Well, this was supposed to be a great family day! But, to paraphrase the old standard, Smoke Gets in Your Skies. 
 
At long last, I’d persuaded my dad to come for a visit here on Vancouver Island. (It’s not that he dislikes travel, or us, for that matter; he is just busy with his gal pal and his activities!) A short direct flight from Kelowna and Dad and his lady were to arrive here today. But – and here’s where some uncharacteristic procrastination comes in handy – we all called off Dad’s trip on Monday night. The reason: air quality.
 
Let me back up. We were hoping my youngest sister would accompany Dad and Dawna on this visit, but she’s slammed at work due to her team members coming up with everything from broken bones to shingles. She couldn’t come. So it was down to D & D, which was just wonderful and then this happened.
 

 
One of the highlights of a visit here to Vancouver Island is the scenery: Rob and I were hooked on the house we chose from the moment we walked into it and saw the view of ocean, mountains and airport (yes, we love airports – is that a surprise?) and Dad felt the same. He sat and followed the activity at YYJ while our transactions were completed and the house inspection took place and, truly, half of the magic of this area has been sandblasted away with the smaze (smoke/haze) that has befallen our island paradise. Here’s our usual view:
 

 

 
The blanket of beige/grey particulate in the air is nothing to complain about when there are people who are fighting for their homes and just to catch a breath these days. Those who live with COPD are finding these conditions really difficult; my sister in Kelowna says that many folks she’s talked to have experienced headaches and fatigue.
 
Here, near Victoria International Airport, our air quality index is moderate, sitting at 5 out of 10, but in the interior of BC, Kelowna is enduring 7s and 8s today, as is our neighbour Vancouver. There are 10+ conditions all around and in gorgeous Whistler, the air quality sits in the 8-9 range. So that’s what’s going on here.
 
Instead of arriving today, Dad and Leslie (unfortunately, Dawna can’t come) will make their way out here late next month – in time for my birthday, which will be nice. And as for the joys of procrastination? My Dad, who is usually at the airport practically the day before a flight (or close to it!), hadn’t even booked this trip. Had he waited until Tuesday to do so, which was his plan, it would have been about $1050 for two.
 
As my wise uncle says, airline tickets are one of the few items whose price goes up the closer it gets to expiration. By booking now and waiting, the flights are literally half that and there was even a 20% seat sale yesterday. So, in our way, the delayed trip has saved them a whack of cash. 
 
Have a gentle day. I’m back tomorrow with a refreshing summer dish I made last week that was a big hit (and unlike the mini Caprese salads I did for appies a while back, I actually made enough)! Here’s to fun in the kitchen.
 
Who the heck have I become?