End of February

We seem to be in a sort of weather vacuum, with storms all around us. The photos are from 2009 in late February and show lots of snow, but there is none here this year at the moment. Yet. There is still time. The first two years we were on Vancouver Island it snowed heavily on the 25th February  and melted away on the 26th....that was it!
The small house in the first photo is quite famous in the North Okanagan because many years ago a murder took place there!

Farm on Salmon River Rd

Darkness and Light

Driveway

Monashee Mountains

Danish House with Horses. Digital Painting.

Imagination

"I Imagine it will be Spring soon"  Sun over Okanagan Lake, late February, 2008.

Our Old Basement for no reason particularly..

Fence Shadow Patterns

Are you going to give me that apple?  Murray Drive, Armstrong.

Fields, Crawford Road near Armstrong, February 2008

"The human imagination is more original and far richer than we think.....
Understand this and you will need fewer books and teachers."  I have always found I can remember things and learn better if I teach myself rather than learning from others. However there is definitely a need for humility, and consultations with experts have their place in the full learning process....
This is adapted from Robert Genn's letter for today. If you click on his Painter's Keys' badge to the right of this post you may be able to find some most original and imaginative paintings under "current clickback" at the top. The paintings enlarge if you click on them...
 I love the one of the fat lady paddling in the sea.... and the coffee shop interior with glasses....

Memories

Lydia and Hanne share the same Birthday. She was 90 and her family flew in from England to help her celebrate. As I said before, Hanne was 39 and olding. Sorry, Holding.

Hanne's Birthday Portrait with Lydia's Roses.

The Hot Water Room

Here are yesterday's memories as recorded on microchip.
Oh, by the way, at Athens Creek we have a special room where people are sent when they get into hot water....

Hanne's Birthday

Today we celebrate!
Hanne started the day with coffee in her birth-cup with saucer (gold-rimmed). It was her very first gift from father when she was born. He had gold letters in his own hand-writing engraved on it saying: "Den første lille gave fra Far".
We are having a special birthday lunch with friends Ellen and Paris, and a dinner with Tim and Jayne from Kelowna (Michael's son and daughter-in-law.) The flags and balloons are out on display, and birthday cards are coming thick and fast....

My Favourite Late February Photo ( Skaha Lake)

Watch out for Avalanches Ellen when you go Snow-Shoeing!

Handsome Paris going for a coffee after Snow-Shoeing!

Happy Birthday Hanne!

Hanne with Birthday Card from Ellen and Paris

It must be nice to be only 39......

Osoyoos

Snowy Sepia Trees

Welcome Sign

Osoyoos from Anarchist Mountain

A possible future place to go. A bed and breakfast with an observatory telescope on Anarchist Mountain

Barbara capturing the splendid view to the west of the Cascade Mountains.

We visited Osoyoos once again, this time in winter, and the lake was frozen over. Our friends Kaj and Barbara came along for the ride, and we had lunch together in town. Soyoos means "narrowing on the waters" in native first peoples' language, and the "O" was added by white settlers to harmonize with other names in the region like "Oliver","Oyama" and "Okanagan". It was fun to drive on high, scenic roads over packed snow, then come down a steep, snaking road on Anarchist mountain (4892 feet) to snow-free travel once again in the South Okanagan Valley below. The mountain's name was from 1922 and came because Richard Sidley, a famous settler from the late 19th Century, was a bit of an anarchist apparently, but he can't have been too bad because the town of Sidley was also named after him!

Clearing out Winter

Snow Sliding off the Roof

Snow Clumps

Snowing in our Garden

Experimental Snow Scene

Just cleaning out my computer today and came across these images to share with you...they are all from Armstrong BC and are made on various software programs about four years ago....

Sea Lions and Color Filters

Two subjects today. Two points of discussion. There are seven species of sea lion (at least) but here on the Pacific Coast two kinds present themselves: the Steller and the California. See if you can tell which this one is in today's photo! You are permitted the use of the internet!

Sea Lion Carving in Tofino

Crescent Beach Summerland BC

MacKenzie Beach Tofino

The second one is about color filters. In the old days with film, photo buffs carried all kinds of them in their photo gear cases, nowadays these filters exist in cyberspace. See what you think of the use of filters here.