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.  

Earth Day 2025

 I just returned from an hour's litter picking along 1.3 km of roadside in my local area.  It's a mix of good news and bad news.  I managed to do each side of the road in 50 minutes but I am leaving all paper products, heavy items and I don't scramble in and out of ditches any longer.  I am feeling my age!!  Two and three years ago I know that it took me a couple of hours to complete that much of the road so the amount of litter is perhaps less.  The most encouraging thing is that I think I only picked up ONE styrofoam container.  But there's still tons of paper drink containers with their vile plastic lids.  Let me vote for a party who bans the use of "take out drink containers".  I don't think it would take long to convert people to "carry your own container" if there was no other choice.

I've been cleaning up cans on this stretch of road for the past several years.  I get started just after the snow leaves.  It was just as plentiful this year as any other.  In fact, it may even be worse.  I've converted Dave into becoming a "can picker" and I am dismayed to say that he picked up 140 cans on 2 sides of the highway over a 2.5 km stretch.  Litter bug, Litter bug, shame on you! 

BC Parks and Recreation Recreation Sites

 We've stayed in plenty of recreation sites over the years and last week, during our trip "west" to Keremeos we ended up at the Red Bridge Rec Site on the Ashanola River.  This is located on a FS Road that used to lead into Cathedral Provincial Park, a place we visited many, many years ago.  

This particular site is very nice, although its appeal is somewhat dampened by the huge fire that swept through the region 2 summers ago.  The campsite is now pretty much surrounded by dead trees, but the grass looked lush and inviting on our recent visit.  It allows the rock cliffs to be the major feature.   There had been some attempt to take down some trees and clean up parts of the campground, but lots of work still needs to be completed.  We had a fire in the firepit and managed to get one campsite looking quite good.  I wished that I had brought a rake!  

My main complaint about these sites is that they are "user maintained" which means the "user" is supposed to take their garbage and recyclables with them when they leave.  I find it rarely happens.  This campground had one site which had a large pile of garbage in it and perhaps the intention was to "clean it up in spring".  I do hope it gets done.  I collected 9 recyclable containers left in firepits because people won't even put these into their cars and give to a charity group who are fundraising.  The amount of litter that gets left around by humans is disgusting.  My other complaint about these sites is that they can become "party places" and it isn't long before they get pretty much "trashed" - literally and figuratively.  BC has such beauty - why can't we learn to treat that beauty with respect and kindness?