BY HILDA J. BORN
Bill & Jake Born enjoying some competition fun.
A TRIPLE REUNION
In
the September/October 2009 RV TIMES, (RVT 131 pg. 38) I wrote of our search for the right
four-generation camping spot. A helpful packet of information from the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce in Oliver BC soon arrived. We studied it and phoned Lakeside Resort in October. “Too soon,” the receptionist at Lakeside
Resort in Oliver BC said. “Try again in January.” In January it was: “March would be
better.” I kept on trying and by Easter it was
confirmed. “We have room for all of you: three
motels, four cabanas, tenting spaces and an RV spot.” Te RV spot we reserved for a night
before and aſter the Labour Day weekend. Tis is what newly 80 yr-olds need. A day before the family comes and time to rest up aſterwards. And it was worth it. Even though three young fathers
had vital jobs and couldn’t come, their courageous spouses with seven youngsters under eight, showed up. All were eager to splash in the lake and dig in the sand. Saturday was perfect for this. Grandson Kenton and his wife Karabo
arrived in time, from South Africa, for his 27th
birthday picnic celebration. Horseshoe
toss and canoeing on Tuc-el-Nuit Lake perfectly suited the young people. Two days with glorious sunsets were
followed by chilling gusts that swept autumn leaves into the open cabanas. Huddled in throws and quilts, we snuggled close as the family’s history came to life via power-point pictures. Each of the five siblings life’s journey and their ancestors, flashed on the screen we’d brought in our Wilderness fiſth wheel. Sunday morning was “tell about
yourself ” time. Tere was solemn spiritual insight, laughter and tears. Annie suggested to me, “Why don’t you get your four sons to sing together?” Tey complied and their father took out his guitar and taught the group Biran
14 RVT 140 • MARCH/APRIL 2011
Happy campers relaxing in the sun.
Doerksen’s song, “To the River I am Going”. Even the two-year olds were fascinated watching everyone. Just before the family went out for Sunday Chinese lunch, a local couple strolled in.
Tey invited Jane and me to visit them later in the day. Te brunch at the Asia Café was ideal for big and little appetites. I could even show the
children some of Saturday’s fun pictures developed at Oliver’s OK Photo Lab. Aſter much hugging they all leſt amid the raindrops that spattered on the sidewalk. At four o’clock, Jack and I went for “faspa” or high tea at Len and Gert Toew’s home.
Gert served home-grown tomatoes, freshly baked rolls, and two-plum claforte. Tey are building a new home overlooking Tuc-el-Nuit Lake and want us to come back to see it when it is finished. Monday we moved over to pet-friendly Centennial RV Park. Here we joined Jake’s
siblings, spouses, and Bosco their dog. It was a poignant time because his sister had recently recovered from strokes and his brother was between chemo treatments for leukemia. However, this did not stop Bill from winning at bouche ball and beanbag toss tournament. During showers, Tilly beat Jake at scrabble and she appreciated her older brother’s
help with deciphering old family letters. Tey were written in Gothic script, which Jake is well schooled in. Tis was also the time for “oohs” and “ahs” at the ritual birthday giſt exchange. Te third family togetherness was at my sister’s place in Cawston-Keremeos. Our
brother-in-law, with a super green thumb, retired in June and already has a prize garden. Aſter a delicious chicken dinner, he stowed a box and bag of produce into our trailer. Together we picked plums before we wandered off to park beside the fast-flowing Similkameen River near Princeton. Te pine scent and jay calls made us welcome before we’d even leveled the 5th
wheel. A brisk breeze helped to dry our damp rug and tarp that
Jake used for weather protection the previous evening. Crisp fish and fries at Shirlee’s in Princeton gave us a break in our shop and stroll
around town. Te only disappointment on the whole trip was the locked museum, which was marked “open”. At the Hope Slide, we stopped to pay tribute to the four lives lost in 1965. Among them
was Tommy Starchuk, a fellow trucker. On our return aſter 10 days, the maples at the roadside were vermillion and the dwarf
sumacs waved bronze and gold leaves. What a memorable journey the Number 3 Crow Route gave us! 6
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