Saturday, May 30, 2020

STAYING PUT A WHILE LONGER


Karen’s handyman had a crash the other day on his bicycle and cracked his arm so she asked if we could stick around a bit longer to help her out.   We decided that would be okay with us.  First up was establish her new peach orchard so we planted six trees behind the house.  Then she had a crew come in and fence it to keep the deer out.
Our next project was a large one and that was cleaning out one of the three sheds on the property.  The contents were different generations’ collections dating back to Karen’s husband’s grandfather.  The shed was nearly inaccessible to start with.  After hauling many loads out to the back alley and putting free signs up, much of it disappeared.  Some was kept and there is a pickup load that needs to go to the garbage dump.  This was the first time Karen had ever seen the complete floor in the shed so she was impressed.  Two more sheds to go.  Karen has wanted to do this for years but it was just too overwhelming.
We got out geocaching in the high country once again.  We started out over 5,000 feet elevation and dropped down to about 4,200 but it stayed cool.  Our high temperature was 7C.  When we dropped down to the valley bottom on the return home, it was 22C.   We had a nice quiet day and picked up another 39 caches.  We were the first to find them since the last geocachers were there in October 2019.  We sat out in our folding chairs for lunch and it was so peaceful.  For the whole lunchtime we didn’t hear a man made sound!


American Goldfinch

Twin towers in Penticton

Ground Squirrels in the high country


Osprey along Penticton Creek


More of Karen's Irises


Rhodo near our motor home

Interesting rock face seen while geocaching

Saw this huge natural meadow while caching at 5,000 feet

Daisy

Some of what we put in the back alley

The shed floor

While Karen's friend was staining the deck, this two point buck came along to watch

Yellow rose in Karen's garden

Wild rose

Thursday, May 21, 2020

GETTING TOO COMFORTABLE IN PENTICTON


Time is marching along, here it is almost the end of May already.  One would think time would drag on a little slower with all this Covid-19 stuff interrupting our plans but that doesn’t seem to be the case.   I have used some of the time to start working on Mom’s diary again and have 2001 printed now.  With all this extra time on my hands, I’m finding it difficult to actually focus on a project.  I guess it’s because I think I should be doing something else.  Aileen has been getting her gardening fix by working in Karen’s gardens. 
I have done a couple little projects for our host, Karen and Aileen and I have been out geocaching several times.  We have been caching the high country where there aren’t many people out and about but the problem has been snow.  Up at 5,000 feet and higher, we keep running into shaded areas where the snow lies deep across the road blocking access with the car.  We have accessed the caches from both sides now and one road still has six caches in between the two blocked accesses and the other road has eight. 
The other day, Aileen and I took a road trip to Princeton making a circle trip out of it.  Every couple of weeks we have to take the motorhome for a drive a few miles north of town to access a dump station.  We ran into an issue with the usual one in town as it was plugged up last time we went to use it so not going back there.
We got our income taxes files and were pleasantly surprised that we didn't have to pay nearly as much as the past few years.  I got an email from the accountant with what we owed and then I was able to pay the taxes online through our bank.  Then, I paid the accountant with an e-transfer.  All from the comfort of the motorhome.  A few years ago, one couldn't have imagined.
We have quite the routine here with happy hour most days out on the deck weather permitting, access to the laundry facilities, power and water hookup and internet.  Are we spoiled?  With things starting to open up, we may head out a little further afield soon.


Utah Honeysuckle

The aftermath of drinking and then roaring around the mountain back roads!  Diesel 3/4 ton and he hit a tree breaking the right front wheel off them falling back into the creek.

Deep snow that blocked our access on the south end of Sunset Main

Old Ford along a back road out of Penticton

And a Fordson tractor with the old Ford

The sign says five bedrooms and three baths but I don't see where they are

Penstemon

Balsamroot on the hills west of Keremeos, BC


This rainbow, never making an arc, was visible for our whole walk last night.


The rest of these photos are from my iPhone.  This is Balsamroot

Dogwood in Karen's yard

A couple of Narcissis in Karen's garden


Ponderosa Pine

An Iris in Karen's garden

Lunch in the mountains while geocaching yesterday

Sunset Main blocked from the north

Fungi along Penticton Creek last night

Sunday, May 10, 2020

ROAD TRIPPING


I drove up to Salmon Arm and collected our mail around the beginning of the month.  I took the scenic route up the west side of Okanagan Lake and avoided a lot of stop lights.   After a quick turnaround in Salmon Arm, I took the faster route home but spent lots of time sitting in traffic at the aforementioned lights. 
This past Friday, Aileen joined me and we went to deliver our income tax papers to the accountant in Salmon Arm after I had gone through the mail and sorted everything out.  We took the fast way there this time.  We managed to have a short visit with Kevin.  He was in his truck just leaving when we got to the house.
We took our lunch down to the wharf but since it was cloudy, cool and breezy, we had to dress warmly to sit on a bench and enjoy the scenery and wildlife.  I wandered around with my camera while Aileen went for a walk. 
Heading home, we took the scenic west side route taking a side trip up Irish Creek Road where we saw flowers and picked up three geocaches.  Our days here are pretty mundane, with lots of reading and Aileen is doing a bit of gardening with Karen.  Aileen has been knitting also.  I’ve had a couple of small projects Karen has given me.  Most days we have a little happy hour out on Karen’s back deck.  And, every evening after supper, we walk up the creek to see what there is to see.
Yesterday, we went back to the Bridesville Loop Road where we geocached exactly one month ago.  This time the snow was all gone and I was able to find the caches that were buried under the snow.  I also found all but one of the remaining caches in that series.  That one had been destroyed by logging over the winter.  I found one more cache in the old barn on Wagon Wheel Road giving me 33 for the day.  We had an excellent day with the beautiful area and very little traffic.  When we sat out in our folding chairs at lunch time there wasn’t a speck of man-made noise to be heard.  Once again we bought two dozen eggs in the roadside cooler miles from anywhere, it seemed.   Too bad it is an hour and a half drive from here!


Along westside of Okanagan Lake


These Balsamroot were along the westside too

Wild Clematis along Penticton Creek

Clematis open

Mallard babies Penticton Creek

Mushroom clinging to the side of a cottonwood tree

Pink dogwood  in a yard we walk by

This squirrel found some cotton batting under some old foam and was lining its nest

Backlit cottonwood and Penticton Creek

Balsamroot on Irish Creek Road

Reflections in Penticton Creek

Squirrel nearly finished a Ponderosa Pine cone

Looking down on Osoyoos, BC from the viewpoint on Hwy 3

Along Hwy 3 Anarchist Mtn

Taken looking the other way from the house photo, more Balsamroot

This was quite the character, he posed for a bit then ran away.  I was shooting into the sun and my camera didn't like doing that.

Western Spring Beauty above and Sagebrush Bluebells below taken along the Bridesville Loop Road


An old barn on Wagon Wheel Road, Anarchist Mtn area off Hwy 3

Western Larch, new cones and last year's cone

Pink Dogwood taken with my iPhone