Wednesday’s Photos

Winter is Losing its Grip

/ Peter Klopp / 12 Comments

Ice on Retreat

Last weekend, we had another look at Heart Creek which was still covered over with ice only two weeks ago. What a pleasant surprise that the Canada geese had returned to the golf course and the water had eaten away a lot of ice from our creek! The sight of brilliant sunshine, Canada geese, and Old Man Winter losing its grip is our hope that Spring is just around the corner. Here are three photos I took last weekend.

For about a year now, I have been creating a variety of mostly cheerful songs. I started off using the free Apple DAW, known as Garageband. When I began to like it, I advanced to Logic Pro. If you could spend an entire lifespan learning it, there would still be features left to be explored. So what shall I say as an octogenarian? I hope you will like the little tune below.

Two Weeks Apart and so Much Change

/ Peter Klopp / 19 Comments

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.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 28 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Visit to the Burton Flats

Yesterday, the air was crisp after a frosty night. Still, the sun came out with the full brilliant force to warm and light up brilliantly the morning landscape of our beloved Arrow Lakes. A ten-minute drive from Fauquier going north on Highway 6, we visited the so-called Burton Flats. This low-lying area was once productive agricultural land. It got flooded when BC Hydro built a dam near Castlegar. The lake level is so low around this time of the year that one can see how narrow the Columbia River once was. There my wife and I went for a long walk to the original river bank. The following is a small sample that we brought home from our outing. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 23 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Week 3 of Bud Development Study

It is with great regret that spring in our area has so far been coolish during the days and downright chilly during the nights. Consequently, our flowers have been especially slow in showing off their colours. Normally, our cherry trees would be showing off their splendidly shining spring dresses. Yet, their buds are not even swelling yet. My apologies to all my faithful followers that there was not much change in the bud development! Today was the first warm day, and I was able to transplant my lettuce seedlings in our raised garden beds. This was the first day that I was working  outdoors with my coat off. If the weather continues like this. the buds will finally burst open in week 4. Enjoy.

April Week 1 TextApril week 2 Text

Week 3

Rose                                             Lilac                                       Magnolia                                    Azalia

Bonus Video

One of our sons living in Victoria, BC sent me a video that he recorded in his backyard with a crow producing some strange noises I had never heard before. Perhaps some of you specialists of the animal kingdom can tell me, what this mysterious call is all about.

 

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 43 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Still in the Grip of Winter

While day time temperatures have been climbing above the freezing mark, there is no real sign of spring except for a few tulips on the south side of our home, where they had come up with a few leaves to test for spring-like conditions. But the longer days adorned by plenty of sunshine and a splendidly blue sky make up for the snow and ice still present in the Arrow Lakes region, Here are the most recent photos of our excursions around the lakeshore. Enjoy.

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Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 22 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Canada Geese in Distress

Last Sunday we woke up from the howling of an Arctic blast of cold air, which had brought down the temperature to -6 C. But there was no cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly. So my wife and I decided to venture outside for our walk along the lakeshore at the boat dock. The stiff wind blowing from the north whipped up the lake surface and produced giant white caps. We felt like retreating back to our cozy home. But when we saw Canada geese trying to stay warm by sticking their heads into their feathers, we had to take a few photos to document their discomfort and distress. Add to this scene the lack of food which normally is available from the grass on the local golf course, you get a picture of how these poor creatures have to suffer. Let’s hope for the timely arrival of spring!

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