Merry Christmas from the Sylvia

 

Welcome to the Sylvia, our home away from home

Vernon is located about half way between Calgary and Vancouver.  It is about a 6 1/2 hour drive from Calgary to Vernon and about a 6 hour drive from Vernon to Vancouver.  This works well for us, as we can go to  either urban center easily in one day.  And its good news for our family and friends who may be commuting from Calgary to Vancouver or vice versa.  We are situated ideally for an overnight stop.  But most of the time we convince our visitors to stay for an extra day or more. 

This year we are celebrating Christmas in Vancouver with our two daughters, one who lives there and one who lives in the Eastern States and her partner has extended family in Vancouver.  We are staying at the same hotel, the Sylvia, where we stay every time we visit Vancouver.  We have dubbed it our "home away from home"

 

My sister-in-law first told me about the place about 11 years ago when our girls were attending UBC and we lived in Alberta.  She described it as an older hotel located overlooking English Bay, "a bit run-down but under going renovations and the price was right".  My first stay was with my mother, who is quite discerning about most things but also appreciates a good deal.  It passed the test and has been our go-to hotel ever since.

Remnants of the Medieval Theme of the 50's

Built in 1913 as an apartment building by a West End resident, Mr Goldstein, and named after his daughter Sylvia, it has witnessed many changes throughout its century.  It was the tallest hotel in Vancouver when built and continued to be the tallest building in the West End until 1958. It suffered bankruptcy and abandonment through the Depression, becoming an apartment-hotel during WWII to house crews of the merchant marine.  In 1954 it opened the first cocktail bar in Vancouver and, at that time, the lounge was called the "Tilting Room', as in medieval jousting.  Remnants of this theme can still be found today.

Names such as novelist Malcolm Lowry, poet Robert Service and actor Errol Flynn can be found in old registries, but possibly the most celebrated resident was a cat called 'Mr. Got To Go' who wondered in one day and stayed long enough to become the character in a couple popular children's books.

View of English Bay from our 6th story window

Sylvia herself was quite the character.  As a girl living in the West End she was known as an excellent swimmer under the tutelage of  Barbados-born Joe Fortes, Vancouver's first lifeguard.  A well-known business woman and socialite in later life she was active in several Jewish organizations and was still volunteering well into her 90's. She lived until age 102.  On the day she passed away the Sylvia flew its flag at half mast.

The lounge at the Sylvia with its view of English Bay

Now the hotel has been somewhat modernized, with renovated rooms but some of the older charm remains, including its older clunky elevators.  The lobby and the stair foyers on each floor are adorned with pictures of bathers at English Bay, the old Alexandria Pier,  and the grand old dame on Beach Avenue, The Sylvia.

English Bay view from Second Beach

This year we booked a one-room suite.  It is about 600 square feet, has a good sized bedroom with a king sized bed and windows that look out to English Bay and Point Grey.  There is a full kitchen, sans dish washer, a good sized living room with a hide-a-bed, three closets, and bathroom with a tub/shower.  All we need!  The price is $165 per night. (without tax) with an $18/day fee for parking.

 

Our one bedroom suite with our decorated tree

The first night we had family and friends up for drinks and snacks. We put up a Christmas tree and settled right in! The place is built like a bunker so no worry that things got a bit noisy.

You are as likely to meet a four legged guest in the elevator or lobby as a two legged one, The Sylvia takes pride in having being the first pet-friendly hotel in Vancouver, a reputation that guarantees a full house much of the year. 

 

Oscar waiting for his master in the lobby

All those guests simply cross Beach Avenue and are on the sea wall.  Directly in front is English Bay Beach. To the left are dozens of kilometers of walking/biking trails that take you around False Creek and to the ferry terminals for the False Creek Ferries. Little tubby boats scoot passengers tot he Science Centre, the Maritime and City Museums, Granville Island Markets and Kitsilano Beach.

Ferry terminal across from Granville Island

 

Every day we have taken a walk.  Our first day we walked to the ferry terminal and took the ferry over to Vancouver City Museum.  The next day we walked down Denman Street to Robson, the epi-centre of downtown Vancouver shopping, and eventually walked ourselves between the trendy new condos of Yaletown to False Creek.  Somewhere along the way we found a little Italian coffee shop for a cuppa.  Today we walked on the Sea Wall around Stanely Park.  It was a bit misty and cool so we stopped at the Stanely Park Pavilion, a grand old building where we had a bowl of hot turkey soup beside a roaring fireplace.
 

Walking on the sea walk around Stanley Park on a misty day

 Christmas morning we went down to the restaurant.  I had the 'English Bay' breakfast, of eggs, bacon and blueberry pancakes while looking over English Bay, quiet except for the gulls and cormorants.  It was a sunny morning, a reprieve from the cloud and rain. A dozen large bulk carriers languished in the outer bay, waiting for a dock space in Burrard Inlet. Guests joined us mid-afternoon for a glass of Prosecco before heading down to a small little banquet room for dinner.  I met the manager in the lobby.  He had been working all day, bussing tables in the restaurant,  answering phones, etc.  "If I expect my staff to work on Christmas Day then I will be here too"  he told me still looking bright and energetic even though he had been here since 7 am.  His attitude very much typifies the feel of this unique little hotel! Its a great place to call home when we visit Vancouver!

 

Mistletoe station just outside the Sylvia

 

 

 



Silver Star is My Mountain

 

 

 

When I look out my window, its hard to imagine skiing season has started a mere 30 minutes away.  The hills have been washed for days with winter rains.  Occasionally there has been some snow but that melts with the rain and unseasonably warm December weather.  I know all our friends in Alberta are almost delirious with happiness to have such a warm early winter.  Although we don't enjoy shovelling snow or walking through slush, we have a vested interest in the temperature hovering around freezing, or a bit below.  We love to ski!

 

 

So far Silver Star has managed to keep itself above the "snow line".  It is quite dramatic driving up

from the wet valley, often through low cloud, then some muddy slush along the side of the road that finally morphs into a skiff of white.  It is not until you have passed the "Silver Star Provincial Park" sign that there is evidence of any substantial snow.  Then presto, by the time you pull into the parking lot it actually looks like a ski hill.  Snow is piled on the roofs and has coated the trees.

And the trip up to the hill is much improved over last year.  The entire road from the Butcher Boys corner in Vernon has been repaved.  No potholes!  Now it only takes us 25 minutes to go from our driveway to the parking lot.

 

We have enjoyed a half dozen days of cross-country skiing and the conditions have been excellent.  Last week we experienced our first "inversion" when the valley is stuffed full of dreary cloud and the sun is shining up on the mountain. It is such an uplifting feeling to be above the cloud.  You can just feel a smile creep onto your face when you look down on the cotton-baton white fluff below while you squint in the bright sunshine. I am convinced there is an immediate surge of endorphins when you come out of the valley fog and into the sunshine.

I was up last Wednesday to set up equipment for the SADS (Canadian Association of Disabled Skiing) Western Pre-course, an early season meeting and in-service to update Adaptive Ski Programs.
This year the manuals and certification courses are being updated, and during this pre-course the more senior instructors from all over Western Canada were being orientated to the new course requirements.  Then they will return to their organizations and update all the instructors.  It was really neat to see all of our SSASS (Silver Star Adaptive Snow Sports) sit-skis and other equipment all set up in one room, and help assemble some of it for the sessions.

 

  I now will wait with most of the rest of our instructors for our in-service courses where we will get all the new info.I was able to sneak out and do a couple downhill runs that day and was really impressed with how good the snow was.  Then on Friday I returned for a "downhill day".

 

 

There was some fresh powder but I did not try any of the powder glades as there is still not good coverage where no grooming has been done.  And I did on run, BX Express, down to the bottom of the Silver Woods chair, which is farther down the mountain than the village and the snow was poor.  It had obviously been below the snow line!

 

 

Today we skied on the lower cross-country trails.  There had been over 20 cm of new snow and the tracks were freshly set.  My skis loved the conditions. The trees were covered in powder; it was a winter wonderland. 

 

 We finished the ski day (at about 1 pm) with a "flat white" at Out of Bounds Bistro.  No doubt, the best flat white so far this season!

 

 

 

 



 

 

Suddenly its Winter!

We spent the first 10 days of November trying to squeeze in as many bike rides as we could.  We had been away a lot over the late summer and early fall and out of a routine and had missed the stimulation and exercise of our usual bike rides.  And ski season was looming, we needed to get in shape!
The weather was a bit dull but there had been no snow, not even any frost.  We bundled up and took off! 

Fields still green along Swan Lake in late October after the morning mist evaporates

We did all our favourite rides starting by riding out around Swan Lake.  The cold morning mist was persistent over Swan Lake so when we got to the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Highway 97,we took a detour to Swan Lake Nursery to warm up over a coffee.

 I find Swan Lake Nursery kind of a funky place.  It is not at all pretentious; there is no fancy coffee makers, just brewed coffee in a Styrofoam cup  and fresh home-baked pastries.  The local fruits and vegetables sold here are at the lowest prices of anywhere else in Vernon.  Bins of a half-dozen varieties of local apples were sitting outside, surrounded by piles of squash and multi-coloured peppers There were even late season local raspberries. We browsed around the store for quite a while.  They now carry a selection of trendy women's' wear and its fun to check out the kitchen and garden gadgets.  When we finally did get back on our bikes the mist had lifted and we biked home under a warm blue sky.

Another day we drove out to Roger's Food, a local milling company.  Before leaving our car in their parking lot I went into their bulk store to get nuts, grains and dried fruits for homemade granola and my Christmas poppy-cock.  The ride from here to Armstrong is all on country roads.  We made it to the Brown Derby in time to order the $2.99 breakfast special, the best little breakfast deal on the planet.
Another day we did the loop out through Coldstream to Lavington.  We took a short side trip down Howe Drive to the Coldstream cemetery on our way.  After a bowl of hot soup at the Blue Nose Deli in Lavington we headed home up along Buchannan Road.
Our current favourite short ride is east along Okanagan Landing Road to 34 Street where we turn left and struggle up Mission Hill.  Its a gasper but by the time it morphs into Commonage Road, the view down to Okanagan Lake makes it worthwhile.  Just after turning onto Bench Row Road, you can stop and explore the dog walking area hidden in the planted forest, part of the water reclamation project.  The ride home is all downhill, first along undulating Bench Row Road and then down the paved Longacre Trail  that eventually winds down to Okanagan Avenue.  This is a 15 km loop.

The very still Kalamalka Lake from the scenic viewpoint on November 10

Our final bike ride of the season started with climbing up 34 Street, then skirting around the outside of the Cadet Camp, following the bike path  alongside Highway 97 south which continues onto Clerke Road.  Where this meets Highway 97 we carefully crossed the highway and continued along Kalamalka Lakeside Road  to the recently upgraded viewpoint which now has bathrooms and picnic tables.  The ride overlooking Kal Lake is spectacular.

 

 A lone canoeist floated on the lake below.   The sloping hill down to the lake is dotted with high-end homes all the way to the turn off to Kekuli Park.  We realized how cold the air was when we streaked down the hill to the beach and we were surprised to find two boats in the water.  One was just being pulled out but the other took some keen fishermen out into the still steel-grey water.  We were glad to have a soak in our hot-tub when we got home.

Keen fishermen taking off from Kekuli Park November 10

Then this week, after a 10 day trip back to Alberta, we have returned to winter.  There is no snow in the valley but Silver Star and Sovereign Lake are both open for cross-country skiing and Silver Star opened today for downhill skiing.  We had a good day of skiing on Monday and will return tomorrow for more.  The bikes are hooked up to the roof of the garage and the ski gear is out and ready!

first day of skiing at Silver Star November 23

Fintry Estate: A Gentile Gem on the Lake

 

We have been enjoying a spectacular late fall.  The mornings have been shrouded in thick mist from the lakes but that melts away under the still-warm autumn sun.  The leaves are stubbornly holding fast to the trees, so there are splashes of bright yellow on the hillsides among the conifers.  The mirrored calmness of the lakes is only broken by ducks and geese that sporadically land then take off in squawking flocks. 

 

My husband and I have not driven along Westside road all the way from Vernon to Kelowna for years, so two weeks ago we decided to take our Miata out for one more trip before it gets parked for the winter.  It was a grand drive along the undulating road, through grasslands, around curves that threw our afternoon shadow over the lake below.  Westside Road has garnered some complaints about pot holes and dangerous curves but its a great road for a little sports car!
About half way to Kelowna we turned left and wound down at steep paved road to a large shelf of land that stretches out into Okanagan Lake.  Created as the delta for Shorts Creek that winds down from behind Terrace Mountain and then spills down the mountainside as a spectacular waterfall before flowing into the lake, this area is known as Fintry Estates.

The area had been occupied by First Nation Tribes through the years as a fishing camp and had trail crossing it which were used during the fur trading days.
The first white man to settle here was Thomas Dolman-Shorts who started the first commercial boating operation on the lake with his trusty boat, 'The Ruth Shorts', named after his mother.  He would row his boat from Okanagan Landing near Vernon to Penticton. 
In 1909 Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters, a wealthy Scot, purchased the estate and called it 'Fintry' after his home in Scotland.  He built the manor house in 1910 and developed the estate as a working farm and orchard.  He was very wealthy but also pragmatic and visionary.

 

We parked our car near the impressive octagonal shaped barn, where he raised his prize winning Aryshire cattle.  Behind the well-preserved farm buildings we followed a trail that lead to a very long series of wooden stairs that took us up along the waterfall which is well hidden on the treed slope.

 

  It is a rather impressive cascade of several falls and pools and is well worth the effort of climbing the stairs.  From the top you get a wonderful view of central Okanagan Lake which was bathed in late afternoon sun. 

Here Captain Dun-Waters built an elaborate and functional hydro plant and irrigation system to electrify and irrigate the estate.  Consisting of a dam, flumes, pipes, bridges and a reservoir, it was a feat no one believed would work, but it did!
Later we ambled across the broad flat fields, through the vacant camp ground and down to the beach.  Here siting on the edge of the water is  a massive very substantial old building, which I assume was the old packing house, from the days when Fintry Estates was a very productive orchard.  I vaguely recall this building from a trip here in the early 70's .  It was mid summer and a wharf extended out into the water where outboard motor boats were moored while their occupants drank cold beer from the pub located in the building.

 

Today there is no wharf off the building or pub, but there is  a boat launch farther along the beach.  The beach area is extensive and I can imagine it is a wonderful place to visit in the summer.

 

Between the farm buildings and the camp ground is the grand old manor house. It is registered on the list of Canada's Historic Places. The design of the house gave it a flavour of being both a pioneer residence and an outpost of British tradition.  Local granite was used for its construction. 
Apparently during WWI Captain Dun-Water and his wife Alice built and ran a hospital for soldiers in Cairo Egypt, returning to Fintry Estates after the war.  Sadly in 1924 Alice died and the manor burned down.  Captain Dun-Water rebuilt the manor, much in the same style as the original home and seven years later remarried. 

When he died in 1939 his wife found life at Fintry too isolating.  The estate was sold for $1 to Fairbridge Farm School, and organization that trained under-privileged British children to be farmers.  It was shut down in 1948 partly because of a decreasing number of students coming from Britain.  it changed hands several times since then and became a Provincial Park in 1996.
During the summer season I understand that the grand manor house is open for self guided tours and is used as a venue for community teas and tours.  During our visit it was closed.  I intend to check this out next summer!



 



Fabulous Fall in the North Okanagan

 

 

I find it difficult to choose a favourite season in the Okanagan and, after living here for 4 years, have come to the conclusion that my favourite season is the one that's happening right now.  So, today, I'll say my favourite season is autumn.

 

Why autumn?  There are many reasons.  The hot summer days that become hazy with heat and lingering smoke from forest fires, are replaced with clearer days with cooler nights.  Often early in September a bit of rain cleans the air and greens up the late summer grasses.  There is an aroma of freshness. 

The tourist traffic dwindles and the back roads see orange school buses  making their morning and afternoon rounds, loading and unloading eager children excited about a new school year.

Harvest is full-on.  This year all the crops are early.

  September is all about apples, with a few later pears, plums, tomatoes, melons and peppers.  And soon the bins at markets and fruit-and-veggie- stands are piled with root veggies and squashes of every size and shape.  By October its pumpkins and grapes.  Such abundance!

 

From the Tuesday before until the Sunday of the Labour Day weekend is the IPE (Interior Provincial Exhibition).  The small City of Armstrong swells with cowboys and farmers, gardeners and bakers, musicians and hustlers, food stands, midway rides, and vendors of everything

Its one of the best Country Fairs anywhere!   We attend every year and are fortunate to not have to find a parking spot as we hop on our bikes and ride from home.

 

 

After a hiatus from regular Sunday hikes, we join the VOC (Vernon Outdoors Club) for some hikes closer to town.  We have to start the morning hikes with a light jacket as the air is fresh but by noon, when we are eating our lunch it is warm and the vistas are clear.  I never tire of the views.

 

Every fall we make a trip down to Gray Monk Winery.  It is a convenient 40 minutes from our door and only 15 minutes from the airport.  My 93 year old mom often flies out here in the fall and loves a visit to the Gray Monk.

 

We plan to pick her up from the airport and then whisk her over to the winery for lunch on the deck of the Grapevine Restaurant.  The hanging pots of flowers are beyond spectacular, and the view of the vineyards and Okanagan Lake is pretty special.
This season we had to make one more trip down to Kangaroos Creek Farm in Lake Country (aka Winfield).

 

This kangaroos sanctuary which also houses other animals, allows the public to feed the animals, pet them and even hold the baby roos in fleecy pouches.  If you are really luck you can feed them as well.  They are open 7 days a week during the summer but close for the winter by late October.

I confess I am a Davison junkie.  We live very close and I walk up to Davison Orchards at least once a week.  Sometimes for an early morning coffee (and a piece of pie), sometimes to buy some fresh fruit or veggies, or to pick up a hostess gift and almost always when we have company.  Today, the first Sunday in October we went up for lunch.  I had pumpkin parmesan soup and half a John Deere Grilled sandwich (and a piece of pie).  There is nowhere you'll get a fresher sandwich and often the pie is still warm.  The place was packed today.  In summer Davison's is full with tourists but at this time of the year it is a magnet for families from the Okanagan.  And for good reason.  The theme now is Pumpkin.

There is a pumpkin fort, pumpkin royalty, pumpkin baking, pumpkin nic-nacs, pumpkin juice, and lots and lots of pumpkins of every size as well as weird and wonderful squashes.




 A highlight for families is the tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin.  Rides go for $4 and the pumpkin picker goes for $9. 

There is a free professional picture you can have taken out there in the pumpkin patch.

I love this place.  Kids can feed the animals or visit the Crazy Cow Kids' Corral, a playground with an old truck in the middle of a huge sandbox, bales of hay to run over, a web of rope to climb on,  and rubber duckies that float down a course by pumping on an old fashioned water pump.

 

 Before you decide which apples you want, you can try a sample. 

 

 

There are dozens of locally made sauces, jams, dressings, salsas and kitchen gadgets galore. And the bakery counter, filled with pies, muffins and more, had a reminder to pre order your Thanksgiving pies.

 

Ah Fabulous Fall; what could be better?  (Hint: Wonderful Winter)