morning walk. For many Kelowna is getting bloated and over-developed. I don’t see that. I stay on the outskirts of the city near the beaches and my favourite wineries. I rarely venture downtown and have never been through the new residential areas. I have stayed at the same place every year and have grown to enjoy the familiar surroundings. Everything seems the same here every year, as if time has stood still while I was away. The only thing that seems to change is me.

One different aspect of this visit was the thick smoke in the air. This has been a record year for forest fires in the BC Interior and the prevailing winds have brought the smoke to the valley- and it has stayed here. By dusk the smoke was so thick I could no longer see across the lake, and even looking down the street was becoming difficult.

I spent most of the afternoon and evening catching up on emails (and these journal postings!). I was asleep by midnight- still tuckered from long days of riding.