Out of the Smoke
It’s difficult to get away from BC’s wildfire smoke these days. If it’s not blowing in from the east, it’s coming down from the north or up from the States. My annual trip to Ontario promised a reprieve, but from 30,000 feet, the smoke swirled around the Rockies and was thick on the ground in the valleys. Sad to think this might be our new summer norm.
Into the Steam
Landing in Toronto didn’t provide as much relief as I anticipated—it felt like arriving in the tropics—stinking hot with humidity that sent my hair into alpaca territory.
Thankfully, a torrential downpour soon took care of the heat, and the cooler temperatures prompted my sister and me to venture out to the Canadian National Exhibition, fondly known as the CNE. Neither of us had been to the annual fall fair since our public school days when a CNE pass was tucked in with our year-end report cards.
Though much has changed at the CNE, so much remains the same. The Sky Ride chairlift still crosses high above the midway, carnival hawkers still draw in players with promised winnings, shouts still ring out from ride-goers, and the scent of corndogs and candy floss still rises above the masses. We even spotted a flag with the Conklin clown logo.
On to Haliburton
The following day, we drove to our cousin’s beautiful home on Paradise Lake in Haliburton. We enjoyed wine and appies on the dock, went for a swim in the lake, and talked for hours sharing memories of our grandparents, summer swims and marshmallow roasts in years gone by.
The next day we travelled north to McKellar to visit our parents and brother. Here the reminiscing continued, bringing back more memories that often sent us into fits of tear-inducing laughter.
I’m writing this post on a warm afternoon sitting on my sister’s deck and watching the river flow by. The heat and humidity comes and goes, as does the rain, and though I never know which friends and family I’ll end up seeing when I visit, I’m so glad this trip has turned into an annual event.
I’ll soon be on my way back to BC, but while I’m here, I continue to work with JD&J Design on the new and rebranded book covers. It’s taking longer than I anticipated, but we’re making steady progress.
Meantime, I’ll enjoy the peaches and cream corn which is in season and as sweet as it comes. I’ll swim when it’s hot and enjoy my family’s company. I hope you are able to carve out some quality summer time as well.
Have you done something exciting this carnival season?
If you’d like to spend some quality time on an adventure set on the west coast, pick up Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.
Alpaca photo by Greg Lippert on Unsplash
Conklin clown logo used with permission.
It’s been an uncommon winter here on Denman Island. The ground froze for 6+ weeks, which is an unusual state of cold we normally count in days, not weeks. (No need to roll your eyeballs—we know we’re spoiled—we barely reach the “damn it’s cold” threshold for Canadians.)
I didn’t get outside much in November. The November 15 release of Betrayal (now Lover Betrayed) kept me busy. As always happens with a new release, I was plagued with promotion should’ve/could’ve/would’ves. Not to mention the inconvenient fact that I also have a life.
That “life” took me back to Ontario to spend a rare and snowy Christmas with my family. Despite my earlier whinging, I love a white Christmas. There’s something magical about crisp, white snow at Christmastime. And it may just be my ego, but I think Ontario went out of its way to emphasize the white this year. It brings me back to my childhood. I can count on one finger how many white Christmases I’ve experienced since moving to the coast (not that finger – gheesh!). The coast has many wonderful attributes, which I tout to no end in the Gift Legacy books, but a white Christmas isn’t one of them.
I’m now back on Denman Island
It demands my attention, and I’m beyond happy to oblige. In addition to developing my next series (the Dark Dreams novels), I’m writing the next chapter in Emelynn’s story. This is what it looks like when I’m organizing my ideas. Do you have thoughts about characters or storylines you’d like to see on one of those stickies? Now is the perfect time to tell me. Leave a comment, or contact me on any of my social media sites.