I must declare I cannot compete with the fascinating images of wildflowers that my blogging friend from Texas has posted in the last couple of months. The fields where they grow are so huge that I call them heavenly carpets. On April 22, my wife and I drove 3 km south of Fauquier to our favourite wilderness location overlooking Arrow Lake in search of wildflowers. Luck was on our side. Well, bending and even lying down helped a little to capture these tiny beauties on the ground. Here they are. Enjoy.
The Lookout
Wild Strawberry
Oregon Grape
Indian Paintbrush
Red Flowering Currant
Listen to the cheerful tune “Spring in the Air” that I composed with LogicPro.
On March 2, despite a severe weather advisory and heavy snowfall, my wife and I drove on a 250 km round trip to the little town Silverton in the Slocan Valley. In January, I submitted a film to the North Valley Mountain Film Festival. I felt very honoured when I received an email telling me that my film had been accepted for showing at the Film Festival. What a delightful evening it was! Fourteen pieces were selected out of a large number of entries we were told. The emphasis was on local amateur productions of the West Kootenay area. But there were also some outstanding professional films from outside our region.
Here is what I read on their website:
Inspired by our mountain culture here in the North Slocan, a handful of local adventurers and wilderness lovers have been organizing the North Valley Mountain Film Festival since 2007. It is now an annual event thanks to community interest and support, and a committed group of volunteers. We are happy to bring you another fantastic evening of films and photography for our 18th Mountain Film Festival.
This festival is inspired by what drew, and keeps, many of us here – the lake, mountains, wilderness, adventure, and simple healthy living. We seek to showcase a mix of professional and home-grown productions to bring awe, laughter, intrigue, and discussion to the community. We feature shows from local to regional, and sometimes from a little farther afield. Thanks to all the local folks for their submissions.
On January 22, a crisp and bitter-cold winter day, my wife and I, faithful to our daily walking routine and abiding by our iron-clad rule, rain or snow, went down to the Fauquier golf course. Shivering a bit in the extreme cold, we marvelled at the glorious winter scenes.
Within two weeks, the thermometer jumped from -20 C to + 5 C, and moisture-laden clouds also brought lots of rain, washing away the virgin snow and exposing a green spring-like landscape.
Now, let’s have some sunshine, and we will dream about tulips, daffodils, and an early spring.
Keen eyes in a seemingly dull and colourless winter landscape will discover the pearls of beauty nature has prepared for us. I am always searching for the things hidden in the microcosmos of a snowy and icy fairyland, too small to see for the casual observer but large enough for the camera to capture.
Here are a few examples from a recent walk with Biene:
The near end-of-life crisis is finally over for me, and I look forward to blogging again, although on a very limited scale. Like Ann, one of my blogging friends, I have set some new priorities with a focus on family, more time spent with my dear wife Biene, and hobbies that I really like to pursue, such as genealogy, photography, songwriting, gardening, and enjoying the great outdoors. Once in a while, I will publish one of my better photographs or write a post with a light sliver out of the life of an octogenarian.
The image above shows the top part of my wife’s new blog site. She just finished writing her first post yesterday. You might want to peek and see if you find something that interests you. You will find her blog at http://www.bumblebiene.ca.
A BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! LET US HOPE 2024 WILL BRING PEACE AND HAPPINESS TO HUMANITY. WE PRAY FOR THE END OF ALL WARS. LET THE LIGHT PENETRATE THE DARKNESS.
It is with great sadness and deep regret to announce to all my blogging friends far and near that I will have to take a longer break from my beloved activities in klopp-family.com. During the Easter break, I have come to realize that there are more important and more precious things in life than being part of the dance around the ‘golden calf’. Ultimately, the bond that holds the family together through the loving dedication to each other’s needs is the most important thing. I also discovered that behind the social media lurks the danger of becoming totally addicted, as I have learned about a person very near to my heart.
I say goodbye for now and leave a video of the song ‘Oh Susanna’ that my wife and I played last Sunday on the ukulele.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 