Thursday 30 th April 2020..Day 75!!!

Rained most of the morning and I just messed around at home before going to pick up Little Bluey and then off

To Eric’s where five of us had our own lunch and just chatted whilst keeping up social distancing....always nice to visit with the poker guys and their spouses!!

This afternoon took Boomer for a walk around Long lake...

The lake is used for most of the rowing clubs and there is a nice path around part of the lake...

In the summer it is normally crowded as there is a small beach and nice clean swimming water...

Heather cooked a lovely steak dinner, thank you!!

It is Captain Tom’s 100 th birthday today..

If you have not heard of him please Google him and read his wonderful story it will bring smiles and tears to your eyes!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Wednesday 29 th April 2020....Day 73!!

A little different day today...this morning I took Boomer to run around the off leash wooded park near the house!

He enjoys it here and still manages to find a huge stick...

My car insurance expired yesterday and I was supposed to be in England and the car was going to be gifted to Zach but of course things change, so I re insured the car, Zach will still get it when I leave, but Little Bluey needed an oil change so I drove up to our favourite mechanic and left her with him and walked the 11 km home.....

A good walk and a couple of shots on the way..

Spoke to the oldest Pearson boy today....my Dad’s Brother, Bram, who is 93 years young!!

He sounded very upbeat and told me he was doing really well...

This was taken two years ago!!

This shot is of Lisa and Bo a few days before they left for Portugal, rest in  Peace Bo!!

Now a shot from the archives sent to me by Janet....

This is the Salvation Army young people’s band which both Malc and I played in...can you spot us!!!

NO!!!!

Ok here is some help...

Malc in the yellow and me in the red....this has to be maybe 62 years ago!!!

Stay safe and healthy!!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Tuesday 28th April 2020....Day 72!!!

Today was the day Boomer and I went off to find the upper Banon creek falls....

The only information I can find about these elusive falls gives directions where to park and then to use s GPS to bush whack your way to the falls.....

On arrival at the parking place listed I found out there was no cell service.....this shot is taken from the Internet ..

We were out literally in the middle of no where...

I went up a very small dirt logging road and did find something that looked like a path, sort of...

I could hear the falls so I knew I was close...

I do have a tendency to not pay attention on trails but this time I made sure I knew which way I was going and looking for certain trees to remember....

After about twenty minutes we did bush whack and find a way down to the falls...

To get to the bottom I would have had to get down this bank and with the rain and slippery undergrowth I just did not consider it a smart thing to do...

So these are the best views I could get!!

Gave myself my very first haircut tonight...

..

It was hard to do....a nice shave and this is as good as I get!!!

Congratulations to Ashley!!

So this isolating is hard...

Here I am in my Lazy Boy recliner watching news on a 65 inch TV.....looking out on the ocean, mountain views on the mainland.....

Then these guys come for a visit!!

I lost a close friend yesterday.......long time readers will know that every Tuesday Gracie, Lisa and I went to our friend Bo’s house to play Mexican train, it had become a tradition......

Months ago Lisa and Bo, who are just very good friends decided they would give up their lives here and move to Portugal.....they went through all the paperwork and we said goodbye to them a week before I left SMA.

They had an apartment and were just starting to get out and see some of the country.

Very sadly Bo had not been feeling great and yesterday morning Lisa found Bo had passed away....they do not think the virus was involved but will do tests....my thoughts go out to all Bo’s friends and especially to Lisa!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Monday 27th April 2020....Day 72!!

In what used to be the normal world tonight I would

be boarding a flight from Vancouver to London to visit family friends and finally go to Paris to watch the French open......

INSTEAD

Do you think he is ready for a hike or is he saying not again please!!!

I took Boomer here....

This is a lovely recreational lake about seven minutes from down town.....we have been before but it is always a good hike around..

Boomer loves the water, I guess you would if you are a Portuguese Water Dog!!

Beautiful forests...

Lake views....

half way there!!

Not much of a waterfall I know!!!

Part of the trail goes below a housing development!!

A great work out......and sunny skies!!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Sunday 26th April 2020....Day71!!!

Today is day 42 of my self isolating...that is a long time!!!

Boomer and I headed off South Island to the town of Duncan where we delivered a small birthday gift to my long time friend Sara, who is celebrating a special birthday today......hats off to Sara she is a remote location Nurse who is heading out tomorrow to go to a remote First Nations town in Northern BC for a month!!!

Boomer and I then found this trail head...

We headed off up hill into the forest..

Boomer loves his sticks...this was a big one..

But this was even bigger..

Spring flowers..

We eventually came out on the ridge with amazing views of the valley and this cross..

History of the Cross

This info was kindly provided by Maria at Providence Farm, her father welded the cross…

Originally, a wooden cross was put up on Tzouhalem in 1976 by St. Ann’s Catholic Church (Able Joe) and St. Edward’s Catholic Church (Cliff Pascoe). The cross was put up as part of “ecumenical” celebrations – part of Easter/Good Friday. Each year many people hike to the cross stopping to do the “stations of the cross” on the way up as part of the Catholic Easter celebration.

The wooden cross was repeatedly vandalized (burned/cut down), so it was replaced with the metal cross in 1988 (approx date). Maurice Dupont, a welder, made the cross in Crofton, and 3 members of Knights of Columbus, as a group, got it up there. The group included Jack Pearce, Peter Cain and Oly Bar. They drove up the mountain as far as possible then carried the steel and cement in the rest of the way. The picture above was taken after the final cementing was completed

There is also an old legend:

Chief Tzouhalem, a vicious, warring and grossly disfigured Chief, would hide out in the caves that are in Mt. Tzouhalem before and after a raid. Legend says that when he tired of his “wife” he would take her up to the point where the cross is, and throw her off – then he would go and “take” another wife. It is rumoured that he had up to 40 wives though when he was killed in 1859 he had only 14.

One story suggests he was exiled from his tribe for killing his fellow tribesmen so he moved to a cave on the mountain which now bears his name.

Another is little grimmer. He and his tribe had planned to take his next wife from a nearby tribe, planned the attack and went to carry it out. Story goes that the tribe they went to attack got word of the plan, and planned their own ambush. During the ambush Chief Tzouhalem’s head was severed. They buried his body somewhere, but kept the head to guard it for some spiritual reasons (to keep his spirit from returning?). Apparently his head is still being guarded somewhere…

I reckon we covered close to ten km a real good workout..

Tonight Heather completed my tax return the deadline is the end of April but it has been extended till the end of June I think...anyway nice to get it completed and I think I shall get lucky with a small refund cheque!!

Spoke to my family in England today and they are all doing well.

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!