Kismet Masala Curry Blues: Thursday, August 16th!

Sleep after toil, port after stormy seas, ease after war, death after life does greatly please. -Edmund Spenser, poet (1552-1599) 

This morning we drove to Oliver to have lunch at Masala, fabulous Indian restaurant at Kismet Winery. [Celebrated Lady Dar's 71st birthday there and food is exceptional. Janet helped us plan our 2015 trip to India as she has been there three times. She wanted to take us out to thank us for stay so we thought she would enjoy eating there.] Before lunch we stopped at Church & State, a winery we'd never visited before, although we have had plenty of their wine. The three of us were very impressed with both the Tasting Room/staff and certainly with their wine. Very pleased that we did decide to stop in as will certainly keep place in mind for future visits. 

Janet was certainly taken with Masala and the food. We enjoyed wonderful lunch on patio there and met an interesting couple at next table. Paul is originally from Cornwall, Falmouth, so knew where we had stayed in 2013 when we did house exchange with Gayle and Derek. Driving back to Penticton I was chauffeur to two gently snoring Sisters! Since they had napped on way home I had my own snooze when we were back at Burns. 

When I was up Lady Dar took Janet for a long walk on KVR, from the top of our street to past Vancouver Hill so she could enjoy some of the lovely views from the bluffs there. I stayed to ride my stationary bike and Chloë came for dinner, around 7:30 am, right from work. We enjoyed last of the corn I'd picked up at Saturday's Farmers' Market, Farmers' sausage on the bbq and a tomatoe and Bocconcini salad, garnished with our own fresh basil, growing like crazy. Fairly early night for everyone so we said goodbye to Chloë around 10:30 pm and then went to bed ourselves.

Ryga Arts Festival "Sneak a Peek" @ SummerGate Winery FY attention, we are going. Aarturo & Josinta The Ryga Festival is a multi-day arts festival featuring live music, play readings and artistic workshops, symposiums, and more – all with a connection to – or that are inspired by – internationally performed Canadian playwright, novelist, poet, and Summerland resident George Ryga. 

George Ryga, considered by many as Canada’s most important English language playwright, lived in Summerland from 1963 until his death in 1987. His prolific multifaceted writings includes stage plays, radio, TV and film scripts, novels, short stories and novellas, critical essays, travelogues, music and song lyrics, and poetry.

Most of Ryga’s creative output originated from his home in Summerland, including The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, which was published to critical acclaim in 1967 and remains the best-selling Canadian play of all time. Born in 1932, Ryga was raised poor in the Ukrainian farming community near the town of Athabasca. Despite having to leave school at the age of 13, he soon won a scholarship to the prestigious Banff School of Fine Arts on the strength of one of his very first stories. Considered by contemporary critics to be Canada’s greatest playwright, George Ryga was born in rural Alberta in 1932 and spent much of his life in Summerland where he died in 1987. The Ryga household was always full of music, discussions, poetry and theatre, and the love of language, learning, and expression – and the Ryga Festival continues that tradition.