Osoyoos bound

Alex and I got up bright and early this morning, picked up some (not so sustainable) coffee, and drove off towards Canada's desert to cheer Kelsey on in her second Oliver Half Iron Man.

Heading out of Vancouver

unsustainable coffee (cups)

It was a beautiful day - Mount Baker was so clear in the distance.

blue sky = hot day

We discovered that my back doesn't like long car rides, which makes me squirm, so we stopped a few times. It was a beautiful day, but the flood risk was ever apparent. We stopped just outside of the Manning Park Gates for a break and to try to cool down.

Manning Park Gate

Alex in the water

A reminder of the flood threat

I'm bored...are we there yet?

Look, there's a train

swollen river

Osoyoos...finally

And then, because we had to shopping at Stedmans, here's Main Street!

Where do you live?

I've discovered that I'm living increasingly in my computer. Well, maybe not in it, but my world is shrinking. Email, this blog, instant messaging, text messages, and Facebook are all big contributors. I haven't quite figured out how the Facebook addiction happens, but talk to almost any Facebooker who I still speak to using spoken words, not typed words, and they will all say the same thing...something along the lines of "I'm SOOOOOOOO addicted."

I don't know why.

At the same time, I do know that there is a quiet revolt against technology happening amongst my friends. In the last month, I've received real mail from five or six people. Real mail as in on paper, not necessarily in an envelope, came through the slot in the front door, not bills or bank statements, REAL MAIL. Of those people, four of them have said they are stepping away from their email. They're attempting to send postcards, letters and cards. One even said she's trying to pick up the phone instead of sending an instant message or text when arranging a get together...

I like real mail. My mom told me when I was a kid if I wanted letters, I had to write letters. You know what, it worked then. Maybe it will work now. Maybe if I get addicted to real letters, I can kick my Facebook addiction...You know, the whole delayed gratification thing might just work.

So...if you don't get an email response from me, check your mail box in the next week...

But I don't think I'm ready to give up Facebook ... yet

The Police

We spent last night in GM Place, dying of heat but not caring. Because we had tickets to see The Police. I'm not entirely sure how he did it, but Alex managed to get four tickets to concert for us and his brother Steve and his girlfriend Jane. The concert was great. We were up behind the stage, looking right down into Stewart Copeland's drums and gong.

My ears are still ringing, the concert is still playing in my head, I have a second-hand-pot-hangover, but it's all good! And it's a good thing my boss is away because I can barely hear and don't think I'll be very productive today!

Remember When...

playing in the park was what kids did?


Big, old tires, partially buried in the dirt made fun playground equipment!!!

Birthdayness

Alex had a birthday on Friday. He's old. Well, that's probably debatable and disputable, but I think he's old, cause no matter what, he'll always be older than me...yeah, I stole that from my cousin Bret. Anyway, it was his birthday on Friday, but the lucky boy has the two day birthday thing going (possibly three day, but he hasn't emerged yet today, so who knows!)

Friday morning we continued a tradition he started on my birthday last year and we had cupcakes for breakfast...Mmmmm cupcakes from Cupcakes! Then the lucky boy got presents from me and my mom before he went off to work.


He returned home with his lovely balloons from his coworkers.


Yesterday we drove out to his parents' house for some family birthday time. It was a great afternoon.

The candy table in Alex's parents' living room. It's always well stocked...

Larry, Jane and Steve checking out old family pictures

Lemon meringue goodness...if you ask Alex it's better than cake! (notice the candy has been replaced with presents)

Alex, Joan, Larry and Grandma Ina

Fraser

Grandma Ina checking out Steve's 'do

Shannon, Alex, Jane and Steve

Birthdays that last more than one day seem to be becoming common in this household. But it's good Alex had a long birthday this year. It makes up for the missing birthday I'm going to have ;)


What a great day!

Happy Birthday Alex

Have a great day Alex!

xoxoxoxo

what more can I say!

Paperchase obsession

As previously documented, I have a fascination with paper, especially paper from Paperchase. Well today, in my internet wanderings, I quite accidentally discovered that while Paperchase still does not have an online shop, you can purchase some of their lovely paper items from Amazon.co.uk....bad news for the bank account...or I can just wait until I go to London later this year and indulge then.

My chanchito

Heather came to stay last week. Last year she was in Chile for a vacation and she brought me this little clay piggy with three legs. They are supposed to bring luck and good fortune, so I might just have to bring him everywhere with me. I'm in need of luck (the good kind) these days. Maybe he'll ward off the bad luck that's been following me around!!!

Remember When...(we had to go to flag every morning before we could eat breakfast)

I was talking to my friend Paula today and she was telling me that she is putting her photos from when we worked together at Pax Lodge in an album. So, that was eight years ago...anyway, that has meant a lot of remember whens for her as well as exclamations of WHAT THE HECK WERE WE DOING!

After talking to Paula and visiting with Heather and Virginia this week, my brain is totally in Remember When mode! And the three of them (and especially a conversation with Heather) made me think of...remember when we had to go to flag every morning before we could eat breakfast...

Morning Flag - October 2001
Three unknown guest Guides, Doreen, Paola, Shannon, Nadya, Suzanne, Astrid

Twelve Steps might help me kick the Crackbook habit...

but I'm not ready yet...

Sigh...you may have noticed, I certainly have, that I'm not posting anything very often at all, here or over there at p365 where I am still taking the pictures, it's just taking me forever to post them. I'm blaming that on two things. Crackbook which I joined under duress from peer pressure ;) and swimming. The pool reopened this week and I'm so smart I thought, hey, I haven't been in the pool for a month, so I'll just PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF...dumb dumb dumb...So now I'm tired.

To make up for it, although my guess is most of those who read my blog are probably also addicted to Crackbook, I posted my movie list...yeah...that's it, it's to make up for me being lazy...nothing to do with my obsession with lists.

On that note, I see the sun is out, so I'm off to take advantage of it before the rain comes back...

ps...I'm not ready to kick the habit, but I've done the first step...I recognize I have a problem!