friday's foto wrap-up...

The week is about over...already.

I was just looking through my pictures taken this past week...

and thought I'd post a few favorites.

A bit of this...

and a bit of that!

We had breakfast under this lovely chandelier earlier this week...

at my sis-in-law's table...

in Kelowna.

The chandelier always brings back memories of the many times I sat beneath it over the years...

and enjoyed fine food and the best of company.

It was my mother-in-law's chandelier...

a gift from dad long ago.

First it was in their farm-house.

Then it hung in the dining room of their house in the suburbs.

Then it went with her to her condo.

Eventually...

Martha took ownership and moved it to her dining room.

I've heard say that my niece plans to hang it over her table one day.

I like that...

the the gift of light keeps shining!

The eagles are back in our neighbourhood full force. 

 

I took this photo from my kitchen window one morning...

of eagles gathering in the tree across the field.

I love to step outside and listen to them  'squeak'...

their way of communicating with one another.

And just outside my kitchen window are the wee birds...

feeding at the free buffet I provide for them.

Here's something we haven't had in a long while...

 

...huge smooth sheets of ice on our grass fields...

with grands and their friends having a wonderful time out there!

I pass by this wee cemetery often...

and never really 'see it'.

Maybe it was the snow-capped peaks behind it...

that called me to stop and take a picture.

A peaceful picture...

the Tzeachten Cemetery in Chilliwack.

And those are my picks on this winter's day.

Well, let me add one more...
taken yesterday!

Tennis...
in January.

We are loving this weather.

Have a wonderful weekend!

going the distance...

We heard there was to be a birthday dinner for our brother-in-law John on Sunday night. John was married to hubby's sister until her passing 9 years ago.He will always be family as far as we are concerned!

We decided to crash the birthday dinner...to which we had not really been invited!  The problem is that he lives in Kelowna...which happens to be two mountain passes away from our home in the valley. But the weather forecast looked good, so we decided to go for it. 
 

Somehow we expected bare roads...but up in the pass it seems there is always snow. 

We had a bit of a surprise all our own...at our half-way point coffee break on the trek down. We stopped at our usual Tim Horton's in Merritt, and were about done our small coffees when we saw an old friend enter the restaurant. We knew him well for several decades...he and his wife were in our small group for many years. About ten years ago they moved to a house overlooking a lake in the North Thompson area of our province...and our paths no longer crossed. What are the chances of meeting here in this little mountain community on the Coquihalla Highway? He never saw us when he came in, so we quietly went for more coffee and joined him at his table without invitation. He almost fell off his chair. Our little coffee pit-stop became a marathon as we caught up on what had happened in his life these past years. He happened to be on his way to Vancouver to visit a specialist at the hospital that knows him well...where he spent 85 days last year. Our chance meeting was just the best...but eventually we had to leave for the last leg of our trip...if we were actually going to show up at the birthday dinner. 

The skies were grey...and the snow fell lightly for the rest of the trip. The Coquihalla Connector is not always a friendly winter drive...but it was fine on Sunday. We had compact snow...and little traffic...and listened to Paul Brandt's latest album called Just As I Am several times over. And we sang along. If you like country music...and you enjoy the old hymns like 'It is Well With My Soul'...this one is for you! Paul Brandt is Canada's most awarded country musician of all time.  A great singer, a nice guy, and one who uses his success to point people to God.

We crossed the bridge to arrive in  Kelowna just in time for dinner...wonderful Chinese cuisine. I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you how old John is...but let's just say that our my kids remember celebrating his 50th more than 25 years ago. Here's the thing...we brought John a card and our 'presence'. He sent us home with a box of apples from the family orchard when we left for home. And that is how it has always been. We have enjoyed the 'fruits of his labours' over all these years. We wish him many more 'happy birthdays' to come!

We spent the night in Kelowna...where it seems we have a spare room (thanks, Martha!).  After enjoying a lovely post-birthday breakfast in the morning...

 
...we made the trek back over the hills from whence we came.  It was a lovely drive!

I actually would recommend  'driving' the Coquihalla n winter...if I can sit in the passenger seat with my camera! 

I would also recommend washing the car after!

Enjoy the weekend.

this old barn...

Erected more than a century ago...

 'the barn' was the prominent feature on the farm when my family purchased it in the fifties.

It was an old stanchion barn...

red with white trim at the time.

The old barn has seen many changes over the years.

In the sixties...it got a new metal roof.

Then it was clad with metal siding..

turquoise in colour...no less.

The stanchions were replaced with comfort stalls and a milking parlour.

A few children fell from the hayloft over the years...

and lived to tell of it!

Ten years ago...

'this old barn' became the heifer barn...

after new dairy barns were built.

But new barns don't have hay lofts!

And hay lofts are a lot of fun!

Ask my grands.

The hayloft became one giant playroom...

and 'critters' and Barbies alike could be found lounging here these past few years.

 

Forts were erected here and there.

This is where they spent many an hour taming the wild barn cats.

Kids are good at that!

The old barn got a new look again some 10 years ago.

It was made into a drive-through barn...

in order to feed the animals more efficiently.

That required removing timbers and joists down the center...

the entire length of the barn.

These timbers were beautiful British Columbia fir...

one hundred years old.

What would become of all that old wood?

As it turned out...

we were in the process of building a new house...

and decided to use the re-claimed wood for the floors of the main living area.

We loaded it all up...

and took it to Canadian Heritage Timber Company...

where it was cut into wide planks of varying widths...

 and sanded to bring out the rich and distinct character and patina of the wood. 

I was a little nervous when I first saw the floor boards with all their holes.

But after eight years of walking on our old barn floors...

we are still liking them!

The fireplace mantle was made from one of the timbers as well.

And so a piece of history lives on in our new farmhouse.

I'm sure the old barn has many stories to share from the 'good old days'...

but there is one story that is quite new.

And unique!

Several months ago, Mike (who works full-time on the farm)...

asked if it would be OK if he had some photos taken at the farm on his wedding day.

Why not?

We weren't around during the photo shoot...

and had no idea what kind of photos one takes in a barn.

Now we know!

 

At Christmas...

we were gifted with a lovely album of wedding photos...

put together by Corina.

 

My favorites are those taken in the hayloft of the old barn!

(My apologies to them for the poor quality reproductions.

Since my scanner seemingly does not work with my new Windows 8 operating system...

I resorted to taking pictures of pictures.)

The old barn still stands strong.

It has changed its colours once again.

I now live across the fields from the farmyard...

and don't visit the old barn too often these days.

My siblings who once worked and played in that barn...

all got a piece of it as a keepsake as well.

Most got a board with coat hooks.

One has a barnwood floor rumpus room.

If the barn owls decide to use the nest up in the rafters this spring...

I'll likely go up and take a look.

Until then...

that's it for tales from 'this old barn.!