Okay…I will save my thoughts on the election for a while. There have been some great articles in the G+M & the National Post recently that have addressed all the issues I would talk about, and they have adopted positions that I have either been espousing or would outright support. So there may not be much need for me to repeat. Let me just say that our country is far from out of the woods: this election didn’t solve our national problems, it actually exacerbated them.

But as a moment of diversion, I’d like to reflect back on a week I took off – I left on a Tuesday evening, and I returned the following Tuesday evening. In between, I was in Jamaica. Here is one delightful country, laid back and very beautiful. I was particularly lucky in that we were with my best Penticton-based friends (The Ross’) and we stayed at their son’s (daughter-in-law’s) humble ten [10] acre estate in the mountains south of Montego Bay. The daytime views were breath-taking: didn’t seem there were any other people around. Nighttime changed one’s perspective as lights came on throughout the landscape, though not enough to impede the view of the night sky of stars, satellites and planes! One of my notes about this place says: it is spectacular, a real throwback to a Humphrey Bogart movie time!

Day 1 started for all intents and purposes late at night, at YLW (Kelowna’s superbly regional airport: Air Canada isn’t currently flying in/out of YYF). Initially Air Canada tried to make me mad, then made me glad, then a moment of sad or at least egad. But then all became glad and we actually got a better flight – non-stop to YYZ in time to catch another non-stop to Montego Bay arriving on Wednesday, midday. Time for the first introduction to Jamaican jerk food – a delightful moment indeed.

Woke up on Maundy Thursday a long way from church or anything else, so availed myself of a deck of grandeur and did some personal exercising. For brekkie I experienced a kind of hedgehog avocado followed by a couple of naps. The end of day wound down with a great collective meal on a Harbour Barge, accessed by a ferry ride of three [3] metres. As a sidebar, I should mention that an elementary school mate of my son’s also joined us for the meal. Squaring the circle re Penticton connections for sure.

I should mention that the Ross’ children and mine all went to Sunday School together at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Penticton (yeah, you read that right: my kids went to Sunday School on a regular basis)!

With great memories of my first couple of days, I’ll close for now – will continue with additional portions of this chapter!!
g.w.