Photography

Weather Change

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Our weather reprieve is over and we’re back to overcast, wind, and probably some rain too before long. Oh well, the sun and warmer temperatures were great while they lasted, but it is January!

The snow was falling on the mountaintops …

… and the lake was doing some wind-driven pounding on the breakwater boulders …

… but a small lakeside rink had some peewees  enjoying a national pastime.

And what do supervising parents do? They start a fire in one of the beach pits! Hot drinks and hot dogs were sure to follow! How very iconically Canadian.

Happy Monday.

56 thoughts on “Weather Change”

  2. A beach picnic in the middle of freezing winter!😊 How wonderfully resourceful and it looks very cosy. The warm food and drink will be much appreciated by the young players too. I love the photos, Lynette and wow, what a beautiful dramatic capture of the sea pounding the rocks!

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    1. Thank you very much for your lovely comments, Annika. That’s actually the long narrow lake (Okanagan Lake – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okanagan_Lake) that’s at the bottom of our valley. It was +3C out which wasn’t too bad but it was windy as well which made the conditions a bit more challenging. Beach picnics continue to go forward here as long as we’re on the “plus” side of the thermometer. Nevertheless, everyone was well-dressed for it and seemed to be having a good time. I bet everyone slept well afterward! Cheers.

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        1. It sure is. I saw where the city has started putting out suet and some sort of berries for the wrens, chickadees, finches, waxwings, quail and robins. I don’t know if there are other overwintering small birds but these are the ones I’ve seen.

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          2. Penticton is the only city I know of that does that. When we had that massive cold snap in January, 2024, the one that killed all the grape vines and stone fruit buds, I saw the city putting out grain for our resident mallard ducks. It’s pretty wonderful.

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    1. Thanks, Allan. I agree that those kids will have some great memories. There were about eight or so of them and they were dressed well against the wind and really enjoying themselves. The parents and grandparents seemed to be, too. Yes, we Canadians might not always love it or even like it, but we know how to do it! Cheers.

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  7. Great photos, you are Canadian, cold weather doesn’t phase you, Lynette. ❤️ Do you have any thoughts on Alberta trying so separate from Canada because of what’s going on in Ottawa?

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    1. Thank you very much, John. Yes, I don’t like the cold much any more after years in the Arctic but certainly know how to handle it. 🙂

      I lived for 25 years in Alberta and consider it my home province. My children live there, I have many friends there as well and I visit often.

      First of all, Alberta isn’t trying to separate. The separation noise in Alberta is just that, noise. It’s very loud and coming from a very small (every poll shows that it’s about 15%), very discontented group. This same group has been squalling and howling for literally decades simply because things don’t go their weird way. That’s what happens in a democracy. You’re not always going to get your way but if you’re off the wall, you’re likely never going to get your way, either. And that’s mostly the problem.

      That said, the premier, Danielle Smith, has been using this group to try to squeeze the federal government, which makes them feel powerful (and louder). She’s shady and only cares about holding power, not about Alberta citizens. Albertans are well aware that she’s manipulating this small separatist group in order to cause trouble and it’s unlikely she will survive the next election. Polls show that about 80% of Albertans are Canadians first. Far too much is being made of this situation; it’s getting a lot more attention than it should be. The bottom line is that Alberta isn’t trying to separate although a referendum may happen in order to shut those idiots up for a few years.

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      1. Wow Lynette, I had to chuckle a bit at your very specific and knowledgeable explanation of what is actually going on. it’s really that hyped up, eh?

        That’s the funny part for me. I now have a different perspective on the entire situation but I wonder why people are continually being elected such as the PM that nobody likes?

        Am I wrong on this, its confusing to me.

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        1. It’s definitely very hyped up. That small group has an outsized influence with the media for sure. There’s also concern that premier Smith is deliberately amplifying the media attention on separation so that the heat is taken off her as she’s in a lot of trouble over the economy and health care.

          Mark Carney is our federal PM (prime minister, similar to president) and is quite popular among Canadians so I’m not sure who you mean. Are you thinking of Justin Trudeau? He was in office for nearly 10 years (and won three elections) and over time became very unpopular, yes, but resigned when he finally realised he wouldn’t be elected again. His resignation triggered an immediate federal election which we had in April, 2025 and Carney was elected PM then. Does that explanation help?

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          1. Yes, thank you Lynette. I have the woman and the PM mixed up. Crazy Yanks, right! It sounds like Premier Smith better change her tune right quick…

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          2. I get things mixed up too sometimes- hello aging! 😉 I doubt Smith will change her tune. She’s unfortunately in love with the power and is going to get booted out in an election. Too bad Albertans have to wait for one …

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          3. Wow, in a way this sounds very much like how people (politicians) are in the States, all they want is more power, more power and then suddenly they are just another pair of feet on the street after the election boots them out.

            It’s like money, you can have all the money on the earth but ya can’t take it with you when your time comes. So, what worth does it really have… Nil.

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          4. I think they’re mostly the same the world over. People complain about the same behaviour in Australia, Germany and South Korea. At least for the most part we have ways of getting them out.

            Agreed about money. People give it so much more value than it really has.

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    1. Thank you very much, Tricia. 😊 The adults were gathered around the fire and I could smell the hot chocolate and weenies. This was a real throwback to a time – I remember experiencing this when I was growing up – when small outdoor rinks with nearby warming fires were very common and in much colder temperatures than what we have now. It might look off-putting but everyone seemed to be enjoying it. 😊 Cheers.

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    1. It sure is, isn’t it? 😊 Which mountains are those? We have had loads of moisture in the Okanagan-Similkameen mountains so far this winter and I understand that both Apex and Big White have been having a good season with lots of snow. I think the ski resorts near Vancouver have been having trouble, though.

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