Photography

Fauquier Webcam is Up and Running Again

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New Life for the Fauquier Webcam Operation

Contributed by Stefan Klopp

Last night I relaunched the fauquiercam.com webcam after just over a year of downtime. The previous computer we used was noisy, and the direction of the camera wasn’t that exciting. Today I migrated all the software running on the old noisy computer to a new micro computer called a Raspberry Pi (you can find more information on Raspberry Pi here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/what-is-a-raspberry-pi/). Also with the help of a couple of Wi-Fi range extenders we were able to move the whole operation from the front of the house to the cabin in the backyard. I hope this new view will be a little more exciting, especially when we build timelapses to watch the garden grow. We may even get to see the occasional bit of wildlife and I don’t mean Peter or Gertrud!

The very first Picture of our Garden taken by the Webcam last Night

The very first Picture of our Garden taken by the Webcam last Night

The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family Reunion August 2014

/ Peter Klopp / 5 Comments

Our Family Gathering at Taite Creek

Chart I – III, IV & V

Our son Richard and our two little granddaughters Azure and Emeline  are coming for a visit this coming Monday. Then I will depart from my weekly blogging routine and dedicate all posts to our visitors. I will give short reports about their daily activities with lots of pictures to boot. My wife and I are looking forward to seeing our loved ones, who are coming all the way from Montreal. Stefan, our youngest son, will be joining them, and perhaps Michael and Angie, if they can get away from their busy work schedule. The last time we were together, we had a big family reunion at Taite Creek Campsite close to the beach of the beautiful Arrow Lake. So before our guests arrive, I thought it would be a good idea to post a few pictures of our wonderful family from last August.

The P. and G. Klopp Family
The Ladies
The Men
The Five ‘Boys’

 Fun at the Beach and in the Water

Biene, Peter, Richard, Youki, Azure, Mateo, Emeline
Stefan, Biene, Michael, Angie
Richard and Emeline
Michael on the Paddle Board with Azure
Mateo Building Statues
Opa Trying out his French on Azure
Boccia Competition
Azure and Mateo Fishing
Mateo, Cleaning his Catch

 After the Games – Time to Eat

Tony and Robert Getting the Steaks Ready
Supper Time at the Klopp’s
Emeline and Stefan
More Games after Supper

At our family reunion in August 2014 the entire Peter and Gertrud Klopp family was present. At the first picture in the top gallery, the family members from left to right are Michael and his wife Angie, Richard and Youki with Emeline on the arm and Azure standing, Mateo, Robert, Biene (Gertrud), Peter (myself) and Stefan, thirteen people in all.

Four Seasons Journey Through Our Yard – Part III

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Four Weeks Later – What a Difference!

You may wish to go back to the previous post that showed the difference of two weeks. What the pictures show below is the contrast between April 12 and May 12 in our yard. The next comparison will happen in a month, when we will be approaching the beginning of summer here in Fauquier, British Columbia.

set 1set 2set 4set 3set 5

On the very last picture you can see the blossoms of the Grafenstein apple trees, which we will harvest in September. They produce the biggest and sweetest apples in the Kootenays. The only drawback is that they don’t keep too long. If all goes well with the weather this year, we will have a bumper crop.

Hiking in the Spring – Part III

/ Peter Klopp / 2 Comments

A Spring Walk around Fauquier, BC

 In February I tried very hard to show beauty on a foggy and drizzly day. But this time in the middle of a gorgeous spring, I don’t even have to try. Nature has fully sprung into action. With its dandelion-speckled meadows, the fragrance of apple blossoms in the air, birds twittering in the cedar trees,  with its glorious presence Nature is creating a more joyful mood. Today I suggest a more leisurely walk around our beautiful community. If you take the time to stop often to look at the landscape and listen to the birds chant their cheerful songs, you will need about 40 minutes to complete the loop.

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Google Earth Map of Fauquier with the red dot marking the starting and end point of the walk around the loop

01We start our walk at the General Store, where a bed of tulips adds color to the country store.

02Going west on the commercial street, we walk past a colonnade of trees.

03At the motel we turn left and begin a gentle climb.

05The St. John the Baptist Church looks beautiful any time of the year, but especially now in springtime.

06There is hardly a house in Fauquier that does not have trees and shrubs to beautify its yard.

10The trees have grown so tall you cannot see our house on Google Earth any more.

12A neighbor farther up the hill is completed surrounded by shrubs and trees.

13After you have reached this large property on the left at the top of the loop, the road begins to level off.

14Now it is going downhill with a wonderful view of the Arrow Lake down in the valley.

15You walk alongside a murmuring brook, where the first shoots of wild mint are emerging from the water.

17Turning around under a flowering chestnut tree, you look back on the hillside road you’ve just come from.

18Turning into the opposite direction, you see the Fauquier Elementary School, where I have been teaching from 1976 to 2000. It is now closed and houses the Fauquier Communication Centre.

19You now cross Highway 6 and savor the fantastic view of the lake across the Fauquier golf course.

20Taking the pathway parallel to the highway, you complete the loop by going past the club house.

The Wonderful Plant Called Hops

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Growing Hops in our Garden

Hops Rhizomes Ready to be Planted

Hops Rhizomes Ready to be Planted

Stefan, our youngest son, has many great hobbies, traveling, photography, active hockey, playing board games, cooking and baking, designing websites, maintaining his own blog ‘This Timeless Moment’ at kloppmagic.ca, hanging out with friends, just to name a few. Three years ago he started making his own craft beer at his little home in Vancouver.

Tender Shoots Seeking a Foothold

Tender Shoots Seeking a Foothold at the Poles

When I heard about it for the first time, I had no idea that I would have any involvement in his latest passion. One day over the phone he announced that I would soon receive a parcel from a hops nursery in BC. It would contain hops rhizomes for me to plant in our garden. My attitude has always been this. When accepting a new task, do it right or don’t do it all. The idea of Stefan brewing beer with the hops I would be growing appealed to me, especially since I am a fan of good beer. In my mind I was already sampling his tasty, refreshing brew. So I accepted the challenge of growing a new plant in our garden. I won’t go into the details, as one can easily read up on the topic on-line.

Within less than four Weeks they are at the Top

Within less than four weeks they are at the top of the poles.

To find out which variety of hops plants would do best in our climate and soil, Stefan had ordered eight different kinds: Mt. Hood, Willamet, Fuggle, Chinook, Golding, Centennial, Cascades, and Sterling. The reader, who has knowledge of the Pacific Northwest, may recognize some of the names as bearing resemblance to geographical places in Oregon. That is no coincidence, as Oregon State boasts of having the most and best breweries in the States.

My Wife under the Roof of an Abundant Crop

My Wife under the Canopy of an Abundant Crop

The hops plant is quite modest in terms of maintenance and care. Also it grows in most types of soil, but needs a trellis system of poles and strings allowing it to grow 6 to 7 m high. It grows at an incredible speed. You can literally watch it grow some 30 cm in a single day. Later in the fall, you can marvel at the dense green canopy overhead with thousands of cones hanging from the side shoots of the hops plants.

Baskets and Baskets of Hops Cones

Baskets and Baskets of Hops Cones

Picking and plucking off the cones is time-consuming and quite tedious. They also need to be dried and then put in plastic bags, where they will stay fresh in the freezer. But the pleasure of drinking the finest beer that Stefan brews is well worth the effort.

Dreaming about the best Pale Ale turns this kind of work into pleasure.

Dreaming about the best Pale Ale in the World

Hiking in the Spring – Part II

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Adventure into the Backcountry

The ‘Pin Creek Trail’ is actually a logging road. But logging trucks rarely use it at the present time. It is is quite a pleasant way to explore the back country of Applegrove south of Fauquier. To get there, you start at the Arrow Motel in Fauquier and travel 7.6 km south on the Applegrove Road. I recommend you park your vehicle at the fork and start your hike from there. There is a sign warning you about road safety and it advises to use extreme caution. Any car with a low clearance will have trouble crossing the water bars.

Start of Pin Creek Road with Warning Sign

Start of Pin Creek Road with Warning Sign

The hike will take quite a bit longer than going on the Taite Creek loop as described in Part I. The destination is a 70-year-old cabin that used to house the loggers of long ago (see earlier post on Like-minded People of Applegrove Road). During my teaching years at the Fauquier Elementary School I would take my intermediate students up there for a history lesson in logging and mining in our area. To keep them occupied with a meaningful task on their way up, I asked them to collect leaves, cones and bark pieces for later identification of larch, western hemlock, cedar, pine, fir, spruce and birch trees. The distance is about 2.5 km one way and is quite steep in some places. The closer you get to the cabin, the more the road will level off. Then Pin Creek, a tributary of Taite Creek, will soon announce its presence through its waters tumbling down in the ravine to the right.

Deer Posing for a Portrait

Deer Posing for a Portrait

At approximately 2 km up the mountain side, a smaller road branches off to the right and leads you directly to the creek. But don’t get sidetracked, continue on the main road and enjoy the break from the strenuous climb in the lush green of the dense forest all around you. Once you are at the cabin, it is time to have a snack and something to drink, before you do some exploring around the cabin.

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Beauty wherever you go on Pin Creek Road

 

My students went inside to satisfy their curiosity. In its state of utter dilapidation, much of the roof has succumbed to decades of rot and decay. But the walls are still standing. If you are lucky to find any of the bits and pieces of newspaper wedged in between the walls for insulation, you might get to read the latest news from 1946.

Cabin where Loggers once Slept away from Home

Cabin where Loggers once Slept away from Home

If you really want to enjoy your hike, plan on a minimum of altogether two hours of hiking to the cabin and back to your vehicle plus half an hour at the cabin. There are also a few places, where you can climb down to the creek and listen to the calming sound of rushing waters.

A Log across the Creek creating a tiny Water Fall

A Log across the Creek creating a tiny Water Fall

Some other time you may wish to add three expansions to the itinerary, for which you should plan at least half a day to fully enjoy it. Forestry people told me that the side road, which I mentioned earlier in this post, takes you over a bridge to a number of cut blocks at a much higher elevation. Once there you will enjoy fantastic views into the valley below and the mountains on the Edgewood side across the Arrow Lake. You could also continue on the Pin Creek road, which will take you to Heart Creek. It provides the drinking water for Fauquier below. There used to be a bridge. In the spring of 1985, the creek swollen by heavy rains and melt water completely destroyed the bridge.

Serene Atmosphere at Pin Creek

Serene Atmosphere at Pin Creek

But the most exciting experience requiring an adventurous spirit and quite a bit of courage on your part would be a visit to the nearby abandoned silver mine from about a hundred years ago. For this adventure you need to bring along a flashlight and a pair of gum boots. At the cabin across the road on the left you will find a partially overgrown trail that is quite steep. Make sure to stay on the trail until you come to a path to the left that leads you to the entrance of the mine shaft. You would be well advised to have someone come with you. How the early miners managed to dig a hole so deep into a mountain with only the simplest of tools is quite amazing.

View from the Look-out onto the Arrow Lake

View from the Look-out onto the Arrow Lake

When you drive home, don’t forget to stop at one of the look-outs about half a km from where you parked your vehicle. There on the left you will get a fantastic view of the Arrow Lake. Ah, before I forget, take your camera with you to capture all these memorable moments.