20th August 2012 to Nelson

A  beautiful trip from Osoyos (9:15) to Nelson (14:15), fascinating to see how the landscape changes on the way, from the dry but watered Okanagan to the higher peaks and so straight trees that seem to reach to the skies and cover the mountains like a dyne.

The heat was a bit oppressing, I found, but dear Svend handles that as well. A stop in Greenwood for gas and the Deadwood Café for  the best coffee in the world and cinnamon buns better than the Danish ones was a huge treat. I have been off goodies for a while  and this was worth  waiting for.

On to Nelson – stopped by the Doukhobor-museum.org for a short stop. The DVD being showed was very interesting, gave me more knowledge about their life from the spiritual beliefs that they were not allowed to have in Russia, their hopes in Canada, the free land, their communal homesteads, that turned out so successfully, the hatred from their Manitoban neighbours (due to their success),  and then the government taking their rights to the land away, and forcing them to individualize their  homesteads, some doing this, others  walking away in protest to BC. Thus the breaking up of their societies. The first world war came, the federal government wanting to enroll them, teach about  the war in schools, their choice to not pay taxes and thereby support the war, their choice to not send their kids to school, to learn about the wars.  The group of them, the “Sons of Freedom that protested by demonstrating naked, burning their houses down. The medias way of stigmitazing all of them because of this one fraction. The others  believing that “purity” and “toil” is their chosen way of life. A very good learning experience for me – those DVDs are excellent ways for me to gain knowledge.

Then up to cousin Alisons house in Nelson, to pick up the key to Mike and Francynes house. An amazing coincidence of people being at the right place at the right time. Met the eldest of the daughters Sarah, and then  opened ourselves in to Mike and Francynes house, warm and welcoming even though they were not there. Off to the old Lakeside Park that brother Erik worked on as a teenager. There is now a memorial there for all the people that have lost lives in working accidents. Did he have an idea that the park would later hold a memorial area? And that he would end up working in such fields?

A very special dinner with Alison and Angus, and their two wonderful, interesting and interested daughters Emily and Sarah. Michael was off working and then getting ready for the “Burning Man” http://www.burningman.com/ in Nevada. We sat outside in a wonderful covered "camping" kitchen (the kitchen Is undergoing a restoration process by Francynes brother Claude… small world). And talked and chattered and caught up on each others’ lives, stories, parents, siblings, roots, work, jobs, kids, holidays, art, future, hopes…. and so much more. A very wonderful evening. The night  grew dark around us and we headed home to the Big Blue House on Stanley Street.  I did not even have time to take pictures. But imagine a campsite with candles, salads, barbeque, tarp, wild and tamed plants and the friendliest atmosphere and the nicest people.