Room for More

Walking along the Mission Creek greenway with my partner for the first time in a long time, I found myself remembering earlier walks. The places where my daughter threw rocks into the creek when she was around two, where she would climb over the concrete walls to be adventurous, or where I walked along the rocks in the creek bed to get the perfect shot with my phone or camera. The viewing platform along the creek is gone, a new bridge has been built at KLO Road, and modifications have been made for spring flood control. Most of the trees are still there. Despite the changes, the creek feels familiar.

I enjoyed sharing those memories with her while we walked along the trail and watching her be amazed by the golden leaves in the sunlight. The light off the slow-running creek waters, combined with the blue skies, makes this a special place for me. It's late October, my favourite time of the year along the trail, and in the Okanagan. Leaves change colour and fall off, the kokanee salmon run up the creeks to spawn and die, and the fruit trees bear their last fruit and then rest for the winter.

Another sunny fall day walking the grounds of Mission Hill winery. Another spot I haven't been to in a long time, likely years, and usually not in the fall. Driving through the entranceway, we are greeted with deer eating grass and whatever else they are finding on the driveway. A magnificent sight with the trees lit up in yellow and green on either side. Mission Hill is relatively new. It feels like it has been here for a hundred years, out of place high up on Mount Boucherie, and yet it belongs here in the valley.

Throughout the grounds, figures appear in places you would least expect them to. Sculptures in various metals and materials are placed carefully around to invite further exploration. They are a newer addition, created and installed by Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir in 2014. I remembered when they were first installed, walking around with my parents. How strange, alien-like they looked. And yet they fit in perfectly. Initially an exhibition, they ended up finding a permanent home at the winery. I am glad they did. My partner was drawn to these curiosities lazing around on the property, sitting by the fountain or sitting amongst the vineyards. The obligatory photos were taken of her standing beside the one by the fountain. Leaving the property, we took final pictures of the deer on the side, then took in the bright fall colours of the hillside vineyard.

At the end of October, we found ourselves up in the hills surrounding Vernon at Davison Orchards. It was a place I had heard about but hadn't visited before, despite it having been in the same place for almost a hundred years¹. I was pleasantly surprised at how magical this place was. It was busy with people milling around, buying carts full of pumpkins and gourds, walking around with hot coffee or cider, and others with ice cream even though the temperature was hovering around 10°C.

Music filled the air as we walked behind the storefronts to explore the backyard area. An animatronic music band was jamming out while we walked up the hill to reach the small barn. We were greeted by sheep, goats, and a bunch of little kids - the goat variety. There was even a barn cat lurking around the shadows. Off to the side, a larger goat stood on the railings bellowing out a call across the yard. That triggered the donkeys to start yelling back. It was feeding time for the animals, and our cue to head home.

I stood at the top of the hill by the barn looking down at the yard, the families still milling around the playground, and out across the valley before we headed home. I took it all in. Sunshine hitting the hillsides, starting to set, adding a glow to the surrounding area to sprinkle a little more magic this fall. Davison Orchards was a new experience for both of us. As we made our way down the hill, we looked at the old treehouse and could picture a future child running around the structure. We both knew we would return.

In the back of my mind, I also thought about the pumpkin pie, the dill scones, and the huge bag of Honeycrisp apples we were bringing home. It seemed rude to leave empty-handed.

1. The Country Village portion of the farm that's open to the public opened in 1985, but the farm itself was established in 1933. Five generations of the Davison family have farmed and operated it since then, which is really impressive.↩︎