Dill Pickles in July!

For the very first time in my gardening life I actually made dill pickles in July.  I have NEVER done that before.  It's always been an "August" thing for me.  We've had such good weather for growing vegetables and my cucumbers have loved their "new" spot climbing up where the grape loves to hang out.  It's meant considerable trimming on the grape plant, but the cukes are very happy,  as are the green pepper that adorn the space in front of the climbing cucumbers.  One troublesome issue,  as the weather gets hotter,  is that the peppers are not getting watered because of all of the foliage on the cukes.  First world problem, I think.

I've been very negligent with my blog, as usual, and today I totally forgot to get a picture of my 3 jars of beautiful dills which should be ready for consumption in about a month.  So, readers, you'll just have to imagine how fine they look!

More Adventures in Teslaland!

 This past Thursday we took a drive over to Nakusp to check out its beautiful gardens and to do a short hike near the town.  Both were very good.  We also had lunch at the Alpine Hut drive-in which is delightfully old-fashioned and relatively inexpensive.  I was able to find a lime smokebush at the Heritage Nursery and that was a good find, in my opinion.  I didn't know they were so "common".  Another task we hoped to accomplish in Nakusp was to try out the new Tesla charging station - the first fast charging station we've seen in any of the interior valleys outside of the Okanagan.  

When we got to the station I was unable to unplug the charger and there was a QR code on it that said "follow instructions".  Doing something with the phone did not help.  There was another fellow charging in this spot and we asked him about it and he'd never had to do that before, but he took a picture of the code and his Tesla seemed to accept it and released the charging cord.  That didn't happen for us.  As Dave was driving away from the station, I noticed the guy waving at me across the street.  His plan was to just give us the cord he used after he unplugged and we would charge.  It was a good plan but then his Tesla completely seemed to seize up and he couldn't get it to do anything.  Meanwhile, Dave walked down the line of chargers and found one that released the cord.  This guy had to reboot his car before it would respond and he could drive away.  He said it had never happened before.  Is there something spooky going on at the Nakusp fast charging station?  Or, is this just another adventure in Teslaland!!?

Garden Touring in Summer

 Kaslo had its annual garden tour yesterday and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  The sun shone, but not too hotly, the wind did NOT blow wildly , and everyone's garden was in a perfect place of growth and beauty.  It's a tough job picking a 
"day" a few months prior to the tours.  Last year, we had it a week later and it was terribly hot.  That is one reason we moved to early July.  The time was also rearranged to avoid the heat - starting at 9 am until 2 pm - and that was a good move, but not necessary on this particular day.  We even supplied "misters" at various gardens but we didn't have to use them.  And in our area, the rains came, providing a lovely 10 mm the night before the tour.  

The food hub is trying to partner with the arts council with some success at this event.  This year, we had music and poetry at the community garden, painters "en plein air" in a couple of gardens and one spot where art materials were left out for people to "do their thing".  Some gardeners had paintings out in their gardens or attached to buildings.  One garden host had her paintings for sale and she sold two pieces of work.  Doctors Without Borders will be happy as she donates to this organization when she sells her work.  Another artist sold her first pieces of work.  We had various artists from Kaslo create our "garden tags" to indicate who had purchased a ticket and this was a unique and wonderful keepsake from this year's tour.  Next year we need to have the artists identified on the back of the tag.

 All in all, the tour was a complete success and my photo of one gardener's creative work even has me in the picture!  It was a very good way to raise money for our local food hub.   

48 Hour Holiday

Earlier in June, we took another mini vacation, heading north to Revelstoke.  We love to take advantage of the cheap Seniors rates in the provincial parks and the weather was pretty darn good.  We spent one night at Blanket Creek Provincial Park where there is plenty of good walking (all flat) and the location is well off the highway.  The next day we checked out Begbie Falls and went in via the "climber's route".  I was somewhat amused to get 10 minutes from the falls when we encountered a GOOD gravel road into a BC Rec Site that was 10 minutes from the falls.  We got a good 90 minutes of hiking with some up and down hill work.  It was nice to be able to hear the river all the way!  

We then went to Revelstoke for lunch where I, ironically, could not buy a Begbie Kolsch at the pub (Begbie is the local craft brewery), but I enjoyed lunch all the same.  The skies had cleared completely by afternoon and we really enjoyed riding the Illecillewaet River trails and found all sort of good biking, both paved and unpaved.  The trails were in excellent shape.  By good biking, I mean flat and relatively straight.  Then it was off to Martha Creek to spend the night in a newly renovated campground.   The following morning we checked out the Revelstoke Dam, built in the early 1980s.  It has room for expansion!   We returned to Kaslo via Highway 31, always an exciting drive, mostly on gravel and largely in wilderness.   It makes for a great loop route in the beautiful province of British Columbia.  

Sunflower Sisters

 

This is the latest "coffee place" in Kaslo.  I wrote about going out for coffee last year and it was at this exact place in its previous incarnation.  This year, a couple of young Quebecoise women are running it (they are identical twins) and it has had a good upgrade,  to my mind.  The owners are providing coffee cups, plates, cutlery that are recycled from thrift stores or relatives and it gives it a good "green" vibe.  They are offering small quiches, pastries, muffins along with a variety of drinks - want to try a "beet latte"?   There are now more tables outside and it's been a popular place to stop.  My biggest concern is the location at the junction of Highway 3A and the main drag of Kaslo.  The motorcycles that go past that corner are alarming and annoying.  I frequently work at the community garden across the street and I know about the noise.  Not conducive to conversation.

BTW, I didn't become a coffee drinker in 2024.  It's a social thing to do and I like it.  I don't have time for it and after my winter diagnosis of further arrthymias I've basically cut caffeine out of my life.  But I think I'm okay for a beet latte!

Twenty Four Hour Holiday!

 We just came home from a 24 hour holiday today!  After having friends join us for tea in the afternoon (who had an excellent time at the Creston Birding Festival), we left in our camper van for Summit Lake Provinical Park, located part way between New Denver and Nakusp.   It was a very cool night and we didn't have much luck with birds, but there were a few around.  Very frequent heavy showers had discouraged some campers, but plenty of fishing folk partially filled the campground.  Birds sited were:  common mergansers, one pair of shovellers, a few bufflehead (one male surrounded by females), a bald eagle, a loon, and several Canada geese.  We tried out the new awning for the camper van and it seemed to work effectively.  I was able to read while outside, but it was too cool to stay out for long.

In the morning, we had another look around the campground for birds and then headed to Nakusp for a walk along the promenade and then up to the hot springs for a dip.  It's a small pairs of pools but it was quite lovely as the clouds began to dissipate and sun prevailed.  We visited the Heritage Nursery in Nakusp and bought a barberry for the Trail residence.  After lunch back at Summit Lake, we then headed towards New Denver, stopping for a walk at the Snk'mip Marsh.  Disappointingly, the birds we mostly observed were mallards, Canada geese, robins and fortunately, a lot of rough-winged swallows!    And the best place to visit of all, was the Kohan Garden in New Denver.  The photo shows why!

SPRING, 2025

 I feel that it's been a slow spring this year, but there are always delays to every season during the past 2 decades.  We had a week of spring in late February when it poured rain and ruined the snow.  I'm going by the skunk cabbage, or as Patrick Lane called them,  swamp lanterns.  We have a large patch at the end of the Pine Ridge Road and they usually bloom the 2nd and 3rd weeks of April.  This year, it's been the third and fourth weeks of April.

Yesterday, we had our first warm day.  I had a lovely drive to Trail and many trees are in bloom.  Hiking up to the Bluffs, it was actually HOT on the exposed part of Trail that faces south.  One delightful thing in my yard was the nectarine tree in bloom.  The peas, onions, garlic, and sweet peas are all growing and the next planting should begin in another week.  Tulips that are protected from the deer are doing fine.  Very happy to see my Pasque flower has finally found a place to be happy.