On this Valentine’s Day, I want to pay tribute to my wife, Jennifer McAllister. As you can imagine, getting diagnosed with cancer is a pretty big blow, but I am pretty sure it was a bigger blow to my wife. Not only was it an emotional blow, but also one that carried with it the extra work that I used to handle and now have a harder time doing. She’s also had to try to find food that I want to eat (cancer treatments tend to play havoc with your taste buds a bit) and all this while trying to keep weight on. She’s also been there for dozens of other little details and things that I can’t think of right now, but always working toward making my days a little easier to deal with. She’s done so much for me I can never, ever thank her enough. Thank you, Jen, for showing me what love is like sickness and in health. I love you.

A very Merry Christmas from the McAllister family to all of you. We have received so much encouragement and support this past year, and we are so very grateful. Blessings to you all.

Abbotsford blueberry fields in their autumn colours.

For the past few years my sister-in-law Amanda and brother @ryanmcallister_ have been running a beautiful (and successful) flower farm on the old McAllister homestead. The season is winding down, and it won’t be long until these beauties are gone, so I went out to the dahlia field today and took a few last photos for this year. @fiveacresflowerfarm

This certainly isn’t going to win any photo awards, but I was just happy to get it with my phone, especially since the sky was supposed to be all clouds.

Yesterday evening my dear uncle Rob Penner  left us. I can’t put into words the impact he has left on my life. From leading us in excellent Bible studies when I was a young adult, to his friendship over the years, and finally to his inspirational final year when he showed us how to transition from this world to the next. I loved him dearly, and by the numerous posts I’ve seen today, I was not alone. He was a quiet, humble man who loved Jesus and had a huge impact on so many people around the world. We are going to miss him terribly, but we know he’s in the presence of the Lord now. 

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭21‬

Cora update #7: She’s home! There are lots of meds and blood work ahead, but she’s well enough to be released from the hospital and go home. She was also slightly resistant and embarrassed about me taking this photo, but I wasn’t going to let this occasion pass by without one. 

Next on the crisis list: to somehow get our van back from Ellensburg, WA and get it fixed. I was quoted $5000 US by the shop in Ellensburg and $4700 CDN plus tax by a transmission specialist in South Surrey. I’ll take the latter.

Coralee Update #4: First off, thank you so much for all your prayers. It means so much to us. Cora‘s bloodwork today showed a drop in the all-important INR number, which is the one being tracked the closest at this time. Yesterday her INR went up to 1.7 from 1.5 the day before, but today it’s back down to 1.5. This is what we were hoping for. If it had gone up again, they would’ve had to start steroid treatment earlier than desired, as that would make much harder to diagnose the underlying issue. Now it just needs to stay around that number until the biopsy on Tuesday, so your continued prayers would be much valued. ￼

Cora herself is in excellent spirits, and other than her yellowish skin, shows no sign of being a sick girl. He appetite is good, and she enjoys selecting her meals on the hospital menu. I pray that this continues.

Once again, thank you so much. I’ve included a photo of last night’s sunset looking towards downtown Vancouver from the hospital, just because it’s a nice picture. ￼

Same view as my previous photo, but at sunset.

I took a little walk around Children’s Hospital and found this lovely view.

An update on my daughter Cora. The doctors think she has autoimmune hepatitis. This will require in-hospital treatment this week on steroidal medication, along with Vitamin K infusions to make up for what her body is not producing right now. After that she will have to be on medication for maybe the rest of her life to control it, although if remission happens she might be able to go off it. 

On the plus side, she now has a very nice room at Children’s Hospital that includes a full bathroom with bath, a recliner, a sofa that changes into a bed for a parent, a TV and Xbox with Netflix, Disney+, etc., and a beautiful view. Oh, and they gave her a menu that she can choose from a variety of very nice options that she can choose from and they make fresh. Tonight she had butter chicken for dinner. They are taking good care of our girl. 

Thank you for all your prayers. She still seems fine on the outside.

Does anyone know of a good handyman in the Surrey/White Rock area able to fix this? A delivery driver knocked it over on Friday. He says he’ll  pay for it, by the way.

A few more of my photos from the 2023 @abbyairshow. #abbyairshow @f35demoteam @nikoncanada

I’ve had limited time to edit these, but here are a few shots from Friday’s @abbyairshow. These feature the USAF F-35 Lightning II, the USN E/A-18G Growler, and Melissa Burns waving to the crowd from her cockpit (zoom in to see her). #abbyairshow @f35demoteam @nikoncanada

This is one of my favourite photos of Vancouver that I’ve ever taken, because it captures a characteristic of this city that I love. It’s a place where nature and city meet, where trees are everywhere, and where mountains rise sharply out of the sea just a few kms from the downtown core. Vancouver is a city literally on the edge of the wild. @aqcolor_by_benq #beautywithinmycity #aqcolor

While sitting outside my tent I decided to photograph the stars with my iPhone. I didn’t hope for much, but when I saw the results I was impressed. Then I looked closer, and after checking my star app, realized that the cloudy looking area was actually the galactic centre (i.e. Milky Way). It wasn’t really all that visible yet, at least not to my unaided eye, so for a phone camera to pick this up really surprised me.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our new Joolca shower tent with changing room, plus kitchen sink, and (most importantly) heated water. It’s pretty amazing, and it didn’t cost me a dime. I just entered a draw and won it. This is the deluxe version with all the bells and whistles. It’s worth over $1000.

Camping time. Here’s a photo of my morning view, plus a few critters we’ve met just today. As you can see, the marmots are very friendly. Or hungry for easy food (we didn’t feed them).

Happy Canada Day! I took this photo at the Abbotsford Airshow a few years back. It seems appropriate.

Once again it’s time for my annual birthday road trip. This year I’m staying mostly local, with an emphasis on visiting some of my favourite place and discovering breweries that I haven’t tried before. First stop is Deas Island. This beautiful regional park is unique because it’s also the place where the George Massey Tunnel begins its plunge under the Fraser River. In the shots looking over the river the tunnel is running right underneath me and the river. I also included a short bird song video and an old house.

It feels good to be able to go for walks again, especially with these views readily available.

If you have to take time to convalesce after surgery, our back deck made beautiful by the efforts of my wife Jennifer is an excellent place to do so.

My coworkers at @regentcollege gave me a awesome pre-surgery card.

My wife and daughter are both celiac, i.e. can’t eat gluten. It’s been years since either have had a cinnamon bun (Jen says 20 years). I planned to make scones this morning, but stumbled across a GF cinnamon bun recipe. I’ve never made cinnamon buns before, so you can imagine my joy when I pulled these out of the oven.

More spring time around Regent College photos. I’ve been waiting for those white blossoms to appear. 🙂

I got to hang out with Regent College folk at the Wolf and Hound pub last night. It’s been way too long since I’ve done that. The occasion was to say goodbye to Iwan Russell-Jones, who is heading home to Wales after teaching at Regent this past term. It’s been great having him back with us again. A fun evening all around. Iwan even managed to lead us in a round of Calon Lân, a Welsh hymn that he taught us to sing in actual Welsh. Iechyd da, Iwan!

My Work

Home

Ken McAllister Photography is the leader in moment capturing

Ken McAllister Photography portfolio website

Scenic

Cities

Ken McAllister Photography Cities The best professional in photography

Ken McAllister Photography Cities page

People

Ken McAllister Photography People The best professional in photography

Ken McAllister Photography People page

Flight

Photos of jets, planes, and anything else human-made that flies, both military and civilian, in the air and on the ground.

My Work

#ExplorerPhotography