Mom-and-dad heroes

On a recent escape to Big White our family realized just how lucky we are.

No, it wasn’t because we had a powder day as my good buddy, Michael J., likes to shout out on the radio, and it wasn’t even due to a great time at the Bullwheel or Blarney Stone after a day of runs.

It was a photo we took, a photo of my parents, Pat and Jim, ages 76 and 74 sitting in the goofy oversized wooden chair in the village. You know that chair, right? Who hasn’t taken that photo.

It wasn’t about the photo, but about what that photo represented, it triggered a flood of memories, memories of coming home for lunch from school, of shooting hoops well after dark, of long summer road trips, singing to ABBA tapes.

A mom and dad are never really known as heroes, and they rarely get any recognition for the tireless work they do to raise, encourage and keep a family together in these busy and connected days of 2018.

But here is a serious shout out to moms, dads and families everywhere.

Take a moment, take a photo and remember.

Good old days

I heard a hip new song the other day, it was  Macklemore featuring Kesha, Good Ol Days, the song went like this:

• I wish somebody would have told me, babe. Some day, these will be the good old days.

All the love you won't forget. And all these reckless nights you won't regret. Some day soon, your whole life's gonna change. You'll miss the magic of these good old days.

The song got me thinking about some folks doing a great job here in the Valley.

A hero’s shout goes out to a group doing their best to preserve some of our gorgeous homes and heritage buildings,  from the famous Abbott Street, to some of our downtown treasures, churches and even those rural or farm buildings that help define the early years here in the Okanagan.

The Central Okanagan Heritage Society, Lori Dauncey and her team of volunteers and homeowners that care passionately about heritage buildings are heroes in my book, and as much as I love technology and planning for the future, I can’t help but remember the good ol' days.

Innovative Arts

Many of us know about the shiny new building on the corner of Ellis and Doyle downtown Kelowna, but did you know the amazing work of the dozens of technology companies housed inside the walls?

How about the amazing connectivity of Raghwa Gopal and his team at Accelerate Okanagan that continues to help put the Okanagan on the national and international map? Well, I bet you didn’t know that the Okanagan Innovation Centre has a very cool arts program called Arts in the Atrium.

The inspiring space is now being used to display the work of local artists, musicians and artistic performances to inspire staff and those that wander in over lunch time to just enjoy the creativity and inspiration that an Innovation Centre stands for.

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This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.