Saturday, January 30, 2021

WE WENT LOOKING FOR WINTER AND FOUND IT!

 

We made a couple trips up past Apex Mtn Ski Hill to try out Aileen’s new snowshoes.  I have had a pair for quite a while but haven’t used them since we started going south in 2008.  The first time we parked where friends had mentioned there were some trails.  Being off on our own is more our style so yesterday we found a new spot that was very much our own.  We had our lunch in the car and one vehicle went by while we ate.  From that time until we returned to the car, we never heard another manmade sound, not even an airplane.  Just perfect!  It was -5C, sunny and no wind so perfect again.

One day after lunch needing to get out of the apartment for some fresh air, I walked up to the dam on Penticton Creek and the ice was rather nice.  I will shop at the IGA store which is walking distance during the day since it usually is fairly quiet but for the bigger stores, I shop late in the evening close to closing time.  Often I will be the only one checking out and the aisles are mostly empty of people.

Our bubble is still just Bev and Karen and we get together once in a while.  We have taught them how to play Mexican Train which has provided us with some fun times.  We will teach them another game next time.


Penticton Creek

Penticton Creek

Penticton Creek

Penticton Creek Dam



Aileen and the owl

In Karen's orchid room


Yesterday


Aileen and myself

Dropping down into the fog zone on the drive home

Frost on the moss


Frost and snow on the trees




Sunday, January 24, 2021

I GET A ROAD TRIP

 

For the most part there’s not been much happening in our lives, just hunkered down waiting it out.  Yesterday Aileen had a couple of online zoom meetings so I headed off on a drive.  I started down the east side of Skaha Lake and didn’t get far when I noticed some neat ice sculptures created by the wave action in the -5C temperature.  A little further along, I took a loop road and was able to watch some bighorn sheep up on the bluffs.  Too far for photos but nice to see.

I took a drive past our lot to see how they were progressing on the unit moved in beside us.  Looks like it is move in ready.  I paced around on our lot getting a feel for how it will be sited and where our windows will be and the view they will have.  From there I found a new road for me that went from Oliver over the hills to Cawston.  I think this will be a favourite drive throughout the year from our new home.  I was able to travel yesterday without driving on the same road except for the parking lot here at the apartment.  I love circle trips.

We continue to keep our bubble small with Karen and Bev being the only ones we visit.  We played Mexican Train with them the other night for the first time and had an enjoyable evening.

One of our Colorado friends who had some severe health issues contracted the virus and passed recently.  Another of our Colorado friends has been taken to hospital as she was getting very ill from the virus.  The last I heard, sixteen people have tested positive in Caliente, our Arizona park.  Two were hospitalized and one since released.  In Canada, it seems the majority of the deaths are happening in care homes although there are some fairly young people succumbing to the disease.

As I write this, I see some parts of Vancouver Island are getting snow.  Our ground is still bare and while they keep predicting snow, it just gets put ahead day by day.  The wind has quit the past couple of days which is very welcome.   I had never realized before what a wind tunnel Penticton is.  It is in a north south valley with a lake on both ends of town so I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise.


As I was driving along the lake, I noticed these sparkles on the surface.

Skaha is a shallow lake on the east side which is why it is so popular with migratory birds.  It was the ice on the grasses that I saw.

Along the edge of the lake the waves had splashed water up creating some incredible artwork.


Can you see the man and woman sitting there?

Now can you see them?  They look like they are hooded.









Some of the above were taken with my full frame Canon camera with the 100-400 lens mounted and some were taken with my iPhone 11.  The both did a great job and I doubt most people could tell them apart.

Up at a higher elevation there was frost on the shrubs

Getting down on the western side and losing the snow

Grasslands not far north of the border near Cawston, BC




Moonrise


Friday, January 15, 2021

I'M STILLHERE!

 

Well, this has been a long dry spell for my blog.  Staying put as much as possible and not interacting with others kind of makes life dull so not much to share.  I have done quite a bit of scanning of old photos and slides in the past few weeks.  I’m up to nearly 1,000 now.  I have tossed out thousands of slides keeping just a few that I may want to scan at higher resolution in the future.

               I have been spending a lot of my time editing the scanned images and sharing them.  Old family photos are being shared five a day to a Facebook page shared with my cousins.  The rest of the images I’m posting six a day onto my Facebook page to share with my friends.  Most of these are pre-digital so are new subjects that I haven’t shared before.

               Our weather has been quite moderate so far this month.  The day before yesterday the thermometer read 8C and when I pushed the conversion button on the back it said 48F.  We have had a couple of days with no wind but generally there is a lot of wind here in the valley.  Given that, we didn’t have any of the devastation that occurred further north in the Okanagan and Shuswap or especially on Vancouver Island.

               Not much to report on the house front.  The new unit is in place next to our lot and they are busy completing it.  There are three stakes on our lot showing our unit placement so that’s a positive sign.  We have a face to face meeting coming on Monday regarding the carport and deck.

               I’ve made a couple trips down to the lot recently which is about our only travel and photo opportunity.  The last trip down I managed to get up close and personal with five trumpeter swans so I will include a couple of new images of them.  We did take a quick trip to Salmon Arm recently to gather our mail but we didn’t see anybody.  We were surprised how much more wintery it was up that way.  They had lots of snow and icy sidewalks while down here we had bare ground.  Maybe we are making the right decision to settle in Oliver rather than going back to the Shuswap.



Young trumpeter swan

Mr and Mrs Trumpeter Swan