With school holidays drawing to a close, I decided to post a second photo of this lovely sculpture on Lake Okanagan’s shoreline in Penticton. (The first time I posted a picture of this sculpture was about five years ago.)
I remember well those seemingly endless summer breaks when all you had to do was play intensely and be sure to arrive home – during my childhood, at least – when the streetlights started to come on. I think this sculpture captures well the childhood sense of freedom that many of us were able to enjoy and is perhaps gone forever, replaced by caution and organisation.
Valentine’s Day can be a cute, lighthearted day, but I don’t like what has become of it. When I was in elementary school, it was fun to make cards, colour hearts and take them home for friends and family. There would likely be a few heart-shaped chocolates or a heart-shaped cake for dessert. It was a low-key, fun day.
Now, advertisers try to make us feel like moral degenerates if we don’t buy flowers, chocolates, restaurant meals and some sort of sexy present for our significant other, if we have one. It’s sort of, spend money, and spend THIS way, otherwise you don’t care about or love your people.
My M and I disagree. We don’t believe in giving special attention on just one day; we try to show it every day. We avoid going to restaurants or buying gifts for Valentine’s Day; the commercial demand that we celebrate in an “appropriate” way by spending money in a super-busy restaurant with over-worked staff who are serving up limp meals is not something on which we’re willing to spend money.
We would much rather go at a time of our choosing and really enjoy it. Give flowers at any time just because. Do little things and show in numerous ways how much we love and appreciate each other. Enjoy a chocolate heart.
But be guilted into a formulaic response so that big companies can collect money? No thank you.
On June 24, M and I left the Northwest Territories to head to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
Here are a few photos from our drive west through the mountains. They aren’t terrific because I took them from a moving vehicle through the dirtiest windshield ever!
Mountain view. Getting closer.Young mountain sheep in Jasper National Park. Here, they have the right of way.
We are home now, starting to relax into holiday mode after an extremely busy covid-related 15 months. It’s really hot (low 40s C) but I’m happy with that. The covid cases are continuing to drop, and I hope that we have seen the last wave.
These bright yellow chairs sitting in the sun remind me that in about four days, I will be starting my holidays and heading to my home in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. For the most part, it will be a staycation. Looking forward to it.
Stuart has changed the focus of his photo posts from the Forest of Dean and ocean pictures of the past 15 months or so to a wider variety of shots and scenes from his collection. Stuart’s project was to share landscape photos for those who, in particular, have been on semi-permanent shutdown because of covid.
But all good things must come to end. With many of us starting to turn the corner on this wretched virus, Stuart is moving on as well.
Thank you, Stuart, for continuing to share your lovely forest and ocean photos with us over these many months that covid has kept us more inside than outside. For me, your posts have been a lovely bright spot in a sometimes very difficult time. 🌸
I won’t be re-blogging Stuart’s photos quite as often, but definitely will continue! Please visit Stuart’s site for a browse through his gorgeous photography.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 