Canadian Spirit Newsletter / October 2010 / Newsletter No. 14
It is the Thanksgiving long weekend and fall has settled into the Okanagan Valley. Last week Atsuko and I took a day off and drove east to Grand Forks (a 3 hour drive) and it was wonderful seeing the leaves changing colour and the wildlife getting ready for winter (saw a mother bear and her baby cub too).
We had a great summer. While the number of Japanese guests were down, we certainly had fun with them and we kept them very, very busy doing all kinds of fun and interesting activities – swimming, wine tasting, fruit & berry picking, hiking, horseback riding, tubing the Penticton channel, making homemade jam & pies, backyard barbeques…the list was endless!
This year some of our guests also chose to have unique homestays catered just for them.
- one 17 year old guest wanted to stay with a family who had teenage children. We set her up with good friends of ours who had a daughter in high school and she had a fantastic time hanging out with Canadians her own age.
- another guest was very interested in farming, particularly organic farming. She stayed with a family who have a fruit orchard in Summerland and they introduced her to many farmers and agricultural experts in the area.
In mid-summer we had a bit of a break and this gave me the chance to take the kids camping. When I was growing up our family used to go camping every summer and I wanted to make sure our kids also had such an opportunity. We packed up our tent and sleeping bags and stayed at 3 campsites near Penticton: Jewel Lake, the Ashnola River, and the Kettle River. The lakes and rivers were gorgeous and we had the time of our lives and cannot wait to go again next year. I also want to try and bring our Japanese guests camping next year. I think it would be a great Canadian experience for them and a great chance for them to get back to nature.
See:
http://canadianspiritservices.com/blog-e/photos/july-2010-ashnola-river/
http://canadianspiritservices.com/blog-e/photos/aug-2010-jewel-lake/
http://canadianspiritservices.com/blog-e/photos/aug-2010-rock-creek/
In September the Vancouver Canucks held their training camp in Penticton. Matthew and I got free tickets and we spent the morning watching the professionals up close. The training camp was excellent and since a number of players were competing for just a few positions there was a lot of very fast and aggressive hockey which was a real treat.
See: http://canadianspiritservices.com/blog-e/photos/sept-2010-canucks-camp/
September also saw the kids return to school. Angela is now in the French Immersion Program at KVR Middle School, and Matthew is in Grade 4 at Columbia Elementary. Angela is registered for the Red Cross babysitting course and hopes to start babysitting soon. Matthew is playing soccer in the fall and he is also registered for indoor soccer during the winter months. Atsuko is starting her nail care business and I will be busy doing the marketing and promotions for her. Oh yes, we also have a Rotary Exchange student – Mei from Fukuoka – staying with us from September to December. She is going to Penticton Secondary School and is loving life in the Okanagan Valley.
A big “Thank You!!” to our guests and to our friends who visited us this summer. We saw a number of friends during the summer from places as far away as Quebec, California, and of course Japan. Remember, our door is always open so please feel free to visit us anytime!!
A final note…I am slowly turning into a true Canadian. I bought my first Tim Horton’s card which allows me to buy my coffee and doughnuts without digging for coins. There is no turning back now…
