Fun in the Sun!

                                                  Summertime is here and we are in Kelowna.

     There are so many things to do that it can be hard to choose but here are some of our favorites:

       1] Boating - this photo is taken on a cruise of Lake Okanagan. It is a really beautiful natural lake almost 60 miles long and surrounded by mountains. Lake Okanagan even comes with a monster - OGOPOGO [sort of a cute version of the Nessie] but we have not seen him yet.


      2] Biking - this photo is taken in Myra Canyon,    

a great bike trail made of the old rail beds that curve around the canyon. To bike it you bike over 17 railroad trestles [yup, sort of scary because you are on a cliff side] and through three tunnels [yup, sort of scary because it is dark] but you have beautiful views down to Kelowna and Lake Okanagan although you are too far away to search for Ogopogo.


     3] Hiking - this photo is taken on Knox Mountain, beautiful hiking trails that curve around the mountain with great pic-nic spots and yes - stunning views [is that Ogopogo in the distance?]. You can actually hike from Kelowna up to the mountain but we just did the easy hike around the edge.

 5] Kayaking - this photo is taken in our personal "yacht" on Lake Okanagan from Kalamoir Beach. Once again, beautiful views but this time of all the surrounding mountains. And still no sign of Ogopogo!

                                                 

So that is how we have Fun in the Sun !!

How do you enjoy summertime?

  

 

Table with a View

    Talk about a TABLE WITH A VIEW??

This is the breakfast table at "A View to Remember" - WOW!  The view is stunning: out over the vineyards to the lake in the background. The guests here tend to spend a lot of time at the breakfast table and then they usually come back in afternoon for wine and chat.
It is such a beautiful place to hang out that it is hard to leave.

   

When Kirk and I do leave,

we often look for a different sort of  Table With A View - a Pic-Nic Table!

 And these are a couple of my top pics: Above we have the boardwalk in Peachland, a charming old fashioned lake town with a path that runs by the lake, stores, beach, ice cream stands. It is really lovely with flowers in baskets and beds and lots of places to sit and pic-nic. PS yes, that is my cute yellow bike with a bike basket just made for a pic-nic.

 This pic-nic table with view is at Cedar Creek Park on the east side of the lake - sort of a remote spot with a beach and some hiking trails. But it certainly does have a view. 

Wine Me Up!

 So by now all of my readers know that one of our hobbies is WINE. To be more specific, visiting wineries. This part of the world has over 100 wineries!!! Too much to taste, not enough time. Kirk has to stay sober for driving and check- in but I can just have a good time. Each winery here in the Okanangan Valley is more lovely than the last and it is hard to pick our favorites but here goes: Above is Summerhill Winery which is famous for sparkling wine - such fun - and of course it's stunning view of the lake.

                                           

My absolute favorite winery has to be Dirty Laundry Winery. It is in a hundred year old "house of ill repute" now a winery, tasting room and bistro. The tasting room is decorated with vintage "unmentionables" and the bistro looks right down on the tracks of the Kettle Valley Steam Locomotive. Of course after lunch we had to take train ride. Well, needless to say, Kirk enjoyed that more than I did!

Here I am at Arrowleaf Cellars. This winery had the nicest sommelier and the best pic-nic spot also some very nice Viogner which happens to be my favorite wine. We stopped here as part of a tour of some of the East Side wineries including the very popular Grey Monk Estate however we really prefer the smaller more intimate wineries like Arrowleaf and there are a lot of those in this area.

One of the best small wineries is Greata Ranch Estate Winery. It is actually the sister winery to the much bigger and not as appealing to us CedarCreek Estate Winery. The deck off the tasting room at Greata Ranch wins best view for sure. It hangs right out over Lake Okanagan with nothing between you and the lake but a great glass of "Peachland White" and lots of grape vines. STUNNING!

                                                               Where is your favorite winery??

Farm Stand

                                                                 I LOVE summer!
                        I love the fresh fruit. I love the fresh vegetables and when I see FARM STAND -
                                    I go shopping....... usually for fruit for the breakfasts we cook.

                             
                          But sometimes I can not resist shopping for myself. Look at all this jam!-
                                                    the strawberry/rhubarb is just delicious.

                               Now this is my favorite Farm Stand ad... it made me stop.
                       The farmer was very friendly but we did not get to meet the wife, DARN!

This is my favorite piece of public art in Kelowna and guess what? It is called 

   FARM STAND         

Where is your fave Farm Stand?

Beside the Sea

You can't get away from it on Lopez - you are always right beside the SEA!

You know that one of my favorite parts of this job is doing "research" so that Kirk and I can give good concierge service to our guests. There are so many lovely places to "research" here and be beside the sea. The top photo is while we were exploring Shark Reef Sanctuary and this one bicycling at Outer Bay.

But it turns out that the VERY BEST PLACE to be BESIDE the SEA is right in front of the MacKaye Harbor Inn - look how happy I am!

Island Thyme

                                             

  Our new home -
LOPEZ ISLAND WASHINGTON   

 Called the "friendly isle", Lopez Island is really a step back in time with charming farms and historic homes scattered throughout the bucolic scenery. We have even learned to do the Lopez Wave because you can not pass anyone without acknowledging them. Soon we will be locals!

           We are currently innsitters at the
MacKaye Harbor Inn . It is located right on the water and surrounded by lush grounds and gardens. From the wraparound porch you can look out over the bay and sailboats of south Lopez Island to see seals and bald eagles.
         Sharing my garden with me is the cutest little deer [hence the big white gate in this photo]. She is welcome to the lawn but we need to keep her out of the herbs and flowers. Every morning I get to go out to gather garnish for my breakfast table and bouquets for the rooms - one of my favorite parts of the job!


Look - how pretty!!

                                 

       

  And this is one of Robin's "peace" roses.
      WOW!!


 What's your favorite flower?

Big Horns, Big Peaks

    WOW!   Look at these guys!  We were on our way up to to go hiking at Guanella Pass in Colorado and had heard that we might see some Big Horn Sheep but never expected to get this up close and personal. We almost got in a wreck - so close that you could see them breathing.
Big Horn Sheep are really very majestic animals and didn't seem at all concerned about being watched. Obviously the one in the middle is posing for the camera - "my right profile is my best side" - he knew he was going to be on the front page of my next blog!

  So, after the encounter with the Big Horns we did drive up to Guanella Pass at 11,000 ft to see some really Big Peaks. The pass is a stunning area with tundra and tarns ringed by mountains including a few of the "14ers": Mt Evans and Mt Bierstadt. It's a beautiful place to go for a walk if you can catch your breath. We hiked up the Mt Bierstadt trail and had amazing vistas at every turn.

                                     

So, if you are driving in Colorado - watch out for the Big Horns and Big Peaks!