Here’s a wine fest for your bucket list: The Winter Okanagan Wine Fest at Sun Peaks Resort

Posted on March 3, 2012 by rozsmallfry

RBuchanan Sun Peaks village winter night IMG_1038

Winter magic of Sun Peaks village at night

Happily, I was commissioned by Savour Magazine to do two short online pieces on the Winter Okanagan Wine Festival 2012. One was intended to help shine light on the event and promote participation in this year’s festival. The other was to check out some of the festivities and then share a firsthand experience to get folks planning to attend it in the future. Oh, I love my freelance work!

I’ve attached my articles, with permission from Savour Magazine, and will let them tell the story. Following those, I’ve added a few more pictures to entice you to pull out your calendar and start planning for the 2013 Winter Okanagan Wine Festival at Sun Peaks Resort.

http://www.savourmag.com/

Online story promoting Winter Okanagan Sine Festival at Sun Peaks:

Enjoy The Winter Festival Of  Wine -January 14 to 22

by Roslyne Buchanan

The balance so passionately pursued in food and wine extends to new meaning at the Winter Festival of Wine where a perfect blend of gastronomic and recreational pursuits is served.

Picture the idyllic alpine setting of Sun Peaks Resort decked out in winter whites and glimmering lights featuring assorted wine varieties of B.C.’s Okanagan with an array of culinary events, wine tastings, educational seminars and outdoor recreation.

In its 14th year, the Winter Wine Festival caters to an assortment of interests and tastes. Embrace the snowy wonderland through activities such as skiing, snowboarding, skating, snowshoeing, sleigh riding, dog sledding, tubing, or swimming in the outdoor pool. Of course, you can find your recreational balance in an indoor fitness facility or spa, shop until you drop in the boutiques, or simply absorb the ambience of the pedestrian-friendly village. With seven hotels, all ski in/ski out, varying in amenities and options such as kitchenettes and spas, guests can select accommodation based on what’s important to them.

Diverse events are designed for wine rookies and experts whether for professional development or purely for pleasure. The spectrum ranges from the highly casual M Room Fondue, a new concept where Executive Chef Steve Buzak navigates the nuances of fondue paired with Okanagan wines, to the Wine Masters Dinner, an epic journey of gourmet food and flights of extraordinary wines.

The apres ski scene offers From Russia with Love…and Wine…and Vodka, in the Globe Cafe’s Oyster & Caviar Bar where you learn about making sparkling wines from Summerhill Pyramid Winery and distilling premium vodka from Kelowna’s Urban Distilleries. Taste port-style Okanagan wines paired with fine Canadian cheese presented by the Dairy Farmers of Canada at the popular Port & Cheese. Discover the Okanagan’s lesser know varietals paired with tapas in a seminar with renowned wine educator Gerrit Van Staalduinen from Anderson & Co. Wine Brokerage. There are brunches such as Brunch with Bubbles with 8th Generation Winery, the Bella Italia Brunch Buffet, and the Winter Okanagan Wine Festival Brunch starring a locally inspired menu with samples of award-winning wines and blended creations. The Sun Peaks Progressive Tasting is a flagship event where you wander throughout the village to taste wines from over 20 wineries in the various hotel lobbies accompanied by a range of live music.

The Taste of Sun Peaks, another outstanding culinary/wine experience with live music, is an opportunity to gain insight on the talented chefs of Sun Peaks through a selection of small plate creations served with fine Okanagan wines. In addition, the Dairy Farmers of Canada present some of Canada’s best cheeses. While the Winter Wine Festival has expanded beyond its original Icewine tribute, it still celebrates this elixir in Worshipping Icewines, where respected winery hosts lead a sampling of grape varieties linked to Canada’s leadership in Icewines. If wine isn’t your libation of choice, the Sun Peaks Bartender Mixology Face-Off or Mixology to Music may be for you! Events sell out quickly advises Melanie Simmons, Sun Peaks media relations, so if you’re late this year, schedule January 16 – 20, 2013.

www.sunpeaksresort.com

www.thewinefestivals.com

(Note: Original online version included Photos: Courtesy of SunPeaks Resort, which can be viewed on its website.)

Online story relating experience at Sun Peaks:

Chilling Out at The Winter Okanagan Wine Festival 2012

Just a few weeks ago our favorite food blogger and regular contributor, Roslyne Buchanan set out for snowy Sun Peaks in Kamloops for the Annual Winter Festival of Wine. Here is what she discovered.

By Roslyne Buchanan

Taking poetic license with lyrics from Let It Snow, “the weather outside was frightful,” the hospitality inside was delightful, best describing the experience mid-week at the 14th Winter Okanagan Wine Festival, held January 14-22.

At Sun Peaks Resort’s alpine setting, the Winter Wine Festival has evolved from an icewine salute to a full-out culinary celebration of food and drink balanced by a breadth of winter outdoor adventure.

In a quest to check out the new From Russia with Love…and Wine…and Vodka, we arrived Tuesday for the season’s coldest weather. Owners Jude Brunt and Paul Doherty, of Globe Cafe’s Oyster & Caviar Bar and the Globe locations at Kelowna’s Big White and Oroville, Washington’s Veranda Beach, proffered this category-expanding selection. Playing on the James Bond theme, oysters were paired with sparkling wine from Summerhill Pyramid Winery and caviar with premium vodka from Kelowna’s Urban Distilleries. Summerhill’s chilled Cipes Ice fired the first festive flavour, featured with a risqué Oysters Ménage à Quatre designed by Chef Dale Fletcher and Sous Chef Baer. It was comprised of B.C.’s Cortes Island Royal Miyagi Oysters and P.E.I.’s Malpeque Oysters Caesar on the half shell. Vancouver Island Gorge Inlet Oysters were served Rockefeller, and Barkley Sound Effingham Oysters served Kilpatrick. Each bivalve was a sea-salty sensation of singular character and the Kilpatrick supported today’s notion that adding bacon pops the palate with almost anything!

click here to read more….

Okanagan Winter Festival of Wine-2012

clip_image002 Photo by Roslyne Buchanan

Next 007 missile was Kelowna’s Urban Distilleries Spirit Bear Ultra Premium Vodka with Black Swedish Caviar and Salmon Roe Caviar served on a delectable blini. Jordan Urban expanded our knowledge of Urban Distilleries granting samples of the Spirit Bear Gin and Espresso Infused Vodka as well as the Urban Single Malt Whisky, Amber Rum and White Rum. A snapshot of a regular Globe evening was provided in a trivia contest with a Bond slant for this instance including a prize of 30 grams of Northern Divine White Sturgeon Caviar from Sechelt, B.C. (I’m ecstatic to report I won it, fair and square, and was impressed with the Globe ensuring that it would be chilled properly in an ice-pack.) The extravagant prize was courtesy of Northern Divine’s General Manager Justin Henry who contacted the Globe after other caviar had been purchased for the inaugural occasion. Who knows maybe the eco-friendly Canadian caviar will star next year because I do believe From Russia will return given its success!

After the generous portions, we settled into the comfortable room at the Delta Sun Peaks, enjoyed a cheese plate sourced locally and snuggled down for a goodnight’s sleep in anticipation of Wednesday’s outdoor activities. Dawn dealt a chilly day with a temperature around -23 C and about -34 C windchill so skiing was punctuated by many breaks including lunch at Mantles where a Mitchell Mountain Burger flaunting beef from a local ranch fuelled the fires for further outings. In this rare weather, some outdoor activities were cancelled such as the sleigh ride out of concern for the horses. Regardless of the icicles forming outdoors, the warmth of Melanie Simmons, media relations specialist, and all the staff at Sun Peaks plus the array of spectacular indoor options made it all seem cosy.

clip_image003 Photo by Roslyne Buchanan

Tod Mountain Coffee House and Creperie hosted Doi Chaang Coffee providing a rare opportunity to taste a $30 to $40 cup of Wild Civet (Kopi Luwak) Coffee. It is made from coffee cherries that have been spat or passed through the digestive system of a wild civet, a small nocturnal animal that forages the Doi Chang Village, high in the hilltops of Northern Thailand. Fermenting in the civet’s stomach gives the coffee intriguing tones of earthy, floral citrus and a chocolate molasses finish. We also tasted a single-origin roast and learned more about this unique Thai-Canadian cooperative in which the coffee is grown in Thailand as part of a self-help movement benefiting the Doi Chang farmers and roasted in Canada. In this arrangement, growers are paid more than The Fair Trade Organization recommended price and retain 100 per cent of their green bean sales proceeds. Plus, the Thailand farmers have a 50 per cent interest in the Vancouver-based Doi Chaang Coffee Company. All Doi Chaang Coffee is 100% Arabica, Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher and Halal. Sandwiches and dainty squares, compliments of Ryan Schmalz, owner of Tod Mountain Coffee and Mountain High Pizza (one of Sun Peaks Village first restaurants) were tasty clues of the longevity and popularity of the establishments.

Events sold out such as the new M Room Fondue, where Chef Steve Buzak navigated nuances of fondue with Okanagan wines, the Wine Masters Dinner – an epic journey of gourmet food and wine flights, and the Sun Peaks Progressive Tasting.

clip_image005 Photo: Courtesy of SunPeaks Resort

To encapsulate the essence of the festival, Taste of Sun Peaks, is a signature culinary/wine phenomenon. Within an ambiance of live music by John Kelly, insight was gained in short order on fine Okanagan wines, talented Sun Peaks chefs and some of Canada’s best cheeses presented by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Featured wineries were Cassini Cellars, Ex Nihilo, Gehringer Brothers, House of Rose, Nk’ Mip Winery, Rustic Roots, Saint Hubertus Estate Wines, Stag’s Hollow, Summerhill and Tinhorn. Small plates developed by chefs from the Black Garlic Bistro, The Globe, Mantles Restaurant, Masa’s and Upper Level strutted exquisite fare such as tuna tartar on wonton crisps, crab balls, mini Yorkshire, sundried tomato with parmesan froth, shrimp, eggplant tapenade on crostini, sundried pepper on cucumber, marinated mushrooms, smoked salmon and sushi. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory set out a temptation extravanganza, for example, ripple chips and strawberries dipped in chocolate, and chili infused chocolates. In its own category from The Globe was what could best be described as S’mores as a drink – a lovely concoction of hot chocolate and Jack Daniels with a homemade marshmallow served in a tasting glass rimmed with honey-graham crumbs. Need more be said?

Sun Peaks’ many options are worth exploring in any season. Plan now for the 15th Winter Okanagan Wine Festival, January 16 – 20, 2013!

www.sunpeaksresort.com

www.thewinefestivals.com

www.globetapas.com

www.northerndivine.com

http://doichaangcoffee.com

Here’s a few more photos to illustrate this amazing winter activity:

RBuchanan Delta Sun Peaks P1180008RBuchanan – Delta Sun Peaks

RBuchanan Delta Sun Peaks stunning reception IMG_1081RBuchanan – Delta Sun Peaks stunning reception

RBuchanan Delta Sun Peaks wood carving adorns lobby IMG_1083RBuchanan – Wood carving in Delta Sun Peaks

RBuchanan Delta Sun Peaks pool for all seasons IMG_1084RBuchanan – All season pool Delta Sun Peaks

RBuchanan Delta Sun Peaks transition to outdoor pool IMG_1085RBuchanan – Passage to outdoor pool Delta Sun Peaks

RBuchanan Delta Sun Peaks cheese plate P1170001RBuchanan – Cheese plate Delta Sun Peaks

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Resort P1180005RBuchanan – Skiing Sun Peaks Resort

From Russia With Love…and Vodka (Winter Okanagan Wine Festival event) Sun Peaks Resort at Globe Tapas

RBuchanan Winter Okanagan Wine Globe event IMG_1025RBuchanan – Menu From Russia With Love…& Vodka

RBuchanan Urban Distilleries Spirit Bear at Globe event IMG_1030RBuchanan – Urban Distilleries at Globe Tapas

RBuchanan Globe at Sun Peaks warm ambiance IMG_1034RBuchanan – Ambiance at Globe Tapas

RBuchanan Taste of Caviar at Globe Sun Peaks IMG_1031RBuchanan – Caviar From Russia With Love & Vodka

RBuchanan Northern Divine The Canadian Caviar IMG_1036RBuchanan – I won Northern Divine Caviar!

Doi Chaang Wild Civet Coffee Tasting (Winter Okanagan Wine Festival event) Sun Peaks Resort at Tod Mountain Coffee

RBuchanan Doi Chaang civet coffee tasting at Tod Mtn Coffee House Sun Peaks IMG_1037RBuchanan – Tasting Doi Chaang Wild Civet Coffee

Taste of Sun Peaks (Winter Okanagan Wine Festival event) Sun Peaks Resort

RBuchanan Taste of Sun Peaks casual food & wine IMG_1077RBuchanan – Casual small plates & wine tasting

RBuchanan casual ambiance with John Kelly band at Taste of Sun Peaks IMG_1069RBuchanan – Warm ambiance at Taste of Sun Peaks

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Masa's ready for Taste IMG_1051RBuchanan – Masa’s ready for action

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Masa's small bites tuna tartare IMG_1052RBuchanan – Masa’s Tuna Tartare creation

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Black Garlic Bistro small bites IMG_1047RBuchanan – Black Garlic’s small bite

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Black Garlic Bistro sets out small bites IMG_1046RBuchanan – Black Garlic’s small bite selection

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Upper Level small bites IMG_1063RBuchanan – Upper Level’s assortment

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Cheese - Poplar Grove Tiger Blue IMG_1075RBuchanan – Poplar Grove Tiger Blue at Dairy Farmers of Canada “All You Need is Cheese”

Dessert!

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Globe pours S'mores drink IMG_1064RBuchanan – Globe Tapas pour S’mores drink

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at Taste IMG_1057RBuchanan – Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

RBuchanan Sun Peaks Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at Taste IMG_1059RBuchanan – Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Posted in Adventure, Alcohol, Beverages, Drinks, Food, Joy, Learning, Lifestyle, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Is Golf Just for The Rich?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by rozsmallfry

Los Cabos Cape Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photo

Peering out the window on a snowy February day when I really should be out skiing or snowshoeing, I’m daydreaming about golf. It seems a good time to ponder why fewer people are taking up golf and why golf courses continue to charge ridiculous green fees.

It’s true that among Canadians participation rates in golf are quite strong and not in the sharp decline experienced in United States and some other markets such as the United Kingdom. However, it seems to me that worldwide the golf industry is failing to take the appropriate measures to ensure the long-term health of the sport.

When my memories of our pre-Christmas trip to Mexico drift to our golf experiences there, my joyful recollection of the sun on my skin, that sound when the club face makes clean contact or the ball drops in the hole, and the refreshing first gulp of the day’s first beer is grated by some of the unfortunate realities. Golf in Mexico is suffering because of the short-sightedness of the operators there.

Los Cabos Golf Club Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photoLos Cabos Golf Club flora Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photo

Here’s my reality: I love golf. I love travel. I love food and wine. I love other recreational pursuits. I have a limited budget. Oh, yes, and I resent being gouged in pursuit of those passions. I am Canadian and polite. So, if you rip me off, I may just quietly walk away without too much fuss. In the long run, you will lose. That loss may not seem significant at first. Like the first breaker that takes a bite out of the sea wall, the consequences are benign until the storm crashes wave after wave into the same fracture.

Los Cabos Golf Resort

We have a golf timeshare at the Los Cabos Golf Resort. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And it would have been great had the promises made verbally actually made it into the written contract. Life lesson learned: Read the fine print. Then have an independent lawyer interpret it for you before you sign. If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t that great. If the deal is only good that day, resist at all costs!

Los Cabos Golf Resort Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photo

Los Cabos is a gorgeous area, the resort itself well appointed and comfortable, and the golf course a pretty good track with a great practice facility. As a woman, I feel secure there to the extent that one year when Mark’s health prevented him from playing as much golf, I happily played alone. Where the Los Cabos Golf Resort falls off the rails is through the operator’s greed. We purchased this timeshare because it included unlimited golf for our stay. The factors we did not foresee was an unreasonable spike in annual maintenance fees and the increase in cart fees. The airlines, too, have tacked on extra fees so it costs more to haul our golf clubs. Instead of mitigating that aggravation by offering inexpensive club rentals, the golf courses have gone the opposite route and tried to capitalize on that as well.

Los Cabos Golf Club 18th Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photo

When we get together with other golfers and compare notes on ultimate golf experiences, whether we’re discussing our favourite golf course layouts, prettiest scenery, best bang for the buck, exceptional food and beverage services, most interesting pro shop or friendliest staff, it doesn’t make the list. And that’s a shame because the course is picturesque and has a lot of great attributes and the people are rather charming when you can keep in mind not to shoot the messenger.

Not alone

Somewhere along the way since our first visit to the Los Cabos area when the only course was an inexpensive municipal one in San Jose del Cabo, Mexican tourism has made a conscious decision to go for premium pricing. You can no longer find regular green fees set at a fair rate. Even that original San Jose course has passed through many hands and is priced outrageously for the value. If you search, you can find special deals through online booking services. Or if you are willing to sacrifice about as much time as playing the round itself by being trapped in the vortex of a timeshare presentation, you can play for “free” or dramatically reduced rates.

That’s why it’s rare to see the tee boxes back up in Mexico. It seems that golf operators would rather leave money on the table and risk economic crises for the course than just set a reasonable rate at the outset. I don’t get it. If I designed something unique and beautiful, I’d want people to play it.

Cabo Del Sol Golf Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photo

Not only would I want tourists to enjoy a round or two, I would want my citizens to play it. If the pricing has climbed out of reach for the average vacationer, what are the chances of the working class Mexican getting to golf? With all due respect to the highly successful businessman (and by participation statistics, the gender implication is deliberate), it would enhance my vacation to golf occasionally with some locals.

Greed on the Green throughout Mexico

Lest it be discounted as part of the Americanization of Cabo, the same holds true across Mexico. In this recent trip we were thrilled to return to Loreto after an absence of more than 20 years. We were particularly keen to get back to the Loreto Bay Golf Club, which had been redesigned by David Duval since we had last played it. Previously it had been a pretty weak course with one truly memorable hole over the water.

The development at Loreto Bay is an interesting story on to itself. It launched with great aspirations of an earth-friendly village many years ago and has suffered a few stutters along the way. There has been an adjustment of the loftier targets and a vibrant community is emerging. Best practices in terms of serving its owners and visitors remains a work in progress.

Villages of Loreto Bay overview Mark photo

Inn at Loreto Bay Mexico RBuchanan photo

Loreto Bay patio view Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photo

Loreto Bay Golf view Gigantas Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photo

We rented a lovely unit owned by Canadian friends and were again captivated by the beauty of the area. The amenities offered in their unit were excellent and plenty to keep active souls occupied. We wanted, however, to explore further afield and give the local concierge a test drive. He was a friendly and fine young man although a novice in his understanding of getting guests the best bargain. We had already checked out green fees at the pro shop and when we quizzed him on a deal, it took some negotiation for him to secure a better rate.

Loreto Bay Golf home hole Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photo

We discovered that Duval Designs had, in fact, made some great improvements enhancing that memorable hole and adding a few more exciting challenges on the back nine. The front nine was a weak track making the green fees a poor value compared to almost any of the courses we routinely play in Canada. It offered valid explanation why the course was never busy. And like all the other Mexican courses we have encountered, the same strange stubborn policy to inflate rates to the point that the grounds keeping is celebrated by an elite few.

Loreto Bay Golf overview to bridge Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photoLoreto Bay Golf hole with bridge Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photoLoreto Bay Golf signature hole with Mark RBuchanan photoLoreto Bay Golf signature hole with Roz MarkphotoLoreto Bay Golf overview to signature Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photoLoreto Bay Golf gallery Loreto Mexico RBuchanan photo

We learned that folks in Loreto perceive the owners and visitors at Loreto Bay to be extremely wealthy. That attitude explained the inflated green fees and the fact the ATV rental through the resort’s concierge was more than double the rate we could negotiate in town for a better machine.

Vive Loreto ATV rental from Loreto Bay with Mark RBuchanan photoLa Mision Hotel Loreto ATV rental with Mark RBuchanan photo

An Economist might disagree

To me – no, make that to us and our friends – it makes sense to set green fees at an approachable level. If the value to price ratio is realistic, we’ll return again and again instead of viewing the activity as a one time splurge. In the end, the golf course will actually earn more of our money and we’ll both be happy. In passing by a golf course empty of players, I think for a moment it’d be a good time to play and then quickly the question pops in what’s wrong with the course? Joy is contagious. Where is all the joy?

In viral marketing, you try to increase brand awareness and product sales using social media as a network replicating word-of-mouth endorsements. If no one is playing, what’s viral in that?

Los Cabos Golf Club impossible lie Cabo Mexico RBuchanan photo

Is this the future for golf in Mexico?

Posted in Golf, Joy, Learning, Lifestyle, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! Sharing our view with you.

Posted on February 14, 2012 by rozsmallfry

Joy spills from diverse vignettes of everyday life. May your Valentine’s Day be as joyful as ours in watching a coyote from our window clowning around as playful as a puppy.

Sound effects in this rough footage in which I was able to capture the cunning coyote having a bit of fun at Mark’s driving range are provided by our feline Baja. Ever the peacemaker, Baja wants to befriend almost all the creatures that cross her path.

We don’t take such moments for granted. As Momaday points out more eloquently than I, it is a rare gift to see them so naturally.

“Coyotes have the gift of seldom being seen; they keep to the edge of vision and beyond, loping in and out of cover on the plains and highlands. And at night, when the whole world belongs to them, they parley at the river with the dogs, their higher, sharper voices full of authority and rebuke. They are an old council of clowns, and they are listened to.”
― N. Scott Momaday, House Made of Dawn

Coyote Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obTb57LsGm8&feature=youtu.be

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Fall to Pieces*

Posted on October 19, 2011 by rozsmallfry

A certain date offers significance beyond a birthday or coincidence sometimes and October 17 is such a day for my family. Simmering beneath the surface the last few days and finally percolating to the point of a story to tell, October 17 begs me to share.

It was a gorgeous Indian summer day in Calgary 1974 with a high of about 15C, light winds and that crisp clear visibility offered by autumn Alberta skies. I was enrolled in the Aviation program at Mount Royal College (now University) and Thursdays were my assigned days at the North American Air Training College at Springbank Airport.

The only female in a class of 60, it had been a tough go for me in the Aviation program. The program coordinator and ground school teacher had suffered a bitter divorce between the time I was accepted in the spring and the start in September. He showed me his contempt for women mostly out of sight of others, however, he had an insidious way of casting a disparaging light on me in the class by such remarks as “I’d love to share a joke with you fellows now, however, we have a woman in the room, and I’d get in trouble for it.”

My male colleagues were actually pretty good to me – particularly the small group assigned with me to Thursday flight days. Unfortunately, my draw on flight instructor also netted a chauvinist. I was only 20 at the time and didn’t immediately recognize it. He’d make cracks to me during our walk around the plane about how he probably wouldn’t have to explain mechanical things so completely if I was a guy and had been brought up around such things. I recognized immediately that there’d be no return in sharing with him that my Dad had spent considerable time with me as baby of the family on such things. My older brother Barry was a talented hockey player and cared more about the game than learning how to change oil. My sister Sandee was a beautiful girl and activities such as figure skating, baton twirling, dressing up and marrying quite young appealed to her. As last child at home, I learned basic car maintenance, how to change furnace filters and other skills once considered male domain.

Later I even learned the pranks this chauvinistic flight instructor pulled on me while we were flying did not happen to any of the guys in their lessons. At this point I believed him when I asked him why most of the guys had been solo that I just wasn’t competent enough.

Unknown to me my group classmates had listened carefully as we shared our air experiences over coffee or beer after flight school was completed for the day. They recognized the inconsistency in approach and risk in his actions. They went behind my back on my behalf to the chief flying instructor (CFI) to report what I had related.

So, it was on this magical fall day, when I reported to the flight school that CFI Vic Jewett called me aside to announce I’d be flying with him that day. Vic said he was just doing a routine check ride with me and I had no idea he was checking out what the guys had told him.

We went through the standard exercises on the ground and in the air practice zone and he signalled me to return to the Springbank airport. We landed and he asked me to just pull over by the control tower. I was busily processing what this meant, wondering what I had done wrong, when he opened the hatch, hopped out of the plane. “Off you go,” he said, advising me to take off alone to do one circuit and return.

Solo flight! Like so many of life’s milestones it’s difficult to capture the significance or impact of the moment. Suffice to say it was pure ecstasy and one of my happiest accomplishments.

As per tradition, Vic and the guys were waiting for me on the ground with scissors to snip the tail of my shirt and celebrate. The joy was like a narcotic rendering the skies deeper blue, the wheat fields more golden, the fall leaves more orange and the sun more radiant as I drove home to share my news.

Yes, it was one of those days when the horizon blurs between the fall colours and the setting sun. Here fuses into there, now into future and earth into heaven. Pure Zen when time stands still. Vividly, I recall a vision of an angel as the light slipped from the foothills behind the Rockies.

With this heightened perception as I entered the house excited to relive my day with family, I smacked into the change in energy as surely as hitting a concrete barrier.

Sandee at full term with her second pregnancy had spent that same day in emergency. I learned that they’d raced into Calgary to Dr. Buchanan, her specialist with coincidentally our last name although no direct relation, when the especially vigorous kicker in her belly suddenly just stopped. Months of nurturing the growth inside her and preparing Quinn, their two-and-a-half year old, for how things would not be the same when his sibling came home, were lost. The baby had been so active he had gone beyond twisting the umbilical around his neck to actually tying a knot in the cord itself sadly cutting off his own oxygen.

Of course, this part of the story is Sandee’s not mine and perhaps the details inaccurate in my memory. Sandee and Bob had wished only for a healthy baby and had not elected to learn the sex in advance. When Dr. Buchanan gently broke the news the baby was stillborn, Sandee quickly declined to see the lifeless form. He left to let her absorb what had happened. I can only imagine how cold and sterile that hospital room felt and how heartbroken they were. Truly, a polar opposite to the joy that day had held for me.

Dr. Buchanan returned and offered once more to bring her the baby. Again she tearfully refused. Knowingly, Dr. Buchanan merely nodded and said he had a few things to do before releasing her. Through the pain, she grew aware of the clinical activities of cleaning the room and preparing it for the next patient. No doubt she felt as far removed as if she was in outer space. The disinfectant burning harshly on her senses, the disbelief creeping cruelly to acceptance.

Re-entering the room more purposefully, Dr. Buchanan advised her clearly, this was the last offer for her to see her baby. As she was shaking her head to say no, he turned his back to leave, and she called out, yes, please, Dr. Buchanan.

He placed him in her arms and with the love and recognition that only a mother knows, Sandee saw him and knew her son as surely as he’d lived a full life. And she said something like “Dr. Buchanan, I’d like to introduce my son Michael Christian.”

It’s fuzzy to me now if the names were ones they had considered in the excitement leading up to a birth or if she just saw him and knew him. In the end, she and Bob decided to bury him at the cemetery not far from their home at Bowden with a private ritual.

In dealing with such loss, she wrote a beautiful tribute poem to him that he was so beautiful heaven could not wait his lifetime to receive him. For my part, I believe the angel I saw on my drive home was him being welcomed to the hereafter.

Months later little Quinn would slip from the house when she was briefly preoccupied by some task. She searched frantically; terrified she’d lost him, too. She called Bob at work and he sped home to assist. Along the road, they found Quinn trudging along toward the cemetery. When they scooped him up and asked him where he was going, the tiny toddler replied that he was going to see his brother.

They have no recollection of mentioning where or even that Michael was buried rather that they had deliberately left him out of the private ceremony believing him too young to understand. So, together they went to the cemetery and said a prayer for Michael.

Eventually, they had a daughter, another daughter and then a brother for Quinn. To this day, should anyone make the mistake that there were four children in the family, Quinn corrects them. He is forever bonded to his brother who didn’t come home from the hospital.

The San Francisco Bay area earthquake of October 17, 1989 offers yet another significant reminiscence to Mark and me. We were on our first vacation to Los Cabos in Baja California Sur, Mexico. We had enjoyed a bounty of activities and were craving a connection to global news. We were delighted to be let in on a local secret that a scruffy surfer bar with satellite television would be showing the World Series baseball game. We had happily settled into our seats with margaritas and a plate of nachos and were amused by the enthusiastic betting in the room as the game warm ups were shown. Suddenly the screen crackled and went blank. Given the pregame coverage, it would be the first major quake to be broadcast live.

No one in the room was quite sure what had actually happened until coverage was restored with word that an earthquake was in progress. The Mexicans did not miss a beat. If there was no betting to be done on the game, they’d throw their money down on what the quake would register on the Richter scale. Amid chaos, there would be gaming. As the news reports came in we learned more of the extent of tragedy. Although the jolt was not so deeply personal to us, Mark and I recall the day vividly and if I close my eyes I can still smell the aroma of cheap cigarettes, cheese melting on taco chips and the fragrant lime of our drinks.

And so it is, each October 17, a muddle of glee and grief climbs into my consciousness and I must pause to remember.

*The lyrics of Velvet Revolver’s song seem to complement my story. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/velvetrevolver/falltopieces.html

November 24, 2017 Note: While lyrics of songs are like poems to me and once released, we the audience can put our own personal spin on how we relate to those words, I thought I’d also share the official Velvet Resolver rendition of the song from YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JhsUFuqbCM

Posted in Angels, Earthquake, Family, Flying, Grief, Joy, Learning, Lifestyle, Tequila, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

Smoky Margarita – perhaps our best at home to date!

Posted on July 12, 2011 by rozsmallfry

Do you ever read a recipe, fall in love with the idea that makes that recipe unique and then forget to clip it?

The other day we were barbecuing a whole salmon to have with our selection from a Naramata Bench winemaker, Bradley Cooper’s  Black Cloud 2008 Altostratus – a delicious pairing I might add – and thought while we had the grill fired up, we should try out a Smoky Margarita that required grilled lemons or limes. Do you think either of us could recall where we’d read about it? Not likely.

We halved a few limes and lemons and threw them on the grill anyhow, figuring we’d find the article later or do a google search. I did remember that once grilled, the citrus needed to cool down to juice it so I figured tossing them in a bag and storing them until the next day would be fine.

We never did track down the original article that captured our attention. Maybe it was a newspaper that had already found its way into our blue bag recycling. In any case, I did do an Internet search and came up with two possibilities and have provided those links here:
Australian Women’s Weekly Grilled Lemon Margarita at http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/freshtv/785414/grilled-lemon-margarita
or
Grill grrrl Smoky Margarita at http://grillgrrrl.com/2011/06/food-trend-grilled-cocktails-and-a-smoky-margarita-recipe/

In checking out these references, I learned that we probably should have dipped the citrus halves in sugar before grilling them. Oops, we thought we should adjust for that error and did so with the addition of agave syrup.

We tossed the following into a blender:
• 1 cup tequila (We used some Cazadores Reposado we had on hand)
• ¼ cup triple sec (Meaghers)
• ¼ cup agave syrup (Madhava Agave Nectar Light)
• 1 cup, approximately, of the roughly 50/50 mix lemons & limes, squeezed
• 1 ½ cup ice

After blending just long enough to mix it all and crush the ice to a slushie consistency, we poured the blend into salt rimmed margarita glasses that we had chilling in the freezer. Refreshing and more complex than your average margarita! Next time we’ll dip the citrus into sugar before grilling to see if that helps caramelize it. No worries though – we were quite happy with our results by adding the agave syrup!

The smoky depth the grilled citrus imparts to the margarita makes a great drink even tastier. Give it try and you might find it’s a keeper for you, too!

Now I’m thinking grapefruit. Could a Smoky Salty Dog be next?

Posted in agave syrup, Alcohol, Beverages, Culinary supplies, Drinks, Food, Learning, Lifestyle, Tequila, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments