I have always imagined a “fireside chat” as the place where two people enjoy conversation and libations in front of a roaring fireplace in an English country house. or a remote Canadian cabin. I have enjoyed both over the years, where the conversation included politics of all sorts and stripes, religion, photography, biography, literature, music.... Continue Reading →
From Paws n Tails Photography, Summerland BC I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to do with my photography after everything that has happened here. I had planned an August opening special to introduce Paws N Tails Photography to Summerland. But after the fire, that just didn’t feel right anymore. We are so... Continue Reading →
After one week evacuated from our home in Summerland, an exodus forced by the Bald Creek wildfire, one of the worst in the history of British Columbia, we join another 20,000 home and business owners hoping for an imminent and safe return to our homes and our little Town. A very small section of Summerland... Continue Reading →
Image: Hope, Susan Norie From Facebook [Ken Gray - I don't know Banu Tülümen's but they tell a beautiful story admist so much uncertainty.] I don't quite know how to describe these past five days. There are stories everywhere. Some heartbreaking. Some heroic. Stories of loss and uncertainty, but also extraordinary stories of kindness, generosity... Continue Reading →
Reposted from Facebook I am getting married in 12 days. There isn’t a single thing anyone could have ever said or done to have prepared me for the future I find myself standing in right now. It is as surreal and as deliciously whimsical as you might imagine. Change is the thing that makes us... Continue Reading →
[Some differences between my experiences (and my spelling) with those of Anne Lamott. Still, great words here.] [Anne Lamott] August, ugh, not my favorite month. If I were God’s West Coast representative, I would not have scheduled it, and gone directly from the heat blasts of July—which we would endure with only once or twice... Continue Reading →
Prompted by a fierce attachment to his own pet, Paul Yoon wrote a harrowing yet hopeful novel, set during wartime, told from a canine perspective. By Pamela Newton, in the New York Times, Aug. 2, 2026 For visuals by Erik Tanner visit the link with the full article above. Oscar, a sweet, lumbering 70-pound lab... Continue Reading →
A Sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, Sunday, August 2nd, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but there’s trouble brewing at BC Ferries; and I don’t mean long lineups, service interruptions, or adverse weather cancellations. As former residents of Vancouver Island, Kathie and I... Continue Reading →
Lynn Phillips [Ken Gray] A few days ago I expressed concern about the Church of my heritage and clerical vocation, The Anglican Church of Canada. I suggested that some days I think I should look around a bit; try a different denomination; explore different worship styles. I have always been curious about the Quakers. I... Continue Reading →
A gallery of interpretations of the near-death life of the not-yet late (?) Senator Mitch McConnell If the Trump administration has inspired anything apart from racism, dishonesty, idiocy, cruelty, criminality, and violence, it has certainly pushed AI humorists to great creative heights. Spurred on by the question of the day: Is Mitch alive? Or dead?... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 