A Day Trip to Aunty Ag's Seafood Cafe in Oliver BC

For a mini day trip in my neck of the woods (Penticton) we drove down to Oliver to have lunch at Auntie Ag's Seafood Café. 

 First off we cruised along the East Side of Skaha Lake.  For those of you who haven’t had the experience of driving on that road….definitely do it.  It wanders along the lake and provides excellent views of the water and Kaleden on the west side.  Plus it is not a highway so you don’t have to rocket along and worry about traffic behind you.

Next: you pass through Okanagan Falls, home of a really big, really old flea market.  It’s a cute little village with a pub and a park and a couple of grocery stores and of course the famous Tickleberrys ice cream parlor.

Yummy fun at Tickleberry's

Farther along the road there is Vaseux Lake, a wildlife sanctuary with a scenic boardwalk and convenient washrooms.  A very pretty stroll for those so disposed.

Still further along the way …Gallagher Lake. Blink and you could miss it!

Of course we also passed many vineyards, wineries, orchards and fruit stands because that is what the Okanagan is all about!

 

Finally, our destination.  Aunty Ag's Seafood Cafe. 

What a cute little place with its red, blue and white décor in a bright sunny room. 

It’s right on the main drag and serves up a cost friendly fish and chip lunch special for under $10.00.  The fish is light and tasty and the homemade French-fries a real treat. 

The dessert special was Key Lime cheesecake.  Yum! If you are not inclined to fish and chips there are other things on the menu including vegetarian and gluten-free choices.  While you’re there take a look at the family pictures hanging on the wall. It turns out Aunty Ag owned a chain of fish and chip shops in Burton on Trent England.  Her last restaurant called the Seaview Café was in Devon England and looked like quite the place! Happily, the family is carrying on the tradition and I’m sure Aunty Ag would be proud.

Oh and while we were there we found out that Deb, part owner of Auntie Ag's and chief chef, has acquired a mascot for the restaurant. What else but a British Beef Eater.  She tells me they are going to have a contest to name the mascot so stay tuned at Aunty Ag's Website for details.
I also found out that Aunty Ag's has won two awards from Okanagan Life Magazine in the South Okanagan.  One for the best fish and chips and the other for the best chowder!!!! So go try it out.
Below is a photo of Deb and Big Fish Mike Whiles with the new mascot.

On the way back we picked up some fresh peaches and considered our day trip a big success.

Thanks again Travelin' Pat for your input on this blog.

Penticton Farmer's Market - Still Alive and Well

Throngs of people attended the Penticton Farmers Market on Saturday. It is hard to believe how big this event has become!  Following are some photos I took as I strolled up Main Street.

My favourites were the home-made and home grown items because that's what I think a Farmer's Market should be all about.

Flowers and Herbs

 

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

 

 

 

Wood Carving - Canes and Signs

 

Homemade Canned Goods

 

Bees at work and Honey for Sale

 

Canadian Handmade Knit and Crochet Items

 

More Lavender

 

 

 

Street Entertainment

 

Tacos Anyone

 

 I wonder how many people at the market were staying in Penticton Vacation Rentals.

 

 

 

Cheese Making Class at Poplar Grove Cheesery on the Naramata Bench

Thankyou Travelin' Pat for sharing the fun day you and Daiya had at Poplar Grove Cheesery.

 

What does one normally do on a gorgeous Easter Weekend?  Lets see…go bike riding? Walking? Paint adorable creative eggs?  OR    go to a cheese making class.  Cheese Please!!!

My Daughter in Law Daiya and I had registered for the class ages ago and finally the big cheese day arrived.  We donned on our gumboots and our aprons and our ever so fashionable hairnets and boldly went where neither of us had been before.

Poplar Grove Cheese Shop

The first thing we learned is that cleanliness is paramount.  Lots of hand washing and rinsing of utensils. Secondly we learned that with a few simple ingredients (milk, citric acid and rennet) we could be off to the races.

Daiya Anderson - The start



Warming up milk and acids



Cheese forming into a ball



The down and dirty is that you pour milk into a pot, heat it up add your acid and rennet and Bobs your uncle.  Ok maybe it is a bit more of a deal than that but essentially it is a simple process.  At the end of the day we had three delicious cheeses, ricotta, mozzarella and feta. Plus we were very proud of ourselves. I am already thinking tomato and mozzarella salad for dinner tonight.

Hanging cheese to let whey drip

 

Finished product

Feta

 

Maybe the next time you would like to do something fun and worthwhile, grab a friend and take a stab at making cheese.

Louise Pederson (the big cheese around the place) is the instructor extraordinaire.  She is an excellent and patient teacher; and the class is informative and fun.  Louise plans on starting up more cheese making classes in the Fall.  For more information visit the Poplar Grove Cheese website, or call
(250) 492-4575.  A big bonus is that there is a scrumptious lunch (with wine) provided. Cheers....

 

Wine with lunch

 

Penticton Peach City Triathlon - A Humorous Twist on the Race

I WENT FOR A RIDE AND A RACE BROKE OUT

Sunday morning I thought I would go for a bike ride on the KVR to the little tunnel. I forgot my water so instead of going all the way I headed down to the Naramata Road As I swooped down the hill I was reveling in the still, quiet summer morning and was feeling relaxed and calm. Making the turn onto the main road I was immediately engulfed in a swarm of riders, all rocketing along with their fancy bikes and sleek bodies looking cool in bright colored spandex. I was in a 5-year-old grey t-shirt, an old ripped pair of bike shorts and riding my 11-year-old ultra heavy mountain bike. Obviously I didn’t fit. Turns out, I was riding along with the competitors in the Penticton Peach City Triathlon, an annual bike, swim and marathon race.

 

As I rode along with my pedal clanking rhythmically, all of a sudden I would hear what I thought was a car and out of the blue a rider would rocket by and quickly fade out of sight.  It was especially embarrassing going up hill.   I was in the easiest gear with my feet going furiously; not gaining much ground unfortunately and  I was being passed (again and again) and the riders would effortlessly glide on by leaving me in the dust.

Spectators dotted along the road would applaud and shout out encouragement as we all went by.. .  even me..  Luckily my street came up and I was happily exited and glad I didn’t have to run a half marathon after all that bike riding.  Good grief!

The best thing though is that I saw Naramata local Megan Solley riding along.  She actually looked happy and was smiling away as she cruised on by.  Who said marathons aren’t fun?  Her times were:  Swim 42:28,  Bike 1:44:44 and Run 1:05:22  Congrats Megan!

 



Megan Solley



 

Thanks again to Travelin' Pat for sharing this unique experience with us.

 

 

 

 VETERANS' TRIBUTE AT SELBY PARK - West Bench - Penticton - July 15, 2013

Saturday June 15th dawned sunny and warm, a perfect day for the West Bench inauguration of the Veterans' Memorial at Selby Park.

Sue Gibbons, daughter of navy veteran Bob Jenkins, must have been so proud to see the fruits of her labor finally realized, after conceiving the idea back in 2009 to honour her Dad and the other Second World War vets who made the West Bench settlement their home.

Sue Gibbons with veteran Les Roberts

The design, created by local architects Chris Allen and Cal Meiklejohn,  includes a walking path that winds its way through the charming park and leads you past a large metal table which depicts a plan of all the original lots.  Back when the subdivision was created there was a lottery system and it really was the luck of the draw if you ended up fortunate enough to own one.  Further along the path is a plaque with all the original owners names and lot numbers. 

Veterans Jack Harlock and Les Roberts admire metal table

 

Les Roberts points to his name on the plaque

The metal sculpture as you begin the walkway, depicts a soldier back from war, holding hands with his family, as he makes the transition to a new life of peace and hope.  Sue Gibbons quoted her father as saying "The Okanagan is God's country, but the West Bench is heaven"  Today, the West Bench is still an amazing place to raise a family, as MC Steve Devito confirmed. Naturally there is a children’s playground that was well used during this event.

 

 

There are not many of these brave Canadian Vets around these days and it was touching to see my Dad, along with 11 other Vets, being piped up the walkway, still standing proud and surrounded by families, friends and neighbors. We were all gathered together with a common purpose, to pay tribute to our soldiers and leave a legacy for the residents of the West Bench that will last for years to come.

Veterans on left - Geordie Young, pipe major with Okanagan Caledonia Pipe Band

After the ceremony, which included speakers from the various levels of government, there was a highland dance presentation by Meredith and Ivy Allen and then sandwiches, fruits and sweets were served… a nice touch.  This social became a bit of a mini reunion, as old friends and neighbors swapped stories and caught up on each other’s lives.

Pat Anderson shakes hands with Shirley Moore, long time neighbor

 

Julie Roberts, Donna Roberts, Pat Anderson, Les Roberts, Shirley Moore

 

 

Les Roberts with fellow veteran and friend Ed Cormier

 

 

 

It was a memorable occasion,  thanks to the hard work of many volunteers and I felt privileged to be a part of this very special day.  Kudos to Sue Gibbons for all her efforts over the past 4 years to make her dream a reality.  Dignitaries at the event included MP Dan Albas who represented Steven Blaney, minister of veteran's affairs, Dick Knorr, Michael Brydon (rural area director for the West Bench) and Ed Findlater.

 

Highland dancers Meredith and Ivy Allen

 

Congratulations to the original West Bench Veterans, listed below, who attended the ceremony. 

Robert N. Bailey, Edmond Joseph Cormier, Leona C. Gladish, Roy Hamilton, John Stephen Harlock, Douglas Robert Leake, Lyle Thomas Oliver, Leslie Thomas Roberts, Ronald William Rutherglen, Harry Taylor, Kathleen Agnes Thom, John Allen Ward.

Not able to attend the ceremony were Gordon Nelson Parker and James Raymond Stewart.

This article was written by Pat Anderson, daughter of veteran Les Roberts, in collaboration with Julie Roberts, wife of veteran Les Roberts.

Naramata Lake Day Trip

The following blog is compliments of our guest writer Travelin' Pat

I had a brainstorm the other day. Hike to Naramata Lake with a couple of friends. Rightio. Logistics’ … borrow truck, pack lunch, take lots of water, co-ordinate times with friends, bring dog for bear bait and get going.

Our route… drive out along the road to Naramata, turn right up Smethurst Road, cross over the cattle guard at the Kettle Valley Railway then bounce up the excruciatingly rough road to the Adra Tunnel. There is not much signage but I remember it from before.

Work on the KVR railway started in 1910 and construction took six years. It spanned the way from Midway to Hope and in it’s hey day was a thriving service both for passenger travel and transport of goods. Long since abandoned it is now a wonderful venue for biking and hiking, partly because of its forgiving 2.2 degree grade but mostly for chance to be in the wilderness without having to go too far. The KVR zig zags between Penticton and Chute Lake and the Adra tunnel curves through the
mountain at a cut back changing the direction from South to North. (Or North to south depending)


Entrance to tunnel on 1st level of tracks

The tunnel is blocked off at both ends because it has over the years become rather dangerous. (Rocks falling from the ceiling, possible cave ins… that sort of thing) I just found out that my kids used to go inside it just for fun…. Oh the things a parent never knows until years later! So we skirted by it on a nicely marked trail and then started walking north for approximately 2 miles. We avoided slithering things and turned east to trundle up the Elinor Lake Service Road. It is hilly and rough but once you get up to the Summit it is a lovely forest road far from the Maddening Crowd. We didn’t see a soul up there. It took us about 4 hours round trip and is eminently do-able if you have a reasonable level of fitness. What’s reasonable? I know, I know…

 

Just inside the tunnel before the barricade on the second level of tracks

View from little tunnel on 1st level of tracks

 

Naramata Lake

 

Rest stop on 3rd level of tracks

Thankyou Travelin' Pat for sharing your adventure with us.  It seems like it would be worthwhile going just for that spectacular view, not to mention the great workout!!!!