Tag Archives: British Columbia

nature, Photography

Height of Summer

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We seem to be getting the last of the greatest summer heat; today it was 31C (87.8F) and the temperature is expected to gradually drop into the high 20s over the course of the next week.

From an early morning walk.

The foliage, the water and the very air seem to be dropping back, sliding into a softness and a relaxation after the extremes of heat we have experienced.

Or maybe it’s not that elegant; maybe it’s just simple fatigue. In any event, I’m going to savour some beach afternoons in the cooler temperatures that are beginning to arrive. It’s time to enjoy the lakes that have been warming up all summer!

nature, Photography

Fiery Sunset

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We have been experiencing very high temperatures of 38C (100.4F) or so over the last week, and our sunsets have been matching those temperatures.

As the sun disappeared behind the mountain, the day finally began to cool a bit as we watched the sky calm into shades of blue before the decent into night.

It was a beautiful summer evening.

Happy Tuesday.

nature, Photography

Grape Vines

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The British Columbia wine industry took a major hit when a very unusual four-day January cold snap with temperatures as low as -25C did terrible damage to tree fruits and grape vines. Both these agricultural segments suffered huge losses. All of the peaches, apricots and plums and most of the cherries were lost, and many vine fields have been decimated.

There have been signs of hope, however.

Many older, well-established vines did survive, and even though they won’t produce this year, they are showing good signs of recovery.

And if the weather maintains its usual pattern this winter, the recovery for both agricultural segments will continue.

Fingers crossed for all those farmers and vintners that we have a more stable winter and a better season for them next year.

nature, Photography

Summer Evening Sky

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We’re in the middle of a hot spell right now with 38C (100.4F) or thereabouts for the next several days. While it’s a dry heat, I prefer to get any outside activities completed before 10:00 a.m. or so, but we are also getting beautiful evening skies that cool off to a much more comfortable 23 or 24 (73 – 75 F).

Sitting outside on a cooling evening with a great scene in front of you is a wonderful thing.

Happy Saturday.

nature, Photography

Rainforest Scenes from Haida Gwaii

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Rainforests are such interesting (and damp!) places. Here are a few photos of some of my favourites.

I wasn’t able to find out what type of mushrooms these are, but they remind me of mussel shells.
New trees growing out of a nursery log.
Wild honeysuckle. We saw a number of large honeysuckle bushes growing in the rainforest. There are also lots more growing in the village of Masset, so I’m not sure if wild ones have migrated to town or cultivated ones have migrated to the forest. Their scent was heavenly.
The underside of a large stump showing part of the intricate root system. We couldn’t find any evidence of the fallen tree, and maybe it has already been consumed by the forest, but it must have been very tall and large.
Moss and lichen have engulfed many of the lower limbs of this tree but the upper branches are more exposed to light and overall, the tree seems to be healthy.
I love this scene and find it very representative of how the rainforests on Haida Gwaii appear. But I also think that it could be in one of the Harry Potter books!

Happy Tuesday.

Commentary, nature, Photography

Inside Passage to Port Hardy, Part One

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To return home from our visit to Haida Gwaii, we decided to take the 15 hour ferry trip through the Inside Passage from Prince Rupert to Port Stanley.

Our route is marked by red-circled numbers.

The passage is sparsely inhabited and quite narrow in places so we easily saw lots of bald eagles, hawks, a couple of bears, deer, and several dolphins. I was more interested in watching rather than taking pictures so the few that I did take weren’t great. The scenery was gorgeous, however, so I have lots of those photos!

Our seats at the front afforded fantastic views, although I have to admit that the ship movement provided a nice nap!
Our ship – the Northern Expedition
The water was the most amazing flat calm. It was a wonderful ride.
I stood outside for long periods just enjoying these spectacular views. This view also shows the wheelhouse on the right.
The Northern Expedition’s stern.

On this trip we took two round-trip ferries and then there was the 15 hour trip from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy (all with B.C. Ferries). We found all the vessels to be clean, comfortable and in good condition. On the other hand, the onboard meals offered were dry, overcooked, overpriced and ran heavily to hamburgers and other fast food, so for our 15 hour trip, we brought along a cooler and had our own snacks and sandwiches, something that seemed to be commonly done. Overall though, we found that B.C. Ferries were really quite good.

Happy Monday.