Tyrannosaurus Tinka and the Labour Day Blues: Monday, September 4th!

In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy. -Ivan Illich, philosopher and priest (4 Sep 1926-2002)

Happiest of Happy Birthdays, Ayn! For She's a Jolly Good Fellow, Which Nobody Can Deny! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Congratulations and Much Love from Etta & Duke, Mom & Dad! Hello Bridge Folk! Sorry I have not sent this out earlier but have been enjoying the long-weekend! Lady Dar cannot play on Tuesday, but I can. Wednesday, Pam Webster can play but not sure about the rest of you and your availability and/or interest. I would like to play whenever it suits enough for at least one table. With Spiller Folk off south we have lost two regular players until next year! Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll try to cobble something together. We are happy to host. Cheers, Patrizzio!

[Inside - all done pending an extra coat on the trim. Stain still wet, hence the reflective effect.]


Patrizzio, Well, I took the clamps off the last drawer today, fitted it, and even had time to sand and stain the inside of the cabinet.. Looking good! The next time I send photos, will be from my living room! And, I can get back to training for the Little Runnel Run. How are the Ides of Septemver processing? Branko 

So as not too clutter up Corinne's Facebook, I have invited you to be a fb friend. You are lucky as I don't post too much! Check out my post from today though...mural festival on Main Street. Cheers J

Thx Corrine and Patricj for food time, salad and grapes. Only just checking my email now we,re on the road to Rossland. We will miss you both too. Take care and have some fun times until we see you in Feb or March Bye Gill  

Hello to all old farts, Sunny non-smoky greetings from Meggie and Gerd. We are doing a lot of fun things including a bike trip around the Lake of Konstanz: 6 days, three countries, "heavily guarded boarders" (see attached photo) Will be back on the weekend. Gerd and Meggie

Hello Wild, Wild Horses, et al! Thanks so much to Tyrant Tinka and Jumpin' Jack Flash for leading such a wonderful outing to Wildhorse Mountain. One of the smallest groups that I've hiked with but what we lacked in quantity of participants we certainly made up for in quality of terrain and stunning vistas we were privileged to gaze upon. Day did not bode well when we met at the IGA parking lot as air was thick with wildfire smoke. Even Big Bad Al admitted, (later), that he was wondering if decision to continue, under such circumstances, was a wise one. Nevertheless, being six of us, we bundled ourselves into two vehicles, Dorothea taking OK Princess, Eduardo and I while Jumpin' Jack was forced to ride shotgun for the Despicable Dictator!

[Note how the drawers fit now! If you look closely, you’ll see the shims, which will disappear after sanding & staining.]

 

After a false start along Garnet Valley Road when the Terrible Tinkamobile took us onto Wildhorse Rd, into the yard of WM Guest Ranch B&B, [where two friendly pooches, along with their owner, came to greet us, and set us straight], instead of further along to the  Summerland Sportsmans Association Rifle Range, closed until further notice due to extreme fire rating. Parked here and once everyone had their gear we set off. First thing we noticed was the thick pall of smoke, to the north, towards Peachland, generated by the Finlay Creek wildfire. For our part, however, where we were hiking, air was not cloaked, as it had been in Summerland, with any smoke whatsoever. 

This being the case, the outing was really nothing but a delight from very beginning to the end, a little less than four hours later. Terrain, of course, was tinder dry and when we left the Rifle Range the track we followed yielded small puffs of dust, with each step, so bone dry was the fine, exposed soil. Not long for this underfoot, however, as Never Easy Going Al took off cross-country on an extended counter-clockwise loop to scale Wildhorse, our destination for the day. Going was very good and most pleasant up fist small hillside, although many of us had to pick cacti prickles from our boots. First time I've had to remove one, embedded in my calf on a long spine, finally plucked off by Sharon as I couldn't get necessary purchase on pesky thing! She reported that she had had to do much the same herself although her "puncture" was a tad more painful, by all reports. Nasty business if not dealt with immediately. In fact, one persistent fellow was on the way to working itself into my boot, right through the wall of the pretty heavy fabric!

En route to the top of the south peak of Wildhorse, we were afforded gorgeous views of Garnet Valley to the south, offering iridescent greens in stark contrast to the sere of the hillsides we were traversing, and a snippet of gleaming Okanagan to the east. Came upon a number of fabulous fallen trunks, weathered Leviathans, with wind polished, smooth as silk limbs and then an extraordinary, majestic Douglas with a deep scar at its base, the bark there having dropped away to expose telling evidence of a cruel burn, from some past wildfire. Short stop for a bite and a breath, enjoying the views and the welcome breeze on our backs, and then the push to the top of Wildhorse. This is up a dizzyingly steep hill face and I was ever conscious of not leaning backwards, in the slightest, as I took each short, careful step ahead, so strong was the sensation that to do so I would tumble, head over heels, Topsy-turvy, to find myself a pile of ground hamburger at the bottom, if lucky!

For our party of three, Doughty Dorothea lead the way, followed by Sure-Footed Sharon, while I brought up the rear, happy to tred in the footsteps of those who had just chiseled helpful, mini-ledges in the loose, shifting surface of the steepest sections. The closer to the top we climbed, the surer the footing became, especially where hardy grasses grew in clumps, natural stepping stones up the significant climb. Once we reached the summit and its surrounding ledges, I, at least, forgot my imagined terror as I drank in yet more of the simply unimaginably gorgeous views. While our eyes feasted on the sheer enchantment of Okanagan Lake, with its achingly blue surface, and the magnificence of the stark cliffs and hills to the east, we were also keenly aware of the ever billowing smoke from Finlay Creek.

In fact, after we said goodbye to the charming natural Decoy Duck sculpture on a rocky outcrop at the top, where we'd had another stop for a bite and a sip, we saw a helicopter, towing a bucket on a long line, etched against the blue sky opposite us but heading into the murk of the smoke from Finlay Creek. Quite a sight but one wonders just what effect such a thimble-full of retardant can have on such an inferno. No matter, what a job of piloting such a craft in such dangerous, dangerous conditions, while we only had a large apron of jumbled rock to traverse and we were faced with but an easy, rolling descent, through tall weeds or grasses, (over our heads but not uncomfortably dense), at one point, and then we reconnected with the dirt trail we left at the beginning of the hike.

Orchardist Al had very kindly brought along a full box of Bartlett Pears from which he insisted we help ourselves. Delighted, I quickly scooped a dozen or so, knowing full-well that Lady Dar would be more than happy to make a pear pie, or two, [with gluten-free crust, Dear Reader!], from this tasty fruit. Back into our respective vehicles to meet at Granny's for java or juice. Big Al called Jud and he and Louisa joined us, [Wonderful to see them both as I've not been hiking with them for many a month!], along with Jud's son, Tim. I quite enjoyed meeting him and once we discovered we liked to ride the KVR we made tentative plans to cycle from the Trestles in Myra Canyon to Penticton. Hope to arrange such a ride before wet weather starts, if it ever does! Piccolino Jack was also contacted but Overly Demanding Dorothea, our churlish chauffeur, insisted on leaving before I had a chance to visit. In spite of this, a remarkable hike with a fabulous group of friends, even if they are all highly critical of me! Where is Pearly Whites when you really need someone to take all the flak? Cheers, Poor Put-Upon Patrizzio! Map and Stats for hike:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1958964279#.Wa4MJcnnvrg.email 

Hot and dry and smoky, but nice. Al PS. As my favourite hero, James Bond, would say: "Darned it, bungled another one..."
https://goo.gl/photos/Y2FE2scNnfxEGang8 Hi Tyrannosaurus! Fabulous snaps, as always, from The Official Photographer! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hello to all old farts, Sunny non-smoky greetings from Meggie and Gerd. We are doing a lot of fun things including a bike trip around the Lake of Konstanz: 6 days, three countries, "heavily guarded boarders" (see attached photo) Will be back on the weekend. Gerd and MeggieDear Spell-Check Victim! Little Runnel Run? Are you now working on rain gutters having seen light at the end of the cabinet refinishing tunnel?

Più saluti da Penticton! So as not too clutter up Corinne's Facebook, I have invited you to be a fb friend. You are lucky as I don't post too much! Check out my post from today though...mural festival on Main Street. Cheer J