Jayne's Books: Sunday Salon - Of beaches, mountains and books

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Sunday Salon - Of beaches, mountains and books

As I write this, my summer vacation is coming to a close. I realize that I am saying this when most summer vacations ended last week, but where I live most kids are still on summer vacation and will be for the foreseeable future and hence I am also off as well, not that I would like to be off.

And due to this extended summer break, I have been off since the middle of June (usually I am off at the end of June) and have been able to do somethings that I would not have otherwise done.

My break started off with a nice little day trip to a sea-side town near my hometown where my parents and I had some wonderful fish and chips after which we had a nice walk down the boardwalk to where some ugly gates had been erected (didn't take photos of the gates). It was a really nice day and fairly quiet compared to when I came back a couple of weeks later and crawling with people seeking some cooler weather on Canada Day.

West Beach (White Rock, BC)

A few days later, my parents and I headed to Vancouver and went to FlyOver Canada, which was incredible, and afterwards we walked around to the new Vancouver Convention Centre and sat at a local coffee shop for a bit before walking into Gastown for a little while (my parents went to a concert with some of their friends later that evening) before I headed home.

Me at the FlyOver Canada kiosk.

July saw me head back to White Rock for Canada Day and a few days later see my cousin and his wife in Burnaby for an evening in early July and had a lovely Korean meal. A few days after seeing my cousin and his wife, I took a trip down memory lane by going around to some of the places that I lived in when I was younger and went on a swing in a park that as a child I knew quite well (it was about 3 doors down from where we lived and spent many summer afternoons and evenings in).

The Yellow House (home from newborn to about 8 months old)

Shortly after I attended Bard on the Beach in Vanier Park in Vancouver with my mom and a friend of hers and then left for Sun Peaks and spent almost two months there, in which I went on a couple of hikes, went to the pool, and several other amazing times.

Mountain flowers underneath the Crystal Chair

Other than the many guests that my parents hosted over the summer, the highlight was seeing the Stanley Cup and having my photograph with it. For me as a hockey fan, it was just amazing. Other than on TV, I had never had the chance to see it in person.

Yay!

I am not a LA Kings fan (boo!), but any chance to see the Stanley Cup is worth it. The four of us (my parents, my sister and I) had a couple of photos taken with the Stanley Cup and actually got to touch it.

But soon after that signs of fall started to appear and sadly I have to make the trek back home, but know that I will hopefully be back soon.

Clouds lifting after some rain

If there is one thing that has come out of my summer this year is that I read more than I probably do most summers and also read quite a few more ebooks than I would normally read, as my tablet isn't really conducive to reading outside and I don't want the hassle of getting my library e-books onto my Kobo Touch (I did it once and it was tricky and while I did get it onto my Touch, it was frustrating to do it).

While I am looking forward to getting back and seeing friends and into more of a regular routine, I am going to miss sitting out on my parents front (or back) deck sunning myself, reading a book or two while listening to one of my many podcasts.

Books finished since my last Sunday Salon:

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

• The Cuckoo's Calling

• The Word Exchange

• Mrs. Hemmingway

• The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out a Window and Disappeared

• Under the Wide and Starry Sky

Books reviewed since my last Sunday Salon: