Cal's Journal

March 23 we closed the condo at Big White and prepared to leave the mountain for the last time.  That was not the way we thought the season would end. We were having one of the best ski seasons in memory. Over 300 cm of snow base, I had 42 days on skis and there was so much more to come. Then it ended. So much has changed in that lifetime that was only a month. At that time we Read more…

Yesterday it started, The Netherlands announced no getting together until August 31. I have known for a while we probably weren’t going to go to Europe in June for our celebratory adventure. Today the reality struck like a hammer on an anvil. I awoke to an email from AirBNB; our accommodations in Paris July 12 to 14 was cancelled and I would be getting a refund. Today I began the process of cancelling the rest. Westjet is offering a twenty-four Read more…

I Woke up early today, actually showered and blew dried my hair. I sure need a haircut. I guess I can find another piece of my youth reclaimed. As a teenager and as a young man I had shoulder length hair. My hair hasn’t been this long since those days. I brushed my hair and figured I should try to look my best for our Zoom meeting. Zoom is a new innovation in online communication and meetings. It is something Read more…

Today was 420, another day of the week, a day like every other. Monday, I think. It began with a shock. A roof has collapsed at Big White. People are without a home. Fortunately, no one got hurt when the atrium roof at the Snow Ghost Inn dropped four floors in a catastrophic heap. 420 didn’t seem all that important and everything takes a back seat to luck. Lucky the hill was closed and no one was under the roof. Read more…

Sleep, wonderful blissful sleep. I remain in my slumber as late as I can, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. Yet rest escapes me again. A temptation on the fringes of consciousness I fight to remain in the depths of elusive sleep. No flickers today to interrupt my dreams yet dream I do. Another moment in time, we would be going skiing for the last day of the season today. Sleep would be secondary. Noon sneaks up Read more…

Rat, tat tat, Rat, tat tat. An incessant tapping wakes me from the recesses of my mind. It’s those damn woodpeckers again. I need to find a way to get rid of them. I have a brief vision of some form of weapon but dismiss it just as quick. I need to go down stairs three times before they give up and realize cement stucco and plywood is not a good place to find food. Dumb birds. I crawl back Read more…

It’s Friday today, Friday used to mean something. Now it’s just another day that ends in a why. Why? It becomes a question being asked among a myriad of others. Friday used to be a day for a sociable at the pub after work, now the most sociable we get is on our walks, two metres distance. Going to work today I am grateful for my opportunity to make some money. Driving along the highway the lack of traffic is Read more…

Sunshine peaked into the windows of our room and into the window of my soul. Another gorgeous day in the Okanagan. Blue sky overwhelms the senses with a majestic morning view. Over my morning cup of aromatic wonder, I sip on my honey sweetened coffee and decide; Today is a perfect day to rototill the garden. My good buddy and neighbour drops off the rototiller and I proceed into the garden. It is a very satisfying job to do. Turning Read more…

Lost. A feeling, a situation. I want to find a direction but my mind wanders. I try to watch Trudeau this morning again. I catch some of what he says. Good news, they are expanding who gets money; I guess I can get some covid bucks now. I desperately want a change in news. Our boy wonder PM just keeps repeating the same thing. Stay home, stay the course and in weeks or months we may be able to open Read more…