Sunday, November 4, 2007

My first trip to BC




In typical "Judi" fashion, I impulsively booked a trip to BC to visit my friend, Zoe this summer past. It was a wonderful reunion of teenaged friends and I fell in love with the BC interior - I mean, who wouldn't! It's so hot, the winters are much shorter the walking is more challenging - gawd, I'd have "great glutes" if I hiked those hills all the time! Zoe is one of life's "good guys" - positive, enthusiastic, loving. She's a personal care worker - extraordinaire no doubt. She just enriches the lives of anyone she meets both personally and professionally! I couldn't be that engaged and interactive with life and people if I tried! I'm more of a "hit and run" kind of person - examine, analyze, engage, interact, step back, reflect, analyze, interpret...you get the picture.


Now I've always been an active person but my good friend nearly wore me out in her zeal to show me a good time and be the consumate tour guide! And was she ever - drives, walks, tours, shopping, dinners, parties, BBQs, talks, talks and more talks. We even tracked down a few "blasts from the past" and chatted by phone about the good old fun days. I introduced Zoe to the "classic" martini and she wowed me by handling 4 (or was it 5) the very first time while I ended up crashing with the party in full swing!


Not being a seasoned traveller, I had worked myself into a worried frenzy at the prospect of flying again. Two hours or so of measured breathing and semi-yoga trance calmed me down sufficiently to make it through the remainder of the flight. Calm set in at last as we approached Calgary. After that, I took immense pleasure in beholding our country unfold below, confirming all of the geography lessons learned in grade school only to later find that we had largely flewn over the northern United States. Then awe, excitement and soul-moving elation swept over me as I flew over the Rockies for the first time. Snow-capped in July! - stately, majestic, emphatic and timeless - reaching almost it seemed to within my touch - what an achingly beautiful world of wonders!
Of course, with Zoe and her partner, Vic there to greet me at Kelowna airport I was instantly relieved of all luggage - both literally and figuratively. As we savoured the prolonged embrace of "chosen" family my cares and worries of the flight and any stresses of work, family or exes evaporated.