Month: September 2018

Summer of 2018

It’s been a very fun Summer, but unfortunately I have to believe that it’s coming to a close as the days are getting shorter and cooler, the color of the leaves on the trees is turning and we’re in the midst of Octoberfest here in Fremont.  I figured the best way to mark the occasion is to gather a number of my favorite photos that represent some of the scenes and experiences I’ve witnessed this season.

I found out that Aussie utes can be imported and now I have one on the way

I love being out on Lake Union – paddling on the SUP, in a Kayak or boating.  We always see wonderful sights.

Someone with a good sense of humor had set this scene on the Lake.
This bloke was handing our free Rainier beer from his very special duck boat – score!
Then there was this tourist pirate boat acting out a mutiny with one of their crew members.
A small steam-powered wooden boat in front of the “Sleepless in Seattle” floating home.
There is always a lot of wildlife on the lake – here is a gaggle of geese.

We try to have some adventures over the season.

We caught a few shows including Sheryl Crow at Chateau Ste Michelle – both are favorites.

 

We also enjoyed our trip to the Okanagan wine country in Canada.

We finished the summer with the Fremont Oktoberfest and now look forward to some exciting events during the rest of the year – Grant and Luke’s wedding, moving downtown and a vacation in Hawaii.

The crowds were large but fortunately there were a number of beer tents serving beers from multiple breweries.
Mischief distillery owned by our neighbors and friends, Mike and Patti, was hopping with their new event center.

Super Relaxing Time in Okanagan, BC

Alice and I decided to get away for the Labor Day weekend and turn it into a 5-day mini vacation.  We flew into Kelowna, British Columbia and stayed at Sparkling Hills Wellness Resort.  This was a fabulously relaxing place with a great outlook over Okanagan Lake and full of amenities including indoor and outdoor pools and spa, saunas (rose, steam, salt, freezing room and more), a foot pool / walking trail with alternating hot and cold water sections, restaurant, wine bar, fitness room, serenity room and tea room.

Sparkling Hill Resort 
View from our hotel room

We also managed to get out and do some wine tasting – we had great recommendations from an Aussie waitress (there are a lot of young Australians who work in the area).  We visited wineries in Lake Country, West Kelowna, Naramatta and Penticton.  These included Quails Gate, Mission Hill, Indigenous, Tantalus, La Frenz and Ex Nihilo.  The scenery from many of these was simply spectacular with great views over the lake.

Mission Hill Winery

We had tremendous food for every meal including at the bistros operated within a number of the wineries.  It seems the food scene is very well developed in the Okanagan area.

 

Alice was very excited when she heard about Ogopogo – basically it seems the Okanagan equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster and of course we had to get a souvenir.

It was more than a little hard to go back to the realties of work life!