ELAINE QUEHL, Quilt Artist, Teacher, Dyer, Designer

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Mountain Magic, Beautiful Valley

Tuesday night we returned from a 10-day trip to the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. The purpose of the trip was to deliver three workshops at Cherry Tree Quilts in Summerland, B.C.  My husband came with me and we did some sight-seeing. I don't think I've mentioned here yet that my husband is officially retiring in December. He says he plans to be my "roadie" in retirement. It was great having him with me on this trip and helping with some of the heaving and carrying.

We spent our first four nights in a mountain cabin in Idabel Lake, in the mountains on the edge of the Okanagan Valley. It was so remote that there was no cell phone service and we could only connect with wifi outside the main building. It was pretty cold at that elevation, and we saw snow one night, but the beauty and silence were unbeatable.  In fact, I wish I could bottle that silence and carry it with me.

Here's a view of Idabel Lake from our cabin in the morning.

Idabel Lake at the end of the day.

My husband wakes up much earlier than I do, and he was out photographing every morning.  He is responsible for these boat pictures, and the rabbit photo below them.




During the day we drove around the Valley, stopping at many vineyards and orchards.

I thought it was kinda cool that Quehl had lunch at Quails' Gate Winery. By the way, there are quails (as in the birds) all over the Okanagan Valley! They move too fast for me to get a decent photo. I don't think they are related to me?

Fruit orchards.

On our last day at Idabel Lake, we met this little bear by the side of the road. I am really glad we were in our car at the time.  A baby bear likely means that mama bear is not too far away.


This is my husband.  Love this shot of him in this amazing river setting off Hwy 33, on the way to Osoyoos.






4 comments:

  1. Elaine, thanks to you and your husband for the fabulous pictures. I love the last boat picture as it reminds me of memories of the cottage when I was younger.

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    1. Glad the boats pictures bring back pleasant memories for you Heather.

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  2. Thanks for sharing these glorious (and some cute!) photos, Elaine. My parents retired from Eastern Canada to Peachland in the late '70s and lived there till my mother, widowed, moved to Calgary in 1997. We spent part of many a summer holiday in the area, as my in-laws were in Vancouver, and it was a loop from Calgary through and back. It's been many years since I've seen that beautiful place, so your photos brought back many lovely memories. :-)

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    1. I'm sure you have many pleasant memories of Peachland and the Okanagan Margaret. It is a lovely area. I hadn't been there in 30 years and found there are many more vineyards and wineries now. A big tourism industry has grown around these wineries. Would love to go back during cherry season or peach season and of course beach season. Glad you enjoyed the memories provoked by these photos.

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Elaine