Off to Kamloops

Sunday evening, I went to see my friends, John and Bunny. They live in West Vancouver where I grew up and where everything happened that gave me C-PTSD. It’s an emotional place to go, but as I got close to their house on a brilliant and hot summer night, I felt all the joy I remember as a kid when I’d go to play with a best friend.

We ate an incredibly delicious meal on their deck. I particularly liked the grilled watermelon and feta salad. It was something I’m dying to make.

I came home to a terribly moving email from a friend whose sister obtained permission to avail herself of medically assisted suicide. The photo was heartbreaking. My friend’s sister is a pioneer bringing this dramatic change in social policy up close, just as my friends Morris and Ken did when they married right after gay marriage was legalized.

This morning, I’m off to Kelowna. I’m going to play with another great friend, Dwight. It’s 30° in Kamloops but our hotel has a pool. I hope to treat us to a meal in a highly regarded restaurant there called Raudz.

These photos are similar but it is the amazing differences between them, all from one bush, that endear me to this hybrid hydrangea.