AULD ACQUAINTANCES ISOLATION STORIES AND PHOTOS
April 26, 2020
Hello, everyone.
I am pleased to share some lighthearted stories from colleagues that relate to this unprecedented time in our lives of self isolation and social distancing. If you have stories to relate about how you’re spending your time or something amusing that you’ve encountered, please share it and it will be posted here. Don’t forget that we’re also looking for photos of yourself showing us what you’re keeping busy with in isolation for our “Colleagues” section of this website. Thank you!
From Mike & Peggy Oldfield:
(CLICK HERE TO see photos in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
The photos of Mike and Peggy in the gallery captured loading the Christmas tree they picked at a local nursery into their car and at home, beginning the decorating of it with lights. Here's the finished fully decorated tree, definitely making their Livingroom look festive.
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From Neil Trainer (December 27, 2020):
Neil & Mary Trainer's 2 1/2 year-old grandson Woods Thompson captured helping Grandma Mary with Christmas baking!
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From Neil Trainer (December 20, 2020):
A perfect photo in celebration of the holiday season. Neil Trainer shares the
image at right of 14-month-old granddaughter Lake Thompson arriving for a
visit. Lake and her brother Woods are part of the Trainer family bubble and
spend lots of happy times with Grandma and Grandad.
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From Bill Nevison (Dec 11, 2020):
(Note: See photo of Bill in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
Bill writes the following update from his home in Palm Desert, California:
"Here in the desert, we've largely escaped the increasing numbers of hospitalizations & fatalities the big cities are experiencing (LA, San Diego, San Francisco, etc.) I've gone to restaurants for lunch & dinner several times over the past 6 months or so. Most restaurants have expanded outdoor seating. I took the photo of the expanded outdoor seating last week just before dinner time. I suspect Vancouver restaurants are doing the same thing. But it's undoubtedly better to have lunch & dinner on a patio setting in a warm weather climate. I'm forever thankful I can go for morning runs & hikes.
You might have heard our governor just imposed stricter restrictions for the next few weeks. Only pickup & delivery is allowed at restaurants until January 4th. Our county sheriff hasn't been enforcing the restrictions in our area but most people are following social distancing guidelines.
I haven't done the 2 hour drive to LA since February. I regularly go over to my brother & sister's house in Palm Springs & stop by my neighbors houses for visits. The gate guarded complex where I live has a par 3 golf course which is in full use right now. This weekend saw our complex's annual Yuletide golf cart parade. People decorate their golf carts with festive Christmas decorations, then form a caravan & drive up & down the various streets, stopping from time to time to sing Christmas carols at designated houses along the way. I miss seeing my friends & family up north. Hopefully, the new year will bring brightened prospects for safe travelling opportunities."
El Paso Drive expanded restaurant seating
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Yuletide golf cart parade entry. "A fine example of Christmas in the desert", says Bill.
From Belle Puri:
(Note: See photo of Belle in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
When Belle submitted her photo for the "Colleagues in Isolation" photo gallery this past week (November 30-December 6), she happily reported that she won the CBC chocolate counting contest a few weeks ago! The Gallery photo shows Belle sporting her work-from-home attire with her prize of 302 Lindt Chocolates which were delivered to her door by courier. Belle had guessed there were 301 chocolates in the bag, and to quote her, "not bad, eh?". Congratulations, Belle! Now, how long do you suppose 302 chocolates can be stretched out when one is "in isolation"?
News of the Week (Posted November 22):
Congratulations to Stephen Quinn and Gloria Macarenko who
were respectively named Vancouver's Best Local Morning
and Afternoon Radio Hosts in the Georgia Strait's 25th
Annual Best of Vancouver issue Reader's Choice Awards!
Stephen is Host of CBC Radio One's Early Edition and Gloria
hosts On the Coast.
From Terry Murray:
(Note: See photo of Terry in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
Terry reports that she is busy every day in her work room creating art, and says, "...right now I am working on a braided rug made from upholstery fabric scraps". She adds, "I have been very successful with my art this year, winning an Award of Excellence at the Sooke Fine Art Show for the coiled paper bowls I make with marine charts, maps, music and dictionary pages. My bowls will be featured in Uppercase Magazine in the January 2021 issue. I have been invited to show my work at the Made in B.C. Gallery at Butchart Gardens next spring."
Congratulations from all of your CBC former colleagues, Terry! At right above, a photo of one of Terry's coiled paper bowl creations.
From Murray Wooding:
(Note: See photo of Murray in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
Along with the photo Murray sent in for our photo gallery, he reported the following little update on life in retirement: "My wife, Marnie, and I moved out to Hatzic Lake, just beyond Mission, the day after I retired - sold our home in North Van, and went rural. We spend a lot of time on the water or lazing beside it. While I retired from CBC in 2015, I had continued to do a few TV projects throughout the years, with CBC and others. Not so this year, where I have not worked a single paid day this year due to Covid - a first in 50 years! I have done volunteer 'TV' work though; With the need for an on-line approach to church, I have been helping our church produce their on-line service each week. A bit of a funny book-end to my career, as my first foray into TV Production type things was as a volunteer at my parents church doing the CCTV for the church service overflow when I was 15." He also noted, "Because of the Covid situation, our kids, grandkids, and church group couldn't get a campsite for their summer camping. They took over our back yard instead which includes trampoline, tire swing, tubing behind the ski boat, canoeing, paddle-boarding, swimming, etc. I even built a balance beam course and rope swing in/over the water for the kids. It was a thrill to share our home with all the families, especially given how restrictive other activities were. We say about our home, "somethings always happening on the lake"; right now it's the trumpeter swans hanging out - they spend the days in the fields, and the nights in our lake cove - trumpeting all night like an elementary school band practice.!"
News of the Week (Posted October 25):
Wonderful news from our colleague
Hélène Robillard-Frayne
(vice-présidente francophone de
l’Association des retraités de Radio-
Canada-CBC from 2014 to 2017).
Hélène also became 2sd VP of the
Association des retraités du Québec
(24,000 members) and was in
charge of the Transport Committee
and a member of other committees
as well. This year Hélène’s benevolent
work was recognized with presentation
to her of the Lieutenant Gouverneur du
Québec Award and also with the award for ‘Prix Hommage Aïnés’ de la Table de cocertation des aïnéa de Montréal’. Congratulations Hélène, from all your CBC colleagues coast to coast!
News of the Week (Posted October 18):
A British Columbia Provincial election takes place on October 24th and as with most elections, party candidates as well as party leaders are vying for votes by presenting their platform for the future via various forms of media interview, debate and discussion. Restrictions resulting from the current Covid-19 pandemic mean that public appearances and gatherings are not possible but necessity, as the old saying goes, is the mother of invention.
The CBC Pensioners’ National Association, through its representative Howard Simpson, assisted the National Association of Federal Retirees in finding a well-known B.C. Broadcaster to serve as moderator for a B.C. Election Townhall/webinar focussing on senior issues. In consultation with Rick Inglis and other members of the British Columbia and Yukon Region, CBCPNA, possible interest in the role was solicited and the resulting information was related to the NAFR. Our colleague Joyce Resin accepted the Moderator role and a 90-minute election discussion with questions presented by Joyce and including some submitted by the public, took place on October 16th beginning at 1:00 p.m. PDT. Candidates from the New Democratic, Liberal and Green Parties (Anne Kang, Mary Polak and Annemieke Holthuis respectively) joined Joyce and registered members of the public for the Zoom event which focused on issues of importance to senior citizens within the Province.
Moderator Joyce Resin introduces the three party candidates ……and poses a question during the Town Hall broadcast.
From Michael Taylor-Noonan:
(Note: See another photo of Michael and Eleanor in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
While enjoying a walk up Burke Mountain - which Michael and Eleanor do three times per week - they spotted this clever planter. Michael says that during the summer the bicycle planter is filled with flowers; in fall it becomes home to succulents
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From Will Carrilho:
(Note: See another photo of Will in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
This great photo shows Will working on his
Lapel Pin Collection which he notes is
"great for rainy days".
Will adds that he's always on the lookout
for CBC pins, so contact me (Peggy Oldfield
at https://goo.gl/QNvaxu) to be put in
touch with Will if you can add to his
collection.
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From Mark Forsythe:
(Note: See another photo of Mark in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
Mark reports that he and his wife Cat often go kayaking on the Fraser River near their home in Fort Langley. "It's a great way to socially distance, and get some exercise in", says Mark. He adds that, "We are now first time grandparents and have christened our kayaks, Jensi I and Jensi II. Jensine Forsythe was born in March and we had to wait 3 months before we could see her on Vancouver Island, but the wait was worth it. (I did a little commentary about this for CBC Radio on Canada Day broadcast.)." Congratulations Mark and Cat and to their son Ryan and his wife Justine on the arrival of baby Jensine!
Cat Forsythe in her kayak, Jensi I Mark Forsythe in Jensi II
From Lorne Kliewer:
(Note: See photo of Lorne & Caroll in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
Lorne & Caroll celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on September 16th and the photo now posted in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery was taken on that day. They had planned to celebrate with lunch or dinner at the Grouse Mountain restaurant, but that has been "rain checked" for future enjoyment. In the meantime, the occasion was celebrated on Friday, September 18th at Ricky's Country Restaurant in Abbotsford where the happy couple were joined by six of Lorne's seven brothers and sisters plus in-laws. Three of his siblings travelled from Bridge Lake, Salmon Arm and Kamloops.
From Mary Rickard:
(Note: See another photo of Mary & Ted in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
In July, Mary & Ted enjoyed an RV trip to northern B.C. and the Yukon in a "social bubble" with friends. Mary says they were very careful in their travel, mostly just stopping at gas stations and supermarkets. She adds that, "We found the people in the North were incredibly responsible, wearing masks and distancing and sanitizing everywhere. We only had a few meals out where we could eat outside. The RV parks also were not filling every site out of an abundance of caution. We did go gold panning in the Yukon in the river on the original claim there and our friends got quite a lot of gold flakes; we got some silver and gold flakes too but would need a powerful magnifier to actually see them! It was a wonderful trip and would do it again in a heartbeat, even with all the blackflies, deerflies, horseflies, not to mention the mosquitos who took hunks out of us 😊" Here are a few photos from the trip, with Mary's captions:
"Ted & I at Emerald Lake, Yukon during a camping trip with friends up north (destination Dawson City); didn’t dare continue to the Arctic Circle as the Dempster Highway (the only road to there) would have shredded tires. In fact, they warn you that if you are going to attempt it, you had better bring a full set of spare tires with you!"
Ted and I enjoying Happy Hour in Dawson City.
"Two friends and I (centre) enjoying a Midnight Happy Hour in Dawson City Yukon; Ted taking the picture. Even though it was 22-26 degrees during the day, once the sun dropped, it was really quite cool, hence my bundling up, besides only having a short nightie underneath😊"
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"Haines Junction in the Yukon; just look at the view!"
From Ray Waines:
The photo of singer Gillian Russell and her brother, guitarist Brian Russell, posted in the Colleagues in Isolation photo gallery of this website, brought special memories back to Ray Waines and he sent in the following reminiscence and video clips. Gillian Russell's song is about 4 minutes in from the start of the 1964 Let's Go clip in the first link below. The photo at right shows Cameraman Ray Waines (foreground at right) during a production of Let's Go in CBC Vancouver's Studio 41. Tony Zeffertt is on the other camera (left foreground) and Bob Hepworth adjusting the microphone4 in front of Tony's camera.
"It’s hard to believe that both of them have been entertaining for around 60 years!! Before Gillian joined our Lets Go show back in 1964, she had been performing on concerts at Penticton where she had developed her beautiful voice! She still has that wonderful voice and has during Covid times, sang all her favourite songs to many seniors sitting outside on their balconies! Brian sometimes finds the time to join her, making their performance even more special for their audience.
So, lets go back to 1964 where we met Gillian for the first time performing on Lets Go. This was her first time singing in front of television cameras, although you would never know it, she sang so well to the cameras we were all surprised and the song she picked showed how much confidence she had and I think that she was only 19. That’s Brian her brother playing guitar behind her, who must have been very proud of her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yS97_eVuXg
Brian was a very talented Guitarist playing with a group called the “C Fun Classics” before they joined the Lets Go show in 1964. So for Brian who must have done a lot of practising and performing before being good enough to join his first band. He has loved playing his Guitar for over 60 years! When he played Guitar for Roger Whittaker, he played his “Russelling Along” which is still my favourite! Here is his incredible performance for you to enjoy . . . "
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI0eNAf9df8
From Eric Anderson:
(Note: See photos of Eric & Louise Anderson in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery).
Eric reported that For their 31st wedding anniversary he and Louise drove east, stopped at a farm in Chilliwack and bought corn [for themselves and friends], honey, cinnamon buns, jam,[for Eric!], caramel popcorn [for Louise!]. Says Eric, "Somehow I got the best of the deal".] They then carried on to Hope and had a late lunch .. Japanese takeout in a park with several chainsawn statues and benches, including a new statue of 'Rambo'.
Chainsaw artistry in a bench and a statue of 'Rambo' in Hope, B.C.
From Louella Quan Charlston:
(Note: See photo of Louella & Randy Charlston in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery).
Since my retirement back in 2017, I try to volunteer at different organizations whenever I can. Due to COVID-19 my volunteer time has been cut down to zero!!! I needed to do something and found out that Meals On Wheels (MOW) are always actively looking for people.
Not only are we a team for life … Randy and I are a team on MOW! He is the driver and I deliver the food to the people in their homes. We visit 10 homes Monday morning .. mostly Seniors. I am to converse with each person when I deliver the food but most just want the food and for me to leave!!! And the ones that I do get to speak to are so nice. One of the clients even reminded me of my Dad!
Doing the delivery, we feel so grateful to be able to do this for the people in need of a meal. Happy that there is such a service available for people. This is not just for Seniors. This is for anyone who needs help with meals. We used it for my Mom when she was living with us. I don’t cook Chinese and buying food from Chinese restaurants is not always healthy .. full of MSG, salt and sugar so we used MOW two days a week. Food from MOW is always healthy and smells delicious.
MOW has two options. One is Chinese food and the other is Western food. Each meal comes with rice or potatoes, a vegetable and a protein. Of course there is soup and crackers to start off and a dessert to finish the meal. You can also order sandwiches and frozen dinners. All meals are very reasonably priced.
When I spoke to the person in charge of MOW, I asked her if she needed more volunteers. The answer was "YES". Vicki said that there will be a need for more in September. If you have time, please consider volunteering for Meals on Wheels. It takes less than 2 hours for the delivery. Our route is close to where we live so they do make it convenient. You only need to volunteer one day a week. Any questions, call or email me .. I'll be happy to answer any questions. My email is pigletwinnietoo@yahoo.ca and cell is 604-725-8815.
Here's the link for more information https://www.carebc.ca/meals-on-wheels.html
August 16, 2020 …. Congratulations to Ramona Mar whose portrait
has been added to the Chinese Canadian Museum.
Have a look at Ramona's bio on
https://bcradiohistory.com/Biographies/RamonaMar.htm
From Doug Rushton:
(Note: See photo of Doug and
his grandson Max in the
"Colleagues in Isolation"
section of the Photo Gallery.)
Along with his photo submission for the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of this website,
Doug sent along this picture of himself with daughter Lauren in 1983. Another instance
of "where did the years go"!
From Dee Gibney:
Dee Gibney, former
CBC TV reporter
(Vancouver) and
documentary producer
(Toronto), interviews
two men for a magazine story (Home in Canada
https://athomeincanada.ca) about the unique
arrangement their condo in Toronto’s Historic
Distillery District provides for people with disabilities.
Both men became quadriplegic as a result of accidents.
People who need assistance from a personal support
worker throughout the day are able to pool a portion of the government funding they receive and hire on-site caregivers who cover 3 shifts over a span of 17 hours each day which frees the two men pictured here from institutional living, enabling them to live in the community.
The story will be published at the end of August.
From Alison VanSacker:
(Note: See photo of Alison and her sister Diane in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Along with the photo Alison provided for the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of this website, she shared the following Covid story as well as the photo below of her sister Diane with her completed quilt project:
“On February 1st I got a phone call from my sister Diane asking if she could come and stay at my house. Because Diane and her husband live in Beijing, he's stationed at the Canadian Embassy, it struck me as an odd request but I said yes. She arrived in Vancouver on February 8th after 20 hours of travel complete with a serious case of Covid hair. On our way back to my place I got the full story. Global Affairs decided to send all non essential personnel and their families as well as the families of essential personnel back to Canada. As the Senior Military Attache her husband had to stay in Beijing. Her house is rented out so her only options were to stay with me or in a hotel. Over the next month she got a much needed hair cut, learned how to make a simple quilt and flew back east to spend a couple of weeks with her kids. Then the end of March Canada went into lock down. She was stuck here with no way to get home.
We spent part of the next 3 months going thru and purging all the "stuff" that moved into my house after my mother passed away 30+ years ago. My mother's stuff and all of the slides and photos, my brother's stuff and Diane's stuff. We ordered a slide digitizer off Amazon and she learned how to scan photos with my air printer. Now myself and my siblings have copies of the treasures we found. The 2 of us made sure everyone got copies of the very embarrassing high school photos. I still have the slides and photos as well as the things Diane wants sent to her when she comes back to Canada in 2022. I ended up with a car load for the thrift store and freed up some cupboard space. (Here's a hint for everyone with kids. Make them take home home anything that got stored and forgotten at your house.)
It's a good thing I emptied some of those cupboards because it turned out I needed them. During the worst of the hoarding we ran out of flour. The only thing I could find was a 10 kg bag. I'm now the proud owner of a bread machine that Diane showed me how to use. It was the most expensive bag of flour I've purchased.There was no way that the 2 of us could go thru 25 lbs of flour. We decided to use some of it to help out single mom pop culture columnist Kim Linekin who was stuck working and broadcasting from home with a 5 year old. After the first couple of months she was running out of ways to keep her son busy. Diane baked cookies, (flour!) I learned how to make play dough (more flour!) and showed Diane how to make masks. We took our cookies and play dough over to Kim's along with mother and son matching Spiderman masks. After all, the mother of a Spiderman fan has to rock the single mom scene. The masks Diane made went to her kids and hubby.
While Diane was here she went exploring and found places I didn't even know existed in Coquitlam. Did you know there's a little shop in Henderson Mall that makes the best home made wontons and dumplings then freezes and sells them? I no longer have to get my wonton soup fix via Chinese takeout. I've learned all about the brown sauce aisle at the Asian grocery store and the Korean pancakes in the frozen food aisle. The produce section however is still almost as puzzling as it was before. The plus side is I have some idea of how things work for when I go to China for a visit. Or maybe not.
Things came to an end the beginning of May. Diane finally got permission from the Chinese government to return home. After 4 months and 1 week stuck at my house, May 13th she flew back to China. With her gone it's a lot quieter, my one cat is much happier, the other really misses my sister's lap. I'm happy to get my space back but I miss my gardening fairy.”
From Claudine Viallon:
(Note: See another photo of Claudine in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Claudine says, “My lasting memory during this ‘isolation’ will be banging on our pots almost every night for the front line workers”. She elaborat4ed that, “Many people did it in our block in Kitsilano and one neighbour played her accordion every single night at 7pm, rain or shine, from March to July. On the 4th of July, the police had a parade to thank us. They came on horses, bikes, in cars, etc. … It was quite a show, moving really.” The following photos as well as the closer one of Claudine in “Colleagues in Isolation” on this site, are from that special occasion.
From Bob Nixon:
(Note: See another photo of Bob in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Bob reports that he’s keeping busy through these times of Covid-19 “isolation”. He started a garden in his front yard and in April, completed a sculpture of his youngest daughter (see photo of Bob with this sculpture in the “Colleagues in Isolation” gallery) and started on one of his older daughter. Bob continues to keep bees and says they appear to be producing their biggest crop this year.
Bob and his new garden Progress on the sculpture of his daughter
Checking the honey harvest
When he wishes to relax from all of these ventures, Bob says, “Finally, I travel the world using my many mystical powers, but always with an eye towards safe social distancing, as you can see from this photo of my recent trip to India.”
From Belle Puri:
(See another photo of Belle in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Belle is working from home through these Covid-19 “Isolation” months, utilizing her dining room table as the “newsroom”and her walk-in closet as a TV and Radio “audio booth”. Belle says, “The closet has great acoustics – clothes are a perfect sound
buffer!
From Bob Shiell:
(See photo of Bob with wife Cheryl in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Bob & Cheryl have called Calgary, Alberta home for many years now and they enjoy time away at their place in Canmore as well. Bob shared some photos of both homes in addition to one of their 12 year-old rescue dog Magoo, who became a member of the Shiell family last November. Bob adds that Magoo “had a hard life before but is happy now”.
Bob & Cheryl's home and patio garden in Calgary. A contented Magoo in his new home.
Bob & Cheryl's home away from home in Canmore, Alberta. They managed a few nights here in June once Covid restrictions eased.
From Anne Denholm:
(See photo of Anne in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
U.K. resident Anne Denholm reports she and her sister Moira have used the “isolation” time to get into the loft of their home and do a “tidy out” of the space which she has deemed “a job well done”. Moira is the gardener and Anne says she’s done wonders with the produce she planted in the raised beds and in the garden shed. As a result they’ve only to nip into the garden for fresh spinach, beetroot, lettuce, spring onions, radishes and more when needed for supper! Anne has continued working on her family history research, sorting and updating data. She’s a jigsaw puzzle fan and has been pleased to have time to indulge this hobby too.
“Before lockdown”, Anne says, “we had started the process of trying to rehome a dog from an animal rescue shelter. We missed out on a couple of dogs we liked and then everything stopped due to lockdown. However we kept checking various websites and then saw a 9 year old terrier cross and put in an application. They liked our application, we had a long phone call and a few weeks later a zoom conversation when they could check out the house and the garden and talk some more about us. Then last week we were able to go to the shelter two days running to walk her and get to know each other. The shelter agreed we were suitable and we loved her immediately so on Saturday we were back to the shelter to bring Tinkerbell (now renamed Tilly) home. She is a joy and has settled in so well and walks are much more fun now.
Additionally, Anne reports that, “Once lockdown started to ease we could go to our caravan, which is only a half hour drive from home, situated on a cliff with sea views. It is a small private caravan park with static caravans and lodges. Love going there to walk along the beach or sit on the deck listening to the waves.”
From Dagmar Kaffanke-Nunn:
(Note: See another photo of Dagmar in the “Colleagues in Isolation” Photo Gallery.)
Dagmar sent a few photos to show what she’s been up to since COVID-19 struck, saying, “I’ve spent considerably more time in the garden than ever before and we’ve been enjoying the fruits of my labour for several weeks now. I’ve harvested 165 stalks of rhubarb, 4 large bowls of strawberries, a small container of my first raspberries, beets, beans, carrots, dill, chives, basil, oregano, parsley, and tons and tons of kale!” Additionally, Dagmar reports that she and Don have made lots of little improvements to their property in these past few months too – a new path, an address sign, a “a very sweet locally made birdhouse in our backyard”. Dagmar and Don’s happiest news of all is that they have become grandparents for the first time! Their daughter Cassidy’s baby, River Rose, was born at the end of March.
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A new bird house adorns the garden. Dagmar & Cassidy following baby shower. River Rose with Grandma Dagmar.
From Ross Luckow:
(Note: See a photo of Ross starting work on his new deck, in the “Colleagues in Isolation” Photo Gallery)
Ross provided before and after photos, building a deck on the back corner of
his house. The “before” picture which is posted in the “Colleagues in Isolation”
Photo Gallery captured Ross as he began the work and here is the gorgeous
result of his labours…..
From Ken Adams:
(Note: See another photo of Ken and Deb Adams in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Ken and Deb Adams are getting some R&R with daughter Roisin and
grandchildren Felix and Magnolia (3 and 6 respectively), camping at
Kekuli Provincial Park in Vernon, B.C. Felix and Magnolia, they say,
are incredibly active and it’s hard to keep up with them!
Deb & Ken with their 1984 Westie.
Ken with daughter Roisin.
Ken admires the lovely view of the Campground overlooking Kalamalka Lake.
From Ron Devion:
(Note: See photos of Ron & Carole Devion
from their June 19th walk, in the “Colleagues
in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
On June 19th – “a coolish Friday” – Ron & Carole Devion went for a walk along the Sidney-by-the-Sea waterfront which, as Ron relates, turned into quite an adventure….
“The waterfront walkway is usually crowded with tourists, boats in the Salish Sea, at this time of year, but not this year. The fewer than normal local-walkers dutifully remained at least six feet apart.
We were resting on a bench when along came a young man (97) riding his scooter.
He stopped for a chat. He told us he was 97, he lived near the pier that juts out into the ocean, his wife passed away two years ago and he had just met two lovely Latvian ladies on his daily scooter journey along the walkway.
Just then the two elderly Latvian ladies stopped and joined the conversation, eager to explain (in Latvian-English) they are longtime Sidney-residents who immigrated to Canada following World War II.
The “visiting’ trio then departed.
Fifteen minutes passed. We continued on our walk, reaching the roadway (near the bandshell and fish building). On the road ahead, we noticed a late-model small car had backed into the rear of a parked late-model truck. A small crowd of locals gathered to observe. To our surprise, we recognized the driver of the small car…one of the Latvian ladies.
She was gesticulating her arms, nose-to-nose with a (furious) middle-aged man (driver of the truck) who was waving a piece of (insurance?) paper and pointing to the dent in the truck's rear bumper.
She was explaining “something"...in Latvian English to the uncomprehending man.
It was apparent to onlookers communication between these two was hopeless and resolution impossible.
Getting nowhere, the man (now extremely angry) got into the truck and drove away.
The Latvian trained driver then got back into the small car (next to her sister in the passenger seat) and proceeded to very slowly continue backing up...while attempting to turn the car around on the narrow road to face in the right direction. The small crowd watched in amazement as she attempted several never-before-witnessed Latvian steering-wheel manoeuvres.
The end result - she backed the car into a steel pole on top of which was a "No Parking" sign…and slowly drove away …with two new dents in the back bumper.
We concluded a hasty retreat to the safety of Brentwood Bay was in order and quickly drove home.”
From Eve Savory:
(Note: View another photo of Eve in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Eve Savory tried very hard to take a selfie that would include her dog Belle whose friskiness make that a difficult task. This beautiful picture of a laughing Eve with Belle (who does as she says, look “dashing”) is the result. Eve reports that Belle, whom she calls her “foxy redhead”, is 12 years old. She was 7 when she came to Eve who decided it wouldn’t be fair to make a name change. She thinks Belle was probably named by a child after seeing Beauty and the Beast - as with the 874 other Belle's she has met in their five years together!
From Denis Grenier:
(Note: See a selfie of Denis in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Denis is currently Technical Supervisor with CBC London, UK. He reports that during the pandemic lockdown, he bought a bike so that he could commute to work and enjoy the fun of riding through London’s unusually empty streets. The photo here and the one posted in the “Colleagues in Isolation” Photo Gallery were taken on Oxford Street – normally one of the busiest in the city and one Denis says he normally “avoids like the plague as the sidewalks are packed with tourists and it’s jammed with traffic. Fun to cycle in empty London!”. Denis Grenier on empty Oxford Street, London.
From Ramona Mar:
(Note: See the photo of Ramona with her very successful home container garden, in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Ramona reports she is transitioning home to Vancouver after 8 years away in Singapore and London - getting reacquainted with the rain and doing a bit of voiceover work from her closet during Covid.
From Jeff Groberman:
“Greetings to all: I’ve just published another entry in my Covid journal – I hope it brings a little sunshine into your life. Some of you have noticed changes in my Blog. Yes, it’s no accident, there are changes in the wind. Some big news that I hope I can share with you later in the summer. So check out the latest Covid news at www.grobetrotting.com Keep Safe, Keep Well, Keep Smiling. – Jeff”
From Chris Cuttress:
(Note: See photo of Chris and his daughter Yuli in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Chris added the following note when he sent the great photo:
“Please find a selfie of a trip for iPhone repairs to the Apple Genius’s at Metrotown. We had our own masks but even though we had an appointment our temperatures were checked and we were disinfected before entry (about 20 minutes after our appointment time). An hour later we had a new screen for the iPhone 8 Plus (under warranty) that I have inherited from my daughter. She now has her iPhone 11 Plus. It had a little something to do with her grade 12 graduation.”
From Carey Murphy:
(Note: The following quote explains the photo of Carey in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
“Clive says ‘looks like you're wearing pajamas on your face’. Good. That's just the look I was going for. P.J. face mask. Ear elastics recycled from a fitted bed sheet! All hand sewn with needle and thread!”
From Jan Tennant:
(Note: See photo of Jan in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Jan has been in lockdown knitting mode since isolating. She says, “Fortunately my wool shop was declared an essential service by the bylaw officer so I have a ready supply. I have also started knitting clothes for our great granddaughter’s dolly from my left over wool.”
Jan and her knitting needles have been busy!
From Alfio Berardo:
(Note: See another photo of Alfio in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Alfio is very happy pursuing his passion for his vineyard and garden, noting, “I must add that the move to Kelowna was the best thing we (Alfio and wife Rita) did”.
Alfio in his Kelowna Vineyard. Alfio & Rita's beautiful garden. Alfio under the blossoms.
From Doug MacCormack:
(Note: See another photo of Doug & Barbara MacCormack in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Doug & Barbara celebrated their May 16th 50th Wedding Anniversary in social distancing isolation with the help of their 4 daughters and 4 granddaughters who made it a wonderful day. They unpacked their wedding finery and tried the outfits on….and as you can see from these lovely photos, their ensembles still fit each of them perfectly! Doug reports that they enjoyed dinner at home alone and that the internet “had more live hits than CNN”. Congratulation, you two! He adds that during this time of self isolation, they are enjoying amazing walks near their home on Vancouver Island and Doug is making videos on YouTube - he garnered 3,000 hits last month!
Doug & Barbara on their wedding day in 1970 and celebrating their Golden Anniversary in 2020.
From Dieter Nachtigall:
(Note: See photo of Dieter in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
After a short trip to the mouth of the Fraser River, Dieter and his mate Cecilia enjoyed some fine Dungeness crab and Chilean wine. With our fine weather in recent weeks, Dieter reports he and Cecilia have been able to work on their sun tans on his balcony, supervised by Dieter’s “tame” resident seagull “Freddie”. Exploring some of the beautiful parks in the Richmond neighbourhood is also a favourite pastime.
Cecilia raises a glass of Chilean wine before savouring the Dungeness crab feast with Dieter.
Dieter's "tame" seagull, Freddie. A lovely lagoon in the Terra Nova area of Richmond.
From Paddy Moore:
(Note: See photo of Paddy in the “Colleagues in Isolation” section of the Photo Gallery.)
Paddy decided to grow a beard (many may remember he sported one many years ago!) while isolating and has been offering daily “Quarantinis” on social media. Paddy advises, “I enjoyed learning to make different cocktails, researching their history, and improving my photography of them”. He says he posted photos daily for quite a while on FB & Instagram - now still occasionally.
This one was specifically for the Thursday before the May long weekend, National Caesar Day (Canada’s national drink). The challenge was to dress up and dress up the cocktail too! (not my usual attire during the sheltering).
Producer Paisley Woodward Retires from CBC Vancouver!
(See a selection of photos courtesy of Erica Johnson and John Kennedy in the Colleagues section of the Photo Gallery)
Watch a video of the parade of cars and bikes and people who surprised Paisley with a fabulous send-off the evening of May 28th:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1266569759044153346
From Neil Trainer:
Neil proudly reports that a film by son-in-law Erick Thompson has been accepted by the Toronto Film Festival. The following story was published in the The Okanagan Weekend on May 29 and in the Penticton Herald on May 30:
Local trail-running film accepted in Toronto festival
JOE FRIES, The Okanagan Weekend
May 29, 2020
Chris Stenberg/Special to The Herald
FILM MISSES FESTIVAL BUT FINDS MARK FOR DIRECTOR
Erick Thompson and Matt Fortuna make their way through the fog near Palmer's Pond
during a 50-mile run on the HBC Brigade Trail in September 2019.
A trail-running documentary featuring a Summerland man and highlighting an important historic trade route has been accepted into the Toronto Short Film Festival.
“Fifty” chronicles Erick Thompson’s 50-mile run on HBC Brigade Trail, which winds through the Cascades Mountains backcountry from the Princeton area to Hope.
“It’s an outdoor trail-running film, but I believe this film is something people from all walks of life can appreciate: the idea of preparing for something and completing something that is challenging,” said Thompson.
After taking up running in 2010 as a way to stay in shape, Thompson decided to really challenge himself – as an athlete and filmmaker
He enlisted the help of friends from the running and film worlds to assist, and was accompanied by experienced trail-runner Matt Fortuna in September 2019, when they completed the test in 17 hours.
Thompson entered “Fifty” into the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, which he described as a “benchmark” competition for such documentaries, but didn’t make the cut.
“The level of film that you’re competing against to get into these film festivals is very, very high: We’re talking films that are sponsored by Red Bull,” said Thompson.
Undeterred, he submitted it to a few other festivals, and was pleased to see it accepted in Toronto. It was supposed to screen March 17, but the festival was postponed as a result of the pandemic.
For now, “Fifty” lives online and can be found at www.et2media.com.
“This project was a team effort from start to finish. It came together thanks to the hard work of talented professionals working together to achieve a common goal,” said Thompson. “We hope the film inspires others to challenge themselves.”
The father of four is married to Summerland district Coun. Erin Trainer, with whom he owns a video production company. He trained for the challenge by running 50 to 60 kilometres per week, but doesn’t claim any special athletic ability.
“If you’re already running and you feel pretty good and you don’t have injuries, if you train like I trained, you can run 50 miles too,” he said.
The HBC Brigade Trail was built by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1849 with the help of local First Nations, whose traditional hunting and trade routes it follows.
It provided an important link between the coast and interior, and connected to other inland routes. The trail has been the subject of improvement efforts in recent years.
From Carmel Goulden:
(Note: See the birthday photo of Carmel in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
"As these pictures show, I’m spending time with my grandson Noah baking and doing magic shows. I celebrated my birthday with a Zoom call from all of my siblings...and we are having fun with our new kittens Georgie and Sargent."
Carmel and Noah present magic show! Noah's having fun baking.
Georgia and Sargent
From Jacquie Fitzgerald:
(Note: See the photo of Jacquie in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
Jacquie & Ray share their home with the beautiful and delightful Tinky, and sent some photos of Tinky and of Jacquie's gardening handiwork on their deck.
Tinky thanks Jacquie for sowing her a new condo cat lawn. Feels like a treehouse in this corner of the deck!
The plants are lavender, salvia, marigolds, carnations and ivy.
Tinky watching very patiently for her lawn to grow.
From Doug Kerr:
(Note: See photo of Doug with Wayne Williams in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery.)
Doug advises, "I’m still working weekends at a very empty CBC" and his at-home time has him cleaning out his home office and editing footage he shot of his daughter 20 years ago. Doug has sent a selection of photos showing "things you find when there's no excuse to avoid cleaning out" ….
Lots of memories from Doug's home desk!
Editing 20 year old footage. CBC vans are disinfected nightly.
From Ray Waines:
Ray has shared his letter written to and published by the Kelowna Daily Courier on May 22, citing his concerns about virus contamination in public washrooms:.
"Stopping the Coronavirus before it gets to you! By Ray Waines
Have you ever gone into a public washroom that has Jet Hand Dryers? The noise is incredible and so is the speed of air drying your hands! So try to imagine someone who is infected with Coronavirus, drying their hands while their deadly virus is being blown on to you and others!
This has been my main concern ever since I was in Wal-Mart and in their washroom was a jet hand dryer blowing and howling away! Right away I thought that this is INSANE, because here we are trying to avoid getting any contact with this virus and this powerful machine will blow the virus all over us!
I am sure that by now you know the solution to staying safe in washrooms. Take away the problem, shut down all the jet hand dryers by simply switching off their circuit breakers and replace them with paper towels mounted in holders over each sink at 6 ft. apart. Now I can just hear the complaining, ‘this is too slow.’ Not true, after washing your hands, take a paper towel and dry your hands on the way to the door, place the towel on the door handle in case it has the virus on it and then drop it into the basket by the door. Not only faster but much safer!
For those of you who do everything right by staying at home, no handshakes, no hugs and of course social distancing, but once a month you have to go to your supermarket for food. So now all that care is down the drain when the washroom there has Jet Hand Dryers! Don’t be shy, complain to the store manager and insist on them killing the circuit breakers and provide Paper Towels, or you will find another food market that’s safer.
I am finally writing this for you and our friends because for the last 2 months I have tried to shut down all those jet hand dryers in both Canada and the United States. I thought that our Minister of Health in Ottawa would help me; wrong, she has still not got in touch with me as promised. And that was March 22 when New York had only 114 deaths!
I did talk with the CDC Health authorities, (USA) and gave them the University Study on the jet hand dryers vs. paper towels. But I guess that they were not interested in shutting down hand dryers to try and save lives. But I am sure that some ot the 80, 000 that have died, would have lived So you can understand why my frustrations have grown. I hope that this has helped you to look out for your health and stay safe where you do your shopping. Only shop at stores that listen to you and give you a safe place to buy your food, clothing, etc.
Here is that University Study on the spread of viruses vs. paper towels: https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jam.13014
Ray Waines"
From Jeff Groberman:
"I hope all of you are keeping well, following 'the rules' and not going crazy. Speaking of rules, check my latest entry in my 'Covid Journal,' and some of my thoughts on the 'new' announced vaccine."
Keep Safe, Keep smiling.
Jeff"
From Joan Athey:
(Note: See the photo of Joan in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery. Joan quips that she's sporting mini-pigtails just like she used to in the late 1980s at work. Her "glass of milk" is a rum drink in disguise!)
Joan also sent two interesting photos to share and says, "Over 25 years ago I bought an old trunk at a garage sale in Deep Cove. Nice old trunk with a name on it and lined with Australian newspapers from the 50s. At the time I looked up the name, Ken Jubenvill. To my surprise he was an early film producer and I think the reference was the NFB. Since then the trunk has been a coffee table, and end table and a seat. Covoid cleaning had me looking at it again. Keep it or not keep it - try and find a relative who might want it... Does anyone remember Ken Jubenvill?
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From Catherine Morrin:
(Note: See another photo of Catherine in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
"I have a wonderful time birdwatching, especially since I retired, although I was a bird enthusiast long before retirement. It’s not impossible for me to spot a new bird (new to me) from our deck. There are over 500 species of birds in B.C. and I have spotted over 130 of them, so far."
From Ralph Motohashi:
(Note: See photo of Ralph in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
It's noted in Ralph's Photo Gallery picture that he's keeping busy in the garden, but he had noted in sending it that, "Since I was grounded, most of the time, I have just been doing cooking, gardening and watching Netflix. Ha ha."
From Joyce Resin:
(Note: See a close-up photo of Joyce in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
Joyce reports, "I am doing a fitness class for the women in my condo building to get people out and exercising…2 meters apart of course."
Joyce at center of photo, conducting the class.
From Bill Reiter:
(Note: See the photo of Bill in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
During Self-Isolation Bill Reiter transforms into DJZigZag to host and produce his New World African Music radio show ‘Groovin’ Blue’. The program has aired for over fifty years on various Vancouver, B.C. radio stations and can now be heard at
http://wagradioonline.blogspot.com
https://vancouverbroadcasters.com/groovinblue.html
https://www.radiowest.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?p=12847908
From Neil Simpson:
(Note: See the close-up photo of Neil in the "Colleagues in Isolation" section of the Photo Gallery)
“I love to cook with wine and look for recipes with such in the first 2 ingredients!! On occasion, some of it actually makes it into what I am cooking, but it improves the dish and the cook, so what could be better…??!! The onion pies are loaded with 3 kinds of mild onions, a ton of Gruyere cheese and a fair bit of oregano, and whipped cream of course. I cheat and use deep dish frozen crusts as I haven’t found a way to get wine in the pastry. Basically an onion quiche.!! The picture shows my apron from ‘La Belle Auberge’ restaurant in Ladner which closed around 2014 but I was fortunate to be in the last cooking class that chef Bruno Marti was famous for - my wife Pat bought it for my birthday that year – we cooked and drank wine all day (8 participants), and our spouses joined us at 6pm for the fabulous meal we cooked and drank much more wine into the evening. Fabulous restaurant!! Bruno taught me how to drink wine!! (and cook)."
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From Lawrence Wright:
(Note: See the photo of Lawrence in the "Colleagues in Isolation"
section of the Photo Gallery)
Lawrence is unable to practice self isolation because his job with Grounds and Maintenance at the golf course is considered an essential service there. He's therefore out in the fresh air cutting grass...."Loving it!", he adds. At right is the photo Lawrence provided of the equipment he uses to cut all that grass.
From Chris Paton:
THE GROCERY STORE ENCOUNTER …
“As it is with almost everyone's favorite grocery store these days, my store has
giant sized foot icons glued to the floor at six foot intervals and meant to lead
customers to the cashier checkouts.
A couple of days ago when I got done shopping and stood waiting in line, a
woman standing the mandatory 6 feet ahead of me, turned around and yelled
out ... "you know these big foot sticker things look just like ones my husband
glued down on our living room floor last year. He had the bright idea we could
win some money if we practiced and got real good at ballroom dancing." I
yelled back, "that's wonderful - so did you win?" She said, "yeah, we came
second, but then we had to use the money to get somebody to scrape the damn stickers up off the floor. There's still great big bald circles where the glue peeled the varnish right off th
e hardwood. My husband's a sweet romantic kind of guy, and I really love him like crazy, but he's definitely not the brightest bulb in the house."
I resisted the urge to laugh. But people in line at other nearby cashiers didn't bother and broke into loud gales of laughter. Happily the woman joined right in.
I thanked the woman for making the task of grocery shopping so much fun. There's something truly wonderful and life giving about shared laughter in times like these. I smiled all the way home.”
(Note: Be sure to check Colleagues’ photos for a shot of Chris creating the digital artwork shown here.)
From Christine Mackie-Poissant:
“Here's one thing my husband and I have been doing a lot of - jigsaw puzzles! This is the 8th one we've done so far. We try to stay away from the TV during the day, and check the news once in the morning, and once at night. Going for walks (physical distancing, of course), reading, cooking, eating, wine drinking, etc!”
From Ken Golemba:
(Note: See the photo of Ken working on one of his yard projects during isolation in the Colleagues’ section.)
Ken advised that during these days of isolation, he’s been doing yard projects. He has built a rain shelter over his front door and a lattice for the yard entry (see photos of the completed projects below). Wonder what’s next for Ken’s yard?
Ken's completed rain shelter over the front door.
Yard entry lattice work.
From Hugh Beard:
(Note: See the photo of Hugh and Debra Beard with their pet parrots during isolation in the Colleagues’ section. Hugh notes that the birds are delighted they are staying home all day!)
Hugh and Debra were planning a safari trip to Kruger Park in South Africa, departing Vancouver on April 15, when the Corona/Covid-19 Virus restrictions on travel kicked in and they were forced to postpone it, so Hugh has shared the alternate life plan while living in self-isolation:
“So, looking on the positive side, locked in isolation was an excellent opportunity to do marathon sessions to finish my novel to a state where I could send it to a small team of readers. While I’m waiting for feedback, I’m in the process of finishing tiling our fireplace (I started it over a year ago) as well as sorting photos and writing a Travel Trips’ piece for the Stationbreak.ca website about our African adventure last Fall.
I also will be preparing our sailboat for the summer. Engine maintenance, cleaning, and if able, I’ll haul the boat, Hugh cutting tile sanding and painting the bottom. If socially acceptable, we have a sailing plan we are considering. We could still sail to a destination in the gulf islands for a five, six or seven-day trip, anchoring in a remote cove or inlet in self-isolated, not going ashore or interacting with other boaters. We have a freezer that can hold enough food for the journey, and with a good supply of wine, we could toast many sunsets, before sailing back to our Vancouver marina – knowing we have done the responsible thing to continue to remain in isolation, as conscientious mariners.”
Hugh & Debra's boat at anchor on a peaceful afternoon
Debra on board at sunset
From Neil Simpson:
(Note: Neil submitted his photo for our special Colleagues’ section on what people are doing during this isolation – so be sure to check that out -, but captioning doesn’t allow for the full explanation…so read on, please!)
The photo represents “what 6 of us ‘live steam’ guys did last Tuesday. Normally we would be at one of hour homes for a ‘steamup’ – six of us who have steam tracks in our yard and we take turns having events at each others places throughout the year (this would have been the first for this year).. Due to isolation we all ran steam trains at home in respect of each other and then posted a video clip on u-tube of what went on. We are a small dedicated group out of a larger club in the lower mainland, who mostly run electric (which we frown on of course!). Here is a link to the video clip I posted which is terribly shot as this was the first time I had run in at least 6 months and my focus was really only on not messing up my engine: https://youtu.be/tq8Xh55PnvI You’d think a TV guy could do a better job than that and I can but not when in a hurry and other-focused..!
From Jeff Groberman:
Latest entry in the Year of the Covid Diary - It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything to write about, but I’ve finally collected enough for another entry. Hope you enjoy: www.grobetrotting.com
Keep Well Keep smiling.
Jeff
(Note: If you have missed Jeff's previous entries, just scroll down from the new one at the top of his blog.)
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