Catching Up Part 6

NEW DENVER
So, Sunday morning we packed up the van and tied 3 bikes and some luggage on the roof. Mom as a little leary of that as her experience is that Dad looses something off the roof anytime he puts stuff up there. But I assured her that I am more of the overkill type and I had never lost anything off of the roof. Drew jammed on coming at the last minute and although I pulled out everything I had to convince him - even guilt, I could not convince him to come with us. So it was the 4 of us.

We pulled into New Denver just after lunch time. This year we stayed at a little internment house (hut) that we rented off of some friends of mine. We were starving so we skarfed down some bunwhiches and headed immediately for the beach. We went to Dean and Rhiannon's favourite beach which is the delta of Carpenter Creek. They call it "Island Beach".

I left to go register Rhiannon in the Suzuki Valhalla Institute for our third time. Mom came with me and I showed her the picture of grandpa on the wall looking dapper in his double breasted suit and handsome dark hair. And she found pictures of Auntie Heather's class but not of her own. But still lots of names she remembered. And then we rushed to Silverton for the Play In which I had thought was a lot later. Luckily because everything is only 2 minutes away in New Denver and Silverton, we still made it on time. Dean left the next morning after a little drama about a bank card that turned out not to be lost at all or at least not lost in the way we thought it was.

And that was the beginning of a fantastic violin week. I would say that out of all of our fantastic violin weeks that we have spent at SVI, this was the most excellent. Rhiannon had a great master class, a wonderful group class, a very fun note reading class and a great Music Enhancement class. She went to bed early each night pooped. We swam in the gorgeous lake everyday except Tuesday when it rained in the evening. We ate good food - Mom brought along a delicious chicken lasagne that we took two dinners to eat. And we had Greek salad made with my own feta cheese.



























And during our breaks we took in all the local sights. We went to Mom's old house


This tree was just a baby tree when she lived there 55 years ago. From her old house, we walked the trail she used to walk with Auntie Heather and Grandpa to Bigalow Bay. She remembers running down the path with ease but now that we are a couple of old ladies, we were clutching and foliage and walking slowly down the steep incline.



Here she is at Bigalow Bay. We never actually got to swim there - we always planned on it but it never turned out. The campground beach was just way to convenient - a block away.

We went out for lunch at the Appletree which if you ever go to New Denver, you have to try. They make the very best sandwiches ever. Sandwiches you wish you thought of.

Another time we went to the museum which Mom especially loved and spent another couple of hours in after Rhiannon and I returned to class.

And we went to the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre where Mom found the name and address of her old friend, which turned out to be across the street from the little house we were staying in. And we marvelled at the beauty the Japanese made in such extreme circumstances. And at how many fishing boats and bicycles were confiscated. And Mom wondered at how much she didn't know as a child about the circumstances of people she knew. And we had a nice walk one evening through the Kohan Reflection Garden.

Mom and I had a very good time. In the evenings after Rhiannon was in bed, we worked on Bethany's wedding present that is only 17 months overdue - but much closer to completion than it was before when it existed in idea form only. Its gorgeous, I have to say and soon you might get a sneak preview.

It was just a really great week. Our time fell into an easy rhythm and we just did what we felt like - the three of us. We'd put dinner on to cook, go down to the beach for a swim. Head home when we felt hungry. Mom bought some beach shoes at the Donation Store after her first experience with the rocky beach. Her feet were a little more sensitive than they were the last time she was there... And then it was the final concert which Mom was amazed by- and it was amazing. Such a treat of great violin music of some of the greatest composers - all played by children!

And all too soon the magical week was over and Dean was there again to collect us but not without some last beach time. Last gazing at the glacier Grandpa hiked on. Mom wishing she could ask him who he hiked with and how he got across the lake. Last windy walk around New Denver in the evening admiring old houses and old trees. And then we were packing up and scrubbing up the house and locking it and returning keys and with our bikes tied on top of the van again, we were on our way home.