Visitors, Rockies & Calgary

Here I am in Calgary, Alberta. I saw Karen off to San Francisco for her course yesterday. She had a week with me, after the Tea Party (last post). To bring you uptodate.  I had taken Vida to Vancouver to stay with her friends. Then I went and stayed with my friend Sonia in Surrey for a few days, catching up with dear friends with a pot luck on the Sunday and then Monday having a massage by friend Beverley in Tsawwassen, which I always love and enjoy. Looked over their Natural Comfort's new digs - which are great (booked to do a channeling session there in October when I'm next back in Vancouver). After the massage I went and did some appointments and then 'highlight of the day' a swim in the pool, finishing up with a hot tub before heading back to Surrey and Sonia. What a day!  Fun for me. Hot yes, but my car has air conditioning.
Tuesday am I was up super early - 5am - to go to the Vancouver airport to pick up Karen who had flown in from Hawaii, where she had spent three days (she had come from New Zealand.).  Put her to bed at Sonia's while I did some phone consultations and then when she woke up went down to White Rock and showed her where we had lived. Met up with friend Anne and had supper at Cosmos on the beach. Back to Sonia's and sleep.
Wednesday left Sonia's around 8.30am, with all bags packed. I did the scenic tour out to Horseshoe Bay, and back through Vancouver ending up having lunch with Bridget at Los Margaritas, one of my favourite Mexican food places when I'm in Vancouver before leaving to drive back to Penticton. Being with Karen is interesting. She not only had not been to Canada before, but she is studying perfumery, and has a heightened sense of smell. She loved the smell of our firs, cedars and almost anything else. So plants and trees were her fascination.
Arriving back in Penticton, I had my house full. My exBob and his fiancee plus son Rob, Melanie and family where all there.  Great to see them, but I had my wires crossed. I thought they were staying until Friday, so on Thursday I had early appointments booked in order to have the day free for them, but they all left by 10.30am....so my house was empty besides Karen. The good part was I got my bed back, and instead of being on the chesterfield and Karen on the air mattress, we were in beds.  We spent most of Thursday resting and me catching up on the computer.
Friday, clients early am, and then we left for Osoyoos. Friend Suzanne joined us for lunch at the Native (can't remember how to spell its name) Cultural Centre. Well, what a lunch, food like I've not experienced before. A two hour lunch with wonderful phenomenal (expensive) food. None of us regretted the prices at all, because it was super, duper wonderful.  Three courses all magnificent. Then we looked around town and then it was back home to Penticton.
Saturday, am the market as usual, then home with a small sleep and get ready for the barbecue that night. Some people showed up early and helped as Ted and Teresa arrived with their tents and with mine, we had the lawn covered, three tents (it was predicted some rain - which did not come) and so we had a food tent, and people sitting tents. Over 30 people showed up. It was a fun night and then the wind came up around 8pm and so very quickly everything went, tents were down and all was back to 'normal'.  When I went inside the few dishes had all been washed by some washing angel.
Sunday - rest and a huge thunderstorm to wake us up in the afternoon.
Monday, leaving for Golden. I had been looking for this part of the trip for Karen for ages. Had it all planned and wanted her to experience the Rockies. One of the views I like is when you approach Revelstoke and you look out the Rockies are there in the background, looming, inviting saying 'we are here'. Well because of the smoke (lots of fires in BC right now) you could not see through the smoke/haze/whatever it was. So the Rogers Pass was not super wonderful, but Golden appeared and we had some rain and the next morning the wind and rain had cleared most of the smoke and the mountains were visible.
Tuesday. We left Golden quite late, after shopping in the town and then we stopped along the way, in particular Lake Louise, where the glacier is almost gone, sad!!  Had lunch there, a great burger, which was so filling for me, I never got to my salad. Then onto Banff. I said to Karen, I will sit here and read my book, you go and look around. I thought 1 1/2 hours would be enough. Well when she did not come back, thought maybe she doesn't remember quite where the car is, so moved out onto the street, sat on a rock wall and read my book - no Karen. Another 3/4 hour later I saw her and she came up to me and then off again she went. So she had probably around 2 1/2 hours of looking and shopping in Banff, said she really liked the town and could live there (although maybe not when there was snow). Finally we arrived at Deanne's place in Calgary. She had kindly said we could stay.  I was glad to get here, get unloaded, watch some TV and off to bed.
Wednesday. Up and ready (Karen still sleeping) so I read my book -- doing a lot of reading the last few days -- finally Karen woke up, said she had not slept well, and she had her suitcase ready .... in the car ... off to the airport. Dropped her off then I went to the garage, where I bought my car back in May to have them service it. I ended up getting lost a couple of times, finally found it again and sat and finished my book, The Associate by John Grishom (enjoyable). I sat and waited quite a while as the mechanics came back from lunch, and gave my Jenny her oil change.  Then back to Deanne's via a hotel which I'm going to go see 1.30 today. I'm hoping to rent space there in November for my intensive.
Thursday. I have just completed an appointment. Everyone else who was making an appointment with me ended up cancelling or not confirming....so this afternoon I will be off to see the hotel and then tonight there is a pot luck barbecue for me to attend.  I may get some shopping done this afternoon. This is like a holiday. Tomorrow I'm off to visit Eleanor in Trail so the holiday continues for a few more days before I get home to stay (unless something else unforeseen comes along) until October when I go to Vancouver. Strangely, October does not seem that long away.
Anyways, trust your summer is going well. Lightening and thunder can be so fascinating to watch.
Lots of love
Norma.
Norma Cowie
250 490 0654
Email: norma@normacowie.com