Keremeos

We managed to get ourselves (minus Computer Geek as usual) out of the house by 10.30am today so that we could head south for a day out.


Tai Chi Man was driving of course, so I made good progress on my Brea bag. By the end of the driving time, I was more than half way through the gusset piece. Just have to find a handle and button for it now - maybe at a thrift store.

We found a fruit stand that was selling 30lbs of tomatoes for $10 - so we bought three boxes! Last year, we used our food processor to chop up a similar load of tomatoes and freeze them in glass mason jars; they tasted way better than canned. At the same fruit stand today we bought some Russian Red garlic (huge heads), two eggplants (aubergines), a giant zucchini (courgette) which was really more of a marrow and a bag of bell peppers.


We then drove through Keremeos (a very small place) and driving around the back roads we found a lovely park - trees, grass, playground - where we relaxed for a while.


The weather was perfect: it was warm in the sun, cool in the shade. Tai Chi Man proved his nickname fits by doing a little Tai Chi! The boys loved the playground.

And I played around with the camera and learned a new function on it - the close-up one! (above - ponderosa pine bark and mushrooms)


We found this little wooden bridge. They call it a covered bridge - well, the sides are covered but the top isn't. Apparently it used to be a railway bridge. Now it's part of a road and cars drive over it.


We stopped at the Grist Mill on the way out of town, hoping to get a cup of tea, and discovered that we could walk around it but there was no one running it. The gardens are being maintained but the museum-type displays and the tour that we so enjoyed last year aren't happening this year.

We stopped at another little town which was on our way back home and has a thriving bakery/coffee shop. The boys had Orangina, we had tea and I bought a couple of baguettes.

It was obvious what was going to be for dinner...


ratatouille. A mixture of eggplant, onions, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, oregano, salt. Served with home-grown spuds (potatoes), salad and the baguettes. A nice way to wrap up the day.