Commentary, nature, Photography

Lonely February Beach

33 Comments

I recently took a walk on the beach beside the Penticton marina. It’s a small one tucked away on the east side of the lake, away from the bustle of the many hotels and restaurants on the west side.

Except for a couple of busy mergansers, it was completely empty. There were lots of duck tracks in the sand, but this day most of them were off somewhere else.

In the warmer months, this beach is very busy with swimmers, lots of families, sailboats going past, and picnickers. I’ve even seen people in early November, wearing light jackets but sitting on the beach in their lawn chairs, still enjoying the sun and the view. It’s laidback and unpretentious …

… and the scenery is rather fantastic. I’m glad that this little beach, bordered on one side by a park, to the north by the lake, to the east by the marina, and otherwise by nearby homes, is quietly available. But once we begin warming up, it won’t be lonely for long.

Happy Sunday.

33 thoughts on “Lonely February Beach”

    1. We definitely do, Jo. This area is very attractive to and popular with tourists (in winter for the skiing but particularly in summer, too) and while that’s great for the economy it’s also nice to have a few places that are just occupied by locals – much more laid back. Cheers.

      Like

    1. Thanks, Allan.
      It can be but we’ve learned some tricks to avoid the busier times and places. For instance, this weekend has been busy because of Family Day weekend skiing so the grocery shopping was completed earlier.

      The tourism is an important economic driver that has provided jobs and shaped the wide variety of services in this community (unusual for a community of this size). We have to take the bad with the good, but it’s nice to find the niche spots that tourists don’t know about.

      Like

  6. It looks lovely in the sunshine – all those blues! Our beaches are heaving in the summer and winter is far the best time to visit, though this year the blue sky days have been far too few.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The blues have really been gorgeous – so great to see them after weeks of overcast and rain! I like your description – heaving – to describe the beaches. Ours are like that too. The little one pictured will be busy with locals – it’s not in a good location for tourists – but not uncomfortably so. It’s a great open secret.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I think I like the lonely February beach better than the busy summer one, but the warmth is definitely good in the summer. I didn’t like how crowded the whole area got in the summers when I used to live there. I suppose you learn to work around it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You do learn to work around it and of course the tourism has lead to a lot of services that we wouldn’t otherwise have, so there’s both good and bad. The little beach pictured is used by locals – it’s too far away (and tucked away) from tourist amenities – and even though it becomes busy, it has a different, much more laid back atmosphere. Cheers.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree. This little beach becomes busy with locals and that gives it a very different vibe than at the much bigger beaches on Skaha Lake and especially Okanagan Lake. Still, it’s nice to have it all to yourself – yes, very quiet and peaceful.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.