Tag Archives: British Columbia

nature, Photography

Flower Power

23 Comments

Right now we have beautiful hydrangeas blooming everywhere. They are very sensitive to soil conditions which is why we can find a wide variety of stunningly attractive colours.

This blue and light yellow is caused by a higher aluminum content in the soil.
A lower aluminum content will tend to cause pink flowers.
Red hydrangeas aren’t common, but their gorgeous colour is caused by exposure to iron.
I’ve never tried this, but apparently, adding coffee grounds to the soil will cause hydrangeas to become a deeper blue as this allows the plant to better access aluminum.
The ever-lovely white hydrangea. These aren’t affected by soil pH; they maintain their creamy colour no matter the conditions.

Have a flower power day.

nature, Photography

Inside Passage to Port Hardy, Part Two

22 Comments

You can read Part One here: https://lynettedartycross.com/2024/07/29/inside-passage-to-port-stanley-part-one/

On our return from Haida Gwaii which is off the northern coast of British Columbia, we took the ferry ship Northern Expedition through the Inside Passage to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island.

Our route to Port Hardy.

We had an incredibly smooth passage with one section through open water that was also an easy sail. One of the perks of summer sea travel!

The tranquility allowed the passengers to really enjoy the scenery while on the outside decks.
Although somewhat overcast, the temperature and weather were perfect.
The ship’s passage through the water made very gentle ripples.

We passed other vessels, especially small cruise ships, travelling north.

This one is called Le Boreal, a small cruiser with ice-breaking capabilities.
Exiting the Inside Passage and heading south toward the open ocean on the last leg of our journey to Vancouver Island.
There was a small amount of chop and the wind picked up a bit, but it certainly wasn’t rough.
We passed a scenic lighthouse as we neared Port Hardy.
Port Hardy is small but quite busy with commercial fishing boats, ferries, small cruise ships and many private vessels.

The B.C. ferry system is reliable, comfortable and clean. It’s an excellent mode for exploring British Columbia’s coastal waters as the scenery alone is definitely worth the trip. As I mentioned before, the one drawback is the onboard food services which aren’t great, but you can go a long way to rectifying that by bringing along your own in a cooler.

nature, Photography

Height of Summer

35 Comments

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

22 Comments

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

32 Comments

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.