On The Bench Blues: Saturday, November 3rd!

Dear Patrick, Thanks heaps for your email and for your photos. Congrats on your meeting Corinne--great Halloween memory. Loved the picture of your black cat and pumpkin--perfect have downloaded to save for next year.

Went to UBC yesterday for a launch of Bonnie Norton's Storybooks Canada website--so impressive and really valuable resource for teachers and libraries--African stories in 18 different languages and at a wide variety of reading levels. All open source code and spinoff projects include Global Storybooks and Indigenous Storybooks. Quite brilliant and very exciting. A whole team of her graduate students have been working on this for several years. I admire her work very much and she has done a great deal on Uganda to do with literacy.

Later attended the Big Sisters Annual Gala at the Hotel Vancouver--lovely affair. Lieutenant Governor Janet Austen attended as she used to be the Executive Director of Big Sisters. As well the woman being recognized this Andrea Thomas Hill started Run for the Cure in Canada in her 20's and Founder of Cause We Care providing assistance to single mothers and their children. http://www.leadingmoms.ca/andrea-thomas-hill/http://www.leadingmoms.ca/andrea-thomas-hill/

 
She is good friends with Trevor Linden and so what they did is he attended and he conducted an informal interview of her -- very well done and a special treat as they both were down to earth and "authentic". Seems rare with people of celebrity status. Anyways I enjoyed the event very much and at the silent auction went a bit mad--not sure how happy Colin is about this as I purchased a Helijet weekend to Victoria complete with a dinner, theatre tickets and tickets to the Royal British Columbia Museum. Set me back but I figure it is all for a good cause and I have wanted to fly in a helicopter from Vancouver to Victoria for a long long time. One way it is 35 minutes.

Anyways it is a soggy soggy weekend. Marlene Asselin is coming over for dinner--hoped Ron could join us but he is still not feeling up to snuff. Take care and have a great week ahead--dried cherries--wow. Sharing your dried apple rings with Marlene this evening. They are so good. Lots of love and hugs
Jo-Anne Hi Patrick Somewhat surprised by your response.  Wild Turkey Longbranch is the Matthew McConaughey blended whiskey you wanted me to try to get for you in Alberta. The price here is $30 less. Colin

Hi "Matthew" and Marps! It isn't that I don't wish to try the Longbranch it's just that I'm not keen on lining-up three days in advance in the expectation that I can find some "gems". Plenty enough hootch, of one sort of another, so readily available that I'm not prepared to "fight" with others, either at special sales events or wine festivals and the like. Increasing age and retirement gives one perspective!!!! [I also refuse to line up. Went in today. They still had 6 Longbranch. Hi again, Colin! I plan to pop by the Commish this week to see if there are any bottles of Longbranch still left. I assume there might well be as I don't think Bourbon is that much of a draw here. COuld be wrong of course, but never in doubt! Cheers, Patrizzio!]

Case in point, this weekend when very good friends, Ruthless and Ricardo, The Squamoids, [They lived in our basement suite at Hotel Kits for seven years and Lady Dar married their eldest, Leah, a year ago in August, who was born while we were in Kits.], arrived on Friday afternoon we had a wonderful time playing bridge that evening. On Saturday we spent much of the afternoon tasting on the Bench, (La Frenz, Little Engine, Moraine, Township 7), and then to Painted Rock before heading to Chloë's place to show them her condo. More bridge and wonderful "blind" tastings with dinner.

Both the Norton website and The Big Sisters Annual Gala sounded wonderful. Interestingly enough, Marlo's workmates raised over $36,000 in this past Run for the Cure, a record amount for Winnipeg! Last report is that all of her test results were very, very favourable so that is such a positive change for Marlo, after many, many difficult and painful procedures. Some light but a day at a time is really all that can be expected, given her chilling diagnosis. Anyway, must away, as Lady Dar is starting to bark out orders. Pleased you enjoy the dried rings. Both Avery and Ashlynn love them as well so you are in discriminating company! Fondestos from Lady Dar, tearing up the boulevard, under the supervision of both Etta and Duke. They love it when we are outside, dashing around, chasing each other and leaves. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Dear friends, Its party time at The Dronkers and we would like to invite you for a happy afternoon on Tuesday November 13th, between 2 and 6pm, to celebrate Aart's Birthday. We will start with the cake and end with a bowl of hearty soup. In between we can drink whatever you like and.... if you are interested, we have a big attraction at 6310 Faircrest Street ... Waterslide for Seniors. Free passes available, only valid November 13th. Looking forward to see you all and raise a glass with the Happy Birthday boy. CHEERS, Jos and Aart. 

Hi Clan Dronkeros! Trust you are both well and that Water-slide attraction is doing a brisk business! I know Lady Dar replied to the lovely invitation but I just wanted to say how much I am looking forward to giving Aarturos "The Bumps" and "A Pinch to Grow an Inch", traditions we followed when children attending a birthday party. The child celebrating the birthday would have a number of friends hold onto each limb and have her or his bottom "bumped" as many times as the age in question, after which the "poor victim" would be pinched to help with growth spurts! I trust their will be many able-bodied attendees as hefting Aarturos into the air might be an arduous task, given his lanky frame!

On another matter, very pleased to learn that all goes well with your recovery from eye surgery, Josinta. We do need you to play Monday evening my Darling, so please don't exert yourself too, too much on that day's hike! Thanks and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hello Vancouver! Lovely to bump into you at La Frenz and then again at Moraine. We ended up at Painted Rock before we stopped off at Sendero Canyon to show Ruth and Rick our daughter's condo there. Chloë lived with us for almost a year, waiting for the unit to be built, before she moved in, mid-August. We'll give you a shout when next in Vancouver but make sure you let us know when you plan to be back in the Okanagan. You are always welcome to stay if you are comfortable so doing and can come and go as you please. We don't feel the need to "entertain" or micro-manage our visitors and when we stay with friends, elsewhere, we want to be able to explore much of the time ourselves. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio!

 

Hello Fartograms, After a successful hike up Peach Cliff last Monday for which we had a (very) large group of enthusiasts, we are going to do another exciting one, i.e. a tourist attraction AND hike. This time under the capable leadership of Tony Cottrell. We will be going to the Summerland Basalt Columns on the west side of Giant Head, and then go up little Giant Head. For those who have not seen these columns, it will likely be spectacular.
 

As usual, we will get together for take off at the IGA in Summerland at 9:00AM. For those coming from Penticton, please gather at the Home Hardware parking lot at 8:40am and carpool your way to the IGA in Summerland. Look forward seeing you all on Monday. Cheers, Aarturos Dronkeros