Right off the bat I must confess that I am jealous of local but well known in Canada theatrical and dance photographer David Cooper. Why so?

His daughter Emily is following his father’s vocation and is very good at it, too.

In my family after I am gone nobody will do anything with my cameras. I doubt any of them will ever show any interest in photography. What’s in my head will remain there with me as I push the daises.

But there is one bright spot here. My Rosemary and my interest in gardening has been absorbed by our eldest daughter I Lillooet who has a garden that is close to one acre.

When we sold our house four years ago, I rented a van, twice, so we could take some of our hardy roses (Lillooet is Zone 4/5 and Vancouver is Zone7/8) and many of my extremely hardy hostas.

Since then Rosemary has been obsessed with acquiring plants that occupy space in our small deck. 

“What are these pots doing her?” I may ask her. She always answers, “They are for Ale.”

So for anybody reading this we will be driving to Lillooet with a car full (really full) with roses, hostas, Iris and other perennials that Rosemary has purchased. We will eat cold pizza on the way and when we get to Lillooet we will see Ale for the first time since Christmas. Extreme social distancing we will follow. With my good transplant spadeI will put some of the plants in the ground. I will do my business in the bushes but Rosemary insists she will go inside to do hers. Lunch will be quesadillas. We will then drive back to be welcomed by Niño and Niña who will have been holding the fort.

In the car with us, I some empty corner (if we can find one) is this lovely Allium schoenoprasum which is good for Zone 4.