4 funerals and an eclipse
Today’s seniors share many life experiences. Ours was a generation that graduated from school, married and set about establishing work, careers, professions and families.
In summer, children were handed a bucket and headed for the water. Parents picnicked and watched young swimmers from a sandy beach.
Today’s families store a garage full of inflatable toys and a dock cluttered with boats, boards and accessories that cost a fortune.
When I canoe past the lakeshore, I am astounded by the enormous homes, plastic palm trees, fortress-like walls and man-made rock formations. Beach access is chained and invisible.
In our middle years, seniors camped or travelled across the country with the family to explore the Maritimes.
A fortunate few acquired a swimming pool, cottage or lake place and established summer traditions like fireworks and hamburgers on the barbecue.
Now, we are the elders and live our summers on standby hoping our families and friends will think to include a visit and spend time with us.
Mike and I change sheets, spruce up the garden, finish that project (like new vinyl for the deck and shop up a storm.
We fill the shelves with preparations for our traditional waffles and fresh fruit with everything. There is always lots of iced tea in the fridge.
And seniors share the sadness of increasing loss and what is in fact the death of irreplaceable things and, more importantly, people.
No senior can accept the number of funerals that confront us almost daily, if not weekly.
We are amazed at the sheer number of funerals on our calendars. I console myself with a reminder that what remains is greater still, but so many funerals this summer, two on one Saturday recently, really brought me to my knees.
Old folks know to be grateful, and that the end of a long life is cause for celebration, but this summer in particular gives new meaning to that lovely phrase from Shakespeare that life, like “summer’s lease is all too short a date.”
Here is the up side: My Minnesota cousin was here following the eclipse and I found that one pair of red sandals and the perfect lightweight sweater. Proving once again that old age is certainly not gold, but not lead either.
Our eclipse guests packed camera equipment too heavy for me to lift. The special Nikon D750 is full frame and specific to astrophotography. We learned about 200-500 millimetre film and lenses, tripods and special solar filters.
The totality images of the eclipse taken in the fog on the Oregon coast were colourful beyond belief.
From Kathy Sidles and Paul Gede, we learned a lot about the community of stargazers and I am now inspired to spend more time looking up.
Jane Shaak, from the Shatford Centre in Penticton, was here to learn more about our Seniors Learning in Retirement program in hopes of establishing a similar one in the South Okanagan.
The Shatford Centre for Arts and Culture is truly where creativity flowers.
My daughter from Vancouver came with her family and we boated around Ogopogo’s island in search of the lake monster.
Her daughters water-skied and I served up lots of watermelon dressed in ripe olives and feta cheese. My peach cobblers were a hit.
After Labour Day, my grown-up granddaughter will be here and we will do it all again. Water sports, chicken salad on the boat and lots of Quails’ Gate 2011 Old Vines Foch.
The summer of 2017 will be remembered for floods, fires and the best times ever.
Jeanette Dunagan is an Okanagan artist who has lived in Kelowna for more than 40 years. Her column appears every second week in the Okanagan Saturday. Email her at jd2399@telus.net.