Tag Archives: Landscapes

nature, Photography

Snowpiles

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It has warmed up and as a result an enormous amount of snow came down, so very unusually, it’s piled up everywhere in Penticton.

This is a parking lot pile, but the size of it is very unusual.

Because it’s slick, people are not coping well and drivers, in particular, are having issues. That winter driving gene can atrophy badly if it’s not used regularly, unfortunately. These snow piles aren’t what I want to see, though.

This view from a walk of a few days ago is much better. But what will work really well is when I get to see this:

Rhododendrons from spring, 2023.

Spring will be very welcome!

Commentary, nature, Photography

Duck Update

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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.

Commentary, nature, Photography

Misty Skaha Lake

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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.

Coots, ducks and geese crowding together at the edge of Skaha Lake. They didn’t seem to be too bothered by not being of the same feather!

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.

Setting sun over misty Skaha Lake.

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.

Commentary, musings, nature, Photography

Baby It’s Cold Outside

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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.

Fresh snowflakes; photo taken outside my door in February 2023 while on my way to work.
Dash 7 Combi – a northern workhorse that is capable of an amazingly incredible amount – ferrying passengers and cargo and getting into and out of demanding landing and takeoff circumstances.
Underneath the snow is my reliable truck, also capable of a lot.

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?

Yellowknife street clearing.

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.