Playing in Penticton

Skaha Lake

We've just gotten home after spending three nights in Penticton with our very good friends, what a blast!  The first thing we did was go to Skaha Lake where we all spent time when we were young and so it was fun to reminisce.  Gary and Gina's summer place is a few short blocks to the beach and it took no time at all to pack up the vehicles with floaties and set up our beach camp.

It's nice to have a friend who'll tow you in...

The sky was quite smoky but the water was still beautiful

Seniors football on the beach??

After spending time at the beach we decided to go home and have lunch, rest out of the heat for a while and then go float down the Canal.  About an hour down the canal Gina's floatie started to leak so she was slowly going under water!  Quite the experience - and little did we know that the water level was so low that it took twice as long as it should to go from one end to the other.  After 2 1/2 hours of pretty slow travel along the water we saw some steps up out of the canal so we took the opportunity to bail, and we walked back to the parking lot carrying our floaties!  It was fun though while it lasted, Ken even got off his tube and towed us for a while - although it was pretty hard for him to get back onto it.  :)

Wine Tasting

A trip up to wine country wouldn't be complete without sampling the wares of at least a few of the local wineries.  We split up for the tour, guys in one vehicle and gals in the other.  The guys had the itinerary and we followed them, that made for an interesting drive...  We did manage to hit a couple of the ones we were planning on stopping at though so that was good.

Here at the Serendipity Winery Gina was even able to purchase a wine barrel (an empty one!)  Between our various winery stops we managed to fill a few boxes with our favourites, we are all quite diverse in our tastes.

Kettle Valley Train

Gary mentioned that there's a 90 minute round trip ride on the Kettle Valley Steam Train that's just north of Summerland, so we decided to try it out.  Yesterday morning we packed up and headed there for a ride in one of the three open-air cars, I'm so glad we went.

The open air car is the only way to go in summer

The views of Prairie Valley farms were amazing

Trout Creek Trestle Bridge

The trainmen are all volunteers and you can tell they love what they're doing.

Dirty Laundry Winery & Bistro

On our train trip we went by the Dirty Laundry vineyards and bistro high up on the hill, it's Gina and Gary's favourite spot and once we got there we understood why.  The bistro area is beautiful; the trellis ceiling with grape vines growing overhead and baskets of flowers everywhere were amazing.

Entrance garden to Dirty Laundry Bistro

We're so grateful to be able to spend time with great friends in beautiful places like this!  It's exactly six months until we're all in Hawaii with more fun and adventures to be had....

San Francisco - Mother / Daughter Trip

July 5 - 9, 2018

Thursday: 

Every once in a while I get a great idea, and I must say that this was one of them - Jen and I taking a trip to San Francisco in honour of her 40th birthday.  We flew from Bellingham the morning of the 5th, stopping briefly in Seattle and then arriving in San Francisco mid-afternoon.  We took the Bart train to the Powell St station and from there it was a two minute walk to our hotel, the Parc 55 Hilton.  After checking in we headed over to the Powell-Hyde  cable car turnabout which was nearby and got in the long line-up to get on for a trip up  Powell Street.

Little did we know that if we'd walked a block or so up the street we wouldn't have had to wait.

There's lots of rules about riding the cable car, and it is kinda scary how close people come to hitting the mirrors of parked cars while they're riding on the outside ledge of the street car!  The cable car brakeman have nerves of steel I'm sure, there's lots going on...

We got off at Fisherman's Wharf, walked around the whole area just watching the vendors and buskers, then found a place to take a break and have something to eat.  

View of the skyline from Pier 39

Alcatraz

Friday:

We slept so good, then got up and figured we'd get a little shopping in since the Westfield Shopping Centre was close by, as well as Nordstrom, Macy's, Ross's etc, who could resist?
Jen was looking for shoes and we definitely had a good look at what was available and she eventually found some.  We also saw some pretty amazing specialty shops, including sweet treats.

I love this signpost with the distances of famous world cities from where we are staying here.  (There was a similar one in Paris showing distances from there to other Grand Slam and famous tennis tournament venues)


Saturday:

Our destination was the Golden Gate Bridge, so we eventually figured out where to catch the local bus which would take us to the other side of the bridge and drop us off.  From there we walked across the bridge - cyclists mainly on one side of the bridge, walkers/runners on the other.  It was bright and clear, blue skies, and on the bridge it was windy but refreshing.

Research on TripAdvisor suggested to take the bus across the bridge, getting off at the stop right at the end of it and then walk back across it - it was the perfect plan for us.

And we're off!

Half way mark

We made it across

The Round House Cafe at the end of the bridge was a great spot to stop and have a coffee and a croissant, and then wander through the gift shop at the Welcome Centre nearby.

Blue sky, sailboats on the water, the Golden Gate in the background - perfect.


Sunday:

We started out the day with a bit of shopping, then went on a long walkabout - the sights included classical row houses, beautiful flowers, a crooked street (Lombard St), Ghiradelli Square, and lots of interesting sights and people along the way.

Cable Car Museum

Cable car system

It was kind of interesting to see how the under-workings of what makes a cable car go so we popped in there on our way by.

Lots of up and down....

 We made it over to Lombard Street, with it's eight switchbacks people that drive down take it very slowly...Jen and I walked it along with many others, stopping to take pictures of the thousands of hydrangeas that border the roadway and gardens.

View from halfway down

'Go Car' - available to rent

View from the bottom of the street up - you can barely see the roadway with the 8 switchbacks, it just looks like a beautiful garden from here.

Ghiradelli Square

This was a happening place, lots of people sitting in the square by the fountain, locals walking their dogs, wandering in and out of the shops, and of course eating delicious Ghiradelli chocolate and ice cream treats.  We had a mid-afternoon lunch in the sun there, a great resting spot before we carried on up to the Fishermans Wharf / Piers area.

All along the main promenade there's lots to see and do, from the street buskers to the shops, the marina, and just people watching.  

Interesting way to see the sights...

Double decker carousel

There's something for everyone in San Francisco; even a staircase that plays musical notes when you walk up it!


Tonga Hurricane Bar in the Fairmont Hotel

We had heard that Tonga' was a tiki themed restaurant in the upscale Fairmont Hotel so for our last evening in SF we thought that would be a great place to go.

Jen was riding the cable car up there hanging onto the outside

Tonga Room - the band was on it's own little island in the 'lagoon'

Mai Tais for two

We had an amazing trip, with memories and laughs at situations we will never forget;
A naked man trying clothes on in Ross, our naive server/bartender/manager/dishwasher at Alioto's, a guy on the street telling Jen how lucky her husband is, an amazing topknot, an entertaining bus driver, free beer, the dozens of shoes that were tried on, and the fun we had at the Tonga Room (Steve Martin dancing will not be forgotten!)  I'm looking forward to our next adventure already......

Whistler - June mini-vacay

1 Night - 2 Days

Not every holiday has to be long and planned out far in advance.  Our friends of over 40+ years were in Whistler this week so we definitely wanted to head up there and catch up with them.  Yesterday morning we left home early and got there right after lunch - just in time to change into swimsuits and lay by the pool and catch up with them of what's been going on in our lives.  There's nothing quite like connecting up with old friends...

Today we decided to go to the top, there's lots to see and do up on Whistler / Blackcomb mountains so we took the Peak 2 Peak.

The temperature up top was considerably cooler than down in Whistler Village, after a couple of hours we took the leisurely gondola back down and sat at the Longhorn Saloon and watched the mountain bikers come down off the hill.

 We've had a great time, next time we come back we'll stay longer!