No Excuses for a Longish Ride Blues: Sunday, June, 11th!

The great vice of the present day is bravura, an attempt to do something beyond the truth. -John Constable, painter (11 Jun 1776-1837) 

Up the earliest I've been for ages, just a few minutes before 5:00 am, even though the felines were not agitating to go outside. Once I'd released them into the front yard, I set about readying their food and preparing my own mug of java. One of the decided benefits of being up so early is that I could catch the RTÉ Radio documentary broadcasts which play, on CBC's Radio 1, until just before 6:00 am. 
 

I usually only hear these fabulously interesting clips, ["A weekly offering of documentary programming from Radio Ireland. RTE is one of the world's leaders in radio documentaries": 

<http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/>
 
when Lady Dar is away as she cannot sleep when the radio is on, unlike me. I quite often go to sleep with it playing and have wonderful dreams as a result, drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the night. This morning it was:

Documentary on One One Hundred Years of Names

Choosing the name that your new son or daughter will be known as for their entire life is a pretty big decision, in fact it's huge! Every personal name has a story behind it. Sarah Binchy looks at the top 100 Irish baby names and finds a fascinating portrait of a changing country. (2009)

Hi Patrick and Corinne Firstly many thanks for your generous donation❤️
Congratulations to you Corinne on your first wedding ceremony, did you enjoy it? I am sure word will get around and you will be inundated, btw i love the logo on your car! Patrick will we see a logo on your bike😉
 
You mention the weather, well Trevor and I went for a walk along the beach today with short sleeves! Walked 8k in total, stopped halfway for beer, wine, coffee and cake. If we hadn't told you we will be back in Sunpeaks next year with family minus Kirsty and Chris, they want to spend a summer at their new beach home. We will be there from 8th January until at least 25th when Mark and family leave, I was wondering if you are going to be home and would like a freeloader for a few days? Trevor will stay for another 3 weeks after I leave.  
 

Don and Anne have had a terrible year on the farm so far, as just before they were starting to pick the olives we had a major frost and the olives crinkled😰😰😰 My mums sister Olive had a day in hospital yesterday after she rang me to take her as her doctor thought she had pneumonia, all turned out well she has an infection but not major.
 
My friend Julie, who is doing the walk with me, has suggested we start doing regular 12k walks, so this Friday we are walking north along the Linear trail from the city then back into city for lunch. Last Friday I met another friend Chrisp and we had a lovely time mooching and trying tastes in the Central Market, started off with a KI Gin and Tonic, very tasty. Then we tried lots of yummy cheeses, sushi, chocolate, long red grapes, called fingers, grown here in SA. For dinner we had a tasty seafood risotto, then coffee and biscotti! Good job we walked nearly 6k.  
 

I have a wonderful crop of Bok Choy, Garlic, chillies, rhubarb all growing nicely in my veggie plot. Hope yours all grow well! I am reading "The girl under the Olive Tree" by Leah Fleming, about the war in Crete in 1941, can't put it down!
Just finished reading, "The Language of flowers", wonderful read. One of my walking group won 100 of the best books of 2016, she is sharing them around.
Tomorrow, Monday, as it is the Queens birthday holiday, we have Terry and Pauline coming for lunch, I have a curry cooking in the slow cooker at the moment, it smells delish. Must go until next missive. Cheers Tina Xx

Hi Teens! Pleased to help your fund-rasier! Lady Dar quite enjoyed the wedding in Cawston. She was well prepared so not much reason for being nervous. Same went for the second, yesterday, at Painted Rock Winery, a beautiful location overlooking Skaha Lake, quite high on the bluffs on the outskirts of Penticton. Only unfortunate thing was the weather. While it didn't rain, during ceremony, the winds were literally howling out of the N at 30 kph, gusting to 44 kph and it was chilly to boot. Lady Dar couldn't imagine how the bride and her attendants managed as they were all in light outfits. Still, ceremony went off without a hitch and she was back home, pleased as punch, by 6:30 pm

I knew what that the wedding party would have to deal with as I was riding at the time and I adjusted my route to minimize, as much as possible, riding into the fierce head wind. Winery is even more exposed than where I was cycling and Lady Dar was worried that the large, decorative arch which wedding planner had provided might actually blow over on top of the couple as it was swaying, quite precariously, at times! Great way to start out but no catastrophes, although dinner had to be moved inside as light showers started shortly after all the necessary papers were signed.


Earlier that morning we enjoyed the Farmers' Market. Interestingly enough, a film crew was filming and we soon discovered that it was a Hallmark production, Summer in the Vineyard! Will be sending Ayn these attached snaps and will be curious to know what she has to say. We knew that Vancouver had been a regular shooting location for many of their productions in the past but I wasn't aware that they were filming in the Okanagan as well. Makes sense, of course, with low Canadian dollar and wonderful lake/vineyard/hillside landscapes.
 
You sound as busy as ever with your considerable walking and extensive food tasting! Very sorry to hear about olive harvest. Can oil still be produced when fruit is wrinkled? Pleased to learn that your garden is thriving and giving you such wonderful produce. We enjoyed a boisterous potluck dinner on Friday evening, discussing Katherena Vermette's The Break. Next selection, suggested by Lady Dar, will be When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. We would be delighted if you would like to be an Honourary Freeloader in January. We can work out details closer to time of course but it might be great to drive up just before Mark and family leave to have a brief visit with them as well.

Winds have died down so I'm hoping to go for a fairly longish ride today. Will probably head to Summerland as wind is still out of the N but only slightly at between 7-9 kph. and there is very little heavy truck traffic on 97, of a Sunday, so cycling is much more pleasant as a result. Fondestos from Lady Dar, still abed, alack and alas, to you and Trevorino. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: View from Painted Rock when Pam and her friend, Monique, along with Chloë, were visiting, weekend that Dusty died. Yesterday's wedding ceremony was on this grassy terrace, with Skaha Lake behind. Hallmark filming and some of the vendors and buskers at FM. My garlic scapes are ready for harvesting and I'm going out to cut a few for my morning's fry-up!
 

Hello Fingare and Digitale! Trust you are both well. Busy here for the next few weeks before we are off to LA for Alejandro's wedding on July 7th. I will drive down but Lady Dar will fly as her Marriage Officiant duties requiring her to be away for but a week. I will be leaving Penticton on Wednesday, June 28th to collect Sarge in Vancouver. We were wondering if we might insist ourselves on you, for that night. If not convenient or you won't be home, traveling the four corners of the world, perhaps you would be good enough to leave any of the hootch I have stashed at our place, outside, somewhere. We'd like to have the wine for the pre-wedding gatherings, etc. Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll plan accordingly. Thanks. Fondestos from Lady Dar to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Patrick, You and Wayne ( I think that is Sarge's real name) are more than welcome on the 28th. We will both be here and your wine is "untouched" still in the lower level cool room. Our next major trip is in Sept to Europe. I just got back from a week on the east coast for my 50th college reunion. Mike stayed home.

I'm guessing you may need a place to overnight on your way back north. That will be fine as well. We can settle on dates when we see you. I'll prepare an easy supper so we won't have to worry about timing. Till then, take care, Marilyn Sarge, this is what I replied:


Hello Duhlink! Thanks so much for your speedy reply and always more than generous hospitality/flexibility.  Certainly, much, much appreciated, it goes without saying. I'm hoping we can leave Vancouver by 1:00 pm but won't really know until we make it over the Oak Street Bridge. Sarge, (aka as Wayne, you are right!), will call once we are through Seattle as he is very good about this, unlike some royalty I know! [Sounds good. As of now I have nothing on my schedule the morning of the 28th so we can leave whenever you get here. If you wanted to come in Tuesday we might get away earlier. 

Hi Sarge! Sorry we'll miss you next weekend but am sure SF will be a blast! Good suggestion about driving in on Tuesday. Will depend on whether I have accomplished as much, around house, as I need to do, by then, and whether Stefano will still be here and, if so, when he needs to be back in Vancouver. As I think you might know, he will drive back to Penticton with us on Tuesday, June 20th. I'll certainly be in touch closer to departure date so we can plan accordingly. Travel safely. Thanks and Cheers, Patrizzio!]

Going to be busy with our own visitors, almost right up until when I leave. Ragin' Bull arrives this Tuesday, to help with more construction projects, (clothesline stand, three bike lockers), and will leave, with us, to go back to Vancouver on Sunday. Chloë is treating us to a combined Mother's Day/Father's Day present, concert, Bonnie Raitt, on Monday. Back to Penticton on Tuesday, with Stefano, friend from Melbourne, who will be here for a week or more to help finish off above-mentioned projects. 

Flamin' and Sarge, along with Jo-Anne, another friend and former neighbour, will be here to overnight on the 22nd. They will be staying for the weekend at their "fractiional condo" in Ososyoos but don't have it until Friday. If it's Wednesday, it must be Portland! Thanks again. Must away as Lady Dar wants to watch another episode of Orange is the New Black! Fondestos to you and Stay-at-Home-Michaleo, from The Marriage Officiant. Cheers, Patrizzio! Sipping my java, I worked away, answering messages until just before 9:00 am when I set about making my breakfast. Since I knew I wanted to ride at least a 100 km I decided I'd better have enough fuel to see me through this distance. Had steamed some spuds earlier that morning and while they were cooling down, a tad, I went outside and snipped a goodly handful of garlic scapes, using them, once chopped, together with the beet greens I'd steamed the day before. When these ingredients were sizzling nicely , I added the spuds. When they were browned, to this admixture, I put in another couple of heaping ladles of Lady Dar's turkey chili and presto I had rocket fuel galore!
 

Read a couple of chapters of my next Camilla Lackberg, The Ice Child, while enjoying my tasty fare, saying goodbye to Lady Dar, off to Oasis and then a picnic at Manitou Beach in Naramatia after church service. Was ready to roll just before 10:00 am and since the wind sock on Amanda's garage indicated that the breeze was out of the S, lightly, today, as compared to yesterday's horrendous gusts, I decided I'd start with my now, basic starter route: PTC/Lakeshore/Riverside/KVR/Vancouver Ave to see how things felt. By the time I was on Middle Bench I knew I didn't want to fight my way home from OK Falls so decided I'd make Summerland's Crescent Beach my target for the outing.  

Was really pleased with the various dipsy-doodles I managed before making for Red Wing East. Okanagan Lake level has subsided, slightly, over last day or so and I didn't see any sign of flooding as I rode past the dwellings close to the water in this development. Quite pleased to have clocked 40 km by the time I was back on 97. Traffic wasn't too, too bad and I was soon on Wharf Street in Trout Creek. Following my regular route here I came across a "Local Traffic Only" barricade near the intersection of Nixon Rd and Powell Beach Rd so I turned around here and made my way back to Wharf Street, to make a loop to Johnson where I rejoined 97. Knew there was an exit onto Thomber Street and so I rejoined my normal route, first taking a look, beyond Oak Street, to see if the side streets there were, in fact, passable. Turned out they were. I was concerned that sign/barricade I'd seen earlier might have been put in place to prevent cars from exacerbating flooding. Nothing really different feom when I'd cycled here a week or so ago so I knew I could return this way on homeward bound stretch.
 

Did three or four loops of the Landry Crescent/Thomber/Oak/Randall circuit so that I had 68 km on my trusty odometre before I took the bike/pedestrian path to Lower Town. Whizzed along and had logged 75.5 km by the time I was at the end of Crescent Beach. Felt pretty good with distance and AVG by this point, hoping I'd be able to push the AVG above 21 kph on the run back 97. 

Plenty of pairs of California Quail most everywhere I ride, whether near the PTC, or on Naramata or Eastside and I noticed a set of parents, just after I left Crescent Beach, herding about seven tiny, tiny motorized chicks, not much bigger than thimbles, off the road into the bushes. Darling creatures indeed! Had to circle a few times on Johnson, waiting to catch the light to cross the highway but once I was back on 97 it was smooth sailing, all the way back to Red Wing West. Didn't actually need to do a circuit of the development here but decided I might as well since I knew I should start inching my way to longer distances. Would like to hit 120 km before I leave for California and don't have all that long before the 28th is here.  

Knew the wind had changed direction once I was back on Lakeshore so wasn't looking forward to climb up Ellis into it. However, it was only at round 13 kph so I only dropped down from 21.4 kph to 21.3 kph by the time I was back in our driveway. Even beat Lady Dar by a few moments as I saw The MarriageMobile behind me, as I turned into the lane, on White, returning from the picnic at Manitou. Reasonably pleased with ride and feel that my legs should be fine for tomorrow's hike. At least I hope so! Onward!! Fight!!! Cheers! Map and Stats for ride: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1792169031#.WT3DPDSI_p8.email Hello Biblio-Babes and Super K! Thanks, muchly, to everyone for all the delish dishes and vino this past Friday. (Von Bingen, we have your gorgeous plate so if you are by sometime, please pop in. I plan to hike tomorrow so I could bring it if you plan to join group, or you can stop at our place, before or after hike.)
 

Senka very kindly offered to host next time, although I don't think group came up with menu format. At the risk of being too, too pushy, I suggest everyone bring an hors d'oeuvre and/or a bottle of hootch, of choice. Other suggestions are welcome. Please reply to group.

With respect to book, Lady Dar nominated When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi,. Group agreed with this choice so this will be the next selection. Again, meeting time was not settled, as I recall, so I suggest 7:00 pm unless Senka prefers a different time. If so, this will be confirmed anon. All the best for now. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Pot-luck and more!

So sorry I missed the discussion and dinner. I was looking forward to it. Would have loved everyone's insight. For some reason I was sure it was the Monday perhaps because it's been Mondays before. Have marked time and place on calendar so will not miss the next. Not sure if I'm doing the hike tomorrow. Take care. Lou Thanks Patrick. I have no problem with your suggestion of horse dorvs .......7:00 works as well because I am working at the winery on that day, but will await the call.....thanks for a great night Judi Hello from Prince Edward County. We arrived in Montreal Thursday night and went to our hotel in Vaudriel. Great place! Right on the lake. Water levels are high here too. Trees poking out of the lake. Next day packed up and went west to Belleville. Ended up at my brother's place in the county. Saturday we toured around the county. We finished the day with a great meal of salad, roasted beets, and beef roulade, accompanied by a bottle of 1996 Yalumba bush vines Grenache. Today we went wine, spirits, cider and beer tasting. After dinner (Reuben at a local spot), scotch tasting. Then tomorrow we head to Montreal so we can fly to St. John's.

Hi Never-Stay-at-Home People! Didn't realize that you were going to be back on the road so quickly. Nice life indeed! Did the malt tasting include the Kirkland 18 year old which might actually be a Macallan? As you mention, quite a deal!!! How long will you be in St John's? We had a fabulous time there in 2007, when Lady Dar was at CLA. Fondestos from The Marriage Officiant to you both. Enjoy The Rock! Cheers, Patrizzio!
 
You read my confusing note clearly. I did say Yep, I'd love to return w you and C to Penty. The confusion was me-generated re LA. I was speculating that I might go down w you and Sarge if Dave from Glendale wanted me to help w some landscaping. Haven't heard from him yet, but will assume it won't come off, there was only a fragment of conversation w him about it. Meanwhile, look fwd t seeing you both.  At Van Acad of Music last eve we heard the Vivaldi Choir and the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra, lovely concert, walked there n back. You'll be pleased to learn K n I rode sharebikes for a couple of hours this morning along the Arbutus trail, pleasant. 🚵 S

Hi Stefano! Thanks for clearing up "confusing note"! As Harry would say, "It was clear as mud/But if covered the ground/And the confusion made me head go round!" We'll miss Flamin' and Sarge next weekend as they are off to SF! Earlier, Sarge had suggested driving in on Tuesday. Told him it would depend on whether I have accomplished as much, around house, as I need to do, by then, and whether you  will still be here and, if so, when you felt you needed to be back in Vancouver. You are welcome to stay as long as you want, of course, and there will be plenty of work to do but you may well have other travel plans that need to be accommodated. Let me know and I'll plan accordingly. With respect to drive back to Penticton with us on Tuesday, June 20th, should we collect you at your place or somewhere else? We'll be at Harbour Terrace. I'd like to hit the road by shortly after 9:00 am if that suits you. Anyway, let me know what you think as there is plenty of work for foul-mouthed Australian tradie! Cheers, Patrizzio!

 Pat Placzek (1980-2015)
 

Hi All, Here’s hoping you can join us for Pat’s memorial celebration BBQ this year in Vancouver. Like last year, this will be a very casual event: please come around 5pm or later and we will renew our acquaintances and remember Pat. We’ll have some food and drinks so you don’t have to prepare anything. On the other hand, if you want to bring some more food, please feel free!

In keeping with Pat’s style, things will be simple. There will be brief messages from Pat’s family and friends, and we’ll do some chanting (copies of words available at site). Some people will stay late. So just come when you can, and have some fun. It’s what Pat would like us to do. Let’s remember the “forever lovely Pat Placzek”.
 

Pass this message on to others who knew Pat, and even your friends, babies, parents, kids, and anyone else who might enjoy a Friday evening at the park. Location: Same as last year, we will be at the last parking lot at Spanish Banks, right before the road goes up to UBC. It’s also near the giant anchor statue, and the bench dedicated to Pat’s memory (plaque now in place). And not far from where his ashes are scattered. So this is a great opportunity to visit the bench and think about Pat and this place that he loved so much. If the weather is not good (raining), we invite everyone to our house up the hill from there. Hope to see you there! Tip & Jim

Hi Chloë! Not sure if you have already heard about this. If you could attend, that would be great but you may well be otherwise engaged, of course. Love, Dad! Hi Dad, This sounds like a lovely evening and remembering of Pat sadly I've committed to helping Katie with the kids so she can pack and such. Please pass along to Tip and family my loving thoughts, I will send a message to Ellenor (Gales's youngest) sending my thoughts as well. See you soon. Love you

Hi Chloë! I thought you might well be doing something else so understand completely, [I'll pass along your thoughts.], especially if Katie is packing! We sympathize with her as although it will soon lead to a terrific change in their lives, it takes plenty of exhausting work beforehand, as you well know! Give her, and Brian, our best regards and congratulations on their new home, as well, of course. We need a place in Vernon to Freeload so tell them to hurry up and have guest accommodation ready! Love and Cheers, Dad!

Hi Tip and Jim! Thank you for including us in the invitation to Pat's memorial. If it had been at all possible we would certainly have wanted to attend. As it is we have a visitor until next Sunday when we will, in fact, be driving into Vancouver for a couple of nights with Chloë. She cannot attend either as she committed to taking care of the children of a close friend, packing up for an exciting move to a new home in Vernon. She asked me to send along her thoughts of love and sympathy to you both, as do Corinne and I. I know Jo-Anne and Colin are in Newfoundland and I'm sure they are saddened not to be able to be with you as well. For now, fond regards from Corinne and I.  Patrizzio!