Keremeos

I went to the work zone in Oliver and found a few jobs in Keremeos and Cawston area so I took down some numbers and left town. Accidentally finding a shortcut to Cawston, talking a long windy narrow road through the mountains. It was so beautiful... Im starting to like taking accidental routes.

So, four days in a cherry orchard in Keremeos. Small little town, for the most part nice but I may have continuing problems at the grocery store because my "backpack" (small purse) is to be left at the service counter. And because I refuse to be the only woman who cannot carry her purse in the grocery store. And no, it is not the size of a backpack. 

I started working for a man named, Narinder. Very nice guy to work for. We went to pick the last of the late cherries and for the first time found myself working with a crew. Not 5 people but like, a lot. Mostly angry french men. But the odd old "non french" canadian guy who is always in battle with the swarm of french.  And of course the young, new, slow cherry pickers like myself who always band together to fight off the yelling swearing french and non french old men. And Bruno. who is not old, but is young, tanned all to heck, tattooed and pink mohawk, but just as angry. There is always some people who show up early and pick the bottoms off everyone's trees and get busted because they are the only ones with 15 buckets at 5:30 in the morning. And the battle begins.  I spent much of my…. actually, all of the four days jumping around row to row cleaning up the tops that no one bothered to pick. Its a dirty job and Im slow as it is, so not much money being made. But it does score brownie points. As Narinder wants to keep me on because he wants to work with "good" people. :D  Take that, Sonny.

I've been staying at the farmworkers camp by the river in Keremeos. Its rocky and super hot, but the river is clean and peaceful and a nice way to cool down. The camp mostly consists of hippy farm workers but a few of the serious pickers, (ei: old angry french guys) And is generally a great place for free, a little noisy at night but oh well.  Mikey was the first person who greeted me there… british I think? and he invited me out to the fire that they have everynight :) But I've been sick and antisocial so I haven't gone yet.

Its been a bit of a struggle finding places with wifi, good coffee, open later then 2pm or 5pm, veggie meat and almond milk. But organic produce! yay! So I've been bouncing around a lot, in a cafe/restaurant with no wifi drinking bad coffee to charge my phone and laptop so I can sit in a parking lot to a place with wifi but no outlet that has closed at a ridiculously early time of the day. And eating a low protein diet of cheese buns and peaches.  

So, as I sit here today, in an outdated 80's restaurant, drinking coffee and eating shredded hashbrowns, I look around and can't help but be reminded of my childhood. It reminds me of a place my dad used to go for coffee. I only went with him a few times, but I will always remember it because of the fancy clock that they had there. It was a rectangular box with a clock on one side and local advertisements flipping one by one on the other side. I remember it because I was bored all to heck sitting there while my dad drank coffee and chatted with God knows who. Im sure the entire time I stared at the flipping ads and counted how many times it completely rotated. I remember once I was there very late… Im not sure why, but I was tired and was laying down but I still stared at it flipping. So in this place with brown wicker lampshades, taxidermy on the walls, metal framed chairs, wood panelling and country radio station quietly playing from behind the bar…. I spot it. There it is, up above the beer cooler behind the bar. the flipping clock. Although its dead and stuck on both 8:00 and D.K truck centre, Osoyoos. Im still staring at it, and I wonder, when it flipped its last ad.

Oliver

today… what is today…

Me and my marry band of travellers have been camping out on an orchard next to the little shack with running water and lots of cats. Mostly, after the hot days of barely making any money picking we all pile in the van and head to town, for wifi and iced coffees. Sitting in a cafe called "Medici's" I stare aimlessly at Facebook waiting for something to happen, nothing does… and try to catch up on emails and such. Anthony sits at his netbook and sighs at the screen…. I often stare at him and wonder what it is he's reading that makes him hum and ha and sigh…. could it be news from home? His mother? or his "kind of" girlfriend? haha. Maybe its just the expensive bus ticket. oh well. I sometimes regret not talking with him more, I ramble on like a crazy when I get going. I don't talk about normal things… so sometimes its lost in translation… and its stopped me from getting to know him better. Its stupid really. When the four of us get back to the camp, we sit around and watch the cats play, chat a little, drink the left over wine, listen to music. One of the nights while sitting around the kittens, a coldplay song came on, warning sign.. and his voice melodically  rang out…. " well the truth is, I miss you…. " and Becca asked us all who we missed. I said Marc. She must have sensed there was someone else. Because she asked, "anyone else?" "And I said, yeah…. my little sister"  We've gotten close, and there isn't a moment that goes by that I didn't wish she was here with me.  Anthony had said that maybe there was someone that he missed… He said his "kind of" girlfriend… haha. And explained that although they had been together for four years, they were very free. And that he had been gone for months, and that is why she was a kind of girlfriend. ahh.. everyone misses someone. Becca and Jenn each had someone they missed back home too. We had decided to have a movie night in the shack so I plugged in the laptop and we all laid our beds out side by side on the floor. The wine had done me in and I was asleep for good portions of the movie. (Into The Wild) But by the time the movie had ended, the wine had wore off and I wasn't as tired, but, everyone together was so cozy and better then in my van alone, haha. I had squished Anthony up against the wall and his backpacks but I didn't mind, he may have minded but its okay because I soon got up and left to my van because I couldn't sleep anyways.

The next day, after picking we sat around and Becca started dreaming up this place that would be a secret hippy spot in the forest. It would be a place with tree houses and a library, flower gardens, vegetable and herb gardens. Everyone could contribute something different. But it would be secret, and only passed on to those who belong there. I said I would like to build a sweat lodge. and a clay oven, for baking bread and other goods. Anthony will help build the tree houses, 'cause he's an architect :) I think this place could be magical, sorta like in that movie, "The Beach". We had planned to go to the Island and find a secret place :) I hope we do!

Tomorrow, I embark on the rest of my journey alone. I will move on to the next town and look for more work. I dropped Anthony off at the greyhound early this morning and the girls in town later that day and they grabbed their backpacks and will hitch until they reach calgary. It will be lonely, but some much needed rest and quietness is due. I will focus on getting over this sickness, whatever else I figure out to do during my afternoons off. 

 Becca and I are tribal painted, thats why we aren't all muddy yet... but we get muddy!!

Where the road goes.

• • News flash: bad day at the orchard, (bad three days) Sonny thinks Im "bad cherry picker" and that I smoke to much. After yelling at me one day and not talking to me at all the next day, I decided I had enough of this. hopefully spend one more night here then try to get into the street market tomorrow and sell me some goods. Then off to the next town to try me some more picking. With someone who is nicer. Anthony will be peacing out to Van soon… its been fun but now I guess we part our ways. P.S. I don't smoke. 

  
  

  • I met two really cool lesbians and an Aussie, who's the posse glue...( long story ) taking the girls with me to the next destination so they can pick up hot chicks in white shorts. Trying to convince Australia to come, because she's like, my sister where has she been all my life...? and also because I'm kinda devastated to lose Anthony tomorrow... But ALL the girls are working on him because in reality he's more of the glue then Australia is because he's a guy and balances out all the femaleness. We'll see what happens... And the adventure continues.... But I'm making money at the market today, huzzah! And a didge player from montreal sat next to me and is entertaining me while I sit on the sidewalk trying stop people from stepping on my jewelry!! and he gave me flowers, oh happy day.

  
  

  • Went to the beach after the market, met a "french" guy who I think is actually faking french but oh well.  And told me about a potluck at the nude-y beach tomorrow, so bring my friends down for some free food. !woot! Can't turn down free food! but also invited us for supper so we did that too. He talks waaaayyy too much and its a little exhausting. He hooked us up with a job near Oliver so after the potluck on nude-y beach and getting all muddy we all drove to this crazy hippy campground with snakes, bears, playful dogs and snuggly cats. The next morning we drove to Oliver only to find out that this place he sent us didn't actually exist and crazy french guy ditched back to penticton on his bike…?….. but hey, thanks for all the booze you left in my van… and the bucket of pasta! yummy…. we tried picking prunes but it really sucks. 25 dollars a bin. That takes ME 6 hours to fill! hmmm.. just enough to buy me some supper at the end of the day. The place where we are camping has a real toilet and a shower, but is other wise a scary rundown crack shack looking place…. which evidently had a shoe box full of weed in the closet..  where are we??! But there are three kittens and four adult cats who are very affectionate. It is delightful. 

  
  

  • Tune in next week for the rest of the adventures in Oliver. 

  
  

  
  

The sense of a goose

Sally and I watched in fascination as a 'V' of geese passed over the water in Stanley Park. Sure I've seen this before, but in never ceases to amazing me each and every time. I wondered how they communicate to eachother and how they keep such great time. We giggled as the first goose not only flapping his wings, was also "honking" as he went. We figured that looked like a lot of work for him! And the last few seemed to be talking amongst themselves and we imagined what they could be saying.. haha. And sally commented, it must hard being a goose....

I stumbled across a story today that lends an opinion to whether it really is hard to be a goose or not. I feel as though, maybe it is easy. Maybe it is harder being a human after all...

The sense of a goose

"When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way: 

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. 

By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What messages do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally ... and this is important ... when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that."

~unknown author

I think as humans, we get caught up in the rat race, the "need" for independence, success and wealth.... among other things. The drag and resistance of doing it alone has become the norm, and its forgotten the how to move forward in the thrust of the people with a common goal. The feeling is still sometimes found often families or a group of friends. But overall we have forgotten that we are all in this together. People who extend outside our friends and family. I will strive to be like the goose. Will you be like the goose? 

and the journey continues....

As we prepared to leave to Vancouver,  Mark found a couple to rent his car while he was gone,  so we were able to take only one vehicle to Van. James was going to hitch a ride with us to Oliver, but soon left as the day got later and later and Mark found an old friend he wanted to spend some time with before he left. So James picked up his bags gave us all hugs and said good-bye. I was disappointed to not have him for part of the journey. And when we drove away the next day I really felt I missed him.

We stayed at Naramata beach for the evening as Mark cleared out his car for the new "owners", and I single handedly killed the battery in my van. It was a fabulous night on the beach, watching the stars, swinging on swings, and dodging the sprinklers in the park! We finally left for Vancouver and after one fabulous conversation, a nap, some great music, a snack, and one pee break, we arrived. First time there, so I was pretty excited. I finally got to meet Mark's friend who will be traveling Europe with him, the beautiful little pixie called Tyese. Sweet little spitfire bubble of energy. We didn't get to visit long, she went to the airport that afternoon and waited for an available seat. Her energy really stuck with me, and I hope we meet again.... 

We spent the rest of the day organizing the van, and finding Marc a plane ticket. Both a success. $317 one way flight to London! And Tyese's family was very hospitable for the next few nights, until Marc's departure.

The next day we spent some time at a wonderful cafe, called Brown Dog Cafe. had some breakfast and a chai tea latte. Walked around for a bit and headed to Wreck beach, where the welcoming sounds of drums echoed up the stairway through the trees. The beach is beautiful, it is so secluded from the rest of the city... You cannot hear or see the noisy street, and the laid back atmosphere of people without a care in the world, freely lounging without clothing on. Its comfortable and free. People playing music, dancing, hula hooping... little naked children running in the sand, people playing fetch with their dogs.... couples holding eachother tight.... not afraid to let the world see their love.... This is where I will spend my days "away" from the city.

After dropping Marc off at the airport, well… "dropping" him off, finding out the flight was delayed, meeting up with a old friend of his, eating supper, talking some fun airport pictures, waiting around, and losing a boarding pass, we finally went to his gate, to eventually board the plane. 

I stayed in the lot where I had parked that night and slept there for a few hours. I didn't know where I would be going after the airport and in the dark, first time driving around the city and the first time alone there. I decided to set my alarm to move my van early in the morning.  After a while I drove and found my way to a park. And slept a little more...

I was fortunate to get news that a good friend would be arriving in Vancouver that morning. It would be nice to hang out for a bit! We went to wreck beach and then later on drove to the YWCA where Sally would be staying the night before moving in to her new place. She let me stay with her there where I didn't rest so easy as I was receiving messages from Tyese that Marc was nowhere to be found after "arriving" in London. After learning that the flight had landed 3 hours ago, she panicked wondering why she hadn't heard from him. more hours passed, and still no word. She waited all night for him at the station where they were supposed to meet. I got messages every couple hours. Poor girl.. Good thing she had whiskey.. They found eachother the next day. Marc's story is a very interesting one wondering around London all night long…. Maybe he will let me blog about it ;)

Sally and I had great adventures around the city. As we pulled out from the YWCA I noticed a chair in a big dumpster in an ally and thought how cool would it be to take pictures of it in different locations. :D So naturally I turned around, pulled the van up beside the dumpster, climbed up on the roof, yanked the chair out, passed it down to Sally, and the fun begins. We took our first photo right the beside the blue dumpster. It was junky and dirty and great contrast with the reddish color chair.  We put it in the back of the van and drove downtown to water front station. parked and lugged it to the train tracks… then a next to a stone building, then to great back ally. I was a spectacle, walking through crowds of tourists with a chair over my shoulder. :) We then took it to a park and took pictures of it in the trees. We powered out and were getting hungry so we had to ditch the chair, because there is no room for it in the van with me sleeping there. We had intentions of taking it to the beach too but, the chair was gone the next day :(

Sally and I had more great days together, exploring the city and spending time at the beach. Playing drums and singing! the adventures of mr potato head, finding our way to Stanley park by bus and back again, a bus driver who clearly didn't want us on his bus.. (LOL) realizing the struggles of being a goose,  nearly being robbed by a raccoon! and seeing WALRUSES!! Or could they have been seals….?  and learning the difference between Howe and Howard.  Ahhhh.... good times, with good people :)

New life: A journey to the west

I decided it was time for a change. I found living in the busy city soul sucking and the atmosphere just wasn't right for me anymore. I decided to leave, and go where the road takes me. I left behind my cat, my job, my home, my friends and family, and photography for the most part. Packed up my van and headed west. My van is now my home. I brought very little with me, just enough to feed my soul while I'm gone. My camera, guitar, ukulele, drawing pencils, hula hoop, a few books, some clothes and essentials. some soap and my handmade jewelry hoping that I could sell to the hippies and make a few bucks :P

So, my journey begins. Travelling west down the trans-Canada always amazes me. You can watch the landscape change from farm lands, to forests, to hills, to mountains with rocky edges and waterfalls… and then somewhere the valley in between mountains start to widen and it becomes green and lush… and soon you are in the shuswaps. So green and fertile, beautiful lakes, welcoming cabins, fruit stands and always sunshine. And finally the Okanagan, desert-y and to me feels like summer all the time. Almost as if I stepped into a different country for a moment, landscapes like nothing else. And all of this within 9 hours of driving.

When I left Revelstoke the morning after I had stopped for the night, I saw a traveller holding out a sign for Nelson. I decided to stop and give him a ride. Not to Nelson, however, but he decided to go with me until Kelowna. The company was welcome. He was very pleasant, his name was Kjel. A social worker from Belgium, travelling around western Canada. He shared some of his music with me and was great company for the ride to Kelowna, where I dropped him off at the bridge. So long travelling friend. Its amazing, the people you meet… and why? And I wonder if our paths will cross again....

I got into Penticton and met up with Marc at the hostel, met a british friend he had acquired, named James. We all decided to find work together. We went out to an orchard we had an address for hoping to set up camp so we could start in the morning. Nobody was there, We called them and they told us there was no more work there. so we sat and made some phone calls to some other orchards in the area. Mark and I giggled to ourselves listening to James on the phone trying to get us a job. " 'ello sir! how are you t'day? We are three very enthusiastic cherry pickers, and we need to come and pick your cherries!"
Charming, but no dice. :)

We eventually found an orchard looking for workers, we followed a guy up to a place in Skaha and immediately went to work. Working in the trees, feeling the branches and the earth beneath my feet, the warm breeze… its heaven, and so grounding. The grounding that I've been needing. It does get tiring after a while in the heat, and hurts the fingers a bit. A few hours later a guy walked into the orchard with boss, he had such a calming disposition, sweet, shy smile.. I smiled his way and later went to introduce myself. His name is Anthony, from France. First time cherry picker. He stuck with us after that, Its so nice to find friends :)

Every morning we started early, at 6. Indian boss would come in and honk his horn, come knock on my window and make sure we were all up. Its perfect picking in the morning before the sun is to hot. I am not a very fast cherry picker, not like Anthony. Who picked 35 buckets on the day that I picked 24. Which was a lucky day for me because on other days it was 19, 15 and 14. Sonny called me lazy that day. The day I did 15, which was after the day I did 24. boo.

We set up camp for the night in the orchard. It was getting late and we had to wake up early. I prepared my van for a sleeping quarters, moving all my bags out of the way, as well as James' bag which I officially haul around now. I sat in the grass and watched as Anthony, set up his little camp stove and boiled a pot of water to prepare his supper. He crouched over the stove with a little head lamp shining down on his almost cooked meal. on the other side of me, Mark and James stood side by side against the car brushing their teeth. It was cute. I sat there and enjoyed the moment. I saw a beauty in it that Im sure no one will ever quite understand. We banded together that day and made a sort of home. And as the sun finally settled, and the soft breeze blew through and cooled us for the night, we said our goodnights and the boys took their sleeping bags into the orchard and I retreated into my van. I don't know if anyone else felt this way, but I felt a bit like a family.

Our bathroom at the orchard is amazing. Our wooden outhouse. The door doesn't even close, you can see right through the cracks in the wall. and there isn't even a hole in the ground. haha. Amazing. But still more comfortable then squatting in the bush.

The evenings, the four of us would drive down to the beach and lay in the shade, take a dip in the lake, have a nap, and eventually go get some food and go back to the orchard. James sat and played Mark's guitar while the other two were talking, and I caught him quietly singing a song about the orchard :)

My birthday was really amazing. I couldn't have asked for more. I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.... I really am. Half a day in the orchard, the rest relaxing on the beach. That evening we went to an Italian restaurant… so delicious. What a special day. Although each day so far has been more then special...

Five nights in Penticton. Sleeping first in a parking lot, then three beautiful nights in an orchard and the last on a dead end road, shared only by a family of quail and a couple deer. Today I carry on on my journey and continue west. to Vancouver. Mark will fly out to London in a few days, and I will explore the city a bit and meet up with a few friends.

Thats us.....