The Evanishen 2007
Newsletter
Box 234, Summerland, BC, Canada, V0H 1Z0, Phone 250-494-3205
Email: danny@ethnic.bc.ca
Web Site: http://www.ethnic.bc.ca
Composed by Danny and Jean Evanishen in March 2008 and posted soon after.
2007 Another Good Year
2007 Another Good Year We had a good year these past twelve months. Christmas of 2006 was spent quietly at home. Nice to relax at home for a change! Then we had Ukrainian Christmas with Jean's cousins in Peachland, BC, just up the road.
Christmas 2007 was spent in Calgary with Danny's sister Johanne, with a side trip to Edmonton for a great wedding and a play, the Christmas Carol. Lots of fun.
Good Sports
Good Sports Same as last year:
February saw us with our friends, Shayne and Gail, schussing around the cross-country track at Whistler.
Other sporting events include the weekly badminton outing on Wednesdays, with a debriefing at the local Legion afterward. We may never get to be much good at it, but it sure is fun!
Jean is still bowling in a Summerland league, and having fun at that.
We also walk as much as we can, sometimes to go downtown or sometimes just to walk. Summerland is a good place to walk, as there are not too many cars around, and everyone is friendly.
Fishing
Fishing The annual fishing derby continued with Jean still holding the lead. The score is now something like 20 to 7. Danny is catching up slowly.
Trips
Trips Trips included a weekend in Whistler in February, and a trip through the back roads via Port Renfrew to Lake Cowichan and other spots on Vancouver Island, then a ferry ride and a tour of the Sunshine Coast. It was our first time in that area, and we will be back!
Our camper van gave us great service to our favourite fishing holes in the vicinity of Summerland. We do enjoy camping and fishing.
We went to Saskatoon in June for Suzanne Hamm's wedding. That was fun. Along the way we got to see a bunch of places we hadn't seen before, and visited a lot of friends.
In August we spent a few days at Shuswap Lake. That's a nice place, too.
In October Danny drove to the Prairies to get rid of a lot of books. Some were donated to the Ukrainian library at the Orthodox church in Calgary, and others were sold in Regina and Saskatoon. Jean stayed home, because she remembered how cold it was the last time I did something so foolish as to hit the Prairies after September. It wasn't quite as cold as last year, though. That was good.
The Christmas 2007 trip through the Rocky Mountains was spectacular. It was a perfectly clear day, and the mountains were in their glory.
Garden
Garden Our garden expanded, with Jean doing most of the work. The veggies that came out were a real treat. We don't buy tomatoes any more, because our home-grown ones are so much better. We simply wait for our own to grow the next year. And the food is so good that we're expanding the garden again. That also means there's not so much lawn to mow, and I do like that.
Jean is also xeriscaping the front yard. That will mean no lawn and very little maintenance, as the plants will be indigenous. We will like that when it's over.
Pottery Studio
Pottery Studio Jean continues to enjoy being creative in her studio. She even taught some classes to interested people. Her goddesses continue to inspire.
Festivals
Festivals We travelled to two festivals this past year. We were at the BC Ukrainian Cultural Festival, a big dance competition in Mission, BC in May. Then we were at a festival in Vernon, BC later in May, as well.
In June Danny told some stories at the World Storytelling Festival in Vancouver. That was fun.
Jobs
Jobs Danny worked in the wine shop at Thornhaven Estates Winery in Summerland from May to October, and still does part-time on-call work for the call center in Penticton. Both jobs are a lot of fun. Plus, they actually pay money for work done!
Jean is happily retired, and she spends as much time as possible in her pottery studio. She also works a few days a week at Thornhaven, mostly because it's fun.
Thornhaven makes some really good wines. For example, our Gewurztraminer was chosen the best in Canada for the second year in a row. That's exciting.
In August the Lieutenant Governor of BC came with a busload of dignitaries for a party. She gave us her special Medal of Honor, especially for our Gewurztraminer. That is some good wine!
New Book
New Book No new books this year.
For details on all our books, check out the Ethnic Web Site.
Danny edited a couple of books for local people, and one for a writer from Germany. The Internet sure does open up the world!
If you want help telling your story, contact Danny for information on his services. Tell Your Story!
Visitors
Visitors Over the summer, we had several visitors whose presence we enjoyed. It's nice to have a house with a spare bedroom! Each visit was a special occasion and we're left with many warm memories of love and laughter. From farthest away came Donny, Lynda and Robin from New Zealand. Now we want to go visit them!
Good Wishes
Good Wishes