The Terrace
Photo by Jeff

The Mission Hill Family Esate is another great winery in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. In addition to the wine shop and cellar tours, dinner is enjoyed outdoors on the terrace. On warm summer evenings, this is a nice treat, especially with the view overlooking the vineyards toward Lake Okanagan.





Lake Okanagan from Mission Hill
Photo by jeff

Looking left from the table where we sat, this was the view.





The Archway
Photo by Jeff

The archway leads from the parking roundabout into the garden square, where the terrace, wine shop and wine tour buidlings live.





The Outdoor Dining Terrace at Mission Hill
Photo by Jeff
A look at the restaurant from the Archway.





The Ampitheatre (view included)
Photo by Jeff

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra played here last week. I think I might ask to live here.





Outdoor Hallway
Photo by Jeff

More places to wander and view the rest of the estate from atop the hill. If you get the chance, go visit this place!

Burrowing Owl Winery
Photo by Jeff

Up to the Okanagan in British Columbia, there are amazing vineyards and wineries. We took a visit to the Burrowing Owl vineyard, and looked around. The Wine Shop at Burrowing Owl is the same building where they are adding apartments to stay in. Kind of a bed and breakfast, except that you might be inclined to help out working the grapes!





Inside the Tower
Photo by Jeff

Opposite the Wine Shop are the restaurant, tower and winemaking facilities. Inside the tower is a staircase that leads you up to amazing views of the valley and the rest of the property. The staircase includes a self-guided tour of the the various aspects of winemaking, including windows into the different stages of the operation itself.





Valley View
Photo by Jeff

You may notice in the above picture a slight hue to the sky. In fact, smoke from the recent forest fires in Washington state drifted northward across the border into the Okanagan, causing the sky to become dark at times, with falling ash that coated anything left standing outside, even for just 5 minutes! Heavy falling ash, of course, led to the following observation:





BUGS!
Photo by Jeff

Ah, yes, my favourite. Bugs. June bugs. Is this one as big as the last one I saw in Las Vegas?!

Leg 3 of the last city stop: Winnipeg, MB.

The heat in this town is sweltering, dry and dusty. The dirt carried by the hot wind is the only hint of the blistering thunderstorms to come. Day 2 here, and flash floods are quickly becoming a reality. And I didn't even bring a jacket on this tour, because, hey, it's summer and it's supposed to be hot, right?! The rain that falls in Ontario and the Prairies is not normal. At least when compared to the Left Coast. It downpours like marbles falling out of the great gumball machine in the sky!

Jeff Booth

YYZ
Photos by Jeff


Whirlywind tour through YYZ again. Leg 2 of 3.

Toward the Saint Lawrence
Photo by Jeff

View from the top of the hotel South toward the Saint Lawrence river.





View at Your Own Risk
Photo by Jeff

37 floors?



Jennifer Batton, Montreal Jazz Festival
Photo by Chaffik

Here's the follow up to the Jennifer Batton story from July 8th. I met her at the Montreal Jazz Festival, where she was participating in guitar clinics. Jennifer travels the world doing clinics for Digitech, maker of some of her guitar gadgets.

View From a Downtown Montreal Hotel Room
Photo by Jeff

Back in Montreal. It's the Montreal Jazz Festival time again. Here's a view from my hotel window. And here are some more from around the corner!



Montreal, Night and Day
Photos by Jeff

Met up with Jennifer Batton today at the Jazz Festival! She's played a little guitar with a couple of fellas you may have heard of... Jeff Beck... Michael Jackson.

More to follow!