Christmas in Centreville

Christmas in Centreville.

An old-fashioned Christmas dinner at the historic Royal Hotel

in downtown Chilliwack...
on Sunday night.

A few of us came early...

to add a touch of  'Christmas' to the room.

 

We recruited a little help from the guys.

Who knew they could fold napkins?

Soon the Rendezvous guests arrived.

We enjoyed a fabulous old-fashioned turkey dinner...

compliments of Devika and her fine staff.

We had some door prizes to be given away.

Who better to give gifts than Santa?

 For most of us...

...it had been  long time since we posed for a photo with Old St. Nick.

We had us a jolly good time.

 Lenora and I were gifted with floral bouquets...

as a thank-you for the ten-plus years that we organized Rendezvous events.

This was our last function...

though we certainly hope there will be many more Rendezvous events in the future...

under new leadership.

Thank-you to the staff of the Royal Cafe for a superb dinner.

Thank-you, Santa Eric...

for making our evening a little merrier and brighter:)

I'm thinking he loved every moment of it!

If you would like a copy of any of the photos...

contact Lenora Esau at lwesau@shaw.ca

Though it was an evening of fun and games...

I know many are going through difficult times right now.

We would like to wish you all a most blessed Christmas season...

and a wonderful New Year.

 

Christmas in Centreville

 Join Rendezvous for an old-fashioned Christmas dinner

at The Royal Hotel

in downtown Centreville

on Sunday, December 9th at 6 pm.

 Turkey Dinner Buffet ($21. plus tax)

Carol Singing

Prizes and Surprises!

Did you know that Chilliwack was originally called Centreville?

The Royal Hotel is an historic landmark...

still operating in the same location at 45886 Wellington Avenue.

 

Guided tours of the hotel are available prior to dinner.

To reserve your spot for dinner and/or for the tour...

please sign up at the welcome center.

 

The Othello Tunnels near Hope, BC

We couldn't have picked a better day to visit Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park...just past Hope. 

We walked along a trail that was once part of the Kettle Valley Railroad... and is now part of the Trans Canada Trail system, and also a provincial park.  It meanders along the Coquihalla River and leads to the famous tunnels...that bring many tourists to the Hope area every summer.

The Kettle Valley Railroad...was constructed as a necessary rail link between the Kootenay Region of British Columbia and the coast. The railway was built over three mountain ranges.   The Coquihalla Gorge, where the river cuts a 300 foot deep channel of solid granite, proved to be a major challenge. In 1914 five tunnels were were built through this area to complete the track...at a cost of $300,000.  This is still considered the costliest mile of railway track in the world.  When the trains stopped running in 1965, the residents of Hope removed the railroad ties and created a recreational trail.

Yesterday we checked out the trail...

...and the tunnels (where it was mighty dark!).

Since we have had next-to-no rain on the west coast for the past two months, the river was at it's lowest level.

The salmon were lined up in the pools...waiting for the water to rise so they could carry on upstream. 
 

It was the perfect place to spend the last Sunday afternoon in September!  We enjoyed a picnic supper in the park...before leaving for home.

No need to build an inukshuk before we left...since someone else had already thought of that.

We drove by Kawkawa Lake as we left the park...looking quite  lovely bathed in the late afternoon sun!

Thanks for joining us on the Rendezvous adventure to the Othello Tunnels!

 

Othello Tunnels ~ Hope

A Rendezvous adventure

at the

 Othello Tunnels

Sunday, September 30th 

Meet at the church at 2:30 pm

and carpool to the Othello Tunnels near Hope.

Pack a bag or box lunch to enjoy following our tour of the tunnels.

Call Judy @ 604-792-2322 or

Lenora @ 604-792-7383

for more information.

Rendezvous is a Central social ministry targeting those in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s…

but if you are beyond that and wish to join us…you are welcome!

The Richmond Summer Night Market

We picked a warm summer evening to load up the bus and travel to Richmond for...

...the Richmond Summer Night Market.

We weren't the only ones there!

Though there are some 300 vendors offering all kinds items for sale...

and an amazing food fair.

Mostly I 'looked but did not touch'!

Though we may never visit China...

we can experience Asian cuisine right here in our back yard.

Richmond has the largest Chinese population of any city in North America.

The prices were right.

We could sample a bit of each...

if we felt so inclined.

And some of us did!

I tried sheesh kabobs...

...and hurricane potato fries.

Add a little Korean spice to the potato...

and call it Korean food!

It was a good time...

all around.

Richmond Summer Night Market

Rendezvous goes to 

Summer Night Market

in Richmond

on Friday, July 13th.

Meet at the church at 6 pm...

and travel to Richmond for an Asian immersion experience.

The night market is like a giant Asian flea market...

with over 300 vendors...

an exotic food fair...

and free admission.

Cost of transportation is $10 each.
We will be traveling by coach...
and have arranged parking near the main entrance.

This is a Rendezvous sponsored event that is open to all.

Please sign up at welcome center or contact Judy at 604-792-2322 or Lenora 604-792-7383.

Cheam Wetlands Park

Though we have had to cancel many planned spring outdoor events due to rain... 

Sunday turned out to be the perfect day for a walk about the Cheam Wetlands Park.

We met in the parking lot...

 ...and set out down the trails at our own pace.

 
Cheam Wetlands has been a park since 1990...

at which time it was restored to it's origins as a lake.

 For more than half a century it was a marl lime pit.

The lake had been drained...

and it wasn't all that pretty.

But now...

it is a most lovely spot beneath Mt. Cheam!

 If one happens to glance up...

there's a good chance of seeing the paragliders sailing down from the mountain peak.

 And if one happens to look down...

there's a good chance of seeing a turtle...

or two or three.

And maybe a Canadian goose looking back at you!

I wasn't the only one with a camera!

Who wouldn't want pictures of this location?

Cheam Wetlands Park is almost on our back doorstep.

I think we'll all be visiting again before too long!

When we were done at the park...

we moved down the road to the home of Dave of Janet...

who graciously opened their back yard to us for the evening.

 We roasted wieners.

Hefty ones!

Pastor Garry roasted more than he was planning on!

We chatted with friends...
old and new.

It was a wonderful time...

on a sunny Sunday...

in the shadow of Mt. Cheam!