What to do in “Lavender Country” in winter? Smell the lavender! Tomita Farms is spectacular at the height of summer lavender season with seas of the purple flowers swaying with the wind. In the thick of winter with the barren treescape when snow covers the fields outside and the meandering mountain slopes beyond… …there remains…
Category: Home/ Garden/ Interiors/ Decorating
VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver
VanDusen Garden is a sight to behold! Named after Canadian lumberman and philanropist, Whitford Julian VanDusen, it is one of five parks in the posh Shaughnessy neighbourhood, occupying a parcel of the old Shaughnessy Golf Course. The man who designed the garden, R. Roy Forster, was given the second highest honor for merit, the Order…
Coal Harbor Morning Hike
“Nice bike!” a man on a bike hollered as he rode past! I was the only human within earshot so I soon realised that I had been hiking on the bike lane at Coal Harbor! Whether a straightforward “Out of my way” or a sarcastic “nice bike” was better, I learned to be mindful of…
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver
Queen Elizabeth Park is one of the top go-to places for Autumn leaf-peaking in Vancouver. It used to be a forest with salmon-spawning creeks, making it a favorite hunting ground for bears, wolves, and elk. In 1870 when Europeans settled here, they got rid of the wild animals, cleared the forest, and built pathways on the…
On Gardens and Good Friday
Gardens are one of the most refreshing places to visit with God’s unrivaled living art and science in the form of flowers in nature…specially during Hanami (Cherry Blossom) season! From one spot alone at Ueno Park on a timely Hanami Season visit:In capturing the scene of this grand symphony of beauty, there is only one…
Casa Pam, Tali Beach, Batangas
As early as two months prior, Eric and Pam decided to host a weekend reunion for our high school batch at their beach house as batchmates were coming in from abroad. To make it to breakfast on D-Day, Olive, Vicki, and I left Manila at 5am. Here’s a sweet reminder for us from a bus…
Kota Paradiso: Get a Slice of Paradise
Kota Paradiso in Mabitac, Laguna is a hidden jewel of a destination for nature and farm lovers. On the way here, you will catch glimpses of heaven with azure skies, lush tropical mountains, and the largest lake in the Philippines—Laguna de Bay. Energy mills pepper the route…… so do these mango trees which look like they’re…
The Best Things In Life Are Free
Victoria and Vancouver are such beautiful cities. A mere stroll across four days within a very small radius provides a feast for the eyes and senses. This is a sampling of the landscape, architecture, sights, and vibe. Apart from God’s beautiful creation, it cost someone to pay for the buildings, plants, labor. But it’s free…
Butchart Gardens, Victoria
I didn’t get to see Arashiyama on my last trip to Osaka but my marshmallow test reward gave me something I like even better! Victoria, the capital of the Canadian province, British Columbia! Thank You, Lord for the blessing that comes with obedience to You! It started with a 35-minute seaplane ride from Vancouver Harbor,…
How to Be A Happy Travel Companion
Many years ago, I bought this book called 1,000 Places to See Before You Die A Traveler’s Life List. I planned to cherry pick places to put on my bucket list as “worth seeing” so that I could say that I’ve lived. Given a choice, because of my excitement to learn, I prefer to travel to…
BUTTERFLY IN THE SPRING 