Kamloops life — as seen through the lens

KAMLOOPS — Over the past couple of weeks, I had an opportunity to photograph a number of events in Kamloops and in the process, reaffirmed that this is one heck of a place to live.  

You and I know this already yet sometimes there is a need to reconnect with our town and confirm that there is more to life here than Ajax, municipal by-elections, pipelines, provincial politics and other interruptions that distract from our quality of life.

Something as simple as this impromptu game of Bocce Ball that broke out one evening in Prince Charles Park was a perfect example.  Just a group of friends celebrating their friend Lucy’s birthday and enjoying what our small community parks can offer.

The weekend before, it was the Slurpee Cup with 1700 soccer players coming to town.  Every field on McArthur Island along with many more throughout the City were going full tilt for three days. And there wasn’t a vacant hotel or slow restaurant for the entire weekend.

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Even future soccer players could be spotted among the fans and adjacent baseball.

Diamonds were going at capacity too.

The following weekend, the downtown came alive with their spring/summer launch and showed our city core was a people, bike and even dog friendly place to hang out.

The next weekend, Harper Mountain hosted the National Enduro downhill mountain bike races, a two-day event attracting racers from across North America.

And on the way up to the mountain, I came across local artist, Ken Faulks, taking advantage of the early morning light alongside the road at Schiedam Flats.

On the same weekend and over at the Whispering Pines MX track, the National Motocross races were underway with an amazing mix of local, North American and European racers competing in this nationally televised event.

And in the midst of all of this, 4 Cats Arts was hosting the regional Art Battle finals. 

With nearly 200 people attending, this was one of the most unique and fun evening ‘art’ events I’ve attended.

And last but not least, even in the rain of last Saturday, things were happening as Rob and Alain from Williams Lake ably demonstrate.

Met these guys on Saturday as they came down on a day ride and were about to head back. Single digit temperatures up top on the plateau and rain but as bikers often say, “It’s all about the ride” and they were still smiling.

Scepticism is the natural trait of most political bloggers but as the past few weeks have reaffirmed, there’s more to Kamloops than divisiveness.

I know I’m a fine one to say that and I know some readers are already thinking about posting comments along the lines of: “Protect what we’ve got by…” or “Insure our economic prosperity by…” but don’t.  Instead, use the comments section today to post your own pictures or comments about the things you or your friends have done over the past week.

Not your standard sunset picture but pictures of things you’ve done.  Picnics, sports, taking the dog out for a walk, hikes, fishing, having coffee at a sidewalk cafe, watching the kids play soccer, chilling in the park or even just sitting on the deck or patio watching life go by.  One of the many images you’ve probably got on your phone right now.

We’ll get back to politics sometime later but for now use the comments section to show everyone what a week in the life of the real Kamloops looks like.