Tag Archives: Vacation

nature, Photography

Hazy Holiday

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Yesterday in Canada most people had a day off. As I went for a morning ramble it was great to see the parks and beaches crowded as so many enjoyed the day by soaking up the sun, swimming, boating or picnicking.

Fly fishing.

Other people took the opportunity to get in some fly fishing. Okanagan Lake is known for its huge rainbow trout; apparently some can reach rather impressive weights.

Ginkgo biloba leaves.

The only drawback was that we had smoke-carrying wind moving into the valley as you can see from the pictures.

Smoky haze in the distance.

Most of the forest fires generating this smoke are in the north; I fervently hope that those parts of this country soon get some substantial and sustained rain. They certainly could do with it.

nature, Photography

Looking Back

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It recently occurred to me that this blog has been running since October, 2012 – quite a long time. Although it’s not my blogversary, I feel like doing a photographic “looking back” series and posting some pictures that have been buried for a while. These are not necessarily great photos, they’re just photos that I like, that evoke strong feelings.

Orchards …

These pictures are from an early autumn holiday visit to the Okanagan Valley in 2012. We knew we loved it, but didn’t know then that we would eventually move here.

… a distant boat …
… and M and I hiking among the grape vines.

Good memories of a lovely holiday.

nature, Photography

After the Storm

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The storm that passed by us dropping a lot of rain and whipping up the wind has continued on out to sea. It has left a disturbed ocean, however.

This photo doesn’t really do them justice, but these waves were quite high.

The red do-not-swim warning flags were out everywhere, but lots of people were going in the water anyway. The waves coming up on the beach were definitely powerful enough to knock down children or anyone who’s a bit unsteady. We took a long walk on the beach but didn’t swim.

Happy Sunday.

nature, Photography

Bright Green Ocean

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The night ocean here in the tropics in particular can often look phosphorescent green, something many people may find surprising.

The colour is caused by phytoplankton, tiny organisms that grow near the surface of the ocean and like plants, get their energy from sunlight.

This green tint is more visible at night (and to cameras, since they “see” more colours at that end of the spectrum). Unfortunately, climate change is affecting the growth of phytoplankton and we are seeing much more phosphorescence at night than we should be.

However, here’s a more conventional ocean view together with a soothing sound track of those ocean rollers:

Happy Friday.

nature, Photography

White Herons

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I tried to get lots of photos of these lovely birds that I initially thought might be egrets, but was somewhat unsuccessful. I later realised that they’re too small to be those elegant birds.

I wasn’t really able to zoom in on this huge flock enjoying their position near the ocean and clearly, each other’s company as they swooped and swirled together in knots of three and four.

They were lovely to see, however, and were so busy flying and socialising with each other although I couldn’t capture that due to their unpredictable movements and my position.

They were enjoying this water feature but were wary once I arrived. I hope to get some better photos of them later during our stay.

Happy Wednesday.

Reblogs

On the Road Again – From Carcassonne to Arles

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As I mentioned in previous posts, theTravelsketcher and I are on a long road trip through the south of France. We left Normandie on September 12, and…

On the Road Again – From Carcassonne to Arles

Travels Through My Lens is on a road trip in France where she lives and recently visited Carcassonne in the south. Please click the link above to read her very enjoyable post.

Commentary, Happy Holidays!, nature, Photography

Summer Fun

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With school holidays drawing to a close, I decided to post a second photo of this lovely sculpture on Lake Okanagan’s shoreline in Penticton. (The first time I posted a picture of this sculpture was about five years ago.)

I remember well those seemingly endless summer breaks when all you had to do was play intensely and be sure to arrive home – during my childhood, at least – when the streetlights started to come on. I think this sculpture captures well the childhood sense of freedom that many of us were able to enjoy and is perhaps gone forever, replaced by caution and organisation.

Happy Monday.