Grandparentental Obligations Fulfilled

Trip Advisor has named Penticton as having the #2 best beaches in Canada. There are over 4 kilometres of sandy beaches located on Okangan and Skaha Lakes. They have nice clean sandy botttoms with few rocks and weeds. The water is clear enough to see fish swimming near the bottom. With the water temperature hovering  around 22 C and ambient temperatures in the thirties, we gave them a good work out this week.

The month of June was the wettest month on record for Penticton and July did not start out to great. Two days before our grandchildren arrived, the sun came out and stayed around for the entire time they were here. 

With our family spread out across Canada, it is not easy to get together so it is nice when we can capture everyone for a family portrait.  Munson Mountain was the site of our first portrait taken  five years previously. We recreated the picture to mark the occasion. We will do it again in five years. Who knows how much bigger the family will get.

The week ended with a round of golf that included a great view of Penticton and a five year old caddy and golf cart chauffeur. It took Grampa a while to explain the difference between a bogie and a booger. Let it be known to all, that I shot a double booger on the 8th hole. 

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks

Day 3 started much like Day 2, hot, humid and with an air conditioned ride on the train. Doctor J had prepared a wonderful and traditional Chinese breakfast for us, so our day started with a fully tummy. Our destination was Busch Stadium, home to the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals and the third and last game of a weekend triple header with the Cleveland Indians.

The train was awash with Cardinal fans, most wearing red Cardinal jerseys and many with red war paint.  It seemed like the entire train got off at Busch Stadium. They say when the Cards play, the city stands still. Being as it was the third game of the weekend, the city may have been fidgeting a little bit.



$9.00 bucks got us seats in the highest bleachers right at the end of the first base line. Oxygen was listed on the concession menus. We avoided sunburn, thanks to shade for the first three or four innings with some opportunistic clouds moving in for the final innings.










With beer starting at $8:50, the budget did not allow for more than one. Hot dogs prices kept us from making pigs (teehee) of our selves but a beer and a hotdog in a major league stadium is now off the bucket list.










Not sure Doctor J completely understood the game of baseball. Nonie spent much of the first few innings explaining the nuances of the game but alas Nonie's understanding of baseball is a little suspect so some of her explanations did not quite reflect the reality of the game.  I kept quiet, not wanting to completely confuse Doctor J.  I think St. Louis has gained a new fan all be it one with a sketchy understanding of the game. She plans to take her husband, Doctor J to a game when he comes in July so I see another fan in the making.   I would love to hear her explain the rules to him.










This was our last full day in St. Louis and we left early the next afternoon. First to Denver again, then on to Spokane.  Late  again, arriving close to midnight, we over nighted in Spokane and drove home to Penticton the next day. More familiar with the poor Washington highway signage, we arrived home in just over four hours. 

I nice ending to another wonderful adventure.

You Can Never Escape China

Day 2 started hot and humid with a ride on the nice, clean and air conditioned light, rapid rail, transit system of St. Louis. First stop, the St. Louis Gateway Arch.  The Arch was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. St. Louis began as the capital for French Upper Louisiana, taken over by the Spanish then the British, once again by French and finally purchased by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Not sure what they paid for it, but we can definitely state that is was worth every penny.

 St. Louis was home to Lewis and Clark and was the jumping of point for their expedition to the West coast. They were the first of many explorers and settlers heading West from St. Louis.

The Gateway Arch stands 630 feet high and is located on the banks of the Mississippi river. It is a impressive structure. For you structural engineers it is weighted catenary arch.

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You can ride a tram to to a viewing room at the top.  We chose to enjoy it from the safety of the ground. I swear I saw it fluttering in the breeze.

Just a few steps away from the Arch were moored the Huck Finn and the Becky Thatcher, two fake paddle wheelers that carried paying ( first fees since arriving in St.Louie)  passengers up and down the "The Mighty Mississip". Truthfully, not the most scenic tour we have taken as the banks of the Mississippi are mostly littered with old scruffy looking industrial buildings. But it was a trip that had to be made as it was on the bucket list. Although it was planned to occur during a future trip to New Orleans.

This is a power plant constructed in 1903 for the Worlds Fair. It is still operating today. You can see the Arch shrouded in clouds, just to the left of the plant.

From there we  jumped on the train for a quick trip into Illinois then back to Doctor J's apartment for a nap. We were headed to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens in the evening for a Chinese lantern festival. It just seemed like the  right thing to do to have Doctor J travel over 7,000 kilometres to a strange new country so she could attend a Chinese lantern festival.  Sadly, it came with cost but it was well worth it. The site was littered with dozens of Chinese artisans selling their wares. Felt just like home except way over priced.