All of the forest fire smoke blanketing our sky has really limited letting our visiting family explore our mountainous environment, so yesterday our activities centered around having my brothers and sisters visit with our friends. We went to see the Milnes. David and Lyuba Milne have a lot of interesting things to see at their place, and after taking a tour to look at Lyuba’s ceramic studio and David’s amazing collection of succulent plants, we all settled down in the rose garden to talk the rest of the afternoon away.
After a couple of hours of sitting outside, the temperature started to cool, so the whole group headed out for our next planned activity, a buffet dinner at the Tete Jaune Lodge. The restaurant is scenically located right beside the Fraser River and beside the Lodge’s tasty cuisine, they offer an amazing view of the Fraser and the mountains. Unfortunately the view of the mountains was largely diminished by smoke, but the setting was still wonderful. I was pleased that being outside there, was much warmer than it was at Milne’s yard. It was a spectacular and comfortable way to dine, beside the flowing Fraser River.
An unexpected bonus of dining at the Tete Jaune Lodge was being able to see, on the far side of the river, spawning salmon splashing as they lay their eggs. I always find seeing the salmon an awe-inspiring event. Those salmon had swum upstream in the Fraser River for 800 or so miles to lay their eggs in the same place they were born in, four years ago. During their exhausting swim, they don’t eat anything, and arrive in the Robson Valley with their bodies battered and torn from their journey, only to spawn, then die.
Visiting friends with my family turned out to be a wonderful and enjoyable way to spend the smoky afternoon.
View my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
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