Christmas Morning and Christmas Lights

The weeks before Christmas were very busy but we made a concerted effort not get caught up in all the Christmas shopping that was going on. I forgot how much Canadians get into the whole "present-buying mode" during December. I tried to avoid the mall as much as possible but when I had to go it was a madhouse! For the first time the parking lot was absolutely jam-packed and I had to park in the overflow parking lot. Tempers sometimes flared as drivers fought for scarce parking space which I thought was really funny (I am still getting used to the Canadian driving culture which I'll talk about later). I was amazed at what parents were buying their children for Christmas: video games, Transformer figures, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, digital cameras...the list is endless and the prices were not cheap. I could not wrap my mind around how much Canadians were spending in the shopping malls. According to Scotiabank and Statistics Canada, believe it or not, each Canadian spent an average of $907 on Christmas gifts in 2007 with Albertans leading the way at $1,113. I am probably the least materialistic person I know so it was easier for me to distance myself from the onslaught of the toy manufactures and advertisers. We only bought the kids a few toys each and kept it under $100 for both of them. They didn't get everything they wanted which taught them a good lesson - in life, you can't always get what you want (even if a magical Santa seems to be able to give you anything you desire!). It was very funny to see all the advertisements for re-financing loans and borrowing money at low interest rates the day after Christmas too!

When I was last in Canada people were lamenting the end of the religious celebration of Christmas and the materialism of the holiday season. I was very surprised to discover that while the religious spirit of Christmas is still on the sidelines, for the most part Christmas in Canada has become a time of being with your family and getting close to your friends. It was a very pleasant surprise for me. It is so interesting how the celebration of the birth of Christ and Christianity has been replaced with something else very Christian indeed - the importance of family and friends and kindness toward your fellow human beings. In Penticton, people emphasized the closeness of family, the special place of friends in life, and being aware of those less fortunate. There were countless charity drives during the holiday season and there was a real push to send food and clothing to the poorer families in the Okanagan. It was also so nice seeing strangers greet each other with "Happy Christmas" or "Have a good Christmas" or "Best Wishes" or just a smile and a "Hello." The spirit of Christmas has not died, it has just evolved into something less religious but still very moralistic.

The kids were up at the crack of dawn opening their presents as usual. Angela left a note for Santa Claus with some cookies and juice, and she was so pleased to see he took a few cookies missing and half the glass empty. Matthew was also pleased that Santa replied to his email which we sent a few days earlier. However, the kids were very disappointed they didn't get what they wanted for Christmas but I explained Santa was poor this year and couldn't give them everything they wished. I also told them what he did give them should be appreciated instead of complaining about what they didn't get (which, much to my surprise, they quickly understood and accepted). After the kids finished opening their presents, we got together with my niece Wallis and her fiancé Walter and did something very traditional in our family - tobogganing! We drove down to Oliver, hooked up with Wallis and Walter, and then drove along the road to Mount Baldy Ski Resort. About 3/4 of the way to the resort we pulled over and beside the road lay a tobogganing hill. It was a cold day with snow falling so we built a roaring fire beside a hut at the base of the hill. There was already a stack of firewood, paper, and matches someone had left behind in the hut but we added to the supplies with our own firewood (I think this kind of thing only happens in rural Canada!). We then spent the next couple of hours tobogganing and catching up with my niece and her fiancé. They live in Edmonton and it was fascinating hearing about their perspective on Canada and what has been happening recently - the exploding Alberta economy and its impact on people's lives, the rising crime rate in Edmonton (I lived there in the mid-1980s and it was a very quiet, safe city),  the mountain pine beetle infestation (threatening to wipe out the forest industry in BC), Saskatchewan (the next big boom economy with its still untapped oil, gas, and uranium reserves), and of course all the family gossip! After the tobogganing, we headed to a friend's house in Oliver and sat down a huge Christmas dinner feast. There were about 15 of us at the table and the food just kept coming and coming! On Boxing Day we went tobogganing again with a old friend from high school and all of his buddies. Afterwards we went to his house for a Boxing Day party and had a great time. The kids especially enjoyed the outdoor hot tub and rolling around in the snow (aahh, to be young and crazy again!).

Christmas Lights in Penticton

Tobogganing on Christmas Day

Kids in the Hot Tub Outside on Boxing Day

During the Christmas holidays we visited my cousin who has a cabin at Mt. Baldy Ski Resort (a 90 minute drive south of Penticton). The cabin was first built in 1973, and it is right beside a ski run which means you can ski right into the cabin. I've heard about the "ski to your cabin" places but I have never seen one before. From the window there is a stellar view of the mountain and the runs. Mt. Baldy is gorgeous and being a small resort (34 ski runs) there are no line-ups which means non-stop skiing and snowboarding from 9:00am to 3:30pm. The mountain has changed hands over the years but recently it was purchased by a group of American investors and they have huge plans for the place. In the future, Mt. Baldy will have 13 ski lifts servicing over 150 ski trails. A 56 kilometre long Nordic trail network will also be built in addition to a tube park, a spa, and an 18-hole golf course. It will be one of the largest resorts in the Okanagan Valley competing with nearby Apex Mountain (Penticton), Big White (Kelowna), and Silver Star (Vernon). It was great seeing my cousin again and we managed to again catch up on what has been happening in the family. She has a wonderful hot tub outside the cabin, and after a morning of tobogganing the kids and I slipped into the hot tub which was pure heaven! It was the most relaxing experience - sitting outside in a steaming hot tub surrounded by trees and tons of snow!

On our way up to the cabin for our second visit we were lucky to see a moose and her calf. Atsuko spotted the moose and her calf on the side of the road and I quickly pulled over, opened the van door, and snapped a few shots. The calf immediately scampered off but the moose (which was just huge!) turned and stared at me. I heard the stories of bull moose attacking cars if they felt threatened so there was no way I was getting out of the van! The moose certainly stood her ground as I took the pictures, and I could tell immediately she did not fear me at all - very, very intimidating...On our way back we spotted a herd of big horn sheep on the side of the road outside of Oliver (45 minutes south of Penticton). When I lived in Oliver the big horn sheep would sometimes get hit by cars but today there is a large fence on the side of the road. They come down to graze and climb in this area and they are now stopped by the fence from wandering out onto the highway. As I approached with my camera they scampered up the cliffs and stood and stared at me with curiosity. It was terrific seeing all this wildlife up close, and it still amazes me to have such a great opportunity to see all of this within driving distance of Penticton.

Mount Baldy Ski Resort

Mount Baldy Ski Resort

Moose and Her Calf

Big Horn Sheep

Atsuko and I joined the Penticton Chamber of Commerce in late December. The Chamber is incredibly active with over 700 members, and there are events going on every month. When we first signed up I asked what we should wear and how we should act. Like Japan, business cards are a must but clothing is very casual. Many of the members are in the housing industry, for example, and they show up in jeans and work shirts. What a change from Japan with nothing but suits and ties as far as the eye can see! I went to the first event of the year - a 7:00am breakfast meeting at the Sandman Inn - and about 30 people were in attendance. True to form, the clothing was casual and everyone was very, very friendly and approachable. One of the newer members later told me it was a lot like the Chamber in her hometown in Northern Ontario. The guest speaker was the local Economic Development Officer who tries to attract businesses to invest in Penticton. He talked about the 2008 economy and the effects of the current economic turmoil in the US. Penticton has already lost many manufacturing jobs and more job lay-offs will come this year. Oil exploration in Alberta is now at a standstill and the oil companies are just maintaining and servicing their current oil fields. A lot of plans for condominiums and housing complexes were presented to the city government last year but very few of these will be developed because of the lack of investment due to a looming US recession. Housing starts have slowed down considerably too, and he compared the housing market in Penticton to another housing market - Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix, there are currently 66,000 homes for sale starting at around $100,000 (in Penticton, the average house costs $410,000). It is only a 2 hour flight from Calgary to Phoenix (return flight costs $310) and the climate is fantastic with lots of cultural and recreational facilities for its citizens. He made the point that the Calgary oil money used to flood into the Okanagan to buy homes and property but with the housing meltdown people are now looking south to places like Phoenix to buy a second home or make property investments. In fact, the city of Phoenix is on a major nation-wide tour in Canada to try to attract Canadian dollars to the area. I could not believe how easily it is to invest in the US and how many Canadians have investments south of the border. When I lived here I used to hear about Canadian companies investing in the US and Canadians buying retirement homes but now it is very common for Canadians to purchase a house or property in the States. He also talked about changes in the tourism industry here. In the past, families would come to the campgrounds and stay for a couple of weeks to enjoy the sunshine, the lakes, and the fresh fruit. Today the tourist industry is focused on wine and they are trying to attract people to the local wineries. The campgrounds have given way to the hotels for accommodation, and while the campers will still come the wine enthusiasts will be big target for local businesses.

Nickel Plate Nordic Centre

Nickel Plate Nordic Centre

Nickel Plate Nordic Centre

It was a gorgeous day in mid-January so I grabbed my camera and called up a friend and we both headed to Apex Mountain Resort. Apex is only a 30 minute drive from Penticton and I was very impressed with the place. It has doubled in size since I was last there with tons of facilities for overnight accommodation, skiing, snowboarding, skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, tubing, etc. After taking pictures for an hour I joined my buddy in the Gunbarrel Saloon for lunch and après ski. Unfortunately I did not get to go skiing but I managed to take some great shots (see below). We then drove on to Nickel Plate Nordic Centre (another 10 minutes from Apex), and as I was taking pictures the person in charge approached my friend and started to chat. When we explained what we were doing (taking photos to promote cross country skiing to Japanese visitors), he promptly invited us for a free afternoon of cross country skiing. I did some cross country skiing about 22 years ago and I was dying to go again. Well, it was a cloudless, blue sky day and we spent the next couple of hours swooshing through the forest high above the Okanagan Valley. To say it was a piece of paradise is an understatement. It was so breathtakingly beautiful and so peaceful and still – pure magic! Talk about leaving all your worries behind – surrounded by all this natural beauty it was the perfect escape and I felt worlds and worlds away from everything. I cannot wait to return! As I said before, I last skied 22 years ago and my buddy had never been on cross country skis but we managed to do pretty well. I think I’ve discovered a new winter hobby!

Apex Mountain Ski Resort

Apex Mountain Ski Resort

Apex Mountain Ski Resort

More Impressions of life in the Okanagan - January 2008

• Living in the Okanagan means being tied to your vehicle. When I was in Japan I would tell people the importance of having a car but I did not realize how important it was until I moved back here. You cannot go anywhere or do anything without a vehicle. The most important thing is having a place to live and following closely on its heels is having your own means of transportation. It is not a luxury item; like the clothes on your back it is a simple necessity of life.

• In general, I like myself but there is one thing I wish I could change - I wish I was mechanically minded! When I was a kid I took a mechanical aptitude test and I think I scored around the 20th percentile and the teachers in my school all declared they had never seen such a low score in their lives. I am terrified of something going wrong with my van because I know I will not know what to do. Recently, I took my van in to get the brakes checked because I started to hear strange sounds whenever I applied the brakes. Canadian Tire advertised a $16 brake check special so I thought I would put down my $16 to get things fixed. Well, the mechanics told me the brakes were shot and everything could be back to normal...for $900!! What could I do? Fix them myself? No, of course not. So out came the credit card and I was instantly $900 poorer - as simple as that! Canadians are at the mercy of car mechanics, and unless you are mechanically minded and know how to fix cars they be prepared to spend a lot of money maintaining your vehicle..

• Vehicles used to be a big ticket item but today they are just a means to get from A to B. Nobody really cares what kind of car you drive. When I was a kid growing up in a small town, I remember people would honk whenever they saw another car which was the same model and colour. I remember people yelling out, "Hey, nice choice - same as mine!" People would also think it was cool if they parked beside another car with the same model and colour (I never understood this as a kid). When I bought my van I was so proud but none of my friends gave it a second thought. "So what, a used van, big deal." I guess it is like trying to show off your new pair of shoes. "Oh ya, that's nice..." (end of conversation).

• Speaking of cars, I never watch reality shows but a friend told me about a show called “Canada’s Worst Drivers” and it is absolutely hilarious. They install cameras inside the vehicle and sometimes film outside the vehicle and what you see is unbelievable. Sometimes, though, it is terrifying when you meet the wild ones. A case in point: a 24 year old from Hinton, Alberta who has so far totalled 4 vehicles. Mommy loves him to death so therefore he cannot be a bad boy (just listening to her logic spins the mind) and dad is totally ignorant of the law (question: “I heard your son does speed racing in town”; answer: “yeah, yeah, I heard he’s pretty good at it…”). Their son has no sense of responsibility for vehicles as Mom and Dad pay for the vehicles, half of his insurance, all of his gas, etc, etc. The son’s logic: “Yeah, well, everybody dies so when your time comes there is nothing you can do about it, right? I’ve had lots of friends and relatives die, in car accidents, whatever…what are you gonna do, it’s a fact of life.” Another guy has road rage issues and treats everything as “recommended guidelines” and not the law. He regularly slams into people who upset him, jumps out of the car in the middle of traffic to assault drivers, uses the bus lane all the time (“I love the bus lane, it’s great, only the %&#@*' bus to deal with…”). The reigning champion is a gay Chinese from Vancouver. They show him driving with his husband (who spends all his time trying to tell the guy how to drive). One problem the driver has is “target fixation" which means he drives toward a target…and then slams into it! He also suddenly stops at green lights and then throws the car into reverse to suddenly change lanes. He also gets confused when his husband tells him to turn right or turn left as he doesn’t really know the difference. He says, “well it depends which way your head is turning in the car. If my head is turned sideways looking out the driver’s window and my husband tells me to turn right, then right is forward and left is reverse.” Then there are the drivers who have trouble with bodily functions. Some people are such nervous drivers they start bawling their eyes out ("I hate this road, how do I get off!!") or worse, start upchugging in the car. Others treat their car as their bedroom and spend most of their time on their cell phone or checking out their make-up while their passenger seat friend holds the wheel, accelerates, brakes, you know, does basically all the driving. It was a very sobering experience and I am now much more attentive when I am on the road - watching all for all the crazies!

• When I lived in Japan, all I thought about was buying a house in Canada. I kept thinking to myself, "I need to buy a house...I need to get a place to live...What can I afford?...What's the housing market like?" When I returned to Canada and told a mortgage broker I was going to start a business and buy a house at the same time, she looked me straight in the eye and declared, "You're Insane." She then proceeded to put the facts on paper and I quickly realized I had no idea what I was talking about and clearly I could not afford a both a mortgage and the money necessary to start a business from scratch. After we started renting our duplex I began visiting my old and new friends at their homes. They took me around their homes and then proceeded to tell me in great detail all the work they had put in (and were still putting in) their homes. To put it simply, I was astounded. What an awakening! I had no idea, not-a-clue, how much work went into owning your own home. My friends were all very mechanically minded and they performed, in my eyes, absolute miracles with their homes - building decks, turning basements into recreation rooms, building bedrooms, renovating a garage and turning into a gorgeous cottage, expanding living rooms, and on and on it went. I kept thinking to myself as I toured their homes, "There is no way in hell I could ever dream of doing something like this!! Where would I start?? I find putting Ikea furniture together a challenge!" It dawned on me that if I ever decided to buy a home I would have to shell out serious money if I ever wanted changes done to the house. Oh yes, and all my friends also made the same comment. "When you start to renovate one room, it doesn't end there. Once you have a gorgeous new bathroom, for example, you take a look at your kitchen at it looks terrible in comparison so you think, 'We need to renovate the kitchen now.' And when you finish renovating the kitchen, the living room looks in a terrible state and you realize, 'We have to do something with the living room now. And on and on it goes, from one room to the next to the next to the next - the renovating never, ever ends." It was then I decided I no longer want a house of my own. Sure, the rents are high but unless I strike it rich and can afford a nice home (average price is $410,000 as I mentioned earlier) and can also afford to have professional trades people come in and do all the renovations and maintenance for me, then renting looks like the only realistic option. Owning your own home is a huge financial responsibility and a very, very serious investment, full stop!