Stepped outside a few minutes ago and took a photo of the sun. It is red from the forest fires burning nearby. It has been hot and the smoke has rolled in the past few days. It can and probably will get a lot worse. The moisture seems to be getting sucked out of the earth.
Giant sunspots can be seen on the sun. The photo was taken with a 200mm lens. I have cropped a great deal of the photo as the sun took up a small part of the frame.
It is the smoke acting as a filter that makes this photo possible, but it also shrouds the detail.
Still the sunspots are big. Every bit as big as the one that erupted in early May that caused those magnificent auroras.
The moon will come up shortly when the sun dips and could be as red rising in the east. These colourful cosmic bodies could be a harbinger of doom, yet in their own right, hold an otherworldly elegance. Nature’s reminder that we aren’t in charge nor ever will be.
Payton, Kennedy, Mia, Jack, Josh and Nathan stopping at the first lake
In what has become a summer ritual a few of my young coworkers and I set off on a hike to see some rock, snow and blue water.
It was special to have Jack’s brother Josh, visiting from the UK, along for the walk.
The days have turned hot. We made an early start and missed most of the heat hiking up. The first lake was pristine surrounded by peaks spotted with snow and ice. Moraine swept from slides to shore. Twisted tamaracks shot skyward, some standing for centuries. A great honour to walk among them with these fine youngsters.
Kennedy leads the way along the trail.
We set off for the scramble to the second lake. It was decided a short section be named Payton’s Pass for her ability to manage it despite her reluctance or otherwise good sense.
The meadow leading to the second lake with wild flowers and trickling stream with short cascading waterfalls was welcome walking the rest of the way.
We stopped for lunch. Everyone had a swim. I wanted to but the thought of the sharp rocks on my feet stopped me. I’m getting a little old and tender I guess.
We followed our route backwards, descended into the heat of the valley bottom. A very fine day.
Looking down from the banks of Lake Windermere at an ice road heading to the lights of Invermere.
Finally a clear night in what has been a mild, overcast winter. Willow and I took a quick trip behind Swansea, stopping to see Mom and Dad before returning home.
The clouds start rolling in.
It was good to look up at the winter stars. I was surprised to see how far they have drifted west since the last time Willow and I were under them. Spring is inching forward.
Away from light pollution. A keen eye can spot Orion, Gemini, The Beehive and Pleiades.
It has been a mild winter, excluding this past week of -30 Celsius temperatures.
Lola after falling through some thin ice on the rivers edge.
The cooler temperatures have been welcomed by Lisa and I, as they have been accompanied by clear skies.
A friend with a solar panel system that keeps track of sun light recorded only 4 hours of sunshine in December. The rest of the time was overcast. That is not unusual here in the winter.
The mountain looks to the clear, cold sky.
To see the sunshine and stars, that have moved considerably since the last time seen, has been a relief regardless of the chilly air.
The dorgs, Willow, Lola, and I headed behind the mountains where the creek runs dry this time of year.
The snow started low and fell heavy further up, big juicy flakes. We met a couple of mushroom pickers. They were discouraged. I told them I saw plenty of shaggy manes down below. They were after portabella and chicken mushrooms. Once the snow melts they will be out.
Good to be out, running the muddy roads before they are frozen, facing skyward catching snow and spitting it out, watching dogs twist, chasing their tails, while the mountain pulses in silence.
It was nice to get out with Jack and Dave for a day hike to see the tamaracks turning colour.
Willow getting in the picture. She looks like a stump, while a stump, that looks like a dog, barks at her presence.
We even had a few snowflakes fall upon us. Even though the sun stayed hidden the colours still popped.
Tamarack or Larch, as they are often called, are deciduous conifers. They have bright green needles in spring that turn golden in autumn. The time they are brightest does not last long before the needles fall. To an untrained eye they don’t look very much different than fir, pine and spruce, but differ, among other characteristics, by shedding their needles.
Jack and Dave walk along the trail.
It is always a treat to hike among these majestic beauties at this time of year.
Places you feel good in. I’m a guy who doesn’t own anything. There is nothing I can call my own. The sky can be out or not. Up there the creek is always clear. Long ago I said to my father, ‘this is my creek’. He knew I didn’t mean it belonged to me, but I felt peace there. There were places he felt the same.
Lisa and I, along with Willow, spent the night up at the top of the creek, we went high where the water runs out at this time of year. We starred skyward and felt the spirits fly through our chests. Lisa counted the piles of bear shit, noted if they were fresh, she carried bear spray and a knife with a quick release. She pointed out cedar boughs in the darkness and asked if I could cut her a few.
A mountain Martin stood stiff, eyes glowing, curious at our intrusion. A large bull elk climbed a rock slide to stay clear of us. There is still enough of my self to quicken my heart and want to go after him. When young it is simple to kill. A pellet to a birds breast. Killing is easy, now older, I even have trouble pulling the trigger on plants in fall. My edge now is not killing.
Early morning Saturday.Lake Windermere. Bright Venus, Zodiacal Light, Cancer, The Beehive, Gemini, Sirius and Orion (Wintermaker).
With luck this should be the last of the busy weekends. It will be good to get back to a regular schedule with days off. Both Lisa and I are just about of steam.
We have let a lot slide: trips into the bush, the garden, yard and the house have suffered. Also the time we have spent with Scarlett and Cooper has been limited. All is unacceptable, going forward we will have to figure out a balance.
This summer and the amount of tourists took us by surprise. Lisa and I are in the front lines and have always taken pride in being able to step up when called upon. It could be we will need to dial back facing the same next year.
The garden still producing.
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The ambulance, medical helecopters and first responders have been busy this weekend with several accidents and a possible drowning in Lake Windermere. So far the young man has not been found.
I remember talking to an old-timer. He said he and his friend were diving off a raft at the mouth of the lake. He said his friend went in and never surfaced. They found him days later down the Columbia. Things can happen quick, seemingly without reason.
The water is low this time of year. The young man should be found close to where he fell off the boat.
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We had Cooper and Scarlett over for dinner and a sleep over last night. They are such good kids. I left for work at 4:30 while they were still asleep. I went out the side door to not risk waking them. They consider our place their second home. It makes us all feel good.
1lb 10oz.
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Clear skies, still warm, the Horsethief fire flared up again. The Provincial Government has kept it going, instead of extinguishing it, so it won’t burn again. That could be the new way to fight fire. Get rid of the fuel (trees).
More impressive than its size, when turned upside down it ressembles a voluptuous woman bent over exposing her ample behind!
Good to be up a little later. Tomorrow will be the first day in a very long time I won’t have to get up for work at 4:30am.
No bugs to speak of. The garden is hanging in there without a sign of frost. Tomorrow I will have to pick a few flats of tomatoes.
Plenty has been neglected. Wood needs piling. Photos need editing. The yard and garden needs sorting.
Bought a small axe, wooden handle, short at 28″. It kept slipping out of my hand as I am used to a three and a half foot handle. An axe with a wooden handle that long is hard to find and expensive, but worth it. If I ever win the lottery I am going to have bunch of axes, fancy ones, made in Sweden and Germany, and split wood just for fun.
A couple pictures of colourful cannabis flowers. It is coming good and needs to be harvested before frost.
The tomatoes are in the same boat. Same as the spuds.
Tomorrow is a day off. With luck I’ll get some work done.
The roar can be deafening, misty and slippery. To find yourself in such a place is luck. When unfortunate things happen its bad luck. We take credit for the good things, giving ourselves credit, we say, manifesting our destiny. It is luck one way or the other.
That doesn’t mean you don’t put on good shoes when you tackle the canyon or climb the rocks. It ain’t all up to destiny. You have to give yourself the best chance and except whatever is coming.
Palliser Pass 