Ode to The Prunkl Residence

Sandi’s parents, Lee and Frank, have sold their house in Richmond after living and raising the family here for 45 years and we're here to see them off on their last day before they head to their new home and life in Kelowna.

Frank loved his big backyard and flowers and this hydrangea bush is one of his favourites.

Lee cleaned out the freezer and found her wedding cake from 1957. She tried to serve it to us but we weren’t sure the same rules apply to 56-year-old cakes as do to wine so we politely declined.

Dinner in the backyard on a hot, sunny evening is a fitting tribute to the old house and the lifetime of memories it holds.

Most of the dishes are packed but the Prunkls, ever resourceful and adaptable, improvise with the remaining hodge-podge.

Lee’s a natural at pouring the bubbly.

That’s all folks.

The next day we steal Lee away from her last-minute packing and cleaning for lunch at the Flying Beaver Pub on the river.

Goodbye old house, you’ve been a good friend,

But our time together has come to a end.

You cared for us for forty-five years,

And shared in our lives through laughter and tears.

In you our children and grandchildren grew,

Safe and secure, their cares but a few.

They laughed and played and had fun in your walls,

Running and jumping on steps and in halls.

For forty-five summers and winters you’ve been,

Where we spent our time with them.

Forty-five years seems a long while ago,

So quickly they passed. Where did the time go?

We really enjoyed your lawn and your flowers,

Always so pretty thanks to Richmond showers.

You were never a house we could call our own,

Only borrowed you were—the house we called “home”.

Now it is time for a new place to stay,

And where we are going seems so far away.

But we’ll always remember you and your walls,

And all the neighbours and friends who made calls.

You weren’t a great house, not fancy by means,

But you were a good home that held all our dreams.

To say we won’t miss you would be a big lie,

You hold lots of memories of time passing by.

We leave feeling thankful for the years that we’ve had,

Walking through your doors to be home made us glad.

We hope we’ll be just as safe and secure too,

In the new house we’ll call “home”, just like we did you.

So goodbye old house, remember us well,

We’ve started new ventures, new stories to tell.

But you’ll always be part of our lives till the end,

You’ve been a blessing, a good, trusted friend.