The duck creek is open and our resident duck flock seems to be doing fine.
They appear to have come through the cold snap pretty well with feed from the city and snacks from passersby (including us).
I’ve noticed that even the small flock of over-wintering Canada geese have been accepting food as well; they’re usually quite standoffish, but any port in a storm. They’re probably wishing that they had migrated!
Happy Tuesday.
This sudden, very unusually cold weather has caused the lakes to discharge a lot of mist since the water is so much warmer than the surrounding air. Some people have photographed mist spouts, but I haven’t been fortunate enough to see any of them.
One nice side effect of this cold weather is that’s it’s sunny, but I’ll be happy to say to good-bye to the sun as it begins to warm up (and consequently cloud up) tomorrow; thankfully, we are supposed to be at near seasonal temperatures by Friday.
This Arctic blast has been very hard on all the non-migrating birds and the animals that just aren’t used to these cold conditions; farmers are also very concerned about the tree fruit orchards and the wineries about their vines. As an indication of how unusual this weather is, a local environmental group just released instructions on how to help hummingbirds that are going into torpor because of the cold.
The eastern part of the country is now being walloped by a huge storm that has moved north from Texas. I don’t follow football but apparently a game has even been cancelled as a result!
Stay warm, everyone.
Having spent six winters in the subarctic Northwest Territories, I am accustomed to cold weather. I used to walk to work in -40C (-40F) and colder, in fact. The very atmosphere was frozen and crackly and my eyelashes and parka froze too, but dressed properly, I was perfectly comfortable and warm.
I am also accustomed to cold conveyances. Cold trucks, cold aircraft, cold snowmobiles, cold machinery, period.
Any engine of any type has to be treated with respect, especially if it has been left outside to cool to the surrounding temperature. The north forces patience. Everything takes more time and more preparation and precaution, and trips, even “quick trips to get a litre of milk” are weighed more carefully. Do I really need to go outside in -42C for milk? Or can I go without it until tomorrow when I have five other errands to do?
It’s funny how everything is relative. Now that I’m in the south, I see our weather from a different perspective. A couple of days ago, M and I walked to our neighbourhood brewery for a beer and a sandwich. It was windy and snowing a little. Before we left, the waitress wished us a safe walk home “in this terrible weather.” M and I laughed a bit but we also are falling into that mindset, too. I recently complained to a northern friend about an expected cold snap; she laughed and told me that I’m getting soft. Simultaneously it also occurred to me that I’m no longer a northerner, a northern-domiciled nomad who travels to the south for breaks and lives “real life” in the (mostly) cold.
There’s a saying that “we are what we eat.” But after many years of wayfaring, I’m beginning to think that we also “are where we eat,” too. We take on the characteristics of the places where we root ourselves, even if we wish our roots were somewhere else. It’s part of the human experience, I think.
I find myself thinking of our upcoming cold snap with “my! That’s cold!” But really, I’ve experienced much colder, much more demanding weather with a lot more riding on the decisions regarding it. But that’s also not my reality any more and my perception has been affected.
At least, that’s one of my little theories of relativity.
The City of Penticton always puts on a light show during December, and this year added a tunnel.
The tunnel proved to be very popular, especially with children, and so it was decided that it should stay until the end of January.
Given how grey, rainy and overcast it has been – and as of today including a little snow – I agree with the city’s decision. These pretty lights are definitely a little mood booster.
Apparently we will be getting our rain back tomorrow but according to the weather gods, we are supposed to get SUN on Wednesday. Fingers crossed.
Happy Tuesday.
While out for our New Year’s Day constitutional, we saw lots of birds.
First, there were some quail. I always find them hard to photograph because they’re so quick and they blend in so well. I love that cute little head feather.
Next, we saw lots of coots with their distinctive white beaks. They were very happily swimming along, looking for a bit to eat here and there. Suddenly, we saw the coots madly scrambling away to a pier, half swimming, half flying. And then we saw the reason why.
A bald eagle was swooping low, attempting to grab a straggler. I didn’t get a picture of the frightened coots because I was mesmerised by the unfolding drama, but I was able to get a couple of shots of this amazing raptor.
The coots were able to hide in the lee of a pier, thus preventing the eagle from getting a good angle on a quick snatch, and once he saw that he was out of luck, he quickly headed away. M and I were amazed at what we had just seen, though!
Happy Tuesday.
Last Friday I posted a picture of some pretty pink poinsettias and indicated that I would post a poinsettia picture every Friday for the rest of the month.
The creamy white ones are often seen grouped with the red ones as a counterpoint, but I think they look lovely on their own, too.
It’s a very busy time of year, so safe travels if you’re making a journey to family or friends. And whatever you’re doing (or not doing) this long weekend, I hope you are happy, healthy and safe.
The Okanagan Valley is surrounded by mountains: there are sub-ranges of the Rockies to the east of us, the Coastal Mountains are to the west of us and the Okanagan range of the Cascade Mountains are to the southwest of us. It’s no surprise then that our valley becomes subject to a lot of cloud and mist, particularly in the winter.
Penticton’s elevation is 385m (1263 ft) and the mountains around us are at least another 700m (2300 ft) higher; mist and cloud are typically trapped by mountain ranges.
I love watching the interplay of cloud and light as it forms, disperses and reforms, all the while playing peek-a-boo with the sun.
Happy Winter Solstice – if you’re in the northern hemisphere, from now forward our days become longer.
When we left the Caribbean the temperature was about 30C (86F); here at home it’s 5C (41F), which is a rather significant difference but completely to be expected, of course.
Another big difference is that we’re now next to a lake, not an ocean, but I love how both bodies of water can exert themselves so strongly on our lives and consciousness, even down to their colour changes.
I very much like being close to large bodies of water (I was born next to and lived my early years near the Atlantic); I find them comforting and reassuring, even when they decide to whip up some good storms.
I find it interesting that M finds the same sense of comfort and reassurance in the mountains; he was born next to the Rockies. Maybe we all have a sort of “birth set point location” that stays with us all our lives and for which we can unconsciously yearn.
Happy Sunday.
I was recently thinking about where I was this time last year, both literally and figuratively.
2023
I loved working in the Northwest Territories, but I am happy to be where I am now – a lot warmer, whether that’s Dominicana or Penticton.
Until yesterday we have had lovely weather here in the Caribbean …
… but a tropical storm passing to the east of us has caused some surf, overcast and rain showers. The beaches were flying red flags, a warning not to swim since the waves were powerful enough to easily knock people over. I believe this storm is headed to Nova Scotia where it will drop a lot of rain.
The ocean so often looks tame and inviting, but it is a supremely powerful force on our planet that should be respected. I am strongly reminded that if we don’t respect our climate, our climate won’t respect us.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 