The West Commences: Spring in Vernon

It’s a dull Monday in Vernon. I have the feeling of being lost in time that I often get after Skyping with Jay, but intensified. Today, he was in his office after having taught his Monday classes and stayed late to prepare tests while I was still bleary-eyed, sucking on an orange and wearing a hoody over my pajamas. Adding to my disorientation is the fact that I’ve also stepped seasonally back in time this week by driving from Victoria to Vernon. That’s actually a good thing, and I’m slowly adjusting to it. I caught late spring and the end of the blossom season on the island and arrived here to find spring beginning with forsythia, daffodils and Okanagan sunflowers just coming into bloom. It’s a transition from predominantly pink to bright yellow. The leaves here are much less green. The Easter Sunday hike yesterday was a good one. It was a sunny day and the temperature rose to 17c. But we did walk through patches of snow on Bluenose.

My visit with mom and dad was better than I had hoped for. They are just able to cope alone in their apartment with help for food, cleaning, bathing, etc. They still get out a bit, but I was happy to be able to drive them to a few more distant spots and on some errands. They watch a lot of tennis, hockey and news on tv and sometimes get overwhelmed by the outside world. There are so many horrific tragedies: never ending war in Syria and elsewhere, a plane mysteriously lost off the coast of Australia and the sinking of the ferry full of high school graduates on their way to celebrate on Jeju Island off the south coast of South Korea. There’s even more violence in hockey than they are used to. It’s all a bit overwhelming for anyone, let alone two people in their nineties. On a lighter note, I shortened pants for both of them; they are shrinking like wool in hot water. Dad, a classic jazz man, looked like a rapper with his good pants gathering in folds around his Adidas. They did appreciate one aspect of the 21^st century while I was with them. We Skyped with Jay and dad had a good chat. He was thrilled to sit in his dining room chair and talk to his grandson way off in Korea about what life is like for him there. As my stay neared its end, I bought and planted the yellow pansies that mom always has on the balcony but was too tired to put together this year. They in turn sent me a beautiful spring bouquet, which brightens up the house.

For the first time, I took Highway 1 out of Hope on the drive home. I was exhilarated at first as I went along the Fraser Canyon and Thompson River to Cache Creek. Then, the rolling hills covered in sagebrush were also a pleasant change from the Coquihalla and Connector, but it became long and tiring by the time I had to pass through Kamloops and drop down into Vernon. I’ll do it again though but on the drive to Vancouver so as to be on the right side of the road for looking down the canyon.