5C's Que Pasa

I want to start by letting all our American friends and readers know that we are following Harvey and all the devastation and heart break.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

The latest local fire is 20% under control and just over 200 families were allowed to return today.  The other 400 plus remain evacuated as the flames are too close to structures.  They say that the fire got to within a few hundred metres of homes.  Close to 90 firefighters remain on location.

We had a wonderful time in Edmonton and I think next time we may have to stay longer although we may have to find alternate accommodation.  There is so much to see and experience at the Fringe Festival not to mention the hundreds of ticketed events.  I always enjoy live theatre.

Our first glimpse of street performers at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.  I really don’t think that I could let it all hang out like that but good for them.

There are varying levels of street performers. This one was very good at getting the audience involved.  The little girl on the right had the treasure box to rescue the performer.  This was the 36th annual festival.

There are over 1600 thousand performances in over 45 venues.  In fact there were two workshops taking place in our hotel.  There are many outdoor performances but so very many more indoor ones, sometimes 2 or 3 different performances in a day at the same venue.

It is an international festival and as we only got to see the end of this show I have no idea where he was from. This is one of the larger of the two outdoor main stages.  There are rotating performances all day and well into dark.  One is expected to throw a toonie ( $2.00 coin ) or two as the hat is passed at the end of a show for the smaller street performers.

The performers are not paid to attend the festival so depend on the audience to help pay for their transportation, accommodation, etc.  The main acts have a very good spiel at requesting money before their grand finale, often asking for up to $20.00 but willing to settle for $5.00 from each of us 😕   I couldn’t help notice how many people scurried away without even dropping a few quarters into the hat 😯

We have all seen porta potties but I have never seen a portable hand washing kiosk.  I guess I don’t get out much.

This is a wall of posters advertising all the many events that one can purchase tickets to, all at most reasonable prices. The line of posters continue far to the left of the shot.  As we strolled past and looked at the variety of shows, we were offered complimentary tickets for a show the next night, but alas we would back here by then.  The performers do get all the monies from purchased tickets.

We rounded a corner and there were these two Australians walking around on ladders. The fellow closest to me had his feet flat on the top step while his  brother was down a step and leaned his legs against the top step.  They simply maneuvered by sheer muscle strength.

Again we missed the majority of their show but certainly enjoyed the juggling of the fire torches.  It was evident that they were truly concentrating.  Their spiel for money included that this was their second time here in Canada and of course how expensive it was for them to transport all their gear.  We as well as the crowd gave abundantly.

All around the edges of the park were a variety of vendors as well as food trucks.  It was a lively and fun place to be.  In fact there are performers walking everywhere.  Behind us at our late brunch earlier we had some comedians from Toronto and one from Los Angeles.  They were heading to some smaller festivals in Canada before heading home.

The next show we saw from beginning to end. It was very slow staritng and we weren’t sure if we should move on. So glad we stayed….for over 30 minutes.  This couple are not married, she is from Montreal and is very fit and strong.  Her legs are pure muscle.  She is balancing him in high heels.  Their act was a mix of comedy and show of strength.  Very well done.

There was a lot of play back and forth and comedy before they did a major move such as this.   After we took this photo she began to lift one foot up and the other down, like a stair master.  Quite remarkable.  I would love to see this show again.  She later told Colin that they did it twice per day for the entire ten day festival.

She started with one hoop and he kept throwing more over her head, 2 or 4 or more at a time.

We thought we had seen their grand finale about three times when this was it. She is hooping a giant hoop all the while balancing him on her shoulders.  He is juggling fire and she is turning in a slow circle at the same time so that everyone got a great view.  Fabulous act.  Yes they got a bucket full of money.  Colin said he saw some twenty dollar bills in there also.

Just before the final act a family with their two wieners came and sat beside us. We stood for the entire show and I was able to observe the dogs for a bit.  They were brother and sister, six years old and very overweight but oh so very sweet.  They loved attention and knew that I loved them.  Of course I cried big crocodile tears, petted them and stopped just short of picking them up and hugging them.  They were well behaved and so special.  As I walked away, Daisy, tried to follow me, she came as far as her leash would let her.  I had to force myself to keep moving.

After a bit more walking we finally stopped at Chianti, an Italian restaurant on Whyte Avenue for a very late dinner.  I know we didn’t get our food until just before 10PM and we didn’t get back to our hotel until after 11PM.  A great one liter bottle of vino.

We started with a small Caesar salad followed by Fettuccine Supremo.  Homemade thick fettuccine noodles covered with scallops, smoked salmon, curry, creme, garlic and parmesan sauce.  I don’t think I need say more.

The next morning we just had to sample the lovely full breakfast that came with our room.  I never thought I would be able to eat again after that gourmet pasta dinner but we both managed a few bites here and there.  After leaving our bags with the front  desk we again went on a much needed walk but this time strolled through the heavily treed neighborhood and looked at the lovely older homes.  We then saw the chiropractor for our final and second appointment.  Seeing as we had come from so far we decided it best to have him check our adjustments from the day before and perhaps do a few minor adjustments.

It wasn’t long before we were on the shuttle back to the airport.  We were in plenty of time for our flight and just hung around for a few hours.  Colin studied both Spanish and Italian.  There is no way I could go back and forth between the two and retain much if anything.  I am happy to let him be the linguist of the family.  I have French, my first language and enough Spanish to get by.  I used my little grey cells to study my iPhone while waiting for our flight 🙁

We were home by 6PM.  A very quick trip to Edmonton but we had a great time.  Needless to say we haven’t slowed down at all since we returned.

We flew to Edmonton last Tuesday morning.  This was my annual trip to see my outstanding chiropractor.  He is one of three in all of North America that uses this type of diagnostic treatment.  This particular process was invented by a doctor in Australia and is taught only in Europe.  I believe that this was my third time in three years to see him.  Somehow I thought it was my fourth but my blog posts tell me otherwise.  The first time we went together in the RV with the girls in 2015, Carmeh was still semi paralyzed at the time.  Then in 2016 I went on my own and Colin had to say home with the girls.  So this time we went together.

I found a deal on the hotel @ $150.00 rather then the usual $200.00 per night, a 150 Canada celebration price.  The hotel is only 3 long blocks from the chiropractors office and the shuttle from the airport stops right there.  It worked perfectly for me last year traveling on my own.  This year I had a companion pass from our Westjet Mastercard that had to be booked by the end of June so I talked Colin into coming with me.  The companion pass is $99.00 and is good for anywhere in Canada or the US.  It was only good for a year and needed to be booked by the end of June.  So we used it for this short trip.  Hopefully next year we can use it for a trip to New York.  Now this is where I am supposed to dazzle you with the facts except I can’t find my figures anywhere.  Colin only paid $99.00 for his fare but he paid a heck of a lot more on taxes, etc.  It was ridiculous.  I am so disappointed in myself for having lost those numbers.

While we are talking money have a look at the hotel bill.  Destination marketing fee, tourism levy and finally the government GST tax.  $18.41 in taxes for one night.

But we had a great time.  The shuttle dropped us a the hotel and we checked in right away.  Great room but the beds have grown taller since the last time I was there.  I could barely get onto the bed.

We went for a late breakfast/brunch, a long walk and then our first appointment at 4PM.  We were both seeing Dr. McKenna and he spent a good deal of time with us.  He is an amazing guy and I am so grateful to Maria, our Edmonton massage gal who used to work in Mazatlan for years and years who referred me to him.  We miss her so much.

After another long walk we ended back at the hotel in time for the complimentary wine and cheese event from 5:30 – 6:30PM.

They were serving a lovely rose and a red wine. Love the words on the label.   I could do with a Long Weekend Wine everyday:)

Then I turned the bottle and saw the front label.  How cool is that?  But I have to honestly say that the Rose was just okay.  Nice VQA from the Niagara region.  Colin thought the red was very good.

There was no limit to the amount of wine one could have. There was a full array of cheeses to taste, at least eight or nine varieties plus the usual crackers, grapes and a few other tidbits.  We were not at all ready for dinner so we went for yet another long walk along Whyte Avenue.

I’m not at all certain what the silver piece of art represented but I certainly loved the words beneath it.  Something we should all take to heart.

We then popped into a very fun store that had all sorts of oddities and funny things.  The shop was called ‘When Pigs Fly’ and of course they did have a section of flying pigs.  We did buy one for someone but I can’t tell you who as that person reads my blog.

I am sure that many of you would agree with this plaque.

This could be saved for one of those extreme days.

Loved this full size margarita glass float.

In order to get outdoor patio space restaurants rent temporary sidewalk space.  The curb lane becomes the extended sidewalk.  They must pay a lot for the privilege to do so as the means the parking meters along that section of the sidewalk/road are no longer operational meaning less street parking not to mention less revenue for the city.  But it seems to work and the restaurants with outdoor sidewalk seating were full with lines waiting to get in.

I could not help but notice the upended bottles in these large drink glasses.  I didn’t see this on any other table as we walked past.  Interesting.

The same restaurant has this sign outside the door.  Good advertising.

From here we ended up at the edge of the Fringe Festival so we just kept walking and exploring.  More about that in my next post.

I was trying to do a full post but the night got away from me.

So I will just give you an update on the fire situation.  It was like a miracle in that the temperatures went down to 5C/41F overnight and the winds remained calm.  This helped immensely in dealing with the fire.  While it still remains out of control, the fire in no longer candling up trees and is now mostly a ground fire. Highway 33 remains closed along a certain portion and everyone is still on evacuation notice.  They did allow a very few to go in today to check on animals, either to release them or to trailer them out of the area.  It was extremely smoky this morning but has cleared out a bit as the day progressed.  As far as they can tell no buildings have been affected.

It was so cold this morning that most were wearing fleece or a jacket of some sort.  Quite the decrease in temperature.  The coldest day we have had all summer.  Amazing how nature deals with situations at times.  Fingers crossed that they will get the fire under control soon.

We got back from our trip, more on that another day.

Meanwhile I just looked up from my desk and saw this………the wind is blowing it east along our hills and very quickly.

It is getting larger fast.

You can see how strong the wind is based on the white caps on our lake.

Homes are being evacuated and folks are fleeing.

Finally helicopters are starting to arrive. Our local fire trucks are on their way.

From a live video feed.

They say that it was a cigarette butt that started the fire.

Colin is leaving his job and coming home just in case.

They are calling it a monster fire.  I am viewing a live feed with audio comments as I type this.

As you can see the smoke is blowing north very very quickly.  I took this shot standing at my front door.

At the moment we are safe as long as the fire keeps burning in a straight line north and does not come over the hills towards us.

The winds are so strong that I have had to close all our windows.

publishing with no proofing……

FIRE UPDATE @ hours later:

The winds have shifted slightly and the fire has turned east so for now we are in no danger as the intensity has shifted away from us.  However over 1200 people are being evacuated and the fire has grown within a few hours to over 300 hectares.  It continues to rage out of control.

FIRE UPDATE @ 7PM….

Not much more to report at 9PM.  We can no longer see anything of the fire from here as it has shifted further east of us.  The winds are dying down where we are so hopefully the same is happening closer to the fire.

Quite the ride we have been on this afternoon but I am certain that we are totally safe this evening.  The fire continues to rage and is estimated at 380 hectares.

This long line went around the corner for two long blocks and we had been in it for over an hour.

Here in Kelowna it was to be 86% coverage.. The local Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Okanagan Centre (RASCOC)  were handing out  the appropriate eye ware to view the eclipse plus set up six telescopes.  The event was to go from 9AM to noon but by 8:30AM all the eye ware had been handed out.   They were expecting hundreds not thousands.  We waited in line for over an hour before taking a chance and moved out of the line and by moving to the left we got into yet another line ( much shorter ) to view the eclipse from a large telescope.  We managed to spend over an hour in lines but it was worth it.

The lines were held up by people trying to get a photo thru their cell phones.

This dad really wanted to make sure his daughter saw it. But really wasn’t there a better way to hold her?

We waited an hour in line, they had long ago run out of glasses. Some very very kind people as they were leaving  (we were still in line) offered their glasses for us to take a look and we then passed them down the line behind us.

So while still in line we did get to see the eclipse.

About six telescopes were set up and we were in line for the biggest one.  Amazing.

It took a very long time to get to the telescope. When our turn came, we looked quickly and moved on so others could have the opportunity to view the eclipse.  Yes this is Colin in the yellow.

It was rather special to be a part of this exceptional moment in time.  We had to take a few hours of time from our business to just go with the flow and live life at that moment.  We created a memory that will be with us for the rest of our lives.

Today we are taking another moment yet in time to create a new memory.  As our laptop, as you know, is in the repair shop I will have no way to update  you.  Suffice to know that we are off today on a road trip, via air 😀  Stay tuned for the next update.  We are not gone more than 48 hours 😎

Please note that this is my second post within the last 12 hours.  You might want to check if you missed the first one.