Essentials

All I need is right here next to me. In the morning, in the evening, in the warmth where you lay, the cold, it melts away.

Winter...the Best Time of Year

This video clip captures the mountain culture in which I grew up absolutely perfectly. It somehow conjures up all kinds of bits and pieces of memory and feelings from my childhood. Perhaps it's because for years I skied at WH2O...spent many hours on her powdery slopes watching some of the best skiers in the world hotdogging down her cliffs. Perhaps we weren't quite as hippie as those portrayed in this film, but there certainly were a good deal of VW vans. And all of us experienced fishtailing on icy roads. It was all part of the thrill. And those straight skis! When's the last time you've seen those? We all learned on them.



Bill Heath, a local film maker, spent a good deal of his career learning from the father of ski filmmaking, Warren Miller. Last year I had the honour of viewing his newest film "Nine Winters Old," the stories of random snow lovers and their mountain experiences. The cinematography is stunning and you will see some of the best scenery this area has to offer. See trailer below.

Halbtraum

Dreams take us to the oddest places. They transport us somewhat beyond our conscious imagination allowing us to live experiences that we never dared imagine as is seen in this delightful short animation. Enjoy.

Sacred Waters

A certain magic always hung in the air as we drove past the spotted lake in the South Okanagan. We would hang from the windows of the car with our eyes glued to the side of the road looking beyond, just a ways down the hillside…watching … watching for that magical lake with spots…the Spotted Lake. And the first to see it would cry out, “There it is! The Spotted Lake!” It held us captivated as I’m sure it has many others throughout the years.

The native people in these parts consider the lake sacred and the therapeutic quality of the waters have apparently been known throughout time as far back as their history goes. In fact legend tells that warring tribes once declared a truce in the middle of a battle so that both sides could tend to their wounded in the lake. Throughout history, tribes from all around came for the “medicine” the lake contains. Stories told by these peoples’ ancestors tell of the cures the lake has provided, both physically and spiritually through its medicine powers.

“Its medicinal powers are not to be taken lightly. This Lake is a Chief among lakes, its powers are above the purely physical. It contains 365 circles in various shapes, sizes and depths. Each particular day of the year, anyone who goes to this lake will find the right circle if he seeks.”

I have never confirmed the statement regarding the circles, however, I can say that the lake has drawn me. I feel its pull, the magnetism of its call. Even now, many years later, whenever I drive by, I cannot pass without looking.

Resilience

Even the most fragile wildflower crushed beneath your scornful heel will bloom yet again.

Calm Waters

What we do in life echoes out for eternity...ripples across time, forever affecting everything else from here on in.

It's Time for Tea

We have come upon those dreary days when one just wants to sit indoors with good friends and a cup of tea. Or perhaps one would prefer to take their tea and to snuggle up in front of a fire with a good book. The Chinese have a long history of tea drinking and have much to say about the subject. I thought the I would share a page from the Chinese Tea Reader "Ch'a-Su."

Suitable Moments for Drinking Tea

When we are interrupted while contemplating
During a good conversation deep into the night
When there is a light, soft drizzle
With agreeable friends and slim concubines
When the children are at school
In a bamboo grove on a spring evening
Under unusual rocks.

Unsuitable Moments

At the theatre
While opening letters
When the children are not at school
In torrential rain.

To Be Avoided When Drinking Tea

Sullen servants
Bad waters
Money worries
Large gatherings