A COUPLE OF DAY TRIPS AROUND THE AREA WITH FRIENDS FROM ARIZONA.

Our good friends, Richard  and Judy Johnson from Caliente in Florence, Arizona were in the Pacific Northwest for the summer and came to stay with us for three nights.  It was great to have them spend time with us.  We toured them around some of our favourite areas while they were here and lucked out with some wildlife.   They left their motorhome south of the border and drove across in their car.  We bid them farewell this morning.

An old barn up in the hills east of Osoyoos.

An old barn up in the hills east of Osoyoos.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Swainson's Hawk.

Swainson's Hawk.

Coyote on the move.

I managed to briefly get his attention.

Lawless homestead, Anarchist Mountain, Highway 3 east of Osoyoos.

Vesper Sparrow.

An old church between Bridesville and Rock Creek on the old backroad.

A Kestrel enjoying a grasshopper for lunch.

Kestrel.

Kestrel about to take off.

Salsify seed puff with Spotted Knapweed flowers.

We saw this bear across the Similkameen River west of Keremeos yesterday.  The colourful background is poison ivy.

An Osprey up the Ashnola River yesterday.

A FEW EVENING PHOTOS AND SOME LATE EVENING PHOTOS.

Last Thursday evening we were out for a short drive when we spotted the four bucks in a winery meadow.  Further up the road we stopped to admire the vineyards that are doing very well this year.  On Friday evening I joined three other camera club members to do some milky way photography.  Not something I've tried very much over the years.  It was nice to have a couple of experienced members along to give advice.  I plan on joining some of them again tonight after dark to gain a little more experience.

Three big boys and one much smaller.

The three pointer has lost his velvet but the four pointer hasn't.  There is a small tear on one antler so it won't be long before he loses his velvet too.

The largest and smallest, note the strange antlers on the smaller one.

I think those marks on his side are from scratching himself with his velvet antlers.  The velvet could be quite damp.

At the parking lot where we met to shoot the Milky Way a young couple had set their tent up to spend the night.  When I noticed they had a light on, I decided to put them in my composition.

We used red lights to see our camera settings so I did a walkaround with mine to illuminate a couple of the members.

That's the lights of Osoyoos.

While all the other photos were taken looking to the south or southwest, this one is looking northeast to the other end of the Milky Way.

BACK HOME IN OLIVER.

We caught the ferry from Vancouver Island on Tuesday then stayed the night in Hope.  We had a nice drive the rest of the way home on Wednesday.  Aileen had a doctor's appointment on Thursday so we made the drive up to Salmon Arm for that.  On Friday we finished emptying the motorhome and parked it in the compound.

I've been keeping busy with scanning some photos Cousin Clay lent me.  Cousin Neil is to visit us on September 3 and will take the photos back to Clay so I need to be finished with them.

We drove over to Keremeos this morning and bought a box of peaches and a bag of pickling cukes.  We also got two large zucchini for making relish so we'll be busy here for a few days.

Richard and Georgia took me for a walk up Christmas Hill in Victoria where I spotted the Red Squirrel.

While aboard the ferry we saw this other ferry with Mt. Baker in the background.

We caught up to and passed this sailboat.

One of the newer smaller ferries in the fleet.

Just as we were entering Active Pass, another ferry was entering the other end.  If you look closely on the little island between the two lights, you will see some seals lounging.

Closer view of the seals.

Closer yet looking back after we passed the seals.

The other ferry exiting the opening we just came through.

As we exit Active Pass, our destination on the Vancouver side comes into view.

While in Salmon Arm, I took a walk around McGuire Lake.  The nice fountain was broken and not working but there were several large mats of pink water lilies as well as white ones.

We took the old Fairview Road over the mountains from Oliver to Cawston and this was our view as we approached the bottom.

Orchards and vineyards in Cawston.

Orchards and vineyards in Cawston.

Orchards and vineyards in Cawston.

I spotted this unique RV in Oliver on Friday.

I spotted this unique RV in Oliver on Friday.

I spotted this unique RV in Oliver on Friday.

I spotted this unique RV in Oliver on Friday.