Sunset from the Top of the World

On Thursday afternoon as we travelled over the Coquahalla Highway to Kelowna the sun was setting as we approached Sunset Main.  I have always told Shirley when we pass thru that part of the highway we are riding on one of the high places of the world. It was too magnificent not to stop and capture the moment.

I drove most of the way between Sunset Main and the Penaske Summit looking out the side window at the sunset and not much at the road.  It was just so beautiful we had to stop again to take more photos.

"Today I saw a red and yellow sunset and thought, how insignificant I am! Of course, I thought that yesterday too, and it rained." -Woody Allen

As we started to head off the Penaske Summit I was still looking in the rear view mirror at the sunset.  I could not resist just one more photo opportunity.

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator." -Mohandas Gandhi

"If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God." -Gilbert K. Chesterton

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart

This weekend we are celebrating 44 years together.  My good wife has such a gift with words.  Her poem about me, What a Guy, I think verifies it.  I am not such a talented wordsmith... but in the style of Measure Once, Cut Twice, here is my anniversary poem.

Roses are not always red,

And violets can be more than blue;

Nectarines are also sweet,

And I am not a poet,

But I sure do love you!

We did not go the same school, but I think the same photographer hit all the schools in Alberta, so here are our third grade pictures.  What are the odds that we would find each other?

I still have fond memories of Shirley giving me her first picture... and it is still on my desk. It will always be a most treasured possession.  Shirley was my only girl friend... and what a friend she has been... a friend for life!

We drove down to Dinner Bay Park a few evenings ago.  Did a little putting, took a few photos of the sunset and went for a long walk together.

Our wedding happened 44 years ago... but the celebration is still going on today!

"Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely." -M*A*S*H, Hawkeye

Just For Today

I found a number of poems online with the title, "Just For Today."
There are Just For Today poems for 10-step AA members, mothers with austic children, teens, parents, cowboys, fishermen... you name it.

After reading many of them, I decided it would be fun to write my own.  So here is my Thursday 13...

the lighthouse at Georgina Point, Mayne Island, BC

1.  Just for today I will thank God for life and and ask Him to nudge me so I see the opportunities that He sends my way. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." -Proverbs 3:5, 6

2.  Just for today I will do the most important thing first. 
“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” -Stephen R. Covey

3.  Just for today I will keep my eyes open to see the beauty in the world around me and if possible capture it in a photo.  "We do not remember days, we remember moments." -Cesare Pavese

4.  Just for today I will be happy.  Abe Lincoln said it best, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their mind to be."

5.  Just for today I will be generous with my hugs.  “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” Virginia Satir.

6.  Just for today I will spend one hour walking or jogging.  "I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing." -Marsha Doble

7.  Just for today I will eat the best quality foods in moderation.  "Moderation is not about enjoying less but about enjoying better.  It allows me to be the master and not the slave of my pleasures."

8.  Just for today I will try to learn one new thing that will help me on the computer.  Photoshop is one thing I want to learn.  “We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand…and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it’s too late.” -Marie Beynon

9.  Just for today I will do something for someone with kindness.  "Today I will commit one random act of senseless kindness. Will You?" -Chuck Wall

10.  Just for today I will look for the good around me and compliment rather than criticise.  "You can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar... but a dead squirrel also works!" -Woody Harrelson

11.  Just for today I will do one thing I really don't want to do.  We have squirrels wreaking havoc in our roof.  They are moving in and setting up home... and I cannot entice them out, so I have bought a trap. These cute little buggers havc crossed the line with me. "To every thing there is a season. and a time for every purpose under heaven.  A time to kill and a time to heal." -Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3

12.  Just for today I will do something fun with my sweetheart.  Something spontaneous.  "Love is friendship set on fire." -Jeremy Irons

13.  Just for today I will not hate.  I will forgive the one who hurt me.  "Always remember that others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them -and then you destroy yourself." -Richard M. Nixon


Please share with me one "Just for Today" thing that is on your list.

For other Thursday 13 participants click here.

Grateful for Today

I am always grateful for today.

Today I was thinking

how grateful I am to be born at this time in earth's history.

Today we can do things our ancestors never even dreamed possible.

We have time-saving devices that make life easier...

Yet we still never have enough time.

What is the best time of my life?

Today.

Today is all we have.

The memories of the past are great...

but each new day gives us a fresh page

on which to write a new memory.

Today I did something I will always remember.

For almost 10 years I have been annoyed

by a rut across the road to our home.

We share a common driveway with seven neighbors.

In one place water flows across the road

wearing an ever deepening rut with each rainfall.

I have gone with my tractor several times and filled it in

which only lasts for a little while.

A culvert was never installed where it should have been

when the subdivision was originally done.

Neighbors cannot agree on improving or maintaining the road.

So, I decided to just do it myself today.

I went and puchased a galvanized steel culvert on Friday morning.

After lunch, with the help of Richard Lucas,

one of the neighbors, we got it installed.

With my tractor, a pick and shovel we dug the trench

thru a very tough, rocky road bed.

Richard offered some sandy gravel from his stock pile

to dress the top after the pipe was backfilled.

It not only looks fantastic,

but it put an end to the recurring rut.

I will never forget today.

"You must live in the present,

 launch yourself on every wave,

find your eternity in each moment.

Fools stand on their island opportunities

 and look toward another land.

There is no other land,

there is no other life but this."

-Henry David Thoreau

What is the best time of your life?

My Mayne Island Run Loop

There is a loop road around our island that gives me a 12 km run... which I do once a week. Today I will post 13 photos of things I see along the route.  Most photos taken today.

Usually we will see more deer than people or cars when we go anywhere on our island.  Our population is about 950... except this weekend it may be more like 3,000!

For more than a month this rose bush has given me a lot of enjoyment but I just kept jogging.  Today I stopped to smell the roses.

"One may live without bread, not without roses." -Jean Richepin

Here is a novel way to post your house number.  That broken chair is still serving a purpose.

Another application of the 3-R's.  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

A bee dropped by while I was capturing this thistle bloosom.

"A bee is never as busy as it seems; it's just that it can't buzz any slower." -Kin Hubbard

This was the first year since we have been here that anyone has baled the hay in this field.  New owners make a difference.

"You will eat, by and by,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die. "
-Joe Hill, Songs of the Workers, the Preacher and the Slave.

This is obviously an pretty old song.  Today we want "cake on our plate while we wait..."  not hay!

Outside our Post Office these hanging baskets give a lift to my day.

"Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature."  -Gerard De Nerval

I asked the clerk here one day what I could trade for some bananas.  She said she could only take money.  So I asked her why the name said Trading Post?  I  have not hardly gone back since, but I do admire the flower boxes... every year they are home run!

Our ferry from Vancouver was in the dock this morning... not many people arrived today.  But I have heard the weekend is totally booked, so without a ferry reservation on this long holiday weekend you will not be sailing here on BC Ferries.

The new owners of this snack shack at the ferry terminal have really spiffed up the place... as well as the menu.  I enjoyed a Reuben sandwich this week and they apparently have quite a good reputation for making Friday night Pizza here on Mayne Island.

"And I don't cook, either. Not as long as they still deliver pizza." -Tiger Woods

There are several artists and artisans here on Mayne Island.  We overheard quite a lengthy debate on the ferry one evening as to the difference between an artist and an artisian.  The artist is one who practices an imaginative art... the artisan is a creative craftsman.  Can you add to this?

Our neighbors alpacas are such cute creatures... and with their winter coats trimmed off are even cuter! Their names are Rudy, Shogun and Buttercup... good boys names, eh?

"All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." -Samuel Butler

Our neighbor, Noreen, was tending her garden park as we returned home today.  The ducks were doing what they do  best... float!

"Flatter not thyself in thy faith in God if thou hast not charity for thy neighbor." -Francis Quarles

Her dog, Jesse, is such a freindly dog and came out of the pond to say hello to us.

"They [dogs] never talk about themselves but listen to you while you talk about yourself, and keep up an appearance of being interested in the conversation." - Jerome K. Jerome

To visit other Thursday 13 participants click here.

Family Reunion at Ocean Resort -Part 2

When I went for a run on the shoulder of the highway early on Saturday morning, I did not see any other runners or walkers in the hour I was out who I might ask to take my picture...

So I tried to take my own photo on my iPhone with the ocean in the background.  It was not easy to hold the camera/phone backwards and not see the screen.  It takes one hand to hold it.. and the other to press the shutter button... and I still got it really crooked! I loved that wonderful view... and wanted to capture it with me in the picture.

Once back at the resort, I got Shirley to take another shot of me.  We had a great breakfast, with good visits... and then we tagged along with Jeanne when she went home to feed her cat.

She has a wonderful home with plenty of room for guests...

The eatting nook looks out into a lush green private backyard. What a delightful view to enjoy as you eat.

I took this picture of a picture that Jeanne had on her wall of her father in front of his pride and joy... his John Deere tractor!  If you knew Ezra you will notice that there wasn't a speck of dust on the tractor.

This chance photo I took of Jeanne's fridge is one of my most favorite shots of the day!  Isn't  it a wonderful display of love and talent?  It means a lot to be posted on grandma's fridge, right?

On the way back to the hotel we stopped to view some wood carvings on display in a park. There were several excellent pieces, but this one done by a native Indian caught my eye for quality and design.

Shirley and I were delegated to organize and take the photos of everyone attending.  This is Shirley's oldest sister, Sheila, with all her family.  I don't think anyone was happier to have their whole family in attendance more than her... as this will likely be the first and last time that all the planets will line up in this century.

This is our immediate family... Sherilee with son Seth... Shelby and Kim with Lucy and Maizy.  Now if only I could photoshop Alan into the picture we could pretend he was there all along.

This is our extended family... all of Bert Kandt's children and grandchildren and great grandchildren that could come to the event. 

“Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires.” -Marcelene Cox

 Shirley and her three sisters. 

And this is the whole reunion attendees... about 80 of us. 

"There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained." -Winston Churchill

Several kids were playing water pistols and bubble-making toys... Oh to be a kid again, eh?

When we went for dinner at the resort, and shadows were lengthening... I saw these chairs begging to be captured in my camera. Why I never stopped to take a picture of the incredible meal I will never know.  I guess I was so hungry that all I could think of was to pick up my food and sit down to enjoy it and visit.

What a great evening to sit by the fire on the beach... or as we decided, being totally zonked, to just crash into bed. In the distance a cruise ship is off to Alaska in the newly named Salish Sea. (Strait of Georgia)

Sunday morning before checking out of Ocean Resort I joined Shirley, Sherilee and Seth for an hour walk on a nature trail that was close to the water.

The tide was out exposing miles of ocean washed round rocks.

On the way home we stopped in the little town of Chemainus, which is world famous for buildings painted with huge murals.

The style of each mural varies with each artist, but the quality was very impressive.

In this painting of band playing in a street scene, the local people on the sidewalk blend right into the picture.

We saw several horse drawn narrated tours as we did our own random walk around tour.  This little town is set up for to cater to the tourists... and it's worth a visit if you have never been there.

Family Reunion at Ocean Resort

This past weekend about 80 descendants of John J. and Rosie Kandt converged on the Ocean Resort at Campbell River.

A raw food weekend it wasn't!  It was more like an endless buffet on a cruise ship with seemingly fabulous choices.

The children loved to scrounge on the beach for treasures...

They learned quickly how to find crabs by turning over rocks and watching them run to hide again.

Shirley pauses at the entrance to the Labyrinth...

an 80-foot diameter maze-like design made of about 2,000 pieces of driftwood arranged to walk thru.
Photo courtsey of Ocean Resort.

Lucy enjoyed the Labyrinth too, until she got a little pebble in her shoe!

Maizy stopped to give her grandpa a smile.

One of the rewards of walking all the way to the center of the Labyrinth was to discover this wonderful "natural heart."  From someone who has made and found many hearts, this one was a true beauty!

All around me I could see little groups of people visiting and catching up.

"When you look at your life the greatest happiness is family happinesses." -Dr. Joyce Brothers

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” -Dr Suess

Some of the children enjoyed having their faces painted before dinner on Friday.

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing."

After everyone had been served supper, our faithful barbque cooks, Richard and Brian, finally stopped to eat too.

"In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony." - Eva Burrows

"In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, a bridge to our future." - Alex Haley

It was wonderful to see John and his family from Hong Kong... and his brother Fred all the way from London, England.

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."  - Desmond Tutu

These were the candid shots I took on Friday.  Tomorrow I will post the group and family photos that we took on Saturday afternoon.

A friendly bald eagle had a nest in a nearby tree... and when Wayne came back from fishing, he threw a couple of fish to feed the birds so we could watch him dive to get it.
 

The eagle made a couple of passes trying to pick up the fish, but it was hard to follow this fast bird and catch him trying to pick up the prize.
 

The end of a wonderful day.