Cal's Journal

Searing heat enveloped Okanagan Valley this week as my life spun into chaos. Summer has arrived with intense warmth as the days melted together. I cruised the refreshing water of the Okanagan Lake with my dear friends Brad and Byron. We splashed into the water and soothed our bodies scorched by the raging heatwave. We trolled the glassy surface of the waters in search of an elusive lake lunker…  “Beep, Beep, Beep!!!!” an intense alarm brought us from our relaxed Read more

Blue sky glowed to the west as warm rays of sun bounced off the waves in the distance. The shining reflection off the ocean filled my being with a sensation of freshness and glory.  I stood at the railing of the huge vessel and watched the water cruise by. My wife and I were talking about going on a boat ride; we never expected it to be on the ferry to Vancouver Island. That morning my phone rang. It was Read more

Vancouver is a beautiful city on the Pacific Ocean. Except when it rains – even then it has a beauty unmatched by any city in Canada and perhaps the world. Maybe I’m biased since it is the closest big city to my home.  I like to visit big cities. But I would never want to live in one. The skyline of Vancouver sits etched in front of the glorious coastal mountains. The modern city is framed against the backdrop of Read more

On June 15, 2021, the health authorities opened up our amazing province to travel. It was a great time for a road trip. So Krista and I decided a trip to Vancouver was in order. She wanted to go to Imagine Van Gogh and I had a small job to do. The sun was shining and the forecast was for warm weather, it was a great time to hit the road. We packed our bags and loaded the car. I Read more

Jane stood on the stage staring at the world in front of her. It felt surreal. She wanted to pinch herself, was she dreaming? It was the culmination of everything she had worked towards in the last year. And it was real. In front of her sat Simon Cowell, Heidi Klumm, Sofía Vergara, and Howie Mandell, the four judges for America’s Got Talent. Behind them sat a live audience, the most people she had ever sung in front of in Read more

The air was thick and the darkening sky glowered ominously overhead. The pervading smell of moisture greeted Barrman as he stepped out the door with his daughter Mia. It was a Sunday in the Okanagan and some much-needed rain threatened to dampen the day. He smiled at the odour that wafted in the breeze. ‘I love the smell of fresh rain.’ The fifty-ish-year-old man dropped his kid at her job and returned home. Through the rain-spattered windshield, he stared at Read more

“Something’s at the edge of your mind, you don’t know what it isSomething you were hoping to find but you’re not sure what it isThen you hear the music and it all comes crystal clearThe music does the talking says the things you want to hear I’m young, I’m wild and I’m freeI’ve got the magic power of the music in me” I heard this magical musical piece from the Canadian rock band Triumph this morning and it brought me Read more

Vegas is open baby! This week Las Vegas, Nevada announced all restrictions have been lifted in sin city. No more lockdowns and people are free to gamble in the casinos and no longer have to wear masks.  Thursday night the Vegas Knights hockey team played in front of a full crowd of mostly maskless people and watched their team dispatch the Colorado Avalanche from the NHL playoffs. The next round takes them up against the Montreal Canadians. It will be Read more

Need for speed. That is something I feel in every fibre of my being, I love the adrenaline when I roll on the throttle of my motorcycle or carve a fast turn on my skis. It is therapy for my soul when I feel the wind on my body and the rush in my veins.  This time I had to go to Kamloops and it was the perfect chance to ride my machine and connect with a piece of myself Read more

Gail stood at the side of the road and stared at the border crossing. It marked the beginning of her next adventure.  She was on Highway 97 and the road south was blocked to her. The USA – Canada border has remained closed for over the last year, so north was the only road open to the retired widower.  At eighty-one, many people her age would be settling down in a care home or some other retirement facility. Not Gail. Read more