We spent a week in Penticton and just got back. It is VERY smoky there, but we went on with our holiday plans nevertheless. You can't let thick smoke and an acrid stench stop you from having fun when you're on a vacation. It was pretty bad with all the lovely views of the lake and the vineyards and the hills almost completely obscured.
We have developed a bit of a tradition in going to Penticton in the summer, so even this summer of having to have the roof repaired saw us making our way there. We stay at the Best Western Hotel on Skaha Lake Road (no advertisement here, just that's where we always stay). It is part of the fun. It is an old fashioned kind of motel place, with a big grassy courtyard and the two story hotel surrounding it. There is an outdoor pool (for someone like me who can't stand the idea of swimming indoors!) and an indoor pool and hot tub, a bunch of nice barbecues and picnic tables in the grass (and we cook there every night) and breakfast is included, so even if you have a teenager who never gets up before 1 p.m. in the summer, he drags himself into the breakfast room for a waffle at 9 o'clock. In the evening, after we eat whatever we've barbecued, they show a movie outside -- sometimes it's a good movie (they showed "Finding Neverland" which was interesting) and sometimes it's a silly movie (like "Herbie Fully Loaded" which my son watched a bit of but wasn't able to remain focused on with the lure of the pool).
We always go to Loco Landing which is a little amusement park near Okanagan Lake. We play mini-golf (I got a hole in one -- sheer fluke) and the adults (this time, my friend who is the mother of my son's friend) go on a wine tour while the boys frolic at the amusement park. We have always drifted down the channel, but this year, my excellent swimmer son didn't want to go, so they went to this giant raft out in the lake which looked a bit like a huge bouncy castle -- it had a trampoline and a climbing wall and a jungle gym and a number of slides and looked like fun if you like that sort of thing. (I am a complete physical coward, so I can't imagine wanting to do any of it, but I could see why the boys would want to.)
We spent time at the beach just lolling around and reading and splashing and swimming. We ate and drank to our heart's desire. It was a very pleasant and relaxing time.
On the last day, we went to see the National Geographic Photo Ark -- beautiful photos of a huge variety of animals from all over the world -- which was being shown at Liquidity Wines in Okanagan Falls. The photos were inside the winery and also outside in the vineyard and they were gorgeous, and poignant, because they tell you what status the animal is in, like whether they are endangered or not, and of course, many animals are endangered, because of loss of habitat, climate change, overhunting, depletion of the resources that they depend on -- things that our species has caused. When you look at the thick smoke outside your window, you can't help wondering what that does to the bats and birds and insects and frogs and all the creatures who can't get away from it.
If you're in the Okanagan, I would urge you to pop in to Liquidity Wines and see the photos. They are very welcoming and it is a spectacular setting and the photos are great. You could even buy a glass of wine or have lunch there to say thank you for having the exhibit for us to enjoy.
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