Okay, the last official day of summer is really September 21st but for me today marks the end, for after today it doesn’t feel the same as we start to move slowly towards Fall. While I love Fall for the clothes mostly I still want tohang on to summer and milk it for all it’s worth. This summer was fantastic weather wise except for the forest fires, so the best thing to look forward to now is Fall boots and sweaters see, it’s all about the clothes and maybe Halloween. It’s funny though how everything can change in an instant and we still tend to adapt. Well I’m moving a bit slower this time. My flip flops are not moving to the back of the closet just yet………. I love the warmth and lightness of summer and think what you wilI but I just bought the Beach Boys greatest hits to listen to while glamping. So???
In this pop top Eurovan camperParked right at the lake where Jia Jia is walking back from in this photo
So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a pleasureable last days of summer re-cap:
Lake Kalamalka, Okanagan, B.C. Jia Jia realizing he can swim. And me too for that matter. Just kidding, but it was coooold!I started preparing at Kits PoolWith good friends who are like familySome hot shots flew in for the get together/party/= lots of food & wine/= meeting some nice new people too and catching up with old friends like no time has passed (= good friends).Staying at a friends place in the Kootenays – a resort style home with an amazing view.
Friendswe met at the first campsiteFreshly picked Okanagan Peaches
Jia Jia’s favourite moments:
Waiting for his ice cream coneJia Jia’s new friend Hugo, a Silver Lab.Hugo found a ballHugo found a stickJia Jia found a deer at another friend’s property = lotta landscapeAnd crossed over a few bridgesJapanese GardenI found a salt water pool I can live in – or at least float in. But why is the cup holder empty?
View from living room – house on Piers Island (Gulf Islands in the distance)
Spending the summer in Vancouver near the beach makes me feel like I don’t really need to escape. The weather has been perfect and with plenty of picturesque places to walk, run, rollerblade, ride a bike or just relax in a chaise lounge, why go anywhere else?
because I didn’t want my deck shoes to go to waste
But having said that, I just came back from spending three amazing days & nights on two little hidden gems. The first day/night was spent with a friend who lives on Prospect Lake where the water is warm enough to swim in and we watched a resident bald eagle at fairly close range. And we ate very well.
Prospect appies that houseguest Bill prepared – cordon bleu style. He even made homemade elderberry jelly. I don’t even know what an elderberry looks like but the jelly is superb, especially on homemade pecan smoked duck breast. Oh; he also made goat cheese filled siljans with roasted red pepper & garlic jelly…yeah!The bald next door neighbour is a member of the extra mile high club
The last two days/nights were spent on a friends oceanfront property on Piers Island which is a little island near Sydney, B.C. There are only about 40 permanent residents and about 123 ocean front lots. We took his boat from Canoe Cove and landed on his doorstep about a 15 minute ride dock to dock.
From dock to deck. On Piers we didn’t have far to go – to get to where we were going.
Soooo I can be an island girl as it turns out..at least for three days. A break from the city is a nice change and doing nothing but taking in the view, eating good food while taking in the view and walking the dogs while taking in the view is really as good as it gets.
Prospect View with a bowl of homemade soup
There were two dogs on Prospect and three on Piers and they were in doggie heaven. Piers has no cars so we could take them off leash through the trails. People leave boxes of unwanted stuff outside their places with notes attached that say “help yourself.” Someone left a bike and our friend was going to buy one so we ended up bringing him the one we found. At least I’m hoping it was meant to be taken (it was).
From the back of the house on Piers Island – to the trails that feel like you’re in the country
Many arty people who have little work studios and make jewellery and glass objects live there. More people tend to paint and make jam in these places. Come to think of it, the last time I went to Gabriola to visit a friend we overnighted on Saltspring, left with a bag of quince berries from a B+B we stayed at and went back to Gabriola to make quince jam…because that’s what you’re supposed to do in these quaint locations. Take it easy and make jam.
Bill made me a Nespresso Cappuccino Fantastico. Those machines are a great investment.
Tea Time on Prospect Lake
What is it about these small islands that brings out your artistic side?
Is it because you have more time on your hands or is it simply a better place to be?
– Only no time will tell –
I tried to load one more little thingfrom the wheel barrel to the boat….looks like I’ll have to wait until next time. Hope that time is soooon.
It’s a long way from Europe. If like me you have never set foot in Denmark but you like sunshine, Danish cookies & pastries, windmills and something bigger than the world showcase at Epcot Center, then you might want to check this place out.
Northwest of Los Angeles (just east of highway 101) and a short drive from Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley lies the picturesque village of Solvang. It vaguely sounded familiar and now I know why – it was mentioned in the movie Sideways. A movie which I loved by the way. The friend I was travelling with suggested we go on the advice of her sister who had just been there. If her sister suggested we go then that was enough for me to want to see what this town had to offer.
Okay, so it is touristy like we figured it would be with a population of roughly 5,000 people. But since we were already not too far away it was definitely worth the visit which included a stayover and lots of treats. It’s a funky getaway which appropriately translates to mean “sunny field.”
Founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants, Solvang now boasts many Danish bakeries. The woman who owned the hotel we stayed in the Solvang Inn also owned the restaurant across the street and several bakeries. She claimed Michael Jackson (his Neverland Ranch was in the Santa Ynez Valley) used to come in to buy her cookies. Turns out she owns half the town. There’s a Hans Christian Andersen Museum, four windmills, boutique inns and lodges with peaked roofs and monikors such as Svendsgaard’s Lodge and the Hamlet Inn, along with bedspreads emblazoned with the red-and-white Danish flag. Kitsch cuteness!
And you can’t escape the sugary appeal of Solvang’s multiple family-owned Danish bakeries. “There are more bakeries here than probably in the whole world” said one of the owners. So for breakfast we had coffee and multiple shared pastries. I chose the delicious Danish with custard but my travelling companions ordered a cinnamon bun and a bear claw – all pretty darn delicious. Not to mention non gluten-free and fairly fattening.
Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the 2004 wine soaked movie Sideways, which was partly shot in Solvang, and wineries in the area owe a certain amount of credit to the tourist boom that followed the film. Kind of like the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” did for *Savannah, Georgia. *I will post soon about this most charming city.
Next to bakeries sit more than 20 wine-tasting rooms. One winery is called Lucky Dogg Winery which I should not even plug since I sent my dogs photo in to a contest so he could be chosen to be on one of the bottles for their “Doggone Wines” label but he didn’t make the cut. I sent one okay three amazing photos. It may have something to do with his nose. Nevermind.
And so we’re told with Solvang its like they took the best parts of Denmark and put them onto two streets (it’s really bigger than that). Which means you don’t have to walk very far to get good pastries, wine and cheese.
Source: taken in part from The Vancouver Sun Travel
When you just want to RELAX with no outside interruptions – the very essence of a perfect vacation…you might want to go to Jake’s Treasure Beach, Jamaica.
Jamaica is a great place to unwind but when you think of places to travel in Jamaica what usually comes to mind? Is it fast paced and touristy Montego Bay, Ocho Rios for newlyweds and honeymooners or Negril for miles and miles of white sand beach and many all-inclusives?
When I travel I love to explore places off the beaten path and find little hidden treasures. If you drive for one hour outside Montego Bay you will find a beautiful tropical countryside with breathtaking views of fishing villages, beaches, centuries old great houses, natural waterfalls and wetlands. You’ll find the South Coast of Jamaica.
Stumbled upon this stylishly funky hotel/spa by accident while driving along the South Coast. It’s a world away from the island’s high-pressure resort towns. A welcome opposite of Ocho Rios while still maintaining tropical charm with a beautiful low-key seafront setting and lovely gardens. The brightly painted cottages stretch along the water’s edge, in the sleepy settlement of Treasure Beach in south-west Jamaica. Centred on a lovely open-air dining ‘room’, the pool and Dougie’s bar, Jakes has really lovely, raffish Jamaican charm.
The Bar
The PROS:
Friendly staffers who know every guest by name
On-site art classes for everyone, all ages
Daily yoga and Pilates workshops
One of Jamaica’s best spas
Excellent restaurant with fresh, locally produced Jamaican fare.
No nearby tourist attractions or nightlife
THE CONS: Remote location on the South Coast No nearby tourist attractions No nightlife Coarse black-sand beaches less desirable for swimming A hike – two hour drive ($120 by taxicab) from Montego Bay’s airport No in-room TV, phone, or Internet
In a NUTSHELL:
With just 30 hippy-chic cottages in secluded Treasure Beach, Jake’s is a member of Bespoke Hotels, a trendy, luxury hotel group. Guests come to unplug — there’s no phone, Internet, or TV in the cottages (but there are CD players and CD’s in each room with an extensive CD library). The black-sand beaches aren’t Jamaica’s most impressive, but the Driftwood Spa, on-site painting classes for all and yoga/pilates workshops, and excellent locally prepared food make this a particular favorite.And that is exactly why I recommend Jake’s.
And if you’re lucky there may be some other hidden treasures…but we can’t discuss them here. If you catch my drift wood.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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