Hey Bear!

It rained for about, let's say, twelve hours straight today, but it was a good opportunity for me to get my hands full of fruit to process, and I'm not going to lie, that pot of potato soup on the stove smells reeeeeally good. Too bad I don't have a biscuit to go with it. Mmmm, biscuits. I'm getting the sense that during any Kaslo summer or fall month, countertops everywhere are packed with boxes of fruit. I know, I know. I already talked about boxes of fruit. That should tell you how big a part of my life this is right now!

Another little something that has become a big part of my experience here is saying (kind of shouting, but not that loud, and only right after cars go by so nobody sees), 'Hey Bear!' anytime I'm walking by myself. It feels like a bear is lurking around every corner, and I still don't know how to use bear spray (although the Langham Cultural Center does have a 'Bear Safety' session next week that I should probably take). Also, I don't own any bear spray. I know people always say bears don't want anything to do with humans and they are 'more scared of you than you are of them' or whatever. I've just got this feeling that I'm literally going to turn a corner when I'm jogging down by the lake and trip over a bear. Also, it's definitely just me constantly saying 'Hhheey bear!' It's not like a Kaslo thing or anything.

Speaking of the Langham Cultural Centre (see above), this place is definitely a hub in Kaslo. It was built in the 1890's, during the 'heyday' of mining up here (any excuse to use the word 'heyday'-what a great word!) Apparently, it's been a bar, a hotel, a bottling plant, a wooden boat factory and a bank. It was also a site for Japanese internment (now it houses a small museum about Japanese internment upstairs). Now, the Langham is a cultural centre with a theatre, two art galleries, the little museum, and several art studios. I also heard they have a really good haunted house! And loads of live music comes to the Langham.

OK, folks, that's all for now. Soup's calling!