Happy Birthday Emil! Happy Birthday Deb!

Joyce paid us a nice visit on Saturday too... Here, I was making her wait for lunch...

Arriving in their pontoon boat, Sandra and Leo and Laverne joined us for a few hours on the beach, in the sweltering sunshine, on Saturday. One thing I can say, is that it was one heck of a hot weekend and the Lime Bud light never tasted too bad at all!

The birthday pair... both have their big day on July 5th! Happy Birthday , you two!

Annette and her daddy!

Annette toasting up her dinner!

The Divas of the neighbourhood! Deb, Moi, Faye, and Alissa

The Rowdy's of the hood...Mike, Emil, Ashley, and Randy!

Cheers to the birthday kids! This was a poison Granada rum... not really poison, but lethal enough to propel a jet... Note, my glass has only one tsp. in it... thanks Ashley for trying to get us all drunk!

Long story here, but Ashley and Deb got Emil his blue chair that he has always been pining for, ever since Ashley had painted their other blue chair, green... got that? So now, Emil has his very own blue chair! Lucky guy! Thanks, Deb and Ashley! And look! Annette was here to share in the fun and celebrations on Saturday. In fact, it was Deb's birthday also!

Emil gets his favourites...jube-jubes, and a nice Seatle Seahawks ball cap

Annette is cracking up!

Our newest neighbours, Faye and Randy ( white and black) came over for the fun!


"The Creator"

More Canada Day and Kididdles!

Sweet G ., all gussied up for Canada Day!


Fair as an angel... little N. has his tattoos all in order for the big day! Thanks NAdine for passing these along!

Joyce sent me this... photos of the beautiful bear grass that blooms only once in five years...and this is the year for it... It stands over five feet tall! Amazing, I say!

Joyce and Morgan's cute little grand-daughter J. I think she is being a cat!

Barb with their brand new sweet little dumpling,M., and Little E. on graduation day!

Thanks Joyce for sending those pics!

Time for bed and guess what... Tomorrow is Friday already! Wow! One should have a holiday midweek every week!

"The Creator"

Happy Canada Day

Here's my funny Canada Day cake... a little tall on the maple leaf part there.. but time was running out,and the icing was sogged with strawberries, so it had to stay as is. Funny enuf, everyone got it! So Happy Canada Day everyone! I hope you enjoyed the best weather and festivities in years, just as we did!
Annette baked the yummy cherry chip cake from a mix last night, then I poked holes in the top of the cake this morning and onto that , I spooned my jello mixture. It was a small packet of jello mixed into a half cup of boiling water, then left to set till it started to gel. I then made sure it dripped into the holes I made with a skewer, about an inch apart all over the top of the cake. I popped the cake back into the fridge to set the jello a little more before applying the icing. The flavour, in the end was an amazing jolt of raspberry in the cherry chip cake. Topped with strawberries, it gave one's mouth the full berry experience!

Annette, before we waded out to the dock. Note the water is coming down, but our water-oops firepit is still full of water.

This is the waterfront side of the huge house that is being built below the highway, just before you approach Longbeach road. It is quite amazing... exposed beams, agragate concrete and even a littel character in a suit of armour guarding the front deck... all very architecturally perfect.. It was fun to see the lakeside,as the back doesn't reveal too many details from the road side. Nice big yacht parked there as well...

The new Budlight with Lime... pretty tasty but one or two is about enough before a person switches to real beer!

Dad and daughter just hangin'

The gals at one table and the men were on the lower deck... Can't say it was the best arrangement, but it works for us old folks!

Peter BBQ'd his yummy hamburgers and everyone brought something so it was a delicious pot luck dinner! Not to mention three deserts...the Canada Day cake, a wonderful apple cake in a bundt pan ,topped with a hot caramel sauce, ( by Deb) and Linda brought her famous Plum pie with a cobbler type crust on top... yum!



Peter, ever the happy cook!

It was a fun day and now we are all heading to bed with full tummies... Hope yours was great too!

"The Creator"

Look who's Home!

Emil picked Annette up at Kelowna airport late Saturday night( her flight was delayed) and the two arrived home as the sun was peaking over the Purcells! Still, we needed a cup of tea and some toast and had a little blab, before everyone fell back into bed around 6:00 am. Even myself, who usally gerts up pretty early, had to snooze late. Emil and Annnette... later still.
I haued me gardening tools to the garden and did a few weeds until I heard Annette awake... then next thing I knew, Ashley was over saying that Deb had lunch on the beach...and we were invited... It was blistering hot out, so who could resist?


As you can see, the water is still a little on the beach, but it is going down daily! Emil and Annnette spent most of the afternoon there and I returned to my garden to get a little accomplished!

Later we all reunited for dinner, but not until Annette and I both took a dip in the lake to cool off. It was Freezing!!! I had ice cubes forming on every folicle!



More of just sitting around in the heat , on the beach! Annette will see a noticeable change in her skin colour this morning!

Then sadly, last night we had word, that Lawrence's son, Christopher was in a bad car accident at Playmore junction. He was in Nelson hospital with a neck brace and maybe chest injuries... apparently quite a few cars were involved. I'll see whats on the news today and what Lori reports... Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris and everyone else in the accident.
"The Creator"

Yummy Dinner at Carolyne's

Here is Carolyne in her colourful Kitchen holding the pan of prawns just before they hit the BBQ



Patricia used to be our regular Saturday gal, but now works occasionally. we don't often get to visit with each other unless she stops by the store. Here we enjoyed a nice ice cold glass of Pinot Gris before dinner

These tasted as yummy as they looked...hot off the Barby!

Look at htese puffy little beauties. I don't recall the name of them... they look like those MArgarites, but seems to me the had the leaf of a columbine... tall and very beautiful tho. Carolyne's garden was an amazing work of art with every imaginable thing growing from Blackk currants and elderberries to Raspberry bushes and then a full vegetable garden. I don't know how she does it, but she is doing a fabulous job of that and maintaining the store.

we had a nice evening of chatter and garden talk and mostly eating !
Thanks Carolyne..much appreciated after a day like it was yesterday!


"The Creator"

Sad day..Emil's dad, Peter passed away.

Yes, last night we learned that Emil's dad, Peter, passed away peacefully at Noric House in Vernon. My sincere condolences to John , Emil, and Lawrence and their families. May Dad rest in peace now and forever be at peace with himself and the Lord and be reunited in happiness with Annie.
He died with the stars yesterday as Michael JAckson also passed away and so did Farrah Faucet, so they will be at Heaven's gates together!
We'll keep you posted as to arrangements.

"The Creator"

Guess who received an early birthday gift? Moi!!!!

Here's a glimpse of our day from back to front!
Cheers...Deb, Ashley, Don and Nonie and ourselves wound up at the BBI for a delicious father's day dinner of prime rib, yorkshire puddings, mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies, a salad and strawberry cheesecake for desert! Yummy. We were lucky to arrive when we did...and despite having a reservation, we netted the last of the prime rib. Poor Nathen ( owner) had no idea that it was going to be that busy... seems like we were the only ones who reserved! Thanks Don and Nonie for treating us out... Emil will be BBQing at home for you tomorrow night!




Don and Nonie arrived shortly after John and Ronda and their golf buddies, Pat and Doug. Then Deb and Ashley joined us on the deck for HAppy Hour. It was good to have Don and Nonie back after so many years. They were up to Trail for a big Legion function and then came out to Ainsworth to soak away for a few days. Tomorrow ,they will return to spend the day with Emil, then overnight at our place... Our pleasure to have them.



Ok, this is a demo with the new Panasonic DMC ZS3 12 x zoom that Emil bought me when he was in Vancouver... Lucky that I didn't buy one here before he returned! It is the top selling camera at the moment... why? So many features and yet so small,and then there is that huge optical zoom,and a nice 25mm wide angle! So far, I love it!




This is taken on the Macro setting... a pic of my little bumble bee iris that survived the transplant.





A few flowers from my flower pots. Not so sure about this one. It looks a littel washed out.

A stream, just up the road from us. This is using the "undewater" scene mode.

Miss Mallard came to vist me near the garden this morning.

Looking up the lake around 5:30 am.

My poppy, about to burst open... and it did, by later in the afternoon.


looking up at our house from the garden.

"The Creator"

Look at My Girls!

Sonia dn Kaleigh while on Kaleigh's birthday trip to the USA

Sonia looking nice and tanned...like she has been in a foreign country

This is a cute pic of KAleigh, don't you think?

Kaleigh with her best smile on...You look beautiful! ( and all grown up!)
Love you all so much!


"The Creator"