1775 B.C.

Our little puddle jumper from C'Town to T.O.

NO... this isn't some prehistoric blog.  1775 is the name of the winery off the Naramata road, just north of Penticton, on the east side of Okanagan lake.  Phew, that's a mouthful even to write!

My second home was the setting for younger daughter Lisa's wedding last weekend.  The Okanagan valley lived up to its well deserved reputation as a consistent and warm year round playground.  I spent many a vacation in this little piece of heaven over the years.   Back when I was in my late teens, my parents announced one day that they had bought a small 12 unit motel (The Peach Bowl) just south of Okanagan beach and were moving there to retire.  My words on hearing this bit of news...

"Great... I love the Okanagan!" 

Their reply,

"We're moving, you're staying."

Game overpass Trans Canada near Banff

So it was.  After the Peach Bowl years, they sold that and built a house, fittingly; on Phoenix avenue.  It's for sale again, check it out... 186 Phoenix, can be had for a paltry 385 thousand bucks.

Lisa and Rick became Mister and Mrs Golden May 31st.  Rick is a kind hearted young man, flying a Citation Bizjet for a Calgary based firm.  He's not a rider, but a pilot is a close second in my books.  He's doing that other thing I always wanted to do.

Saturday was warm and bright, mid 20's and only a slight breeze above the shoreline overlooking the lake and it's deep blue water, where the famous (or infamous) Ogopogo once resided.

Catching some zzzz's

No sleep here!

Like mother like daughter

While fishing the lake one day my father sighted the 'beast' and nonchalantly related the encounter to me as an adult.  He says this prehistoric creature surfaced about 50 feet from him as he was trolling the lake.  He told me it was about twice the length of his boat (10.5 feet) and swam lazily in an undulating S pattern leaving him behind very slowly before it dived after about 30 seconds.  He had no camera on board so no 'evidence' but I had no reason to disbelieve him.  He was a serious man having survived a Stalin era concentration camp and was not prone to making practical jokes.

Landslide debris at Roger's pass.

Dad said it was a massive sturgeon he saw that day.  Twenty feet long and with a body he guessed as being 3 feet in depth. Having some experience with this fish, being born and living in eastern Europe where sturgeon are common, he had no doubt the was what he saw on that day.  Sturgeon can live for great periods of time, some more than 100 years.  Plenty of time in a deep, unpolluted cold water lake (nearly 1000') with no natural predators, to grow to enormous length.  If you check them out on the net, you will see that this fish, harmless as it is, looks ancient.  A "sea monster"... you could think so if you saw it from a half mile distant as many have claimed over the years.

Recently caught in the Fraser river B.C. 3 metres

Sturgeon of this size are very old, said Marvin Rosenau, an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s School of Environment.
"These aren't fish that were just born, last week, last year, last decade, last half century," said Rosenau. "These were born around the time of the start of Canada."

Giant sturgeon of Lake Superior

 Anyway... I digress...

The wedding went off with nary a hitch, the only glitch being the 5 year plan, wine bottle that didn't fit in the custom made box it was meant to go in, good for a laugh.  A very cool idea I might add, this plan... meant to symbolize the young couples commitment and serving as a reminder of their promises to one another.

Columbia river bridge, Revelstoke.  One of my fave places.

Now this is a pic.

Many years ago, in my own past, after having difficult times weathering the inevitable hardships of romantic relationships, I took a brick from our garden and tied a ribbon around it and presented it to then partner Deb, as a gesture of good faith.  It wasn't meant to be given while swimming in deep water but rather when things got rocky, the partner with the brick would hand it over to the other as a peace offering.  We used it many times over the years and only before this move, did I dispose of it. 

186 Phx avenue Penticton

The changes in the Okanagan, as in many places, are huge.  More homes, wider roads, populated hillsides and noticeable to me, thousands of motorcycles.  Bikes at hotels and motels, every restaurant, fast food place, coffee shop.  Motorcycle only parking spaces, leather everywhere.  A far cry indeed from my 1974 trip to the west coast aboard my BMW, when a dozen places right in this city, turned me down for accommodation.  In those days the valley was ground zero for mega biker gang partying that frequently got out of hand, swiftly overwhelming the tiny local police force of the day.  Hundreds of drunken, violent 1 per-centers, would literally, tear the town apart.

Today, the "bikers" in the latest hip biker fashion, riding 30 thousand dollar, loud piped, pseudo choppers are still drinking... albeit double doubles at Tim Hortons!

Rehearsal above the lake at 1775 winery

I really have no wedding photos, after all, I had an integral part to play so the camera was left behind at Days Inn, but I do have a few pics to offer as a token.

Fortunately the weather improved a great deal for the actual nuptials!

We had such a good time and both Brenda and I loved our times in the valley so much, that we even  (dare I say it) contemplated another perhaps/maybe/possibly move to really retire, leaving that option open for the future once Anna has finished school.  We can't do there what we can do here, but hey... I ain't gettin' no younger after all... and I did own a new home there in the late seventies although when it came time to move, we went east.

The soon to be newlyweds!  :)

Today, June 7th, I got my bikes inspected and perhaps, once the monsoon like rains stop (I'm being optimistic as usual) I may even be able to do a little riding here on the little sand bar in the Gulf.

Cheers!