It’s the truth, on August 6th – we had a special day planned on the Kettle Valley Railway and we were robbed at gunpoint.
However, we expected it, planned for it, and the money went to charity! ♥
My dear son’s birthday is August 9th and this is our third annual birthday Kettle Valley ride on the steam train.
We ride on open-air cars and it’s fun, extremely memorable and a treat to boot. You never know what you will see animal wise, as we saw a bear a couple years ago. (Mind you, we had a bear and three cubs in town last week also and so we know they are around).
This year, to be different, I booked us for the Train Robbery and barbeque event. On the train the sheriff (dressed in western clothes and wearing a gun belt) is on board to protect us from the infamous Garnet Valley gang. Sadly he has a terrible record of protecting the train which he admits – zero time so far! 🙂
On the train there are other volunteers, also dressed in western garb, including saloon gals, and near the end of the ride, the train is held up by the gang on horseback. The gang is very polite and it’s all in fun as they rob us quite gently albeit at gunpoint while the sheriff is held at bay – tricked again! (shocked exclamation)
The dozen or so riders ride up and down the train putting on a show, and firing off their pistols. When our money and robbers depart – the sheriff (then) boldly stands up to and fires his gun to fend them off, albeit after the fact, and too late to prevent the Gang from leaving with our money. ♥
The train resumes with plume of steam and blowing of the whistle.
Soon everyone is enjoying a fulsome barbeque together, more food than needed of course, so the Garnet Gang joins the meal and celebration in full leathers and chaps, even posing for pictures.
A great day is had by all!
Enjoy the slideshow ♥
A little trivia – the Garnet Gang are all volunteers and some travel a long distance at their own expense. They provide their own costumes, and travel expenses and horses of course. They have been robbing the train for 27 years, raising money and entertaining train passengers and in the process over the years they have donated plus $250,000 to the group of charities in the Okanagan.
Hello readers, hello friends, thank you sincerely for visiting today.
When you drive for an hour and you live in a big city; what is your scenery? In the big cities I have visited and lived in, the scenery was all commercial. Gas stations, malls, fast food outlets and concrete buildings and intersection after intersection.
In less than ten minutes, going either north or south, I am driving along a highway (nonstop) with a view of nature and usually a lake.
So I love taking a road trip and enjoy the view on the way and back also! Yesterday my son and I went about 25 minutes north to Peachland, past Summerland but not too far.
Rattlesnake island on the rightparked! What a view♥
One one such road trip last fall we were driving to visit one of my favorite fruit stands when a black bear suddenly dashed across the pavement ahead of us and he was nearly close enough I could smell the berries on his breath. Tasty!
The views on the highway range from mountain goats to bald eagles; and I get excited seeing it ALL.
So I love a road trip, like the one I did yesterday with my son. We took a drive north to Peachland. Our destination was Antlers beach; I like it there because the water is clear and the current keeps it extra fresh (refreshing) plus it gets deep really quick so just two steps – than DIVE!
(Antler’s beach is also close to a really nice waterfall where in late August we enjoy the kokanee who spawn in that creek which are land locked salmon. See below the two photos from last year at Hardy Falls park – it won’t be long before we head back there to see them again. It’s very interesting.)
Kokanee last augustHardy falls hike
I have gotten smarter also, I now bring watershoes to Antlers beach as it doesn’t offer the nice sand that the local beaches at home tempt me with. But yesterday I was immune to the rocks due to the tire tread on the watershoes and we both enjoyed a lovely swim. A long cool swim and float!
The water was great Dad! Me: Fun day! I loved it too!
Thanks for joining us on our drive yesterday on our road trip to Peachland!
I had an exhausting ride a few days ago with my son. I loved it, all three or so hours of bike riding in July heat.
So many trails here but I chose to ride a trail I haven’t ridden much for years, the KVR.
The Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) is on both sides of the Okanagan lake. Penticton (where I live) is the converging point which the train passed through before continuing either east or west.
The east side of the lake is easier to ride as the trail is much better maintained and the one I have ridden mainly for the last decade. A few days ago I rode the west side where the deserted trail winds up north towards Summerland before heading to the coast.
I hope you have 120 seconds time to read my previous post which highlights the little tunnel on the west side of the lake. LINK HERE The view is amazing, it’s like being in a plane and so pretty – a long long ride but worth it.
On the west side of the Okanagan lake the trail is also very pretty but sandy and hard to ride with my skinny bike tires.
Fewer cyclists on the west side lead to my being surprised by the stripe of a chipmunk tail and he scampered along the trail ahead of us, tail held high! ♥ And then another♥
Also were many quail, they are prolific near my home but it always squeezes my heart to see the first born. They seem to have them by dozen and they aren’t much bigger than puffballs.
My destination on my recent ride was Summerland,via crossing the highest trestle bridge on the KVR. Then just a hop skip and a jump (very near ride) to Summerland Sweets (fruit treats of all kinds and pancake syrups) for an ice cream cone before turning around and riding home.
Our timing must have been perfect as we arrived just in time to see the steam train, hear the whistle blow and we hustled across before we got stuck on the wrong side which meant no ice cream. 🙂
looking south towards Penticton – right hand man and #1 son – David Jr.KVR Trout creek trestlelooking north and we are up high!Father’s day picture this year – we saw the train and had pancakes at Summerland Sweets
I slept well that night and we drank all the water we had!
If you come to Penticton – enjoy the train and trout creek trestle whether you ride there like we did or not. Plus if you love pancakes – visit the nearby Summerland Sweets – explore the store and rest your feet in the shade with your choice of ice cream flavours. Yesterday Dave had mocha chocolate fudge and I had root beer float !
Thanks for dropping by! 😉 hugs – David
PS – here you can view the trestle from the air – Youtube link
Dear friends who read my blog, I think of you often, sincerely I do. I apologize I slipped away. I know you understand.
Today is nearly the end of July and I am enjoying another ordinary, simple day. My days are in the middle, neither highs or lows, and I like it here.
I washed my car today, and cleaned it. I had a slow leak in a tire yesterday and got it fixed. I bought some cucumbers and made a salad. Ordinary life events, small and they fill my life, just as they fill yours.
On Sunday I swam in the Okanagan lake – it felt great. I felt hesitant, only my second time in the lake this summer and it was shocker to my tummy at first! But the coolness quickly turned to refreshment that I felt grateful to appreciate.
I ride my bike nearly daily, so I hardly mention it, but it is important to me that silent rolling walk. I walked around the block this morning and had a coffee at Starbucks.
Ordinary life events, small and not newsworthy but they are the events that I value.
Pretty tame eh? Life in the middle is probably tame or maybe tranquil but it’s a nice place to cherish.
Starry starry night blossoms
It’s my life in the middle, doing the ordinary, finding the extraordinary in happy occurrences like meeting friends on a walk.
I am content and happy with salad – I don’t need steak. Lobster doesn’t really like hot water.
I have it said that most of us spend our lives here, in the middle. Not the highs of overseas travel, and concerts and special events and not time spent sick, or facing tragic times.
Most of our lives are in the middle, changing lightbulbs and emptying the dishwasher kind of duties.
If we can inhabit our daily lives in the middle with a smile and be content – that’s an easy joy and the majority of our lives♥
Smile and be happy in the now instead of wishing for something else.
Perhaps that’s the perspective I gained due to my illness over the years – I soak up just being able to feel a breeze and not be in a room in a hospital.
A glass of water tastes great when you are only allowed an ice cube when you are on kidney dialysis.
watching the sunset two nights ago. Sitting on a bench and two friends surprised me♥
Thanks for reading.
The flowers of the Starry Starry night plant are amazing (above); huge blossoms even though they don’t last too long – many blossoms on it now, and more buds are promising to explode.
The flowers and the name have many meanings to me. I love starry starry nights in the winter, and the blossoms quick burst of colour reminds me of life as well. This bush was a gift from special friends who live at the top of a mountain and we planted it so it keeps on blessing us.
Starry nights is also a beautiful song by Don McLean that reminds me of how some people struggle, invisibly.
The song asks us to listen because the painter is trying to share his message.
My lunch today was blueberry pancakes and I loved it.
Soon my wife and I are going for a walk in a shaded garden and buy some honey from a beekeeper friend.
Nothing too exciting, just life which is quickly blossoming and moving forward like the flowers on this Starry Starry Night plant (above)
Thanks for reading, and commenting ♥♥♥ Dave
the marmots by the lake I give my salad trimmings to.
I was thinking about Friends today, not the tv show either.
Many times in my life I have found that friends have stood out in their love and support, and I am grateful.
When I was feeling down and had resumed dialysis after retirement I was amazed at how many friends came to my birthday party. They traveled hundreds of miles some of them and it was touching. You can’t buy that kind of heart medicine in a drug store.
I am adding a link today to a post that I wrote in 2012 – I hope you don’t mind and don’t find it “stale”
Please “CLICK” on the title – Friends are Precious in order to “fly” to the other post♥
Please visit her blog – I am sure she would love to meet you! – David
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Off the Menu, Outside the Box, The Road Less Traveled …
Ever since fellow blogger, David Folstad posted a blog entry calledOff the Menu in 2023 – That’s My Order !I’ve been thinking about it; the content and the title. The title made me think about doing things ‘outside the box’ and taking the ‘road less traveled’ but neither of those things, while similar, were exactly like the meaning of ‘Off the Menu.’ I tried to apply the Menu reference to myself and even though I think of myself frequently as thinking ‘outside the box,’ that just didn’t seem quite right for ‘Off the Menu’ either.
In his blog entry David described an encounter in the 1970s he and his family had with a very different young man while camping. I guess Gary could best be described as a hippie of the day; off beat, free-spirited and instantly likeable. Later he ended up ‘crashing’ with David’s family for a few nights as he was passing through their hometown.
As a gesture of his appreciation for having him stay with them a few days, Gary took them to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and ordered from the non-English menu for everyone. They told him how impressed they were that he spoke Mandarin and could so easily order from the menu. Gary explained that he DIDN’T speak the language at all but enjoyed ordering that way, not knowing what it was he was ordering and enjoying the surprise when the food came. Amazingly, they all enjoyed their dinner. It was ‘off the menu’ because of the chance Gary took at being surprised, not only for himself but for ALL of them.
It was a delightful blog entry that left the reader with the idea that taking a chance now and then, doing something different and unexpected that had a surprise ending was a GOOD thing. Blogger David determined that taking a chance and ordering ‘off the menu,’ not only at a Chinese restaurant but as we travel our journey through life, offered many good outcomes as well as the joy of surprise.
While I was digesting all of this I thought of my own ‘off the menu’ experience.
While not the fun experience of ordering unknow delicacies from a non-English menu, it still had some pretty positive and life changing results.
Growing up I was the kid in elementary and high school that got sweaty palms, a mouth as dry as any desert and a rapid heartbeat. I could HEAR booming in my ears when I was called on to give an oral book report.
I was a very social kid, had many friends, joined in all sorts of activities without incident but speaking in public paralyzed me and followed me into my adult life where I avoided it altogether.
Years later I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The tumor was very small, found very early and had not spread. I was extremely fortunate. The treatment, however, still included radiation and chemotherapy, which are harsh and difficult under any circumstances.
It was a HUGE wake-up call for me. I realized we aren’t promised second chances and I became determined to try to do all those things I’d always said I wanted to try … using the talents I’d been given above and beyond my most satisfying career as an Operating Room Registered Nurse.
Towards the end of my chemo, the local cancer treatment center where I was treated offered a public program on Women’s Health with a focus on breast cancer. The event coordinator invited me to be one of several women that would speak at the program about our unexpected journey through the murky darkness of breast cancer.
Without considering my fear of public speaking, I accepted the invitation.
The night of the event I was nervous but very invested in my opportunity to share my experience with other women. I hoped I could possibly encourage them to get mammograms preventatively or if they were struggling through their own breast cancer experience, perhaps sharing mine might help make theirs a bit easier.
While giving my presentation, I was met with smiles and laughter and tears and gratitude. ♥
I was elated and at that moment … my moment of going ‘off the menu’ and doing something for which I had a life-long fear, I set in motion the path my life would take from that moment forward.
I discovered while veering ‘off my personal menu’ that when speaking on a topic about which I felt passionate, my public speaking fear dissolved.
From that point forward my life changed and became enriched beyond imagining.
I hosted a local television talk show for 6 years, annually featuring breast cancer awareness topics, and began speaking at breast cancer seminars, encouraging women to be responsible for their health care, to be pro-active and breast cancer aware.
Today I still speak publicly about breast cancer. Those appearances have led to speaking to nurses’ seminars and retreats about any number of nursing topics and speaking to any group that invites me to speak about topics with which I’m familiar. I LOVE it!
Because I was brave enough to try it and passionate enough about wiping out breast cancer, that first public speaking experience encouraged me to find a real and definite positive in the breast cancer experience. I put fear aside and struck out and ordered ‘off the menu.”
Now and then, go Off The Menu, take a chance Outside The Box, and Take the Road less travelled.
My hope is that you discover what I discovered when I went outside my box. My recommendation to you reading now, is to take a chance now and then!
Because as blogger David clearly described, going ‘off the menu’ can be filled with wonderful surprises.
I’ve found this to be true, even if you don’t happen to speak Mandarin or like Chinese food.
Life and Random Thinking 