With ragged breaths, I took the last few steps in the snow. I saw my goal in front of me, my friend was already there, he had a grin that stretched across his face. I knew what he was looking at and I pushed my muscles a little further. I gained the last steps and turned. I shared the awe my friend felt, the joy on his face was as clear as the sun filling the mountain sky in front Read more
Zinggg, the thin line spun off the reel. I could sense it more than feel it. He was there beside me, my fishing buddy. There was a fog in the air and I could sense my breath in the mist. I couldn’t see it; I started to reel in the line. The lunker was out there. I was pulling in the line, excitement building. “How I wish, How I wish You were here,” Pink Floyd interrupted my reverie. It had Read more
The world of Zoom feels in some ways like an alternate reality. Everyone sits in their little box waiting their turn to speak. I don’t like the new reality of Zoom meetings. I find it hard to stay engaged and hard to connect with the other people in the meeting. This morning I started my day with a Zoom meeting. I understand why people like Zoom. I appreciate the good points of meeting in this alternate universe, a digital universe. Read more
Six months have passed in the shadow of a new viral infection that slowed the world. A pandemic that sounded like panic and to some more like plandemic. The panic seems to have eased even though the number of cases is far higher than when we went into lockdown in the middle of March. The number of cases is greater but the number of deaths has dropped. Testing is more widespread than it was in March so it is no Read more
Road trip. Today was another day of work in Kamloops. A road trip to work and a chance to clear my mind. I cranked up the volume of my stereo and headed up the Coquihalla Highway. The highway rises from the valley and heads upward. My Chevy Duramax diesel eats the kilometres like a hungry snake as the road stretches towards the sky. I crank up the music and tune on the satellite radio, I enjoy the therapy of the Read more
This week was the longest week of the summer. It was summer of chaos and adventure, a summer for the history books. Now summer is coming to an end. I couldn’t have picked a better ending than to be on a boat, cruising the crystal clear waters of Okanagan Lake. Sunday morning greeted my eyes with sunshine and blue sky. It was a greeting that I was very happy to see. After a week choking back oppressive smoke, and keeping Read more
“I’ve got my head in a haze, feel like a cat in a cage. I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart… Digging a hole in my heart.” The song “Digging a Hole” by Big Sugar circles in my head. The last few weeks have been difficult ones, first, the boat broke. Then last Saturday my heart broke when my buddy left this world. The river of life keeps flowing and all I can do is swim hard and Read more
Acrid smoke filled the morning skies in the Okanagan Valley. Smoke so thick I could taste it when I opened the door. I had hoped that we had avoided a summer of smoky skies. Unfortunately wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington rage out of control. Fires so intense they could be seen from space. Smoke so overwhelming it covered much of the western part of North America. I looked out the window and searched for the sun. A yellow disc Read more
I held his hand and searched his eyes. I knew he was still there, fighting. Fading… A brilliant light, a life well-lived no longer strong enough to continue. My best of friends, my brother has lost his battle. It was only a matter of time before the light in his eyes went out for the last time. I take small solace in the fact I got to say goodbye. Was I wrong to plead for him to fight on? Did Read more
September 11 is a date that lives on in many people’s minds and hearts. For me, the date is etched in my soul as my father’s birthday. For much of the world, it is the day the World Trade Center fell crashing to the earth. It is a day full of reflection and sadness for me but also filled with gratitude. I am grateful that I had the fortune of being raised in a giving and loving home. It wasn’t Read more