About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, March 28, 2011

K is for K places in BC

In keeping with my destinations theme during this round, I decided to take you on a little tour of places in British Columbia beginning with the letter K. I have to tell you, too, that I've been to ALL of these places!We'll start off in northern BC with KISPIOX, a pristine area about 500+ miles north of Vancouver. It boasts natural beauty and is well known for its steelhead and salmon fishing. It's also home to talented Gitxsan artists with many totem poles on display in the community.




Not far from Kispiox is the town of KITIMAT in the heart of the BC wilderness. Many outdoor activities are available here including fishing (both fresh and salt water), kayaking, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, snowmobiling, and skiing. In the summer, every couple of weeks the town hosts things like bull riding or mud-bogging races! There are lots of natural mineral hot springs and wildlife, including the rare Kermode bear. The friendly locals call themselves "Kitimatonians."






Moving south to BC's "cowboy community," we come to the city of KAMLOOPS, which takes its name from a First Nations word meaning "meeting place" because it's right at the junction where the North and South Thompson Rivers meet. Major industries here are forestry, tourism, ranching, and mining. It's also a great place for year-round outdoor activities. My late husband's family had beautiful lakefront property on Shuswap Lake, a short drive east of the city, and we spent many wonderful summer (and Christmas) vacations there.
A bit south-east of Kamloops, you'll find our famous Okanagan Region where there is a real desert in the province. First, you'll find KELOWNA . Located on Okanagan Lake, it's famous for its wines and its four-seasons recreation, including skiing at Big White. There are also lots of smaller lakes around the area for fabulous trout fishing. We often visit Kelowna and its surrounding areas because we have friends living in the town of Peachland, a few miles south of Kelowna.



KEREMEOS takes its name from another First Nations word that means "creek which cuts its way through the flats" or "the meeting of the winds." (It can be rather windy there!) When I was a child, my parents would stop in Keremeos to buy fresh fruit, especially cherries, peaches, and apricots. It has always been known as the best place in BC to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from any of the stands lining the roads in and out of town. It's also one of the hottest spots in BC in the summer and boasts of over 2000 hours of sunshine per year.


Let's go into the city of Vancouver now to look at two communities that begin with the letter K. First, there is KITSILANO, where my friend Josie lives. With one of the best beaches in the city, Kits (as it's called) is home to unique boutiques, trendy restaurants, and upscale condos. Check out Josie's blog for more information about her little corner of the city. Another community in Vancouver that I like to visit is KERRISDALE, where my sister lives. It has the ambiance of an old-fashioned upscale village, with lots of beautiful older homes as well as condos and apartment buildings. It was at the Kerrisdale Arena where I met my late husband back in 1972 during an adults-only ice skating session. Check out my story here. Finally, here is a photo (from Google of course) of Kitsilano Beach, a place where I've been going since I was a little girl and where I nowadays go for strolls with my friend Josie. Can you imagine anything more beautiful than being right on the ocean with the mountains in the background?

24 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

I'd almost think you were making up all those places! Sounds like some fascinating places.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Sylvia K said...

Lots of K destinations for the K Day, Leslie! What a terrific post and they do indeed sound like fascinating places! Love your photos! Hope your week is off to a great start!

Sylvia
ABC Team

Gigi Ann said...

Thanks for the tour of K towns in Canada. I agree with all that Roger said.

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for your tour along the K places. These names are a bit like the Australian names given by the indigenous people.They are not typically English.
Have a great ABC Wednesday.

Cezar and Léia said...

Amazing post with lots of K important words.Kispiox is very special and Kitimat as well!I love the wildlife there and the pictures are beautiful!
Hugs
Léia

photowannabe said...

This sounds like Paradise. Beautiful places. the only one I've been to is Kamloops. I think I need a vacation in your neck of the woods, especially after my failure to get my pictures to post for ABC Wed. 3 times!!

Carver said...

What a wonderful tour you took us on for the K day. Fantastic shots and narrative.

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Beautiful locations in the BC area, that is for sure. And that beach with the mountain backdrop is stunning!
But, most of all the sweet story of you and your husband.

Tumblewords: said...

Superb! The photos are fantastic and your narrative pure delight. Thanks!

Meryl said...

What wonderful K places to visit! I hope to be in the area this summer.

Hildred said...

I'm so glad you included Keremeos, Leslie, - it was my first choice for a post on K, but abandoned the idea when I thought of Kindness, - still, Keremeos is a very Kindly place to live, - a really friendly small town.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

those shots are inviting,
love the last one especially.
great take on K.

J.Rylie.C said...

Beautiful K!

Have a little tour of Korea, come by and see.

Hildred said...

Thanks for visiting Leslie. In case you should ever be passing through Charles and I live in Keremeos - the farm was in Cawston, then we retired to Keremeos, and now we have downsized just outside of town on the road leading to Osoyoos. Come and see us!

Carola said...

Great K places with great names.
We walked through Keremeos (from Vancouver to Cranbrook) and spend the night in our tent near the Red Bridge. After a nice swim in the Similkameen River we had a bit trouble with a lot of mosquitos. It was to late.
It is a beautiful and quite area, we walked on Fair View to Oliver and near Mt Baldy to Rock Creek. And it was so hot.

kat said...

Thanks for the tour Leslie. Love all the photos.

Happy ABC Wed.

Jane and Chris said...

Isn't our wonderful country 'Kanata' beautiful!
Jane x

Joy said...

Sound wonderful, plenty to do and beautiful scenery, perfect Ks.

Jo said...

Well, you know I love, love, love Kitsilano, and the wonnnnnnderful beaches. (Spanish Banks, anyone?) But I also lived in Kamloops for a year, and I was gobsmacked at how beautiful it was. And we had rattlesnakes in our back yard, and cactus plants too. :-)

Lisa said...

Thanks for the tour! It looks like a lovely place to spend time. I love learning about new places.

Leslie: said...

Thanks for your input, Josie, but that's exactly why I would NEVER live there... yucky reptiles! :(

Casdok said...

Wow - you get around! The mountains and ocean are stunning.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

That wasw a great tour - thank you.

Shrinky said...

What awesome scenery, I feel totally envious that you have actually BEEN to these places - sighhhhhhh..