The Great Canadian Showcase

This is for my friend, Alisa...as requested!

Here's some pics of my Canada. You'll notice there are no winter shots. I did NOT do that to dispell the common myth that Canada is always covered in ice & snow (although that works!)...but is simply b/c I have so many pics to share that I'll have to do a winter version later on. My country is beautiful in any season!


This is a photo of my family a few years back. Since then, we've added a few people to the clan. We definitely need a more current pic! But this one is beautiful, I think.


My old hometown...where I was born & moved away from, but returned to for college. Some fond memories here, but I'm glad I didn't grow up here...too small. Everyone knows everyone else's business! Makes for fun college years though.

On the right, the home I lived in as a tot. It's way overrun here...someone's not caring for it. My parents always had it looking spiffy! I have some good memories in this house...the first I ever remember.




My gorgeous hometown...the one I truly grew up in...where I truly consider home...
These two are both professional pics. I wish I was so talented as to have caught the one on the left!








These I took a few years back. I think it's the prettiest town. Don't you?











A couple pics of my beloved home as taken by people who know how to take a picture! Takes my breath away b/c it's how I remember it, & more!











On the left, another gorgeous valley picture.

On the right, one of our local golf courses. We have about 6 golf courses, & one of them is World Class!










On the left is our local sea-monster. Seriously! Meet the Ogopogo. He's a big tourist draw. People come every year to find him, film him, prove his existence. Even has a show on Discovery about him!

On the right are the Chinese gardens within one of our local parks. I love the gardens. A great place for wedding/prom/grad photos.








On the left, one of many local beaches. This one was my fave...where all the cool kids hung out in my day, anyhow! I was thrown off that dock many times... The bike-ride there was great (all downhill), but back was a real pain. I'd call Mom to pick us up & stuff the bikes in the trunk.

On the right is my sis & my niece.












On the left is Kalamalka Lake, according to National Geographic, one of the most beautiful & most photographed lakes in the world. Really! You can look it up... The colours of it are amazing. Legend states that the word Kalamalka means "lake of many colours." It is one of a handful of unique bodies of water known as "marl lakes." When the lake warms in the summer, calcium carbonate (or limestone), forms crystals that reflect sunlight and create the vivid blue and green colours. Temperature changes in the fall and the spring sometimes create ribbons of deep blue colour in the lake.

On the right is a specific area where we always went cliff-diving. A local pasttime.










Just on the outskirts of town, a little piece of history. This ranch was owned & run by a local family. The photo on the left is the old chapel. There were also a store, post office, barracks, etc. It's a great place for tourists to see.









Beautiful shots of the valley again...not taken by me!













More valley pics, these taken from the ski hill. There are several lookouts on the way down to stop & get amazing pics such as this.












Downtown, they're done murals to beautify the town & instill a bit of our local history. The building on the left is the town post office. I'm not sure where the building on the right is.









On the left, my Dad & my sister at Davison Orchards. I've never been... :( Pretty though, isn't it?

On the right, my Dad is showing my niece the gorgeous rock pond/water feature he built from the (under)ground up. He worked so hard at designing that so the water would fall just right. Even had koi in it at one time, I think.












Another of my nieces...she just LOVES horses. Takes after her Aunt! I always said I'd have one someday...still the plan! :)

On the right is our back deck during a family BBQ...Canadian style.














On the left, a view down into the valley from my home. The neighbour's junky lot kinda mars the shot, but it's what I used to see from our windows so it's nostalgic for me.

On the right, 2 of my bros hanging out outside our home, with their cars. They're so cool!








On the left, my brother feeding my pup some good Canadian beer out at the cabin. Not really! But it made for a good pic! :)

On the right, my niece out on the dock...thinking about jumping in off the end. It's over her head, but with the boat-coat on, they have a blast!







My puppy (when she was about 6 months old) out at the cabin in BC. Isn't she cute!?


On the left is Swan Lake. I lived above this lake in the hills. Almost in the foothills to our local mountain/ski resort. Because we lived so close to the mountains & a little out of the city, we got mountain water. Mmmm...so good & cold!

On the right is a pic of the extreme bikers we get up at our ski hill in the summer. There are activities year 'round up there.












Our mountain resort/ski hill in the summer. The pic on the left is the village when set up for the bike races, extreme exhibitions, etc.

On the right is one of the shops up there, where I worked one summer.










Vancouver!
The most beautiful city in the world!
Home to the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics...can't wait!










On the left is Gastown...the old, original part of the city that is now Vancouver. I worked down in old Gastown for a while years back. It's so quaint. The clock is an old steam clock, that actually runs on steam piped in from underground. It "toots" every hour!

On the right are rock sculptures, called "inuksuks" (pronounced inukshuk)...traditional Inuit milestone markers. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver is using one such inuksuk as a symbol of friendship on its official logo.
Inuksuit vary in shape and size, and perform different tasks. They're symbols with deep roots in the Inuit culture that signify safety, hope, and friendship. The word inuksuk means "something which acts for or performs the function of a person."
When I drove across Canada with my sister one year, we saw them all along the sides of the highways. The legend was that highway crews were doing them, but I don't know...




On the left is my nephew riding. He's wearing a shirt I bought him from my church. Apparently he wore it until he got a hole in it. That was our pirate series...very cool.

On the right is a pic of a classic Ontario, Canada fall road. Isn't it lovely? I love & miss all the colours.








Left is a grouping of some of the cottages along the lake...all owned by my sis' in-laws & family. It's so neat that all the kids can just roam between cottages & be called home for bed. Takes you back to simpler times...

On the right is my BIL & sis' cottage. A fun, cozy place.




Miss Q as a baby. She's watching her big bro out in the lake & dippin' her toes at the same time.


On the left is my bro-in-law & one of my brothers skippin' rocks into the lake at the cottage.

On the right is my niece again (older now), this time with her God-Father (my "co-Godparent"...teehee) at the same lake.









On the left, my BIL taking us out for a ride on the pontoon. We decided to cool off & jumped on in. Water was great!

On the right, 2 of my bros hanging out with a friend at the cottage. Good times!








These are shots of my sis' wedding. The arbor on the left was built by my BIL & decorated by his sisters specifically for the nuptuals. Nice, eh?
The site of the wedding was gorgeous...right at the cottage in the clearing. The prettiest wedding I've ever been to. It was a perfect day!















Okay Alisa...next time it'll be all winter stuff, so people can say, they really do live in igloos! haha