Ramblings: On the road ... again

September again and that means Harry and I hit the road for a little R&R. After the epically-long trip last year, we are staying in our own backyard this year -- figuratively and literally. We're spending 2 or 2-1/2 weeks on the road cruising around lower BC. Then we'll hang out at home doing some canning and cleaning up the yard for winter.

We've spent this past week in the Fairmont-Kimpberly area and are now in Creston, BC. We are in search of warm weather. But it seems we are destined to be travelling in cool, cloudy and rainy weather. :-( Tomorrow we will head to the Okanagon Valley where the weather reports promise some heat and sun. The Okanagon Valley is famous for its orchards, vegetable farms and wineries. We plan to get lots of apples for applesauce, some tomatoes for tomato sauce and whatever else strikes our fancy. With all the cool weather this year the crops are on the late side so there is still lots to choose from. And I'm sure the acquisitions will include some nice wines.

Meanwhile, we have had some enjoyable hikes and drives.

We strolled the "platzl" in Kimberly (a Bavarian village):

Made friends with the local bear:

(Funny aside: last week before we left, a friend of ours - David "Bear" Mohr - dropped by. I was in the kitchen with Anthony getting juice and called to Harry that Bear was in the backyard. I gave Anthony his juice and said let's go outside, but he wouldn't. I asked him, "Don't you want to go back outside to play?" He replied, very seriously, "You said there was a bear out there." Yup ... he's at a very literal age!!!)

We've enjoyed evening campfires: