River Walk Part 2 11/26/2009
This is my favourite spot. Don't ask me why - the bridge traffic over head is constant, and many of the vehicles are semi-trailers, logging trucks or resource haulers - but the noise of the river seems to act like white noise and cancel it out. For me, it's a peaceful spot where I can see the deer browsing across the river, tell the changes in water level of the river by how much of the gravel is covered, watch the Merganser ducks fishing, and contemplate my day.  Similkameen River  Merganser ducks preening The merganser ducks taking a break from fishing, and preening on the warm rocks.  Minnows I can also watch minnows looking for food in the silt on the rocks - which maybe doesn't look that beautiful to you, but it's a part of the ecosystem and has a purpose that is important. I find the beauty in that, if not in the appearance.  Graffitti You will also find signs of human beings down here under the bridge as well. Some people find this type of art work very offensive....... but my own feelings on the subject are that if this is the only place they can find to express their feelings, then perhaps someone should listen to them and give them voice elsewhere and they wouldn't have to resort to writing on concrete walls in hidden spaces. There is much beauty here. It's all in how you look, and the intention with which you direct yourself. The morning light reflects off the water in miraculous ways and creates magnificent beauty if your eyes are open to seeing it.  Abstract Water The rock colours are intensified and reflected in the ripples at the edge of the river creating an abstract painting.  Ice Painting And now that winter is approaching, each day as I arrive here, nature has re-arranged the patterns in the ice to completely new patterns that inspire awe and wonderment in me. I spend several minutes here every morning that I am able, with a hot cup of chai tea and my camera. I always find something new and interesting to capture in the lens, whether it be the movement of the water, the way the light plays off the ice, the colours of the rocks- there is always some new intrigue to investigate. It soothes my soul, and I highly recommend it. River Walk - Part 1 11/17/2009
Most every day I go for a walk. Sometimes it isn't far - sometimes it is. I have the Trans Canada Trail passing near me, and this is the most convenient place to wander. For those of you who don't know about the Trail, most of it is on old railway right-of-way that crosses this vast country. The trains have ceased to run on these routes, the tracks have been hauled up, and various societies have been put together across Canada to turn them into a walking or riding trail with the ultimate goal of connecting right across the country. A 'grand' vision to match the vision of the old railway men who created the connections when the country was just beginning to be explored. The part we have going through the town has been paved, which makes it really easy for roller-blading or walking. There is a tunnel through the mountain, not far from home, where the trains used to travel, and a couple of bridges to cross the two rivers that intersect at the edge of town. One of these bridges has just recently been reconstructed. They called it the 'Bridge of Dreams' as it was the final bridge to connect the Kettle Valley Railway on it's run to the Pacific Coast.  The Last Spike on the Kettle Valley Railway The men who gathered to see the last spike driven on the completion of the original "Bridge of Dreams".  The original Bridge of Dreams This is a picture of the original "Bridge of Dreams" being constructed.  Almost completed new version This is a photo of the current version - nearly completed. It runs right beside the bridge for the highway that leaves town and heads toward the Coquihalla connector to Merritt. It crosses the Tulameen River which joins the Similkameen River just a few feet beyond the bridges. I will start here and work my way past the town along the river where the Trail takes me. This area is being made into a public park, with space to sit and picnic. I often see the Osprey here, fishing - and just around the bend the Ravens like to gather on the rocks and in the trees, with their scavenged morsels, to drink and preen and sit in the sunshine. The local dump is up the rise and over the hill, and not a long flight for a Raven to come to wash his dinner down. It's always a raucously noisy place as they scrap over who has which branch or rock to sit on.  Just a few of the Ravens, preening and sunning. From here, the Trail takes a short jaunt along side of the highway, then back down to the Similkameen River and under a different bridge. (Yes, we have a lot of bridges in this town! Being surrounded by rivers, we kinda' need them.) I will continue on in the next post. Creatures of Habit 11/07/2009
We are all creatures of habit and routine. Every one of us. Early in the morning on a day when the weather is decent, I sit outside with my laptop or books at the table under the evergreen trees. I see the same squirrel feeding on cones in the tree directly above, tossing left overs down around me, as I try to ensure that the bits don't land in my coffee cup! I see the same robins coming to pick bugs from the grass around me. I see bees gathering nectar from the same flowers, and the songbirds coming to drink and bathe in my bird baths. Many of the same vehicles pass by as the neighbours are setting off to work - and the same people out for their morning walk or run.  Bee on Daisy. Pollen on its legs. This type of bee was checking out all of the white flowers.  Bee on Everlasting Flower And, this type was on the blue flowers.  Squirrel eating fir cone. Squirrel - having breakfast. Sometimes, it's a good idea to sit down and look at those old habits. Are we doing them just because we are on autopilot and they have become routine, or are we still getting the joy out of them that we did in the beginning? I know I still get the same joy from sitting outside working when I can, because I become a part of what it taking place, and I love to watch. I know I still get joy from going on my walks everyday - camera in hand - because I always see or learn something new. But there are definitely other habits and routines I have that do not serve me well even though I continue to do them. Maybe it's time for a concerted effort to change them into time spent doing something new and exciting! Fall Havest In Glorious Colour! 10/24/2009
Love going through the valleys as harvesting begins. First the early fruits and then into veggies. Fall is always full of wonderful colours, and the vendors make a final resplendent display of their wares to celebrate before the cold weather comes and all stock get moved indoors.  Mariposa welcome sign This billboard sized sign greets you as you enter the town of Keremeos and pass the Mariposa fruit stand.  Here's the left half of the display that greets you........  and here's the right half - well, most of it all. It gives you a good idea of how big it is anyway. There's much more around the front and the far side as well.  All kinds of weird and wonderful gourds for decoration.  More gourds and squash. Always awesome to see. Makes me realize how lucky I am to be living in this area, with such a bounty of food to enjoy. (and yes, I stocked up for winter!) Spent another gorgeous fall day outside Saturday - but not wandering the woods this time. The morning I spent at the farmer's market with all the amazingly delicious looking produce from the local farms. There was also loads of other goodies - cinnamon buns, apple cider, home baked specialty breads, maple syrup, wine vinegars, pyrogy, and too many more to remember. Hand made crafts of every description were on display - and numerous musicians playing and singing. Always hard to make decisions - everything looks so good. Only one more street market this year before they close down for winter, and that will be a celebration of the abundance of food we have in this valley, and the abundance of creative talent as well. I think I will make one more trip to take part! Maybe this time I will get pictures!! Then, in the afternoon I went to the White Lake Observatory to an open house. In all the years it has existed there, I have never once been inside the gates. I decided that this should be the year. It's a good year to choose, as it's the 400th Anniversary of Galileo turning his telescope to the sky and beginning the search of the universe that continues with ever increasing technicality. The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory at White Lake is involved in several projects, some of which are international in scope through partnerships with other countries. One project of major importance is the 'Solar Flux Monitoring Programme' which constantly monitors the Sun. Information gathered is used by scientists and engineers world wide and related to climate change and solar flares that interfere with communications on Earth. The day wasn't all full of dull scientific information by any means! They had a couple of scientists dressed up as Galileo and one of his contemporaries, offering telescopes similar to the original for us to peer through so we could grasp the concept of how difficult it must have been to gather information on the movements of the planets. There were small telescopes for visitors to gaze through at the sun and distant mountains so we could understand the differences in magnification; several tents for kids to explore the visible universe through things like star maps and learning about moon phases; and discussions and explanations about the various projects the Observatory is involved with. It was all presented with easy to understand explanations, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm really glad I went, and wouldn't mind going back again to see the few things I missed. It was a clear day and the sun was beating down on us as we wandered from building to building - after being in the sun all morning at the market and two more hours at the Observatory, I was ready for a gallon of water and some shade!  "Galileo" in a costume he described as 'recycled chesterfield' (ha ha) - mostly for the kids, and just a little bit of fun to remind us how differently they dressed back then. The observation point at the end of this telescope was just a small point. Amazing how Galileo observed what he did, and came to his conclusions using this invention!  Throughout the site were small signs like this with a line to follow from one to the next, to give us a visual time line from the 'big bang' to the present day. Each was marked with a particular occurrence, such as the beginning of life on the planet, and the first plants and humans.  Here are four, of a series of seven, telescopes that move along rails. Each telescope is 9 meters in diameter, set in a 600 metre long configuration. Using sophisticated electronics, they can combine the readings to create a detailed picture of objects in the sky that they want to study.  This is the big guy (26 metres) that is used to study distribution of gas in the Milky Way. Radio waves can pass through the dust of the Milky Way and allow astronomers unobstructed view of objects within the Galaxy.  And this is the little one - the one that studies the sun and gives the world information on solar activity that may affect the communications and power systems on the planet. Written on the sign is as follows; "The Solar Flux Monitor Program measures the strength of the radio waves produced by the Sun. It is the most accurate and longest running measure of the Sun's activity in existence. Astronomers worldwide use the results in their research. The data is of special interest to industries that are affected by the Sun - power and radio communications companies, and satellite operators.....(it) is a fully automated system that has tracked the sun for over 50 years." All in all it was an awesome September day!! . Squirrel 09/14/2009
I have mentioned that I have a squirrel in my fir trees this year. First was the mother, and then she brought her babies around, and now one of the young ones has taken over the territory as its own. I have been watching the little critter most of the summer and being amused by its antics as it got used to me being in the yard. I could tell when it was in one of the trees, and where it was sitting, by the bits of cone that would drop to the ground as it picked the best parts of the cone to eat and tossed down the left overs. My usual routine is to pick the cones off the grass as they fall, and toss them all over on a part of the garden where I have been using them for mulch. Every now and then lately I would toss some new ones and think 'i am sure I already covered that spot!' And I wondered why I kept finding little piles of cones at the base of the tree. Finally, as I spent a day working out on the patio, I clued in. I've stopped moving them. The squirrel obviously has a plan of its own, and I am not involved! So these last few days I have made a point of watching what it is doing. Early morning it is the busiest and just flies along the top fence railing, jumping from post to rail to tree to ground like it was the last day of life! Then it usually stops - or maybe goes to another tree in the neighbourhood, I'm not sure. But it gets quiet for a while. Then it is back again going full speed ahead.  Squirrel My little squirrel is busy 'squirreling away' his stock for winter.  First thing to do is knock the cones down from the tree - some days it's not safe to walk under the trees! He just chucks them down one after the other.  Fir Cones at Base of Tree Some of them get piled up at the base of the trees. He makes a little hollow and fills it up with cones.  Fir Cones Some of them get hidden in the hole in the middle of the cement blocks.  Squirrel Hidiing Cones Caught in the act! It is also burying the cones under the lilac bushes..... AND..... in the rafters of the shed next door! It goes skittering along my fence railing and then jumps onto the wooden wall of the neighbour's shed and pops up under the eaves with the cone.... then comes out without it. Not sure where they are being stashed in there, but there's a very large pile hiding somewhere! it's fun to watch him bouncing around, but it is also a reminder that the squirrel is well aware that after all this beautiful summer weather comes the cold again - and we'd best be prepared. How he knows, I don't know. It's not the temperature, because it is still over 30 C most days. Perhaps the length of the day - shorter hours may be a signal. Perhaps even the state of the cones. Like fruit to humans, maybe they just look ripe for the picking! It does know that it is time for stocking up though, without anyone to tell him - no weather forecaster, no calendar to judge by. Squirrel just knows. It is time. And he acts accordingly. I think I should awaken my internal clock - life would be less stressful if I just "knew" when things should be done, and acted on that knowing. Friends of the Feather 09/08/2009
This blog post is for my friend Mudd who wants to see more Osprey photos... so here they are! Took oodles of photographs of the osprey as they were swirling and swooping around - soaring back and forth over the river looking for fish. It's not easy to get clear focus as they are moving, but some of them came out not badly. Good thing there was nothing else to keep my eye on because I had it focused in the camera viewfinder and was focusing as they flew. Nothing else was on my mind. It made for a fantastic morning, and it is moments like this that keep me wandering along the pathways for more.  Osprey in Flight  Osprey Hovering  Osprey Soaring  Osprey Watching  Osprey Watching... Me! Walking By The River 09/06/2009
Went for a morning walk by the river today - camera in hand, and took lots of pictures of the sun sparkling on the ripples, brightening the leaves on the trees, and turning the still water to molten silver. When I got home I saw a message that one of my friends on facebook had headed out for a walk by her river, camera in hand. It set me to wondering how many other people around the world were out wandering by rivers, lakes or oceans. Just enjoying the breeze blowing, the sun shining, the birds flitting and just thinking...... I don't always do much thinking when I am there. Sometimes, as this morning, I am just focused on the life around me and not thinking about myself at all. Those are the times I enjoy the most. Those are the times that I connect with the natural world around me and return home feeling at peace within.  Morning Sun on the River Glimmers of morning sun rays catch the rocks and tops of the waves. I was out early one morning a few weeks ago and caught the osprey on one of their fishing trips. Looking for breakfast I guess. They graced me with their antics for quite a while, soaring overhead and watching me with cautious eyes. Got some really nice photographs of them.  Osprey Fishing They are beautiful birds, and cunning fishers. Awesome to watch them twist, turn, dive and soar around the sky through my camera lens. Rivers, lakes, streams and oceans are fantastic places to just sit and absorb all of the sounds, smells and sights around you. There is abundant life near them and always lots of activity taking place if you sit quiet and notice. A Drive in the Country 09/02/2009
Took a drive through the countryside a while ago. Some cows were still in pasture, but many of them have gone to summer ranges up in the hills. The hay fields are being cut and baled, and the new crop is growing already in some of the fields. There is the smell of freshly mowed hay drifting through the air as I drive past.  Elderberry Blossoms Elderberry juice is healthy for you! I find it rather 'tongue drying' by itself, but mixed with other juices it's excellent. The flowers are creamy coloured and grow in a large, flat group.  Milkweed Swallowtail butterflies like the milkweed plant. They rely on this for food during their migration. The flowers are interesting, but I love the seed pods the best! It's always peaceful and relaxing for me to wander outdoors. Even if I am in the car driving I see the sights, smell the smells, and it relaxes me. It triggers many good memories. It also reminds me that there is a rhythm to the natural world - cycles and seasons - and it helps me keep the busy life in perspective. Choices - Decisions 08/22/2009
Perhaps you have heard someone say "I am of two minds about it" when confronted with a decision to make - not knowing which way to go - which choice to make. Well, it seems it's not only humans that have this difficulty. One day I was out picking cones off the lawn that had been blown down from the fir trees in my yard. I gather them up to use as mulch on an area where I removed the grass. It was much to hot and dry in that particular spot, so I tore up the grass, put down old used carpet, some black cloth on top, and am in the process of covering it with cones from the trees. I did a section of the yard like that last year and it has worked out very well, so I extended the area this spring.  Using Cones for Mulch The section on the right is full of fir cones instead of wood shavings. Looks just as good and works well for areas that don't get much traffic - and the price is right! It just makes sense not to pay to remove them and then pay to get mulch. But to get back to being of two minds - the neighbour happened to be outside as well and called to me to point out a young squirrel slowly moving along the top of the fence between our yards. The squirrel desperately wanted to get up into the safety of my fir tree (where he/she often spends time by the look of the peanut shells beneath it!). I was between the squirrel and the tree. The squirrel would look at me and take a few steps, then stop and look some more. Obviously not certain whether I was friend or foe, it was weighing the importance of reaching that particular tree for safety against the threat that I may pose. Now, I should be honest and admit that the squirrel and I have had eye to eye contact before, so it did have a history on which to base its decision to take one last charge across the last few feet and up the tree, where it lay along a branch and watched me some more. The camera, of course, was several feet away from me on the patio table! No good at all over there! But I do have some previous pictures of a squirrel that will do. This may well be one of its offspring. Who's to know? Although I reluctantly admit I do talk to it, I haven't yet had an answer back (chuckle, chuckle).  Squirrel Deciding which way to go. But, without trying to give animals human feelings, I could see/sense what was going on in its brain, because I have had that dilemma myself. Not certain whether what I wanted to do was really worth the risk I had to take to accomplish the job. I used to sit and write a list of pros and cons and 'logic' it to death. Now I just try to listen to what my heart says, because I have found that logic may not send you in the right direction. Like the little squirrel, sometimes taking that chance is what you want to do, what you need to do, and not half the risk you expect it to be. | Author
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