A Stellar Day

 "You're having a stellar day!" exclaimed my husband on our way home. I'd been giggling over our latest two experiences of the day.

First of all, we climbed up the Peach Cliff trail in Okanagan Falls.

This is the rocky outcrop of Peach Cliff, with a 600 m rockface, as seen from our condo parking lot. When it was first suggested that we climb up to the satellite tower, it looked impossible. How can we get up that cliff, I thought. 

The All Trails app, however, revealed a more gradual ascent, on the back side.

OK, I thought. This is our last day here. We've got to do this.

After a bit of a steep climb, the path levelled out and wound through a Ponderosa pine "forest", which looked like a former Boy Scout camp, with little lean-tos made of scavenged dead wood.

A ramshackle shed nearby was full of trays of rock core mining samples, remnants of an old mine. I later found out it was the Dusty Mac Mine, which produced silver and gold from 1969-1976.

We even saw our condo from the top! I think this shot is enlarged a bit. We're very near Skaha Lake.

I was thrilled when I finally spotted the cell tower. It had taken us an hour to get to that point, and seemed easier than the trail exactly a week before. The steep sections seemed more manageable.
After documenting reaching the summit and congratulating me, Terry had a surprise idea.

"I'm going to call Bruce and Val, and we can wave at each other!"

That little dot in the purple circle is Val, standing in her driveway at the mobile home park underneath Peach Cliff. She's looking up on the cliff side, that looked so scary from below. When Bruce came out, we all waved at each other. I wonder how well Bruce saw us through his binoculars.

Terry wanted to take me out for lunch in Penticton, about 20 minutes away. I readily agreed, despite the food in our fridge that was supposed to be eaten up before we left for Alberta. It wasn't exactly 20 minutes to the restaurant, though, as we had to find it first. We drove further and further downtown, until we came to Okanagan Lake, at the other end of Penticton. The GPS was not at all helpful towards the end. 

We went around the block 3 times before we finally found The Prague Cafe. There was no sign at all, except for a small notice on the door, that you had to walk up to, to see. Just like the little "hole in the wall" shops in the Czech Republic. 

My sandwich was the most delicious Caprese sandwich on a croissant, equally yummy as the first one I'd ever had in the San Francisco Area more than five years ago. 

Michal, the owner, was born in Prague, and I shared where my parents were born. We even conversed in Czech, as he lapsed into his native language, explaining how he had made the gingerbread cake. 

It looks quite ordinary, but oh, it was tasty. I asked him where he bought his spices, knowing they came in little envelopes, specially mixed for pernik, gingerbread cake. Surprise, he just bought his spices individually--cinnamon, clove, nutmeg , ginger, and sometimes cardamom and anise. I think his secret was the long mixing, to properly blend all the spices. 

I'm going to try his method when I get home.

The other cake is a kolach ( phonetical spelling, as I don't know how to access the accents) with blueberries. It was ok, but they are best fresh out of the oven. 

I was 'over the moon' with my unexpected cultural experience,

 really glad I had forgotten the A & W coupons at home. 

It was unusual for Terry not to get upset as he kept going 'around the block', which was not at all rectangular in shape as a block should be. It was also unusual that he agreed to try a new eating experience, rather than sticking to chain restaurants. 

It was in the car on the way home as I burbled on and on about Michal and his cafe, that Terry made the comment, "You're having A Stellar Day." 

I'd say a Five Star Day!