Discovering the community of Ellison while wearing a rainbow

There's a certain duality at work in my spirit that's always been there. On the one hand (due in no small part to being a massive introvert) I'm a very happy homebody, yet at the same time there’s a side of me that perpetually yearns to venture forth and see the world.

While I have done a little travelling throughout my life, for the most part of health keeps me from being able to travel very far from home, so it probably works out well that most of the time I love sticking close my nest. Just because I can't be a world traveller very often though doesn't mean I can't be an explorer.

On the contrary, knowing that breadth of the territory I'll be visiting anytime soon is quite small, I look upon that fact as a challenge of sorts to get to know my own town and its neighbours inside and out. Whether main streets or dusty mountain roads, I believe that most locations offer up a wealth of sights and destinations to visit and discover, without the need for one's passport or even a suitcase.

Sometimes we'll set out with a location squarely in mind, other days we'll hop out onto the open road and let the day dictate where we end up. After a trip to get Tony some new workout clothes recently in the nearby city of Kelowna, as the day's sun rapidly turned as golden as freshly churned butter, we did just that.

Neither of us wanted to go home quite yet, so we headed towards Rutland in the north of the city, yet instead of following the main route after a certain point, we veered onto a charming street called Old Vernon Road that lead to an area comprised mostly of farmland, orchards, and homes.

Neither of us had ever been on that road (despite going past it on the main nearby street many times), and were delighted by the fact that within a minute or two it felt like we'd left Kelowna entirely and entered a new town.

Turns out that, in a way, we'd done precisely that. Old Vernon Road, you see, leads to a thoroughly lovely little community called Ellison, that I had never (even having grown up about an hour away) heard of before that day.

We wanted to grab some wardrobe snaps before the sun set, so when I spied a beautiful old building, standing out amongst the verdant surrounding thanks to its baby chick yellow hue, I knew instantly that it was destined to be our backdrop that lovely day.

 

    









      

Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
Blue hair flowers: Arden
Faux pearl stud earrings: Claire's
Vintage rainbow madras plaid dress: etsy seller NowSoLA
Coral cropped tie waist cardigan: Forever 21
Rainbow bangle bracelets: Forever 21
Light aqua bangle bracelets: Claire's
Red vintage purse: etsy seller I Love Vintage Stuff
Denim slip-on flats: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red

Photography by Antonio Cangiano 

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Presently serving as that area's community hall, an informative plaque near the small parking lot informs visitors that in its earlier days, this wonderful building was the local school house (a point which made me fall in love with it all the more). Located right next door in a matching (in terms of style and colours) little fire hall which still services the community.

 

Ellison, the plaque went on to explain was one of the first areas in Kelowna to be settled during the 19th century, and it has been populated ever since. Today it's a darling little corner of north Kelowna (nestled behind the airport) that’s filled with acreages, hobby farms, fruit tress, and this fantastic old community hall that was such a blast to pose with.

 

If you think there's a familiar vibe to the dress I'm wear here, that's because it bears a bit of a resemblance to the red and turquoise vintage dress that I was wearing in one of my outfit posts last month. This frock however, has even more colours in its palette and I was pleased with how they seemed to really pop against the soft, cheerful yellow walls of this historical building.

 

I adore wearing colour and so when dressing that day, felt that the dress and coral hued cropped cardi could even more vibrancy so I grabbed my stack of Forever 21 rainbow bangles and divvied it up between both wrists. With so much colour going on in this outfit, I opted for a classic denim summer shoe to help balance out all the vibrancy.

 

Due to spring being so late in coming this year, this day was actually the first I ventured beyond our yard without stockings on. It wasn't the toastiest day ever, but I was spared the goose bumps that have accompanied a few other recent shots (such as the one in Rutland on May 1st), and enjoyed feeling the breeze dance across the bare skin on my calves.

 

Ellison was a serious joy to discover! I've always loved areas with a both an old-fashioned and a pastoral feel to them and this little corner of northern Kelowna more than delivered on those fronts. In fact, parked right near the community centre, we even spied a vintage farm truck that stood as a great reminder that this area had been around for quite some time.

Mere moments after snapping that pic, two coyotes wove there way through the trees on that property, bobbing their grey heads between the tall grass so quickly we couldn't even grab a photo.

 

Ellison might only be a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but sights like the coyotes, old truck, and historical buildings make you feel like you've stepped back in time and that you've driven for hours or even days to have reached such a quaint, picturesque location.

 

Fortunately for us however, it's only about an hour away - proving that terrific destination and previously unexplored locations abound right in our very own backyard. A point which wholeheartedly satisfies both sides of my spirit and gives me so much to look forward when it comes to future expeditions to nearby locations.