Deja Vu

 

Sorry for the poor arrangement of photos but 'Blogger" does that every so often and I cannot move the photos around.

 

We took a day trip to Keromeos on Sunday to 'get out of town' and to purchase some cherries. It was a good trip, overall, and our objective was achieved. We even found a few Saskatoon Berry bushes on the Old Hedley Road. By the time I thought of photographing the purple ripe berries, I had eaten them all and there were only these red ones to photograph. These were the only wild berries I ate as a kid. We would scour the country roads for them, pick for hours on end, and then my mother would bake a pie for us. Every time I bite into one of these berries, the nostalgia overwhelms me.

 

 

 

 

 

Every few years we take the Old Hedley Road, either east or west, and always enjoy the fresh view of the river valley east of Princeton.

 

Monday morning we got to work to can most of the 50 lbs. of cherries we bought at our favourite orchard on the Upper Bench Road in Keromeos. They had been picked only hours before and they were fresh and ripe. Plucking stems, sorting out the very few bad ones, and canning them was an all morning project for busylizzy, mostly. I was able to help but I had a major setback in my battle against gout.

 

Here is the story. We get the cherries because over the last year, I have had the occasional bout of gout. (I like the sound of that) On Sunday I ate at least several pounds of cherries. These are Vans and they do not at all cause an adverse reaction in my digestive system. Eating cherries in the past has always given me very quick relief from the painful gout so I should be good, right? I had a hamburger (beef, which I am supposed to stay away from) on the road and that is the only thing that might had triggered the gout. But all those cherries??

Anyway, at 3 am on Monday I awoke from the pain. I have been eating cherries ever since.

 

This was our first trip together, to the Okanagan, since we stocked up on apples last September. I blogged at that time about the traffic tie-up we had between Hope and Chilliwack. Wouldn't you know it. It happened again. It was at almost the same place on the highway and the time spent was almost as long. The Rosedale overpass was barely visible in our rear-view mirror and it was highly entertaining watching the vehicles try to turn around on the two lane highway and then proceed the wrong way on the shoulder, only to wait in a traffic tie-up at the overpass as they thought they would motor through Rosedale and back onto the Freeway. We stuck it out and it was fine, even though we were quite low on gas.

 

The traffic was very heavy, as it is every weekend, and we do not usually travel that way on the weekends. We were reminded again why. We also wondered if the newly raised speed limit was a contributing factor to the big truck roll-over.

 

On a side note, our peas from our garden are delicious this year. We have a bumper crop from one small row (maybe 8 ft. long)and we harvest this much every day. Yes, we are entering the fresh local food season.

The Challenge

 

I have been asked to install vinyl wall covering in a few strange places over the years. One of the most unusual was one that I turned down after much thought. It was a very expensive yacht, under construction, and the owner wanted real snakeskin applied to a bulkhead above the master's bed in the master suite. I seldom turn down a challenge, but because of the price of the skin and because the surface was both convex and concave in its contours, I decided that the skin was not flexible enough to accommodate both directions of curvature.

 

Motorhomes are also a challenge and I have done a number of them over the years. A few weeks ago I got a call from an elderly gentleman who wanted me to come to his place in Chilliwack with some samples of motorhome wall coverings. I do not carry samples and thought it best that he peruse the local paint and wallpaper stores and chose something, then give me a call. Many phone calls later, he said that he had bought some marine grade vinyl and would I come and hang it. I  was not sure what it was that he had, and told him that perhaps he should get someone local and it would be less expensive for him. I had to charge gas and time because the job sounded quite small, according to his description.

He then offered to drive the motorhome to my house on Sat. morning and I could do it there. I consented as then I would only charge an hourly rate and I would have any tools and materials that I would need, at hand.  

 

 

As it turned out, what he had purchased at great cost, was a strip of upholstery naugehyde. I thought it might hang like any other vinyl wall covering and proceeded to make my first cut. I have razor knives that cut through anything, and eventually my blade did cut it, but I had to exert so much force on the knife against my straight edge, that when the blade jumped over the edge, it came straight at my finger and sliced the tip all but off.

 

I have cut myself many times with these blades and like always the cut was so clean that there was not much pain, and blood only came later. I bound it tightly and continued with the job. The length of his purchase was inadequate so I had to make a few splices, but when all was said and done, it looked very good and he was happy with it.

Since then, I have been discovering the 1000 uses of the tip of my index finger, since deemed irrelevant. It is only Monday and it is healing nicely without stitches and very little discomfort. I now know that I do not like to hang upholstery on walls.  

How I Spent My Saturday Morning

 

Paul's wallpaper arrived on Friday and his furniture was coming in a few days, so we spent our Saturday morning installing the wall coverings. Here we have an 11' high alcove in the dining room where we hung a very beautiful and luxurious shimmery gold patterned non woven fabric backed wall paper. It was very custom, ordered only by the lineal yard, and each panel was 38" wide.  

 

 

 

It matched the exquisite draperies and the faux finished heavy crown mouldings. The heavy piece of dining room furniture will look great in the alcove now that is not a plain painted wall.

 

Then it was up to the prayer room where we worked with our heads respectfully covered.

 

There were six trim panels that each had to be papered. The wallpaper was 27" wide and each panel was 28" wide which meant we had to have a seam in each panel. How much easier to hang six full width panels than twelve narrow ones but it had to be done. The paper was yellow and gold and had a distinct 3-D look. It really enhanced the room.

 

 

 

One last look at a very beautiful home and the unbelievable chandelier hanging in the curved stairwell.

Canada's Birthday

 

July 1st saw us endure the heat and make our way to the parade route where we witnessed Abbotsford's version of the Canada Day parade. Lest the photos are not self-explanatory, let me comment on each of them and make some general observations.

 

These brass instruments were catching a nice reflection. There were only two bands in the parade this year.

 

BC's own flag.

 

There were no cowboy's in this parade but there were two contingents of cowgirls.

 

A rather old but nicely restored John Deere Tractor. I love the exhaust note on these old tractors.

 

A Korean Drum corps.

 

Two members of the Sikh Motorcycle Club. You have Hell's angels with their beanie helmets and now these fellows with their soft turban helmets, both above the law, apparently.

 

The Sikh mafia. Or so it would seem.

 

My grandson's band, the MEI Screaming Eagles.

 

My grandson in the sunglasses.

 

And again from the back.

 

Two of the second group of cowgirls.

 

I don't know who these were but there was a lot of colour going on here.

 

Being a very warm 33 C day, this old fellow must have been sweltering in his hat/visor.

 

My neigbours, Abhijit and Mita Nayak with their two boys Ishi and Jesse.

 

A cooling down exercise courtesy of the fire dept.

 

Some observations.

The ethnic makeup of our community is rapidly changing and it is so very evident at the parade. We were near the end of the route and the streets were crowded with onlookers. I would give a very generous estimate of 10% -15% had  my skin colour. But, we were all celebrating being Canadians.

 

If it were not for tax payer funded organisations and equipment, the parade would have been about 30% of its size. I am talking about fire trucks, ambulances, rescue vehicles, SWAT teams, three levels of policing (municipal, RCMP and Sherriff)  and all manner of politicos.

 

The parade is deteriorating. The same 'floats' and same people year after year make it very predictable.

 

I went to see my grandson in the band and was not disappointed. They did great even though it was a very hot day and they had marched for several hours before they got to our location.

 

Parades are definitely for kids. It was great to see so many of them out with their moms and dads, enjoying what for them was something wonderful and new. Makes me wish I was a kid again.  

A Four Day Job

 

After bidding against two of my friends in the business, I got this contract to paint the main floor of a very nice 'high end' townhouse.

 

There were two colours, one in the master suite, bathroom, and kitchen, and one in the main entry, den, hall, and liv/dining area. The change here was from a dark smoky green to a lighter Pea Green.

 

The vaulted ceilings and suspended beams over the stairwell called for some creative scaffolding.  

 

Here is the old guy painting above the plant shelf.

 

The new colour made everything bright, clean and open looking.

 

The kitchen especially looked very fresh with the new lighter colour.

 

As usual, everything is crowded into the middle of the room. It is a challenge remembering where everything goes later. We moved the heaviest china cabinet ever, on this job. When we put it back we removed all the glass shelving and all of the glass and brass doors. We should have done that to start with as we almost dropped it.

 

Finishing on time and on budget is a very satisfying feeling. My last two contracts have been a bit complicated and both of them were done within a few dollars of the contracted amount. Customer gets what they pay for and we get paid for what we do. Win/win.

Meanwhile. Back at the Tire Store

 

The Fountain Tire Store that we did a few weeks ago is really coming together. One big wall that we only primed was being reserved for a giant mural. We did not hang it but it is a beautiful photo-mural of Pit Lake. This has turned out to be not your average tire store.

Colour II

 

In my previous post, I mentioned how much we enjoy working with colour. Last week we re-decorated this 1400 sq. ft. home and, included, was re-finishing the front entry door. It was almost totally obscured by the ivy and after they trimmed the foliage way back and we scraped, sanded, filled, caulked and sanded some more, we finally started getting rid of the orange. There were lumps, bumps, cracks and orange paint on the glass.

 

After we were done it was a masterpiece, just like new, especially after we installed the new weather strips and replaced the stainless steel kick at the bottom of the door.  At first I was leery about the colour, which they chose, but after the second coat, and standing at the street to get the 'big picture' I actually quite liked it.

 

Another satisfied customer, who very generously treated us to a dinner out as a tip.

Colour

 

If you ever happen to drive by the Fountain Tire store in Maple Ridge, you might want to drop in to see the latest décor in the customer service lounge and sales area. We took on this job a few weeks ago and today the final touch-ups are being done.

We did the Fountain Tire store in Abbotsford last year and I guess the word got out in the world of tire stores. This was like new construction so we did not have to deal with too much grease and rubber smudge, a problem at the Abbotsford store.

The owner will be very pleased to move his office out of the portable in the parking lot and work out of his shiny new surroundings.

It is always fun to work with colour.

Coming Out

 

In case you had not noticed, I have had limited activity on this blog in the last few weeks. I have not lost my enthusiasm, run out of photos or ideas, or forgotten how to do it. The important ingredient that is missing is energy.

 

It seems that I have temporarily come out of retirement for a while and after a day's work I am good for a few games of internet Scrabble and them I am done. I am a Zombie after a day of work. I can barely move.

 

Why, you might ask? As to coming out of retirement, I actually never officially retired but only tried, successfully, to slow down. However, a few lucrative jobs came my way and at the time of considering them, I felt energetic enough to take them on, no doubt due to the fact that I was well rested.

 

Fatigue will dampen one's enthusiasm to get out there with a camera, load and process the photos, and them come up with something to write about. The two photos here were taken with a minimum of effort, right here in our garden.

 

As to a continuation of work, yes, I have taken on more contracts and will have a busy summer. I am slowly getting back into shape and even though very tired at the end of the day, all systems benefit from physical work. Walking every day is great but is not as beneficial as the activity I do when working.

 

If this all sounds crazy for an old semi-retired guy like me, it gets crazier. We are receiving word any moment now about a 2 week contract that requires working through the night!

"What does not kill you will make you stronger". We will see about that.  

 

 

Fatherless

 

Evening skies over Oroville Wa. USA

 

It is one year since my father passed away. It is Father's Day today and I cannot help but think of my orphan status. Many thoughts come to mind and here are a few of them.

 

I was fortunate to have a dad for 65 years. Not everyone my age can say that.

 

I do not regret spending a lot of time with him, throughout my entire life.

 

I learned many things from my dad, both what to do and what not to do. Teaching both is important.

 

Having a dad is a gift that is to be treasured and appreciated. They will love you unconditionally, even when they are ticked.  

 

My thoughts about fatherhood must now turn in other directions. My own status as a father and how I can do that better, how being a grandfather is part of the package, and how I now look to my heavenly father for all and more that I received from my earthly father.

 

The metaphor of God being our father is pure genius. When we see it in light of our own situation within our family, the parallels are uncanny. But beyond that, the relationship with God as our Father  is on a much higher plain. It is here that fatherhood reaches perfection. A perfect father loving an imperfect child and doing everything for his ultimate good and for his ultimate benefit is not achievable on a human level.

We Christians speak of a reunion with our loved ones when we reach the afterlife. Will our embrace with our earthly parents be nearly as sweet as finally being in the presence of our Heavenly Father? How wonderful that we will get to experience both.

 

Today I cannot give my dad a box of chocolates and tell him that I love him, because he is not here. But I can tell my Heavenly Father that I love him and that I will commit to that love for all my life. I might even ask for a box of chocolates, which, he will no doubt, give to me, through the children whose earthly father I am.

Saving Face

 

Few people on the face of the earth do not know what Facebook is. I joined a few years ago because I was curious and because I was told it would be a great way to keep up with friends and relatives. It is that and more. It is a constant source of advertising, cute animal videos, game playing with one's self or with friends, and the worst of all, posters.

I have been disappointed, over all, by the lack of  in depth and intelligent discourse. Maybe this is not Facebook's intent, but would lend itself marvellously to such a thing. Indeed, I have been part of interesting dialogues that have gone on for a long time and have covered some important issues.

Because I seek this type of thing, I have tried on occasion to stimulate discussion by challenging a comment or the saying on a poster. I was recently challenged by a 'Facebook friend' when they accused me of 'trolling'. Here is the definition and the intent of her accusation:  In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,^[1] by posting inflammatory,^[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response^[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion

 

I am a bit offended by this label as it has a very negative connotation. But then again, I just may be a troll. I had a friend at one time who would question me after I made a statement. He would ask if I really meant what I just said, or could I explain exactly what I was trying to get a across. It was appreciated by me very much and would invariably lead to some good discussion. It also made me think before I opened my mouth.  I find that few people do this. We just want a sound bite so we can move on to our iPhone or our text messaging.

Next time you are on Facebook and you see one of those saccharine posters that at first glance looks clever, take another look and then ask the person who posted it if this really represents their world view or is this something that is trying to influence our thinking away from our beliefs. If they call you a troll, tell them you are just stimulating discussion. We do not want anyone to get upset, or emotional, we just want to have a good old fashioned discussion about important things.  

 

Back to Where I Was

 

When I was 16 years old, I started coming to this beach, Entrance Bay at Cultus Lake, and went often in the hot summers of my youth. It was here that I almost drowned. It was here I took a date one time, who would later become my wife. This place has many memories for me, and now I can add the best one of all.

Today my 16 year old grandson, Nathan, got baptised at Entrance Bay at Cultus Lake. Had someone told me back in the 60's that this would happen, I would have had a good chuckle.

I must say that I have very much admiration for my grandson who has made this decision early in life, and yet in a mature fashion. He is ahead of where I was at 16. It is a proud moment for his parents and grandparents who have always loved him dearly and have wanted only the best for him. He has made one of the most important decision of his life, for it will guide him for the rest of his life.

Making a public confession of faith is not easy, but is necessary to establish that one is committed. Nathan has so very many good qualities and we would love him no matter his stand, but the fact that he was baptised today is a testament to the fact that God answers our prayer for our kids and our grandkids.  

 

 

End of Day

 

Evening light in Glen Valley.

Return

 

I have read a number of books on this subject, returning from death, and there are some common threads that run through every one of them.

 

"Return From Tomorrow" is about a young army recruit, Dr. George Ritchie, who in 1943, died from a severe case of pneumonia. He was covered with a sheet and nine minutes later when the orderly returned to prepare him for the morgue, noticed that his hand had moved and called a doctor to the bed where they injected adrenaline into his heart and he came back to life. He was without pulse, breath, or blood pressure during that time.

 

In the book, he relates what happened to him during the time he was dead. The story is quite amazing and puts a different slant on some preconceived ideas about hell, heaven, space and time, and the whole spirit world.

When we read a book on this subject, we can take one of two stands. We can reject it outright and say it is fabricated, or we can believe it and take it at face value. For me, there is an indication that would make it more believable, and that is to determine if the experience had an impact on the life of the individual who had the experience. In the case of Mr. Ritchie, it certainly did. Apart from the intense yearning to return to the places he visited, and to be in the presence of Jesus, he developed a new sense of purpose for his life and a new understanding of our mandate, which is to love one another.

What are the common threads? Intense light, intense feeling of acceptance and love, time travel, seeing other beings, both angels and humans, a yearning to go again, unique colours and music, an utter lack of fear of death, and a desire to share the experience. Added to these threads, Mr. Ritchie tells of his glimpse into a unique kind of hell, travelling vast distances in what seemed seconds, glimpses of the future, and communication that was all encompassing but non-verbal.

 

 If every living person was guaranteed a trip to Paris sometime in his life, would it not be natural to want to know a bit about Paris before your trip was due? I am not saying that Paris is like heaven, or like hell, but we all have a built in curiosity as concerns our future.  Because I will die some day (yes, it is true) I am fascinated by this subject. Those who are not are probably in denial.

4 stars