smile

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

  

Did you know that children laugh two-hundred times each day...

while adults laugh only four?
So they say!

As I sped down the road...

I saw this picture waiting to be taken.

A picture that made me laugh!

He was clearly up to his armpits in a mess...

but seemed quite happy to be there.

We discussed the benefits of joy...

and laughter...

and smiling...

and a good sense of humour...
with friends this week.
They are many.

No matter how deeply we are immersed in the cares of this world...

there is always something to be thankful for.

There is always some reason to smile.
Let's look for it!

Have a great weekend...

just a little something....

I have made some wonderful friends through blogging these past few years.

And I have learned so much from them!

I'm not always so good at coming up with ideas on my own...

but my bloggy friends are quite willing to share.

 And I am a good copykat!

I have picked up many ideas from my friend Judy on her blog...

Just a Little Something For You.

Who would have thought of using antique crystal salt and pepper shakers as mini vases?

And who would have known that the can be purchased for 'peanuts' at the thrift shop?

Judy shared her inspiration a few years ago...

and I began my mini-vase collection soon after.

They make great vases next to the bathroom sink...

or to house a wee rosebud as a gift!

Perfect for fall...

an orange mum or two and a sprig of parsley.

Another idea I borrowed from Judy...

was that of writing messages on a plate.

Choose the plate of your choice...

write a message with a whiteboard marker...

and display on a picture stand.
Change the message to suit the day!

 The message on the plate is for my sweet grandgirlie who turns three today.

She won't be seeing it though...

since she is far away floating down the lazy river in the sunshine with her mommy and daddy.

We'll be celebrating with her next week!

And here's a little something that I saw in a florist display case once...

and thought it was a fun idea I could copy quite easily.

Use an ice-cream soda fountain glass as a vase...

fill with flowers of your choice...

and add two drinking straws to the arrangement.

The soda fountain vases can be found at the thrift store as well...

right near the salt and pepper shaker vases...

and for next-to-nothing!

And those are my 'little somethings' for today!

Celebrating 'Nyla'...

She was born in the Ukraine...ninety years ago.  When others fled Russia in the 1920's...and came to Canada, her family stayed.   During the second world war...she had the opportunity to serve as a nurse with the Red Cross in Poland.  She lost all contact with her family...who had been sent to Siberia.  As the war ended...she somehow managed to escape with the retreating troops...and eventually came to Canada.  She knew not a soul...spoke no English...and was at the mercy of those who took her in.  Coaldale, Alberta was her new home.

She had heard from her parents that somewhere in Canada they had relatives with the last name of  Tessman.  How hard might it be to find them?  You have to know...that with this lady there is always a way!  She took out in ad in a paper that circulated around the country...wondering if anyone knew her long-lost cousins.  My mother-in-law was one of those she was looking for.  My in-laws responded to her ad...and invited her to come live with them while she settled into her new country.  She accepted their invitation...and when my husband was just an infant...Nellie R joined their family.  The name in itself was a bit of a problem since my mother-in-law was also a Nellie...as was hubby's sister.  Three Nellies in one household was just too confusing...and so her new Canadian name became Nyla.  The house was small...but they gave her a room to call her own.  She was about 30 years old at the time...and became like an aunt to my hubby.  Eventually she found employment in Vancouver...but on weekends she always came 'home' to her new family. By the time I arrived on the scene...Nyla had located her family in Russia and was eventually able to sponsor some of them to come to Canada.  Though she now had family to call her own...she was always near and dear to hubby and his siblings.

She celebrated her 90th birthday this month.  We couldn't let that slip by unnoticed!  On the weekend...we (her adopted Canadian family) took her out for lunch...and passed along our warmest wishes to her.  Thanks to my sis-in-law Martha for organizing the party!

After she retired, Nyla spent her days helping others.  She made nine trips to the Ukraine doing mission work.  They know her well at all the local hospitals...where she has regularly visited the sick over the past many years.  She was always willing to drive the 'elderly' to their appointments.  Every September she bakes up a storm for the local MCC relief sale.  She is still in good health...still driving her car...still spending her days living for others.  If you are at all connected to Nyla...you will have been the recipient of her needlework and baking. And most importantly...her prayers.  I'm so glad they took Nyla under their wings so long ago.  She is one special lady!

corn ~ the ups and downs...

A drive through the valley at this time of the year...

...reveals healthy stands of corn around every bend. 

Often 10 to 13 feet high...

this corn is grown specifically for the cattle.

In fact...

corn is the mainstay of the diet for our dairy cows.

On a 'normal' year...

it would be about ready for harvest now.

This year...

it got a very late start due to our wet spring...

and still needs a little time to mature.

As of yesterday...

some of the fields won't get a chance to do any further maturing!

A few storms rolled through our area...

storms like those that normally come in November.

Not far from here...

many of the corn fields lay flattened.

We are hoping our corn is still standing this morning.

If not...

the harvest will be a nightmare.

Oh...

the joys of farming!

a misty autumn morning...

It seems it's not that hard to be up for the sunrise these days.

It's rather a magical time of the day...

...watching the sun come up through the fall mist!

The boughs and blooms drip with the weight of the morning dew.

Though I know better...

the morning fog makes it appear we are alone out here on the range.

From darkness to daylight takes but a few minutes...

...and by the time I had made one round with the camera...

the darkness had fled.

The pink petunias are history for this year...

with pansies and mums taking their place..

We've had family from the Okanagan spending the weekend with us.

It seems they are heading for home today...

after learning that come Monday they would be put to work on the farm.

Smile.

Have a wonderful day!

the taste of fall...

Fresh valley corn...

and tomatoes off the vine...

...are finding their way to the table frequently these days! 

Grilled corn salad has been a favorite over here this season.

Yesterday was rather a soupy kind of day...

and so we had cauliflower cheese soup for supper.

The recipe is on page 54 of the MGCC cookbook.

Plum upside down cake, plum platz, plum jam, rustic plum pie...

just a few of the plum treats we've been enjoying!

And for those of you who were asking about the blackberry cinnamon buns...

here's my easy-peasy version.

Use your favorite cinnamon bun recipe ...

and make up us you would regular cinnamon buns...

using a cup of blackberries instead of raisins before rolling up.

And don't forget to drizzle on the icing!

And here's a great way to enjoy zucchini from the garden...

or from the farmer's market.

Oven baked zucchini sticks.

You will find the recipe over at MGCC today.

And then there are apples...

and pumpkins...

and grapes.

The delights of the season!

Have a wonderful fall weekend...

savary island

Though we have come to the end of the road...

Savary Island, with it's legendary warm water and white sand beaches...

beckons a few miles off shore. 

There's only one way to get there...

...and that is by water taxi.

For a few dollars more...

our bikes can come along for the ride.

Savary is a narrow sliver of glacial sediment...

an island built on ancient sand dunes.

It is about 7.5 kilometers long and 1 kilometer across...

...with one main gravel road running it's length.

There are only a few cars on the island...

with bicycles and golf carts providing necessary transportation.

The year-round population of Savary Island is 100.

Those are the die-hards!

During the summer months there are closer to 2,000 who call the island home.

We rode the entire length of the island...

stopping along the way to enjoy the sights.

We sat at this beach for a long time...

and watched the whales playing not far from shore.

Try as I might...

I couldn't capture them on camera.

As we passed by the same spot several hours later...

the tide was in...

the birds had found new perches...

but the whales were still playing in the same place.

We checked out Savary's church...

inside and out.

We learned that it was built primarily with volunteer labour.

A most welcoming little chapel...

for people of all denominations.!

I smiled as I read the guidelines for visiting speakers...

attached to the podium.

No speaker may take more than 20 minutes.

Savary's gas station!

Everyone has a generator...

and they all need fuel.

Here is where it can be purchased.

This woodpecker put on a concert for us...

and wasn't one bit shy with an audience.

When we reached the far end of the island...

...we found the perfect spot for lunch.

It was mostly just we two...

and the birds.

Summer was over and the island was eerily quiet.

Savary Island...

home to artists and adventurers...

and those who like their solitude.

It's a lovely place to visit on a hot summer day in September.

This girl could never live on an island though!

I'm just saying.

the sunshine coast ~ lund

The end of the road...

...that would be Lund.

Lund is at the end/beginning of Highway 101...

the initial leg of the Pacific Coastal Highway...

which ends in southern Chile...

15,202 kilometers to the south.

We had the name of an RV park in mind...

one that had been recommended to us.

Our GPS took us directly to SundLund By-The-Sea...

though we couldn't really have missed it...

since it was the only one in the area.

The owner came out to meet and greet...

and went above and beyond to welcome us to Lund. 

He suggested we follow the Sundland trail into town...

....and do a walk-about.

First stop...

the tourist information centre.

An old waterwheel put to good use!

Next stop...

Nancy's Bakery to check out their world famous cinnamon buns!

Blackberry cinnamon buns.

Yum!

As you see..

the wasps come from far and wide to check out the cinnamon buns as well.

Since our return home...

I have already tried a copycat version of Nancy's buns...

with fresh blackberries from the garden.

Who would have thought cinnamon buns could taste so good?

The historic Lund Hotel...

circa 1905.

Situated on a magnificent oceanfront setting...

at the gateway to Desolation Sound...

is this beautifully renovated old hotel.

I'd be quite happy to stay there...

if we hadn't brought our home on wheels with us.

We had heard from many sources...

that we had to check out the 'Laughing Oyster' restaurant.

And so we did!

Situated at the tip of Okeover Arm...

some 5 kilometers from Lund...

is a surprise of an eatery!

Our most accommodating host at SundLund reserved our table for us....

and even offered to drive us out...

so we could leave the RV in the park.

We sat at a table with a view...

and watched diners arriving and leaving by boat all evening.

For the first time ever...

I was brave enough to have oyster....

perfectly breaded and served up with a tangy tartar sauce.

We enjoyed a most excellent meal...

in this quaint little building hanging over the inlet.

If you ever visit Lund...

be sure to check out the 'Laughing Oyster'.

Back at the campsite just before dark...

we took another stroll along the boardwalk.

The sunset at Lund...

is a picture I will long remember.

Though we have reached the end of the road...

I have one more spot to show you.

We'll go by water taxi...

tomorrow.

the sunshine coast ~ powell river

Powell River lies on the Upper Sunshine Coast.

What that means is that it takes two ferry rides to get there!

We stopped at a lookout just before we reached the town...

and learned a little about this interesting place.

In the distance...

we could see the glacial peaks of Mt. Washington...

on Vancouver Island.

We also had a little impromptu entertainment provided by a pair of crows...

who were learning to drink from the water fountain.

Across the bay...

lay MacMillan Bloedel pulp-and-paper mill.

It was the first of its kind in western Canada...

and put Powell River on the map in 1910.

We checked it out from close-up...

and watched the logging trucks lose their loads into the bay.

This guy seemed to be having a fun day on the job...

zipping logs around from one spot to another.

The logs are corralled by a most interesting breakwater. 

It is formed by 10 massive floating concrete ships that were built during World War I and II. 

Known as 'The Hulks'...

they form the largest floating hulk breakwater in the world.

The gal at the information centre drew out a bike route for us...

while we explored Powell River.

It included a gravel trail under the power lines...

which we shared with ATV's and horses...

and such.

And suddenly we found ourselves sharing it with a logging truck as well.

It gave new meaning to the term...

'bites the dust'!

The trail ended up in the historic old town site...

which consists of 400 original buildings within the borders of the town's 1910 plan.

It was designated as a National Historic District in 1995...

and is the only one in western Canada.

We picked up the guide to the historic buildings...

and checked out a few.

Our first stop was the 'postmaster's house'.

We chatted with the gentleman working outside...

and before we left he had given us a full tour of his beautiful heritage home...

and his amazing gardens as well.

Across the road was the Patricia Theatre...

Canada's oldest continuously operating movie house.

It was mid-afternoon...

but the door was open...

so we tip-toed around and gave ourselves a tour.

A lovely old theatre once inside...

though it smelled like they all do!

Powell River has several other claims to fame.

It has on occasion been named the 'cultural capital of Canada'...

and for good cause.

It plays host to one festival or another most every weekend of the summer...

and also hosts a world choir festival every second year.

And one more thing...

Powell River happens to be the town with the mildest climate in Canada.

We spent a few memorable hours in Powell River...

and then carried on up the coast.

But first we had ice-cream at the Beach Hut...

a must if you ever visit Powell River.

Tomorrow?

Lund...

the end of the road.