Out to lunch

Oh my but the weather is warm.

No, - the weather is hot, almost scorching!

A time for early rising,  Five a.m. sounds about right if you have a busy day ahead of you, so that by the time the temperature on the front porch reaches 40 degrees F ( about eleven o'clock) you are ready to find a cool spot to relax and feel that you have accomplished all that can be expected of you in the August heat!!!

But not today......  As we all got older and our numbers dwindled the Anglican Church Women in our congregation (that would be the ACW) started going out for tea and scones or the occasional lunch, instead of having meetings.  It's lovely, - we get to chat and catch up on what is happening with husbands and family, and the days of planning bake sales and loonie auctions are far behind us.

Today we went to the Grist Mill for lunch.....

 As far as buildings go in the Similkameen the Grist Mill is quite ancient.

 

It was built by an Englishman, Barrington Price, to accommodate the grain growers

in the interior of British Columbia in the mid 1800's

 

A former manager at the Grist Mill, which has morphed into a lucrative Tourist Attraction,

leaned heavily on Barrington Price's reputation and the many

anecdotes that lingered in the memory of old timers and have been

passed on into the present.  Indeed, not only his anecdotes but also some of

his descendants are still in the Similkameen.

 

This is the main building, - the tea room and the fine selection of touristy things

set out to trap money to keep the endeavor going.

 

 

Small gathering and meetings and sometimes workshops are held in

what used to shelter vegetables during the winter months

 

and here is the flume and the wheel itself, still workable and grinding wheat into flour

which they plan to use for baking in the tea room.

 

There are lovely grounds which encourage special events.  This summer the new manager

has stirred up lots of local interest with a presentation of four evening concerts,

and a number of workshops and talks on local history and geology.

I am going Saturday night to hear 'Silk Road' - a concert of various kinds of music,

and am quite looking forward to it.

 

Our granddaughter, Katie, and her husband, Will were married here, just

below the tea room, with the creek running close by and wonderful

autumn colours to lend a celebratory air.

 

 

Here are the old, dear friends of the ACW who lunched and chatted and lingered

in the coolness of the tea room while the sky got bluer and the sun got hotter

 

 

stopping on the way out to snap another picture

with the new and enthusiastic manager, before a quick drive

home to a cool house

 

 

a pleasant and enjoyable day!