Cal's Journal

“Come on, try a littleNothing is foreverThere’s got to be something better thanIn the middleBut me and CinderellaWe’ll put it all togetherWe can drive it homeWith one headlight” The band The Younguns played the Wallflowers song One Headlight and I sang along filled with joy. I swayed to the musical rhythm that filled the air. Everyone could feel the songs as the energy flowed from the band on the stage. It was amazing to be surrounded by sounds that caressed Read more

Melting heat scorched the roof of One Water Street this week. I stared longingly at the crystal clear blue waters of Okanagan Lake. How I wished we could be floating in the serenity of the glacial waters. Instead, I was standing atop the highest man-made structure between Calgary and Vancouver, and the roof seemed to magnify the scorching temperature. It was 33 Celsius outside but I am sure it was close to 40 at the top. I could have worse Read more

It was another Monday in the coronaverse. Sixty-three Mondays ago I began my journal. It has been a journey of self-discovery writing down my observations since the beginning of the pandemic that swept the world In early March 2020. The world ground to a halt back on those fateful first days as Covid19 circled the globe.  Fear stalked through the planet as the strange new viral infection took lives and changed history. Confusion took over and the unknown viral foe Read more

Joe cried out for his mommy. She wasn’t there. He woke up in fear and turned over to look at the kids next to him. The darkness hid the pain and the tears in their eyes. Still, he could here the sobs in the night. Sobs of fear and anguish. All caused by the oppressive instructors that took them from their homes and held them virtual prisoners of a foreign way of life. Joe turned over and closed his eyes Read more

215 bodies were discovered buried at the Kamloops residential school grounds. 215 lost souls. The poor students, some as young as three, have been forgotten and ignored for decades. It is a sad day in the history of our ‘great’ nation. Canada has been on a path of reconciliation. We have been faced with our nations abhorrent treatment of the indigenous population that lived on this land for generations prior to the arrival of European settlers. If we don’t face Read more

I dropped the boat in the water this week. I backed into the lake and waited until the boat slid off the trailer and my wife held Serendipity on the dock. I pulled ahead to go park the truck and trailer. But the truck and trailer held fast. What the? I put my Chevy Dually Diesel into four-wheel drive and pushed down the throttle. With a shake, the trailer surged forward and I was freed. But I could hear the Read more

After fifteen months of restrictions and fear, we finally have a plan. In our beautiful province of British Columbia, the government has announced a roadmap to return to normal.  I hope they can follow the plan and we can return to normal on September 7. Meanwhile, people in Manitoba are dying and their health care system is overwhelmed. Manitoba has sent people from the ICUs to other provinces. While we look at recovery here in BC our friends and neighbours Read more

Two hundred and two years ago a child was born in London, England. That baby girl would grow up to help shape the world we live in today. I wonder how many people know we still celebrate that birthday here in Canada? The May long weekend is not just the first weekend we go camping in Canada. It’s also Queen Victoria’s birthday.  The legacy of the second longest-reigning monarch in British history surrounds us. The cities of Regina and Victoria Read more

Phil calmly walked the fairway on the eighteenth hole of Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. His demeanor on the outside was one of calculated confidence. He looked to all the world like a man out for a stroll on the final fairway of the PGA Championships. Inside his stomach was playing leapfrog with his lungs.  After over a year of playing golf before small crowds of people, this was the first large crowd in over a year and Read more

Springtime in the Okanagan burst forth this week.  Sunshine and blue sky embraced the world below and it was time to stop and smell the flowers blooming in our wonderful valley. May long weekend arrived and there was a vibrant feeling of renewal filling the air.  After a couple of weeks of struggling with work and with my teenage daughter’s angst, I feel I have crested the wave and will try to swim like hell to stay on top. Life Read more