I’m lucky that Kelowna was my childhood Summer Place. The Summer Place being that oft repeated trip undertaken while growing up—some kind of consistent and expectation-matching retreat from normal life. My family would make the 7.5 hour drive through the rocky mountains to visit grandpa. I’ve watched him move around Kelowna twice now. The first move was when I was quite young and simultaneously too weak and selfish with my time to be of much help. But this second move was different now that I am a) a little less weak and b) a little less selfish (time affluent?)

My dad, brother, and cousin formed a unit of movers hell-bent on getting grandpa’s remaining stuff in order as best we could. Imagine clearing out storage lockers, sorting garage stuff, and taking things to the landfill—that kind of thing. At the same time we greeted a new home, explored previously unexplored areas of Kelowna, and experienced our Summer Place amidst the pandemic.

I had the Ricoh GR III with me for the trip. It is absolutely the camera I’ve been searching for all these years. So small. Not imposing. No one takes you seriously with it. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the weekend.