Cal's Journal

I stared at the windows and caught the reflection of the crowd behind me. I couldn’t quite believe it was all so very real. My father sat in the front row, a glow of joy and relief beamed across his face. Behind the families,  our friends stood,  in anticipation.  Anticipation of the event unfolding in front of them. The sun dropped below the horizon. Music echoed through the room.  The stunning sight of a beautiful woman strolled arm and arm Read more…

They say time flies when you’re having fun. Time also flies when you’re not. As we get older every day seems to blur the lines and pass in a blink of an eye. It seems like only yesterday I was taking my daughter to go trick-or-treating with her friends. We would select a costume for her to wear and I would put on makeup and dress up as a pirate or some other crazy costume. We tried to avoid the Read more…

Jason Rapp’s smile would light up a room. His energy and drive was a light in the dark. There were days when he could be a friend to everyone.  And when he shredded the guitar we all stopped in wonder. Now he will shred no more. Jay Wormbox has gone to the other side to dance with the Great Spirit. His spirit lives on in the mystical wonder of the world. And in our memories. I met Jay almost thirty Read more…

 The peace of Big White mountain embraced every fibre of my being. I stared at the reflection of the valley behind me. From my perch atop a 32-foot ladder I stared at gold and red painted on a blue canvas. For a brief minute, I stopped my climb. Everything was still I embraced the view and allowed it to flow through my soul. Music flowed in my headset and I was in the zone.  A zone we all search for. Read more…

I’d been home from my European adventure for six days and I had a fishing tour on the boat. The weather couldn’t be any better. I set out from the dock in Peachland with high hopes for a morning fishing trip. The sun peered over the mountain while red and gold colours painted the sky. It was good to be alive. Even if it was a little cool, I knew the temperatures would surely rise and the lake was as Read more…

The last few weeks have flown by in a flash of smoke, flames, and landslides. Summer 2023 will undoubtedly go down as one to remember. For some, it may be one they’d sooner forget.  The heat and sunshine warmed our valley and I never wanted to end. But in the back of my mind, I had anxiety and worry. When would the smoke come? When would fire strike? I never thought it would come so close to home. Yet we Read more…

“My house is gone. My mom’s property burned, and five out of six buildings were burned down. The fire destroyed the whole place.” The man’s words haunted me. He was surprisingly calm, for someone who’d lost everything to fire. A fire that ripped through parts of West Kelowna and up the Westside until it stopped after burning Okanagan Resort to the ground. Fire. It was like nothing I’d ever seen in my lifetime. Something that haunted me inside. I had Read more…