Category: Kelowna, British Columbia

Cafés, coffee, and creativity…Blog #133

Lot 61 Roaster, Amsterdam

One of the many things I love about travel, is finding new cafés. Now, I’m a little picky about my cafés ~ they need to have character, atmosphere, background music that isn’t overbearing (jazz is always a good choice), comfortable chairs, and of course the necessary internet connections. When doing work travel, cafés are my location of choice to write and prepare for whatever projects I may be working on at the time.

I’ve shared some of my favourites in this blog.

Barn Owl (Milk Shed), Kelowna, BC

Customer service is also important, I want to get the feeling that I’m welcome there, not just a source of revenue to the owners. I have experienced all of these elements in coffee shops across Canada and Europe, but I’ve also experienced some that cause me to quickly drink my beverage and leave…after all who wants to feel like an inconvenience? 

Zandvoort, Amsterdam

As I write this blog, I’m sitting in a local café in my home town of Kelowna BC. Soft jazz is playing, I’m sitting in a comfortable chair by the window providing a view of the lake. I am very much enjoying a decaffeinated, double espresso, macchiato. (It has to go be strong to make me forget it is decaf!). A new barista asked if I wanted a 12 or 16 ounce — good clue that she was new. However, the person training her respectfully whispered that she was not quite on the right track, then proceeded to coach her through making my not-so-often requested drink. The training was magnificent, as was my coffee.  

I have a home office (currently being redesigned by a new start up business, Design Floral), and I really do like working in it. However, there’s something about the inspiration I get when working from such coffee shops as this one. I use my AirBuds to quiet down some of the distractions, while still allowing the gentle ‘buzz’ of the patrons to filter through. It’s peaceful, and for some reason, provides an atmosphere that stimulates creativity.

Black Rabbit, Kelowna BC
House of Tribes, The Hague

I’m sure you have come across some hidden gems from your travels, or even in your own home town — I would love to hear about them. What do you look for? What are some non-negotiables? What kind of work do you feel most inspired to do in a café of choice? What would perhaps make a one-time-visit-never-to-return experience? What location would you recommend as a must visit?

Cafés, coffee, and creativity ~~ a dynamic combination.

Autumn, it’s the most wonderful time of the year…Blog # 128

I love Autumn. Always have, and always will. It was the perfect month for me to be born! (Actually, today’s my birthday!) There’s something about the feeling of the warmth of the sun filtering through the cool, crisp air. The light is somehow softer in the autumn, as sun rays are less direct. By early afternoon through early evening, the sun beats through my home office window. I have one of those oversize chairs by the window — my favourite place to sit and read, listen to an audio book, or even allow myself to have a short afternoon snooze while the sun serves as a warming blanket.

Every autumn, our city in western Canada treats us to a cacophony of fall colours as trees display their red, orange and yellow leaves. Who doesn’t love strutting through the leaves and hearing them rustling underfoot? While I appreciate the diligence of city workers and gardners as they rake these autumn carpets, I simply can’t resist gathering the leaves and throwing them in the air, then laughing at the shower they provide as, once again, they float to the ground.

I haven’t travelled since May, and even though I’m always ready to travel to some far-off place, my husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the Okanagan Valley. Have you ever walked around your area and looked through the eyes of a first-time visitor, or a tourist? Try it…I guarantee you will appreciate the surrounding beauty in a new light.

We can’t all live by the ocean (sad, but true), nor can we all live by a 90-mile-long lake (like we do), however, there is such beauty in a prairie sunrise or sunset. I will never forget my first visit to the Canadian prairies…how could anything be so flat?? On my first day I decided to brave the brisk early morning October air. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon and I witnessed the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen. It’s awesomeness literally brought tears to my eyes. Then there are the spectacular views from atop a mountain or the sense of insignificance we feel when looking up at such majesty from a lush valley. I remember standing with a friend on Mars Hill in Athens and gazing over the expanse of the magnificent city spread out before us.

Who can forget their first experience of wonder when snorkelling in the waters of Hawaii, or Mexico? It is like entering another world, one that is peaceful, abundant with every colour of the rainbow, and occupied by the most amazing sea life that would give Dr. Seuss’s creative mind a run for his money!

You get the idea. Yes, travelling is wonderful, something never to be taken for granted. But so is the world immediately around us, in our backyard, across the street, on the other side of town, a day trip away, or a bike ride along a peaceful country road.

Sadly, there are times when beauty is destroyed by devastating events caused by nature, or man. My hope is that in the midst of such devastation, we are able to eventually see beauty…like a phoenix rising from the ashes. In the meantime, I’m happy to share nature’s beauty with you, looking through my eyes.

All photographs taken from right here in Kelowna, Canada. We truly live in a four seasons playground.

Alaska, reliving the memories…Blog #125

A reminder sounded on my phone just now… ‘Boarding at 1 p.m.’

Today was the day we were to board the cruise ship for an Alaskan Cruise. Sadly, it’s not happening. Pneumonia decided to attack my husband’s lungs, so rather than soaking up the beauty of the Alaskan glaciers, we’ll be soaking up the beauty from our own deck. 

When planning an adventure, part of the joy is the anticipation. We didn’t miss out on that. In fact, because we had taken a similar cruise several years ago, we had already been revisiting the memorable time we had exploring the magnificence of that area.

In a previous blog, I talked about taking time over the summer to reflect. For me, one way to do so is to look at pictures from past adventures, absorb every detail, relive the moments, feel the emotions, and let my mind remember and be there once again.

For our Alaskan cruise, I didn’t need to look at pictures to remind me of the moments, the emotions, the awe-inspiring creation all around. This is actually a good thing because I can’t find our pictures from that trip; I still had a Blackberry at that time!

John Hopkins Glacier

First of all, the weather was perfect and the cooler temperatures were most welcome in the midst of a hot Okanagan summer. The scenery from the ship was simply breathtaking! And the glaciers…wow! Our cruise was at the end of July, and we were fortunate, (according to the Captain), to have perfect weather, the most calving activity they had ever witnessed, all presented under the deepest blue skies I think I had ever seen. 

However, the most vivid memories that come to mind are the two excursions we took: kayaking on a glacier lake, and biking to Mendenhall Glacier. 

We love kayaking, but to that point, our ventures were mostly on local lakes in British Columbia, with a couple of paddles around the coast off Vancouver Island, which were truly lovely. But never before did we experience the calm, turquoise waters of a glacial lake! I have since learned that the specific blue hue, the glacial blue can only be found in glaciers.

Photo by Frank Cone on Pexels.com

But it wasn’t just about the glacial lake–the guide reminded us to look up and around. What we saw appeared to be hundreds of golf balls stuck in the surrounding trees. We had no clue what we were looking at…until we saw the majestic eagles taking flight. What appeared to be golf balls were actually the heads of bald eagles! We were speechless. And seeing them in flight was truly a sight to behold. We learned that Alaska is home to over 30,000 bald eagles, many living in the trees around inland lakes. And we were blessed to see them in their natural habitat. Unbelievable.  

What can I say about Mendenhall Glacier other than wow!!! Mendenhall flows from the Juneau Icefields into Mendenhall Lake. We were up close and personal as we biked along lakes, glaciers, mountains, and local swimming holes. Yes, kids were actually swimming in the lake then climbing out on the rocks to warm up in the intense Alaskan sun. The ride was about 14 km, nice and easy, truly affording us the privilege of taking in all the sights along the way. 

Our final destination on that excursion? A brewery where we were treated to some of the most delicious beer from around Alaska, accompanied by an interesting presentation delivered by a knowledgeable local historian while we imbibed the rich brew.

What a wonderful trip down memory lane to revisit a world so different from our own. I can’t wait for our friends to come home and share the joys of their discoveries and adventures on the Alaskan cruise we will have to retake another time.

I’m back…Blog #116

*Photograph by Ken Hagen; Kelowna Sunset

Hello all! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, haven’t gone to live on some deserted island, nor moved to a secluded cabin deep in the woods. I’ve been busy! More about that in a moment.

Christmas is now in the rear view mirror. It was truly lovely. So very different from last year in Portugal…equally lovely, but so different. This Christmas, my husband and I decided to make up for missing out on the many Christmas celebrations and traditions so common to our past experience. The month of December found us exploring our own city, Kelowna, BC, Canada, and the many events it offered. Our hearts were filled while enjoying an uplifting concert by Spectrum, one of our amazing local audition choirs, were touched by the words and music from The Messiah, did the proud grandparent thing as our baby grandson had his first stage appearance as baby Jesus in a church pageants, celebrated local artisans as they displayed their wares at the many Christmas markets all the while walking around with a mug of locally made mulled wine. It was wonderful. 

Then the cold hit! We literally went from -1 C, blue sky with sun shining on Dec 14th to -25 C a week later! Just reminding us we were back home in Canada. You can imagine how many conversations we had that started with, “Remember this time last year when we were walking on the beach in Albufeira?” While it did warm up for a crisp Christmas Day walk, we certainly weren’t running into the ocean for a dip as we did the previous year!

It is amazing how much you don’t know about your hometown unless you intentionally go looking. We have lived in Kelowna since 1987, but have never spent time exploring the downtown area with its unique shops and cafés. So that’s exactly what we did the week before Christmas. We still had a couple of gifts to purchase, so we got in the car and drove the short 5km to explore new territory. It was so much fun. 

We started with coffee (of course) at a café I had been to a couple of years previous, but it was new to my husband. Pulp Fiction is a coffee shop with personality…you must go visit their website and check it out. Honestly, I have no idea why I never returned there! We loved the vibe; the place was full, some folks visiting, others reading, several working on their laptops…the hum of people doing life was delicious.

From there we walked across the street to Olive and Elle, another delightful shop worth checking out for their unique and high quality home decor, adorable baby ‘stuff’, among other lovelies. 

The third shop we visited was down right dangerous…in the very best way possible! Textile Apparel, I had no idea what it was, sells clothes you just want to live in! Natural fabrics, Canadian made, funky but classic…and right on our doorstep! I had no intention of purchasing anything that day, after all, we were suppose to be finishing up our Christmas shopping, but I couldn’t resist.

Have you ever had a garment in mind that you knew you’d love but couldn’t find it anywhere? That’s what happened. A long, wool coat, forest green, my size…how could I resist! I tried it on and it was love at first sight. It is now hanging in my closet, ready for me to adorn every opportunity possible. It was a good day.

We explored and discovered more places that day, but I’ll leave it there for now.

Back to the start of this post and my busyness. This wasn’t necessarily activity based, but more creative. You see, I knew back in 2019 that I wanted to go on an extended study leave for 2021/2022. I also anticipated that it would be an adventure of a lifetime that would both inspire and stretch me. That’s when I started writing a memoir that would capture the journey from inception to completion.

For the past few months I have been focused on completing the manuscript, having it beta read, and finally, submitted to a publisher just yesterday. I’m sure you see what I mean by being creatively busy! This was a huge step for me…scary, exciting, and just unbelievable! It will be published, and I hope and pray it will also sell and be read…but that’s totally out of my control.

It will be a few months before it’s ready to promote and sell, I’ll keep you posted.

For now, I plan on continuing to blog and share my learnings from life and travel.

Hope you’ll keep joining me.

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*Ken Hagen linkedin.com/in/kenhagen Freelance Photographer and Videographer based out of Kelowna, BC

New page, new chapter…Blog #115

Do you remember your high school years? It seemed (to me anyways) the hours of boring classes, homework, exams, and tedious studying, would never end? (says the professor). But they did, and as I look back I realize they were just a tiny bleep in time. I feel a bit of deja vu these days–I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed! 

August 1 marked a year since I began my extended study leave (ESL); actually it marked the end of that ESL. Unbelievable! It was my main focus since beginning to prepare the proposal in Spring of 2019, and now it is becoming a distant memory. But what a memory! 

My blog posts have also been focused on preparing for, and living the adventure experienced with my husband, and as I now return to blogging, I’m having a hard time getting back in the groove. I’m still committed to writing about learning from life and travels, but feel like a new page has been turned in life, and I’m not sure what the next chapter is called, nor how to get there. 

Perhaps a bridge is needed. My last blog was posted mid-June, let’s start there.

June was basically spent getting back to being home, as in Kelowna, BC, Canada: wrapping up loose ends from my research, writing my Global Professional in Human Resources exam (which I passed…phew!), re-adjusting to life in Canada, catching up with friends, connecting with colleagues at work, and spending as much time as possible with our daughter and family. To be honest, June was a bit of a whirlwind (I did write a bit about it in my previous blog).  

July hit, and with the research and resulting papers etc. complete, it was time to let my mind and body rest before digging into preparing for another year of teaching HR and Management courses, and working with clients. July truly was back to basics…the 3-Rs, ok 4-Rs: reading, writing (not sure how this was labelled as an ‘R’), riding, and relaxing. The reading was light, mostly mysteries and the like; the writing was focused on my travel memoir from this past year (more about that to come); bike riding was a mix of both slow and pushing hard; and relaxing was well, relaxing. 

Enjoying wine and cream puffs at Arrowleaf Winery

The more we travel, the more I appreciate the beauty of the Okanagan Valley region in which we live. We are surrounded by mountains that house world class skiing, 30+ golf courses, approximately 182 wineries, and many lakes. The Okanagan Lake alone is 135 km long! So while we absolutely love to travel, we are fortunate to have a spectacular location to return to after each adventure.

But, my mind is already longing for more travel…yes, the more you travel, the more you realize how many more places you want to experience. Future travels will probably not be for such an extended time as this past adventure to Europe; however, there is still great value in a weekend away closer to home, taking a week or so to a drivable location, or a few weeks to more distant lands that call for a plane ride to jet you away to some new exploration. 

I have many memories and learnings from past travels sewn into the fabric of my heart and soul, and I invite you to reflect on them with me over the next weeks and months until the next yet unknown adventure presents itself.

A favourite spot to take in the Okanagan Lake.