I meant to write a post more quickly after this special day last week but I feel like I’ve been an Okanagan tumbleweed (yes, we have lots of those!) and doctor appointments and life has kept me from planting myself at the keyboard, until now.
I sit here, stitches and all, glad to be reaching out to the fine people who read my posts and my ordinary happenings. I appreciated the encouraging responses to my recent post – HUGS!
Saturday mornings are different, my wife and I go out for breakfast. Afterwards today we were just exploring and we bought a beautiful walnut crib board built in 1962 that was like new and still in the box. The company that built it is named Drueke (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and it was founded in 1914. The history of the company includes building travel board games for the soldiers in 1941 and sending them overseas as part of the war effort.
We found our beautiful cribbage board at a neat community artist store called the Carousel Collective in Summerland.
Writing these Summerland names gives me a smile. A very special person in my life lives in Summerland (love that city’s name) and on Happy Valley Road. I always imagine him giving his address to someone who works in a downtown concrete jungle ave, smog valley city, North America and them reading the address back in disbelief wondering if such a place actually exists.
Summerland and Penticton are connected via the Kettle Valley Trail. The Kettle Valley Train used to travel through Summerland and down to Penticton in order to cross over to the east side of the valley and then head east.
Link to Kettle Valley Rail Trail
We are fortunate to be left with these wonderful trails on both sides of the lake to enjoy on our bikes.
Spring is nearly here. The light and darkness are nearly equal now and I sense that the optimism of spring is infecting everyone and everything. It’s a wonderful time of the year. – Moi
INHALING A MOMENT (LAST WEEK) – ♥
Wind and cooler temperatures from 2023 are now left behind us this week but there were some lingering below zero days last week and blistering winds.
My son and I decided we would inhale the beautiful winter light with a day at the beach instead of a ride.
Our destination was Sunoka beach which is a wonderful park in Summerland and we enjoy bonfires and birthdays on the beach there during the summer months.
This last week was too cold and windy for a shirt-sleeve picnic but it was still a lovely day to embrace and soak up the moments at Sunoka beach so that’s what we did together.
We gathered chairs, a blanket and enjoyed some time there and it was lovely to inhale.
Why I wanted to share this with you is that sometimes I think I am guilty of wanting “ideal” circumstances for moments like this but that day last week is that just being alive was perfect enough for me and I wanted to make another deposit to my memory bank.
Here we are enjoying the day despite the brisk air temperatures at the beach. It was fabulous and we had a first class extraordinary day together.
To add a few closing thoughts; I was very pleased to spot an owl this week just overhead on my street because they are harder to spot than eagles.
Also yesterday we spotted eagles locked together and spiraling to the ground in a death spiral. They unlocked before they hit the ground but it was exciting to watch. I am grateful humans don’t flirt like that!
Those moments are exciting to me and I cherish them especially when they are shared.
Thanks for reading, I reply to all comments- ♥ David
Life and Random Thinking 
How wonderful to be living on Happy Valley Road. I don’t think you could have many bad days with that address. Always great to see the sun, even if the temps are very low. xo
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I agree Darlene, I do enjoy the sun and winter nights are often clear. These nights the bright spot near the moon is Jupiter!
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Welcome back
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Thanks I appreciate you visiting and commenting. – David
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Lovely.
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Thank you Cindy, I think you would enjoy the valley and take awesome photos. – David
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Your bird encounters sound really special, David.
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They are really special to me Jane. I probably babble on about the birds I like here. But whether it’s quail or herons or even bats (not birds I know 🙂 ) they all please when I spot when I am out and about. But I enjoy coming across the snakes too so maybe it’s just the outdoors that I enjoy. Thank you Jane for reading today and commenting. – David
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I also love all the birds. We have nesting eagles here along the river, but I’ve sure never seen two of them circle downwards together! And I’ve only ever seen an owl in the wild once in my entire very long life!!
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The owl got me very excited. They are difficult to see but they are around. I was very happy. There is a nest at Sunoka that had owls a few years ago. They cordoned it off like a crime scene so you couldn’t get too close but I could look up and see the little owl faces looking down.
Eagles are usually solo but there is a pair about a km from my house at an oxbow and we are always looking up to see if they are around. Thanks Jane. ♥
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It’s so inspiring to read about your adventures despite your challenges. It really lifts me up and reminds me to find some good. Thank you my dear friend. Hugs
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Thank you Krystal, I am grateful for the times and memories I have been given. I have been blessed with years that I didn’t expect to receive. I am glad you are back home together safe and sound. I appreciate how you kept in touch and shared photos. – David
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Hi David,
It sounds like it was an “ideal” day with your son!
Great pictures of such a beautiful place!
Blessings!
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Some might have said it was too cold for a day on the beach but for us it obviously wasn’t. We enjoy being together and appreciating nature, while being in the moment together. It’s a wonderful bond. – David
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Blessings to you! Whatever we do together I am grateful and find it special. I am truly blessed for the times and memories with him. – David
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Every second holds precious moments…the best moments of our lives are stored in our minds & when we reflect on them they warm our hearts and make us smile.
Thank you for sharing your adventure with your son and the beautiful pics.
Your words soothe my soul and I am reminded of a quote by Rumi
…the message behind the words is the voice of the heart.
Deborah Bossence
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I really appreciate the quote by Rumi and your insightful words. I sense they come from your own heart and they gave me a smile. Thank you Deborah. – David
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Looks so beautiful.
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It’s a lovely valley, over the years fruit orchards have been replaced by vineyards and now there is more than a hundred wineries, some of which award winning and served to the royal family while in Canada. Penticton is one of only two cities in the world that has two different lakes on it’s borders.
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Such a lovely post & beautiful photos. I could almost smell the water. What a perfect day & perfect memory
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It was so cool (literally ! ha ha) but also very fresh. The beach was empty. Since this beach is a little more isolated it is often uninhabited when we visit. We could go to Skaha lake, about 1.5 km from home but I like the open beach and fresh wind off the lake. I am confident you would loved it and it would be a sweet memory for you also. – David Thank you sincerely for your comment.
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There are so few places like that left. What you said made me think of our sunroom. Glass on 3 sides ceiling to floor. We have breakfast out there & it’s lovely all seasons. So peaceful watching the snow fall & watching deer & wild turkeys strolling through the yards. It’s easily my Happy Place.
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Sounds very special, and perfect for mornings. ♥
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Sometimes the less than ideal moments we spend together ending being some of the most precious ones, perhaps because we just allow ourselves to bask in them without huge expectation.💕
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So true and insightful. Often when we have schedules, and expectations that leads to comparison and comparison leads to dissatisfaction. Thank you! hugs – David
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Good to hear from you! I’m glad you are continuing to enjoy family, nature and life in general!
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You are very encouraging, and I am grateful. ♥
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So fun to read about your recent adventures, David. Love this, “I wanted to make another deposit to my memory bank.” So good!
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Thank you Wynne, I love that you shared the parts that spoke to you.♥
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Making memories is so important. Glad you and your son had a great time together.
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Absolutely true Pooja, thank you. Those stories and times with my family are my treasures in life. – David
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I think those times are truly what life is all about.
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Absolutely, the stories are what connect us to one another. I agree with you.
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Hi Dave, I’m glad to see you’re blogging again, and certainly living your best life, judging from all of the lovely photos!
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Thank you Debra, I’m always grateful to receive a comment from you. It’s Spring ! ♥ The temperature is sliding down again right now but I have been hearing robins so spring is here! – David
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