One year, yesterday — Celebrating life in our little town

It is hard to believe, but as of yesterday we have now lived in Summerland (for a second time) for a full year. I tried to publish this blog yesterday, but we were simply too busy—hence the odd blog title. Oen year and counting, it is hard to believe how rich our lives are here. One does not usually return to a former place of residence, but in our case, our return has been glorious.

Kathie and I have enjoyed so many wonderful living and working environments together over the years. Sidney, then Saskatoon, followed by Sooke and then Summerland (the first time). We next broke the cycle of “S” places and lived and worked in Colwood (Victoria) before six and a half years in Kamloops. Then one day, Kathie said “let’s go for a drive, down to the Okanagan.” I thought, well that might be fun. Little did I know that she had been searching out potential places for us to live in retirement. The rest as they say, is history. We found a place we really liked; we waited for the price to drop, which it did. And we unpacked on a glorious autumn day on October 14, 2022.

Small town living appeals. We walk or cycle, and drive when necessary. The local physical environment is staggeringly beautiful. We see the sun rise and set looking south from our LaVista perch over the town of 11,000, almost the same size as when we left here in 2005. (Don’t tell that to the Chamber of Commerce.)

We have reconnected with friends of old (some are now old) and met so many new friends. Our kids are still in touch—online or in person—with many of their school friends; they love coming home as they grew up here. Summerland really is home for them.

Travelling to Kelowna yesterday, we were both reminded why we love it here so much. I won’t bash Kelowna in this space, but I will say tha Orchard Park Mall and Costco on a Saturday afternoon were a bit much. I had a headache before we moved through yet another slow moving volume of traffic lining up for the bridge.

Summerland is a life-size community. While obviously no utopia, the negative aspects of life found in BC communities are present here though not constantly in your face. Proximate to Penticton we have local access to most needs and wants. If we need to travel north to the big smoke, we tend to think twice, and often decide to do without. This is fortunate as dear old highway 97 has had its problems this year—what with slides both north and south of Summerland, fires threatening West Kelowna, vehicle incidents at the intersection with the connector, and most recently delays and incidents on the Kelowna bridge. Just stay home I say.

Given the layout of our ridge-side home Kathie and I have been able to organize our space to good advantage. We are project people, and both our passions are well exercised. We are certainly discouraged by the resistance of some vocal residents to the needs of dogs, including Juno. We remain hopeful that the new pool project will be supported by referendum in early November—that outcome is also a crap shoot. Amongst many residents there is still a strong sense of working and living together here, though the feeling and practice is anything but universal.

Yes moves, and retirement, are a crap shoot. You make the best decisions at the time, in light of your resources in a transitional cost/benefit analysis; then you hope for the best—and the best is what we currently enjoy. Barring significant health challenges, we expect to be here for some time yet.

And of course there’s the dog—Juno orders our days, with dedication and delight, from sunup to sunset. She chose the right family of owners and caregivers, and has fast established a network of four-pawed friends.

Enough said. Happy one-year anniversary, yesterday, today, and every day.