Serenity sought, and found, while wearing my beloved Freddies jeans, at Yellow Lake

Outfit details

Royal blue floral print scarf: eBay
White rose stud earrings: Claire's
Emerald green camisole: Ricki's
Mustard yellow cardigan: Loft by Ann Taylor (bought on eBay)
Pink rhinestone rose brooch: eBay
Bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
1940s style side button jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
1950s corduroy bucket purse: etsy seller Rue 23 Vintage Clothing
1940s style black shoes: Thrifted (Salvation Army)
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace


Photography by Tony Cangiano

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Relatively few of us live out in the wilds of nature any more. Most, it's fair to say, return home to an address that is either located smack, dab inside of a town or city, or which can reach one in a matter of minutes. Even those who have opted to live far further from the hustle and bustle of a community are rarely without at least a few of signs, stresses, and sounds of modern city life (such as visible traffic, telephone poles, and airplanes flying overhead).

I love city and town living, don't get me wrong. In fact, given the option between living in the backwoods or on the main street of a pulsating metropolis, the city option will nearly always win out for me (I was born a stone's throw away from Vancouver and have adored big cities since the youngest of ages), but sometimes one needs - really and truly needs in the pit of their soul to head as far away from an urban center as possible.

As awesome as a week in the country may be, if that's not in the cards (and it rarely is!), I'm grateful to have a few locations around our part of the province where I can retreat and quietly collect my thoughts, skip some of my worries out into the water along with smooth rocks, and breath in hearty lungfuls of pure, fresh, glorious Canadian air.

Three Mile Beach in Naramata, which I blogged about last summer is one such spot, another is Yellow Lake, located between Penticton and the small community of Keremeos (which houses Bear's Farm produce market). Though a leg of British Columbia Highway 3A runs directly past it, with cars buzzing all the while, there is still a tremendous sense of tranquility to this small, beautiful lake.

In the summer, Tony adores heading here after work or on the weekends to cast his line and whittle away the hours, and I'm fond of visiting it not only to accompany him while he fishes, but to simply decompress and be at one with nature. Something that we all, at times desperately, need to do far more often than we're prone to. An hour or two spent outdoors probably won't erase all of your troubles, but it can usually help send at least a couple packing and give you a renewed sense of energy to help tackle many of the others.

For this overcast afternoon of wilderness zen seeking, I opted to wear my massively adored Freddies vintage style side button jeans and mustard yellow Loft by Ann Taylor cardigan (last seen here), an emerald green lace trimmed camisole, a beautiful floral print scarf in shades of royal blue, green, yellow, pink and white; a sparkling pink rhinestone rose brooch, a stack of bangles, and my trusty 1950s corduroy bucket bag to create a casual, colourful chilly weather ensemble.

In the warmer months, one sees tiny turtles swimming in the water, fish leaping out (especially in the very early morning hours), along with myriad birds soaring overhead or resting amongst the tall grass of the shoreline. Shimmering winged dragonflies rest leisurely on the lake's surface, an occasional fox darts out of the woods, and even a snake or two - hopefully of the non-rattle tailed variety - can be spotted every now and then. It's a slice of the woods, of mother nature's backyard, and of calmness that takes less than half an hour to reach and which never fails to sooth and rejuvenate weary spirits.

With spring not that terribly far off, I'm sure we'll soon start heading down that way more often again, be it for fishing, settling frazzled nerves, or simply sitting on a wooden dock and basking in the sunshine. For while I do love cities and towns, there's a part of me that will always crave the great outdoors as well, especially when my mind needs to unwind and get away from the daily grind for a spell.