A crisp wind blew across the fourth-floor podium of One Water Street this morning. I looked at the flags fluttering in the breeze. The cool February winds pierced my coat and sucked the warmth from my core. The wind was not helping my plans for the day. My buddy was coming from Vernon. We were going to fish our way from the Hotel Eldorado to the west Kelowna boat launch. Serendipity, my Campion Biltmore, needed to get home. Finally, after Read more…
I feel the power of music surge through my soul. It holds me in its grip, My foot races to the beat, my body involuntarily flows with the rhythm and energy of the music. It is an awakening experience. I turn up the volume and feel the sounds surge through me. The Pretty Reckless has finally released their new album, Death By Rock and Roll. I have listened to it for the last week. It has filled my airwaves since Read more…
“Where’s Marijke?” my wife’s voice broke into my dream. “What do you mean? She’s in bed.” I groaned back at Krista. Of course, she was in bed. I looked at the clock and saw the display, ‘3:12’ it was in the am I was sure. Where else could my daughter be in the middle of the night. I rolled over and pushed back at her energy. “She is not in her bed.” Came the sullen reply. “Go look for yourself.” Read more…
MMMM chocolate, luscious, delicious chocolate. A dark whiskey truffle from Daniels chocolate melted in my mouth as I savoured every second. I resisted the desire to bite down; I held my mouth still and allowed the flavour to seep into my senses. It was five minutes of pure decadent enjoyment. Even after the last drops of chocolate disappeared the flavour remained. Echoes of deep chocolate taste coated my palate and I wanted more. The box of chocolates remained close but Read more…
I stared out the window at the big fat fluffy flakes of snow falling from the sky. My buddy had a plan, he was taking his son out of school and headed for Big White. I had a different plan, one that didn’t involve skiing the fresh snow at the mountain. I wish my plan could be a daily intake of fun and frolic in the fresh powder of our mountain home. Wishing wouldn’t get my work done. Sometimes the Read more…
The two friends jumped into the truck and headed on the road for a new adventure. Barrman looked over at his buddy Big Boarder and smiled. It was just after 8:00 am, the road was clear and the sun peaked through the clouds overhead. “It looks like an awesome day at Apex. The snow report says fourteen cms in 24 hours and thirty-two in 48. Powder awaits us!” Barrman practically bounced out of the passenger seat as the Big Boarder Read more…
Love. Many times over the years I thought I knew what love was. It was an affliction, an addiction. It was a time when I couldn’t be without that other person. Or so I thought at the time. Now I know what love means to me. It means being wrong and still caring, it means the world may still revolve under my feet but my world revolves around the one I love. It took me a long time to find Read more…
‘Windchill of minus 25 in the alpine’ screamed the headline on the Big White website. There it was in bold letters surrounded by red on the top of the page. It was a warning, a caution for those that feared the biting cold. I texted my neighbour Brad and wondered if he had taken his two sons and headed to the mountain. His answer was no. Too cold for his kids. I told him the Gem lake chair was closed Read more…
Superbowl Sunday in the coronaverse. It was almost normal to watch the yearly sporting spectacle that takes over the TV screens in North America every February. Almost normal. I tried to care, I tried to find a reason to pull for a team of millionaires chasing a pigskin around a one-third full stadium in Tampa Bay Florida. I tried to care; I couldn’t. It wasn’t the same without the parties. At least the NFL got to play its championship game. Read more…
Blue sky and sunshine filled the valley in the morning as I stood atop the tallest building towering over Kelowna. I looked over the scene in front of me in awe. We were putting a swing stage on the building for the glazer and I stood and stared at the snow-covered mountains lit up by gleaming sunshine. In the mirror of the lake, you could see the reflection of paradise. It was like a painting by an inspired artist; the Read more…