My weekend with another beekeeper, Hannah-Davida

Cindi · February 19, 2008, 10:02:03 AM

What a weekend! I had the privilege of another beekeeper staying at our home. Hannah had posted a few weeks ago asking if there was anyone in the area of Pitt Meadows that she could stay with while she took an extensive beekeeping course in the area. I live about 25 minutes from where the course was offered, so I jumped in, and I am so glad that I did.

Hannah came down to our area from the lower interior of our province, to drive there by car, I venture it would be about a 6 hour drive. My Daughter lives in the interior too, and to her house is a four hour drive. Hannah hitch-hiked down and I picked her up in a neighbouring town. She has the guts of a steel woman to hitch-hike, and I take my hat off to her, but that was her mode of transportation. The trip was a gruelling one for her, it took her over 12 hours, and what a time she had. Part of her journey was by a bus, which wound up not letting her off where she should have been and she started back out where she began, two hours wasted there. Eeeks!!!! Poor kid!!!

She arrive Thursday night, Friday night was the initiation to the course. We spend some wonderful time visiting, getting to know each other. Now that was a very simple thing to do because I felt like she had been a life long friend, we got along wonderfully and are very similar to each other in many, many ways.

She attended the course all day Saturday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Sunday as well. Long hours, but she learned so much and adores the Asian instructor. This is the same instructor that I took my beekeeping courses, level 1 and 2 with, amazing.

I drove her to and from the course and had a yummy dinner prepared for her each day, after such a long day, there is nothing nicer than to kick back and enjoy some nice wine and food. This we did. She left to go home yesterday, suitcase in tow. I have a new friend, I have a new destination when going to the interior, and this will be her place......say no more.

When Hannah came down she brought me some roasts from a beef that they raised on their property and also some beautiful windchimes. Such a gracious thing. The roasts will be on my table for that Sunday dinner that I always cook, every bite of this beast will remind me of this fine woman.

I am grateful to have had this opportunity to open my home to her, to take care of her, and allow her to take this beekeeping course in peace. Another great beekeeper is coming on board. She has wonderful aspirations of building an apiary of about 40 colonies, and these will be manifest, she is a knowledge seeker and wants to become a great and wonderful keeper of the bees. I am a lucky woman to be a part of this. Have the most beautiful and awesome day, love our earth and life we live. Cindi

This is a picture that my Husband took, I am on the left, Hannah on the right, this picture brings that smile to my face.

The windchimes Hannah brought

Robo · February 19, 2008, 10:08:37 AM

Quote from: Cindi on February 19, 2008, 10:02:03 AM
this picture brings that smile to my face.

You sure it isn't the red stuff in the glass :-P

Wow, what a great host you are Cindi... And now you have another great friend as well..... All because of the internet. We usually only hear the bad stories about people meeting thru the internet. It is great to hear a positive one for a change. My hat is off to both of you (and your husband :-P)

Cindi · February 19, 2008, 10:20:01 AM

Rob, yep, if it wasn't for my home away from home (our great forum), I would never had had the opportunity to meet this fine lady. Every day I wake up and I know that in a few minutes I will be among my friends, I consider myself a lucky woman, my beautiful start to a beautiful day, what more could we ask for.

Yes, my Husband, the most important thing in my life, how could I have forgotten to mention him. How self-centred, hee, hee, smiling. My poor Husband, all he could hear about all the time that Hannah and I spent together was bee talk, bee this, and bee that. Thank goodness he is a very patient soul (and actually loves to hear about the bees too, and has become an excellent knowledge source too, besides his skills he is acquiring while building me bee STUFF). He is in the middle of a bedroom/office reno, so he was able to escape the gibber jabber of two women, entralled with what they are doing, the lucky soul!!! Yes, he enjoyed Hannah's visit as much as I did, and concurs that we have to go up to her place in the wilderness when the nice weather comes. She lives in quite a remote place, near a mountain, with thousands of acres of wildflowers, forest, pastures, livestock and beauty. There is an entire mountainside of fireweed and other bee plants. The mountainside had been cleared and the fireweed has taken over. She will have nectar and pollen for her bees until the end of time itself, and she will be successful with her apiary of her dreams. Have the most beautiful and wonderful day, love our life we're livin'. Cindi

reinbeau · February 19, 2008, 01:49:46 PM

What fun to meet the people we correspond with on this forum! Someday I hope to meet a few myself, and I'm still dreaming of a vacation to BC! :)

KONASDAD · February 19, 2008, 04:45:26 PM

I have met many members on this site and have enjoyed it all. I am attempting to meet sean in Jamaice. He lives about three hrs from wheere I am staying. He does live close to kingston, a city I have always wanted to see.

JP · February 19, 2008, 07:23:50 PM

So Cindi, that's great, ya'll had a good time, she learned about bees, your husband had fun as well, my question though...

Did ya'll have duck? ;)

.....JP

annette · February 20, 2008, 12:00:19 AM

Sorry for responding so late to this post. I am overwhelmed with the kindness you show your guest Cindi. You are an extremely open hearted person and would make a wonderful friend for anyone you meet.

Wonderful photos also.

Stay peaceful and lovely as you are
Annette

Brian D. Bray · February 20, 2008, 12:14:45 AM

I just had an idea. Oh, Oh, you say?

I was thinking of inviting all the Beekeepers on the Forum within resonable driving distance--Western Washington and the Lower Main Land in BC and Maybe Oregon--over for a bit of a bash around Labor Day. I will have lots of Apples (I hope) and a Cider Press on hand. You squeeze it, you keep it. A few brats on the Barbie and all that.

Cindi · February 20, 2008, 12:17:56 AM

Thanks my forum friends for the kind comments. Yep, an experience, and yes, one day, I know we will meet many more of "us", the ones that spend wonderful time and meet great people through that place we know as cyberspace. Ann, it would be lovely for you to come to BC, as you so wish, to see those great gardens in Victoria. Maybe that day will come....beautiful day, beautiful life, beautiful it all is. Cindi

JP, no, we didn't have duck. Duck is a dinner that is a process that is almost ritualistic. It is so special that extreme time and care occurs when this bird goes to the oven and table. Hannah was so busy with her course, I was so busy with my days, that this duck dinner was not prepared. That was too bad, because I know that she would have loved it (and I would have been beside myself to think of how you would be drooling with the thought of that Muscovy drake dinner).

Hannah is coming down again for the second level of the beekeeping course, on May 10, she will come down a day or two earlier. This time the visit will be far more relaxed, as we now know each other, and it will be nearly summer, that is a relaxing time of year. That visit we will have duck.

The second level that she is taking deals mostly with queen rearing. I am going to attend this course again, I want to revisit the techniques that I learned when I took it. After having worked with the bees for a couple of years, I think that the course will make much more sense to me now, and I will have even more challenging questions for the instructor, a man whom I hold in high esteem and feel honoured to be in the presence of. Have a great and beautiful day, beautiful life. Cindi

Cindi · February 20, 2008, 12:24:48 AM

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on February 20, 2008, 12:14:45 AM
I just had an idea. Oh, Oh, you say?

I was thinking of inviting all the Beekeepers on the Forum within resonable driving distance--Western Washington and the Lower Main Land in BC and Maybe Oregon--over for a bit of a bash around Labor Day. I will have lots of Apples (I hope) and a Cider Press on hand. You squeeze it, you keep it. A few brats on the Barbie and all that.

Brian, you are a mindstorm!!! I can hear your wheels turning. You know something? I think that is the grandest idea ever!!! I am very serious about this, why not? I know that it would take me probably about 1-1/2 hours to get to your place, tops, from my house to Sumas (you know where that is, right? Hee, hee. Well, actually maybe you don't) is 1/2 hour, it is really not that far. If I went to another border crossing, it may be closer to 45 minutes, maybe an hour.

How far you in time length from any of the borders? Lynden? Elaborate. I think I feel a great party coming on, pressing apples and having the time of my life, hee, hee. Can't wait and we need to do some planning.........have the best of a wonderful day, love life, as we all do. Cindi

Brian D. Bray · February 20, 2008, 01:12:34 AM

It is 50 minutes drive time from down town Bellingham to my house. So if you're coming into the states at Sumas follow the Guide Meridian from Lynden to I-5 the go west on Hwy 20.

Sean Kelly · February 20, 2008, 06:53:50 AM

Brian, I'm totally there man!!!! We just got a new (very comfortable) van, so the trip wouldn't be a issue! You're only a few hours from me too! I think everyone should also bring something from their garden. And of course honey samples. I'd love to try a little honey from all the areas. Never had honey from Canada before (that's if Cindi could sneak a few jars through customs. lol).

Sean Kelly

Cindi · February 20, 2008, 09:31:49 AM

Sean, I give my Sister-in-Law honey to take to the U.S. when they go down there for a month. There doesn't ever seem to be any issues with that. I think it is on the planes where they take this issue up, you know, bad stuff can get in the honey that might bring down that plane!!!

Brian, so that sounds like it would be about a 2 hour stint, Seattle is 4 hours from our home, it sounds like you are half way. I asked my Husband if he would be interested in having a barbeque with a bunch of bee forum members, he's in.

Start a thread Brian, see how many would be interested. You might get some forum friends that may come half way across the country to be there, hee, hee, not kidding. Maybe some could take a little vacation while they were at it.

Would your Wife be OK with this hubaloo? You would have to make her understand that she would not have to do very much, and neither would you really. It would be self-running. Everyone would bring their own drink stuff, something to barbeque and of course a dish of some sort, so that you would not have to do too much work with the coooking end of it. This is imperative when you have a whack of people getting together, and people always want to help out and pitch in.

Grand plan. Get to more thinking about it, figure out a date, time, etc., this will be a great and wonderful, wonderful thing. Have the best of this beautiful day, love our lives we live. Cindi

Sean Kelly · February 20, 2008, 06:20:47 PM

Oohh yeah, and bring some home made wine too! My mead will be done around then!

Sean Kelly

Brian D. Bray · February 20, 2008, 10:35:05 PM

Quote from: Sean Kelly on February 20, 2008, 06:20:47 PM
Oohh yeah, and bring some home made wine too! My mead will be done around then!

Sean Kelly

I don't drink alcoholic beverages but if that's your gig that's okay. I figure with the cider press going there would be plenty to drink.

Okay I'll start a thread on that as soon as I clear the date and plan with my social secretary--aka wife.