It’s Victoria Day, and I’m celebrating some little
victories. The Sunday hike was a
success in spite of the fact that I awoke at around 4:00am to the sound of
rain. At first I was elated
because that’s exactly what the plants in the Okanagan need, but by the time I
returned from the bathroom, I had remembered the Sugarloaf hike. I went back to sleep and awoke at 7:00
to continuing rain. I got up, and,
in between phone calls from people asking what was happening, ate breakfast and
got ready for the hike. I told
everyone that hikes are cancelled only if the people who show up at the
municipal parking lot make that decision.
Walking to the meeting place with my umbrella up, I was wondering who
would be there, although I had a pretty good idea. And I was right.
Eleven of the dependable regulars were huddled under umbrellas. There was one new woman among
them. We decided that as we were
in for a nickel, we might as well go in for a dime. By the time we got to the trailhead, the rain had almost
stopped. After ten minutes it had,
and the rest of the hike was dry, except for the path itself, which the rain
had transformed from grey dust on Wednesday to chocolate mush on Sunday. We had some humorous slips and were all
muddy by the end, but we laughed a lot and agreed that we were glad we had
carried on. The rest of the day
continued in that vein. Jay and I
had our usual good chat, on Sunday night instead of Monday morning, and mom was
feeling in pretty good shape when I talked later with her.
I phoned Barbara and Terry today. Barbara’s back continues to be painful, so she and Terry
were watching the Victoria Day Parade on tv, instead of on the street as they
usually do. I will be able to stay
in their suite from June 4 to 14, so I will visit mom for her 94th
birthday on June 7th.
It’s not all good, but it feels that way today.
Colin's picture of the Sugarloaf gang. I think he brightened it a bit so you could make out our faces
My photo from another lookout at a more grey moment
Galls on a juniper on Sugarloaf. I hope my Spartan doesn't get these.
Iris from the yard that fell under their own weight
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