Halloween was a celebration unknown in the part of the world where I grew up; besides it was spring.
Moving to Canada, I discovered this was a season of sugar overload, an occasion to dress up in crazy costumes, a season when many children would look back on as their favourite time of the year. After all, isn’t it every child’s dream to go door to door and be given free candy?
Once I settled into a country where I had to drive on the opposite side of the road and indulge in new vocabulary, it was time to explore the province I’d chosen.
My youngest daughter and I drove to Lake Okanagan for a weekend. The lake stretched from Penticton to Vernon some 135 kilometres. Orchards dressed the slopes like a flowered quilt. Road-side stalls enticed us off the highway to scan the fresh produce.
One stall I can’t forget, was ablaze with orange pumpkins. We were the only ones taking photographs. I guess to everyone else, it was just another Halloween.
