Summer Adventures 2008

Here we are – the long weekend that spells the end of another summer. This has been a great summer for Harry and Barb, including a weekend in Chilliwack, a week in Naramata and a weekend in Calgary.
We really started the summer off by spending Father’s Day at the Pier in White Rock with Aaron & Michelle. It was a warm sunny day, and we had a wonderful dinner together and a chance for a walk and a few pictures on the pier.
The weekend in Chilliwack was really a chance to take Big Bertha out to see what we needed (or didn’t need) when we camped with her. We had a very relaxing weekend, unfortunately lots of rain, but we did have the opportunity to walk into the town, and check out a few shops for some special meals. One of the highlights was getting to know the Cooking Ladies http://www.thecookingladies.com/website who were in their even larger motor home in the next campsite. They were doing demos at the Chilliwack Home Hardware.
Mid July we had the pleasure of attending the 80th birthday of our friend Rolf Friele. The party was a great success, and as you can see it was a happy time enjoyed by all.
On July 20th, Barb had her annual High Tea to raise funds for the Weekend To End Breast Cancer. It was a smashing success, with food prepared by Chef-sister Cathie. Everyone had a great time, and the total for the day was over $2500 raised.
We also had an orientation day for folks interested in a trip to Europe in 2010. We had over 20 people in attendance, and now have 18 signed up for the trip – More to come. Check out http://www.rostad.com/ for more information.
On August 2nd we were off to Naramata for the week. The weather was perfect. Harry enjoyed his course in Celtic Spirituality, and Barb enjoyed the time working on the ‘book’ she has been trying to write for over a year. Music resource for the week was Jim and Jean Strathdee, with the help of their daughter

Julie who was working on summer staff.

It was great to touch base with them again, and spend some time with friend Jan Tollefson, and her family. On Saturday night – just after our arrival, we were treated to a Salmon Barbecue presented by Jan’s sister Sue and husband Rendy.

It was also an opportunity to get to know Jean and Eric a little more.

Evenings were spent at on the lawn outside Darryl Auten’s cabin with a growing group of friends. Jan, Darryl and Barb also had several long walks around the town and through the hills around town. It was a wonderful time spent enjoying the scenery and great conversations. One highlight was the display of the Snowbirds.

They were performing in Penticton, so many of us went out onto the pier to view the show. It was great to see them flying down the lake, with their rolls and high spins. We also enjoyed performances from the Gospel Choir that was instructed by by Brian Tait.

For more information on Naramata Centre and their ongoing Capital Campaign, check out the website at http://www.naramatacentre.net/ . There are lots of programs scheduled for the fall winter and spring.
Back to the lower mainland and back to work for Barb for a couple of weeks, then on August 16th we had a wonderful get together with all four sisters and numerous family members at Golden Ears Park. It was a wonderfully warm day filled with visiting, eating and enjoying each other. Some of Trish and Maureen’s grandchildren were able to come, and we all marveled at how much each had grown since we last saw them. We had a great time and promised to get together more often in the future. Unfortunately Barb forgot the camera so we have no pictures!

On the 22nd of August we were off to Calgary for the wedding of Harry’s Godson Karl Schwonik and his lovely bride Andrea Case. While awaiting the plane in Abbotsford, we were treated to a magnificent Sunrise.
The couple and their families are all very musical, with both Andrea and Karl being professional musicians. The wedding took place in Knox United Church, with the reception at the Lynx Ridge Golf and Country Club. All in all it was a wonderful event with an amazing amount of music, fun and celebration. The music included a beautiful processional at the church, an instrumental duet presented by two of the couple’s friends, a vocal (opera) presentation by another friend, and a thirteen piece big band dance bank called Prime Time.

It was a really great time, mind you - by the time we got back to our hotel around midnight – we had been up for over 20 hours, so we were a wee bit tired.
Saturday was spend meeting the Dolha’s who will be traveling with us to Egypt, Jordan and Israel in the fall. We had a great visit, and know that they will enjoy the trip as much as we will enjoy having them as guests.
Saturday afternoon and evening was spent with Harry’s brother Ken, then we were off to the Beatniq club http://www.beatniq.com/ in Calgary to hear a performance of the Brent Mah Quartet featuring Karl on drums. http://www.karlschwonik.com/

It was a wonderful way to top off a great weekend, and to wrap up our summer of 2008.
Next adventure of note: The Weekend to End Breast Cancer – a sixty Km walk through the streets of Vancouver. Barb and her team The Breast Intentions will be making the trek and raising funds for Breast Cancer Research. You can check out our website at http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Vancouver2008?pg=team&fr_id=1255&team_id=49866