Moving Forward, Faster All The Time

3... 2... 1... Sunset!

2012-01-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

So, I was messing around taking shots of the January 26, 2012 sunset through the double-pane window in the kitchen. If you look closely at the top photo, you can actually see 3 suns, followed by 2 in the middle and a single Sol in the bottom.

Happy Birthday, Wayne Gretzky!

2012-01-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Three sunny panoramas taken on Thursday January 26, 2012, in honour of Wayne Gretzky's 51st birthday. I don't care what anyone says, he is the greatest hockey player of all time.

If it's Tuesday, this must be snow...

2012-01-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

A very grey morning on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. The leftovers of our snow from last week met up with some cold temperatures and a bit of moisture, and we got a little bit more snow to add to the collection.

Dreamtime 2012, Part III

2012-01-26T07:40:00.001-08:00

Dreamtime 2012, Part II

2012-01-24T12:36:00.001-08:00

Dreamtime 2012, Part I

2012-01-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

Some of the tasty morsels from the 2012 Vancouver Motorcycle Show... nothing like a little dreaming to get you through the grey, wet weather of Winter!

Evening Orange

2012-01-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

Two views of the sunset on January 21, 2012. Somehow, I've become the father of a 15-year old!

Snow Beast

2012-01-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

The Snow Beast, also known as "Cricket", works the hillside on January 20, 2012. My sister's dog seems to have a fondness for the snow!

Evening in Blue

2012-01-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

Sunset, January 19, 2012

Angry Bird

2012-01-19T08:27:00.001-08:00

Does he look angry to you? I'd be angry too if my chow dish was frozen solid! It's amazing that these tiny little things can operate at -10C... I guess gallons of sugar water give you a lot of energy!

Winter Wonderland

2012-01-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

The view from the kitchen on January 16, 2012. The only spot of real colour is the red of the hummingbird feeder (which requires regular thawing out, as it seems to freeze at -10C!).

Snow and Hopeful Cat...

2012-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Terry from next door checks out the (empty) bird feeder... a guy's gotta eat! As you can see, we really did get snow! And a lot of it for this part of the world! We're in a bit of a deep freeze for us this week... temperatures hitting -12C with windchill down to -20C at times... not what us "West Coasters" are used to!

Morning Light and Mist

2012-01-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

The sky was actually blue instead of gray on January 13, 2012. That was soon to change, though, as the clouds returned in the evening and the first real snow of the Winter began to fall.

Winter Colours, Summer Temperatures... sort of...

2012-01-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

So, today's sunset still has actual sun, but it looks much more like a Winter sunset... cool blues and grays... but I was out today, and it was really quite mild... if only we could find a mix of yesterday's sunset and today's temperatures, and run that out until Spring!

Summer Colours, Winter Temperatures...

2012-01-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Sunset, January 11, 2012... a lot of nice warm orange and yellow and red in the sunset... but you have to balance that agains the 0 Celsius on the thermometer! Nonetheless, it was nice to see the sun and feel a bit of warmth on your face during the day!

Morning Moonlight

2012-01-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

7:55am on January 10, 2012... still dark, with the stark white full moon hiding behind the clouds lighting them from behind... and the golden lights of the neighbourhood lighting up the clouds from below. I just want to know why it's still dark at 8am!!!

Winter Sun and Winter Guest

2012-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

A couple of shots of the sunset on January 5, 2012... we have not seen a lot of sunshine so far this year. At the bottom is one of our winter guests... a hardy little fellow who still shows a little bit of colour even in the grayness of winter. We have a couple of boys and a couple of girls who have decided to make our feeder their winter home.

Already a year behind...

2012-01-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

So, 2012 has barely started, and I am already a year behind in my postings! What you see above are the last two sunset photographs from 2011, taken between 3:45pm and 4:15pm on December 31, 2011. It was a typical gray winter day, although you can see that the sun made a valiant effort to be a part of the last day of the year. For the first time since I started the blog, I've posted less this year than the previous year... not for lack of material, more for lack of just plain old "Do it!". So, although I simply forgot to post on New Year's Eve (probably too excited thinking about the great party we went to with our friends), I still want to wish everyone who visits here at the blog a "Happy New Year" in 2012... may it bring you peace, prosperity and wonder!

Calm Late December Day

2011-12-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

A very large cargo ship sits quietly on the calm waters of Howe Sound, tied up to the terminal and being loaded as we walked past on the Nexen Lands. After 3 days of being trapped inside by the monsoon rains, it was wonderful to be able to get outside and breath some fresh, dry air! The clouds were still low, the forecast is still grim (70+ mm of rain forecast for tonight), but the respite from sogginess was welcome!

Happy Recover Day!

2011-12-26T14:10:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:15:00.001-08:00

He's ready... are you?

2011-12-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

"...'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...". After another whirlwind year, and another month or more of preparation, Christmas Day is nearly here again. I hope you've had a good 2011, and that you are enjoying today and the next few days with family and friends, celebrating the season and enjoying good times with your loved ones! Merry Christmas from me and the blog!

It doesn't get any shorter than this...

2011-12-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

Darkness falls on the shortest day of the year... December 21, 2011. After many grey and dreary days, the sun has returned to pick up our spirits once again. The forecasters all say there will be no "White Christmas" this year... so if the choice is clouds and rain or sunshine, you know which one I'll be picking! The best news is that the days start getting longer again, working toward Spring and the return of the colour green to the environment! It's only 4 more sleeps to the big day now... have you got all your shopping done?

Dark December Days...

2011-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

As we near the shortest day of the year, the sun makes its exit earlier each day. In these photos, the sun burns through the late afternoon mist before it disappears just after 4:00pm on December 17, 2011. Thankfully, in a few short days, the days start getting longer!

In the mist...

2011-12-11T18:56:00.001-08:00

Some closeup shots of the mist covering the trees and houses in our area today, December 11, 2011.

Sunset with mist...

2011-12-11T18:51:00.001-08:00

The progression of the sunset on December 11, 2011. From 4:00pm at the top, to 4:30pm in the middle, to 5:00pm at the bottom. By 6:00pm, the entire hillside was socked in by clouds and mist so thick that you couldn't see more than 10 meters down the road.

More alien than the other day...

2011-12-11T18:48:00.001-08:00

0445 hrs on December 10, 2011... if that doesn't look like an alien spaceship coming out of the mist and fog (even more than the post from a couple of days ago), then I don't know what does!

Triple Wishbone Sunset...

2011-12-11T18:45:00.001-08:00

A triple sunset on December 9, 2011, courtesy of our double-paned windows. Hey! It was just too cold to go outside and snap the shot! And below, the first thing that popped into my mind was "Wishbone" when I saw the cloud hanging overhead at sunset.

Morning, Moon, Mountains and Mist...

2011-12-09T14:22:00.001-08:00

There was a lot of talk about the fog today... so I thought I'd share a few photos taken early this morning. The top photo was taken at 6:30am... with the moon still up and illuminating the tops of the fog bank... while the bright lights of the greenhouse complex light up the inside of the fog bank. The middle and bottom photos were taken about 7:15am, after things had lightened up a bit.

70 years ago...

2011-12-07T07:12:00.001-08:00

6,000 and climbing...

2011-12-05T17:37:00.001-08:00

Big celebrations here at the blog, as it has now passed 6,000 page views (since the counter was established in 2010). In the past year, the blog has received almost 4,000 views, and has welcomed viewers from all over the world. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated, so feel free to leave a few words behind when you visit. Thanks for the continued support (especially my 17 "followers"!), and be sure to let others know that this is a great place to come to put a little sunshine in your day!

Southwest to Northeast...

2011-12-05T17:30:00.001-08:00

Fall is really making an effort to go out in style with some of the sunsets we have been seeing lately. This beauty today really came out of nowhere... the sky was blue all day, it started to get dark, and all of a sudden some wispy clouds showed up and made it worth the effort to go get the camera. The top panorama covers about a 100-degree swath from southwest to northwest. The middle photo is the view to the southwest just after the sun disappeared, and the bottom photo shows the nice shade of pink the clouds turned over the North Shore mountains and out into the Fraser Valley.

Hello, December

2011-12-01T17:09:00.001-08:00

The gorgeous end to December 1, 2011. It was definitely cold today, but the sun tried mightily to shine throughout the day, and made a wonderful final effort coming out from underneath the clouds around 4:30pm. Hard to believe that it is December... harder still to believe that it is only 24 sleeps to Christmas Day!

Goodbye, November

2011-12-01T17:08:00.001-08:00

November 30th ends with a lovely orange sunset... cool, but not too cold (yet).

Let there be light...

2011-11-28T16:05:00.001-08:00

Well, after all my carping in the previous post, I guess I have to eat a little crow. For the second day in a row, you could actually see the sun at sunset... I guess things aren't so bad after all!

A little something(s) to smile about...

2011-11-28T16:02:00.001-08:00

As you can tell from the lack of new stuff on the blog, there hasn't been much to photograph since we've returned from Hawaii. The busy nature of day-to-day life combined with some truly horrid weather has not made for an ideal combination for photo ops. The shots above are from way back on November 19, 2011... the view out the front door peephole courtesy of C... our (now) yearlong visitor stops by for lunch... a rare golden sunset illuminates the living room... and said sunset in all its blazing splendour.

The Opposite of Aloha...

2011-11-19T11:46:00.001-08:00

Well, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. With all the forecasters saying we are in for a heavy-duty winter, it was only a matter of time before the temperatures got low enough for the rain to turn into snow. The top photo shows we maxed out with only an inch or two of snow, but the continued cold temperatures will no doubt ensure that this is only the tippy-top of the iceberg! These photos were taken on November 18, 2011.

Aloha... sigh...

2011-11-13T14:25:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful closing moment on our last morning in Hawaii on November 2, 2011. We went down to the beach for one last morning swim, and as we packed up to leave this beautiful rainbow appeared above the iconic pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel... a good omen, for sure! After 18 months of planning and anticipation, the 10 days in Hawaii flew by. There's really only one thing left to say... "2013 - Here we come!".

We remember...

2011-11-11T20:22:00.001-08:00

Once again, this November 11th, our thoughts turn to those men and women, family and friends and strangers, who did their duty, served their countries, and on all too many occasions gave their lives to ensure our Freedom. The word "Freedom" is used often these days, and most frequently by those who had little or nothing to do with earning it, and protecting and ensuring it. We remember all those who served and fought in all of the battles and all of the wars to give us the right to claim "Freedom" without ever having earned it, or known life without it. We remember.

Nearing the End...

2011-11-11T19:55:00.001-08:00

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (aka Punchbowl National Cemetery) is located near Waikiki and Honolulu, and is the burial place of over 34,000 men and women who served in the US Armed Forces. At the top of the staircase in the Court of Honor is the statue of Lady Columbia, also known as Lady Liberty. She stands on the bow of a ship holding a laurel branch. The inscription below the statue, taken from Abraham Lincoln's letter to the mother of five fallen Union soldiers in the Civil War, reads: "THE SOLEMN PRIDE THAT MUST BE YOURS, TO HAVE LAID SO COSTLY A SACRIFICE UPON THE ALTAR OF FREEDOM". Despite the fact that this has been the most visitied tourist destination in Hawaii, we were literally the only ones (besides the groundskeepers) there on November 1, 2011.

The commanding view of Diamond Head, Waikiki, Honolulu and the blue Pacific Ocean as seen from the lookout at the summit of the Punchbowl Crater. We endured one of the most intense five-minute rainstorms I have ever seen, causing us to huddle under trees (or in public bathrooms with the groundskeepers in the case of some) until it passed. Once the five minutes of fury were unleashed, the skies cleared and golden sunshine and blue skies returned!

And so, with the return of blue skies and sunshine, we moved over the Ko'olau Range via the Pali Highway back to Kailua Beach for the morning and afternoon. Again, I was amazed at the expanse of golden sand and blue and green waters, all there for our enjoyment and with only minimal people in view! Other than the shark sighting (that a local surfer quickly pointed out was a turtle), all went well and we enjoyed some truly fun bodysurfing, followed by a delicious lunch at Teddy's Bigger Burgers in Kailua, and then a drive back to Waikiki via H3 through the Tetsuo Haruno tunnel.

Naturally scary...

2011-11-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

So, in the early morning hours of Hallowe'en, we hiked the trail up to Moana Falls. The hike takes you nearly a mile up a trail cut right out of the tropical jungle. And along the way, you get to see Nature in it's most primeval form. The scale of the trees and vines and ferns is astonishing... it is easy to see why Hawaii was picked as the location to film "Jurassic Park"... everything is "dinosaur-sized" in this jungle! Everywhere you looked, one type of plant was climbing over, around or through another plant or tree... survival of the fittest!

"T"-time at Hanauma Bay

2011-11-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

No trip to O'ahu would be complete without a visit to Hanauma Bay. One of the most beautiful (and fish-filled) bays on the island, it never fails to amaze and impress with its variety of marine life. The sand is golden, the water is green, the sky is blue, the clouds are puffy and white, Koko Crater rises in the background... and C and J head in to the water to get close to the action on October 30, 2011.

One of the best parts of the day is finding one of the emerald green holes in the reef and diving into a mass of colourful fish. Above, you can see K's legs and C's head as they search for turtles, the true treasure of Hanauma Bay.

The true "treasure" of snorkeling in Hanauma Bay - the elusive green sea turtle. You're either lucky (we saw one in the first 5 minutes this time, and during our last visit in 2009), or you have to be patient (it took two hours to find our next one). It ended up being a 6-turtle day, which is an excellent score! Turtle #6 ended up being the best, as it fed lazily on the bottom about 6' away from me and James in 1m of water for about 10 minutes... talk about being up close and personal!

And to cap it all off, we enjoyed another spectacular sunset... this is the view off the deck of our condo.

The perfect North Shore day...

2011-11-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

The perfect North Shore day on O'ahu... from the top... bodysurfing at Waimea Bay... shave ice at Matsumoto's in Haleiwa... turtles on the beach in Haliewa Bay State Park... and sunset over Kaena Point... all enjoyed on October 29, 2011.

How many u's in Pu'u Ualaka'a ?

2011-11-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

The stunning panorama from the Lookout in Pu'u Ualaka'a Park in the Round Top Forest Preserve, with Diamond Head to the west and Pearl Harbor and Wai'anae to the east. The drive along Round Top Drive and down Tantalus Drive is spectacular... be sure to make the effort to drive up to the Lookout if you are in Waikiki!

Stars and Stripes

2011-10-31T19:17:00.000-07:00

Lots of stars and stripes on Friday October 28, 2011, when we visited Pearl Harbor. It was our first chance to see the new Visitor's Center, which opened in December 2010. Much of the content is the same as before, but the new VC is spacious and airy, and there are lots of open areas to enjoy the surrounding views from. The flag above flies above the Arizona Memorial, always a powerful reminder of how truly unglamourous and horrifying war is. I was fortunate enough to be the first one in and managed to get a shot of the memorial (below) before anyone else made it into the frame.

We chose to skip the submarine museum this time and tour the battleship Missouri, and take another walk through the (now expanded) Aviation Museum on Ford Island. The Missouri is the historic battleship that was the site of the signing of the documents to officially end WWII, on September 2, 1945. If you watch the newsreel footage on YouTube, and then stand on that very spot, you will be amazed at how large it looks in the newsreel, and how small it is in real life! The Aviation Museum has expanded to a 2nd hangar and has increased its collection with an eye toward making it an even more impressive location to visit. A word to the wise if you are visiting Pearl Harbor... it is literally impossible to visit all four sites (Arizona Memorial, Submarine Museum, USS Missouri and Aviation Museum) in one day, unless you are a jogger... so plan accordingly!

A Douglas Dauntless... one of the many beautifully restored aircraft in the Aviation Museum.

Stripes, but no stars...

2011-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here kitty, kitty, kitty... one of the resident "cats" of the Honolulu Zoo... on October 27, 2011. My sister and I have about 700 photos between us from the zoo, so this one will have to suffice until we can do some editing and compiling!

Perfect Ending #4

2011-10-27T01:19:00.000-07:00

The end to another perfect day - sunset at Ala Moana State Park Beach on October 26, 2011.

Things you see at the beach...

2011-10-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

Now this is how you commute to the beach! This custom ride was parked at the horseshoe-shaped beach we went to inside the breakwater at the tip of Ala Moana State Park beach on October 26, 2011.

A view of her own...

2011-10-27T01:14:00.000-07:00

C catches her breath at the old winch station half way up on our climb to the top of Diamondhead, about 9am on October 26, 2011. Our timing was perfect... the climb up was done under cloudy skies with some nice breezes along the way. At the top, the clouds parted and the sun shone down. On the way home, we capped it off with malasadas from Leonard's... what could be better?

I'm on Top of the World!

2011-10-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

It doesn't get much better (or higher) than this when you are looking for spectacular views in Hawaii. J is standing on the 2nd lookout at the top of the trail to the Makapu'u Lighthouse at 4:00pm on October 25, 2011. To his right are the larger Manana (Rabbit) Island and the smaller Kaohikaipu Island, both bird sanctuaries. To his left, in the distance past the dark land mass, is Waimanalo Bay. From here, you are looking practically due North. The hot climb in the blazing sun was well worth the reward!

Why we come...

2011-10-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Sunset off Waikiki on October 24, 2011... sun, surf, surfers, and 27C... could it get any better?

Weather or not it really matters...

2011-10-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

... how cold it is at home? Oh, let's be honest! Who cares!

We're not in Kansas any more...

2011-10-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well, to be truthful, we never went anywhere near Kansas!

October Panorama...

2011-10-18T19:38:00.001-07:00

Two panorama "stitches" of the sunset on October 17, 2011.

One last gasp for Summer...

2011-10-18T19:29:00.001-07:00

Four stages of the sunset from yesterday, October 17, 2011, taken from 5:47pm through 6:14pm. We've squeaked out a few more spectacular days in October... we'll take anything we can get! I've also taken advantage of one of Blogger's new features, which is the ability to make the pictures much larger on the blog. Enjoy!

816 motorcycles... and no camera!

2011-10-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this is all I have to show from the 25th Fraser Valley Toy Run today. My camera battery died after less than 10 pictures on the Vancouver Toy Run... and I topped that by completely forgetting to take my camera today! Nonetheless, the weather was spectacular (notwithstanding the 2C start to the day!), and a total of 816 motorcyclists participated. My dear old friend from Surrey, fresh from a 1000-km ride to bring his new BMW motorcycle home from Calgary yesterday, saddled up again today and came out for the ride... what a champ! A mountain of toys and over $5,000 cash was raised for the kids for Christmas this year... a wonderful result! And let me tell you, the Vancouver Toy Run could really learn some tips about traffic control from the Fraser Valley organizers!

It looks warm...

2011-10-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

... but it's not really that warm! Starting on Wednesday night, the temperatures have begun to drop perilously close to the freezing mark! This wonderful sunset on October 14, 2011, may look warm, but there was already a chill in the air!

What Higher Learning Looks Like...

2011-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Two views from Quest University in Squamish on Sunday, October 9, 2011... how would you like to have to look at these views while you are trying to concentrate on your studies?

So me and a few thousand friends...

2011-10-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the thousands of motorcyclists who participated in the 33rd Vancouver Motorcycle Toy Run today. After meeting up at Coquitlam Center, several thousand bikers rode to the PNE, where thousands of toys were donated to help out the Christmas Bureau. The bikes above are only about 1/2 of the amount that filled the space when we arrived, and there were two more full parking lots just like this one. If you love motorcycles, this was the place to be!

What my old '82 Katana could have been, had I been willing to shell out the bucks!

The craziest custom I saw today... 26" front wheel, anyone?

And, of course, my personal favourite!

Pink-tober

2011-10-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

Various shades of pink highlight the clouds at sunset on October 1, 2011. With the falling temperatures and the cloudy skies signalling an end to a lovely Indian Summer in September, it's time to batten down the hatches for what is shaping up to be a soggy Fall.

17 minutes to the end of September...

2011-10-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

The last sunset of the month on September 30, 2011... from 6:32pm above to 6:49pm at the top... not a bad way for a mostly hot, sunny month to end!

Scenes from around the yard...

2011-10-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Like a blanket of cotton, the morning mist covers the Fraser River.

T-shirt art... all it takes is a black T-shirt, some household bleach, and a good stencil!

Arghhhh! Will you get that thing out of my face. Sunny has trouble enjoying the sunshine.

Would you say this frog is "electric green"?

Some scenes from the deck and the yard on September 30, 2011.

They're here!

2011-09-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Forgot this one from this morning... looked out the window and thought the aliens had landed! The massive yellow glow in the fog out on Matsqui Prairie is caused by the lights from a huge greenhouse complex... not from a spaceship, despite the similarities to movie special effects!

Evening Orange

2011-09-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

An unexpected pleasure today - warm, warm sunshine! Enough sunshine, in fact, to motivate me to cut the grass, take down the trampoline (while it was dry), pull out the dead cedar tree I have been staring at all summer, and finish in time to take a few shots of the sun leaving for another day.

Fall Fire

2011-09-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Moments after the ceremonial "Lighting of the Fall Fire(place)" comes the ceremonial "Flaking out in front of the fire".

Sumas Stroll

2011-09-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

The blues and greens of Sumas Prairie, seen during our stroll on September 23, 2011.

Clouds-trophobia!

2011-09-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

After a night of torrential downpour, we awoke this morning to solid cloud cover from the ground up. After weeks of sunlight and distant views, it was quite claustrophobic! Luckily, by mid-afternoon, the ceiling had lifted, and the day brightened up considerably.

Downward to Fall...

2011-09-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Sunset panorama, September 6, 2011

Sunset, September 7, 2011

Sunset, September 15, 2011

Sunset panorama, September 20, 2011

As you can see from the four photos in this post, Summer has slowly given way to Fall, and the blazing temperatures and cloudless blue skies have gone away for another year. After a dismal start to Summer, we did make up for it a bit with a spectacular August and early September, so I will be thankful for that! The start of school has gone well, and the daily routine has been quickly re-established after the lazy days of summer.

High School... sigh...

2011-09-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

My little baby boy heads off for the first day of High School yesterday... the pages on the calendar keep turning faster and faster.

5 of 1

2011-09-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

5 versions of the same photo, taken on September 1.... the original sunset at the top, and then Black and White, Red Emphasize, Sepia and Cyanotype... I'm finally getting around to playing with the internal "toys" in the camera!

Perfectly Pastel

2011-09-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

The absolutely gorgeous pastels of the sunset on September 1, 2011. The forecast for the beginning of September is unbelievable! Temperatures in the 30C range for several days... the hottest days of the year, all happening right after summer vacation ends!

Welcome Home Sunset

2011-09-06T21:19:00.001-07:00

The first nice sunset after we arrived home... August 30, 2011... sadly, it was to be the last one for a few days, as it got quite cloudy for several days after we returned home from holidays.

The long road home...

2011-09-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

After our spectacular Okanagan holiday, it was time to hit the long road home on Sunday August 28, 2011. I had company for the first hour, but "numb bum" set in and my ridemate abandoned me for the comfort of the SUV. Still, when you are riding in 30C temperatures, it's not all bad! We rode past the 50 front runners of the Ironman race taking place from Penticton to Osoyoos and back... I was very glad to have an engine to power me up the hills! With stops on the hour to unkink the wrist, have a nice cool drink, and streeeeeeeeetch the legs, it was a wonderful ride home. The bike hummed along just perfectly, reinforcing why it was "Sport Touring Bike of the Year" for so many years. After two weeks away, it was good to be home and good to sleep in my own bed again!

The bear went over the mountain...

2011-09-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Looking at it... if you enlarge the picture, and look directly above all of the people standing on the raft in the middle of the lake, you will see a large square object sitting on the top of the mountain...

That object is a large (40'x60') microwave reflector tower. After watching a group pass our campsite and appear next to it 2 hours later, J and I decided we would give it a try. After a 1/2 hour false start, 2 hours later to the minute, we were standing near (or in J's case, "on") the tower. The climb was quite the experience, considering the 30C temperatures we were enjoying!

However, the risk of heatstroke (and let's be honest, a plain old stroke for yours truly!), turned out to be worth it for the world-class views we found when we got to the top. That is our little Gallagher Lake in the photo above, and the beach from the first photo in this post is at the top right corner of the lake... not bad, huh?

And looking "up" from the picture above, you had this view to the north of the entire Okanagan Valley... Vaseux Lake is above J's head, and you can see part of Skaha Lake and the south end of Okanagan Lake among the hills at the top of the photo.

It was a heck of a climb up, and a harder "climb" down, as we made our own trail. I will say that I am pretty sure I was in the early stages of heat prostration upon our return, but large quantities of cool water and a big dip in the lake brought my back from the brink! As for J, well his only comment was "You're a wimp, Dad!".

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

2011-09-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Some of the wildlife that J and I saw on our way to and from climbing a mountain on August 26, 2011. Some very friendly horses, a very still snake (not a rattler, if you were concerned), and what appeared to be an unlucky sheep and and unlucky horse (or what were left of them!).

Morning, Noon and Night...

2011-09-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

The three phases of the day at Gallagher Lake... the pristine, blue lake at 9am on August 23, 2011, the sweltering 35C beach at noon on August 24, 2011, and the cool, purple lake at 8pm on August 25, 2011... no matter the time of day, Gallagher Lake is truly a little jewel hidden under the sheltering mountain beside it!

6 J's...

2011-08-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I rarely engage in digital trickery, preferring to let the camera capture the scene with no manipulation. However, I will confess that there is some "time manipulation" involved in this photograph... it is a 3-shot stitch chronicling the progress of J and his little cousin J as they swam in Okanagan Lake on August 19, 2011... can you find all 6 "J's"?

The view from the Goat Farm...

2011-08-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

The absolutely spectacular view from Carmeli's, a goat farm that makes amazing cheeses and ice cream from goat's milk. It is 12km south of Kelowna on the east side of Okanagan Lake... an expensive treat, but a treat nonetheless! And the drive and the views are well worth the short trip!

Missile attack on the Moon?

2011-08-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

This cool shot was taken about 9:30pm on August 15, 2011, from my cousin L's deck in Westbank... or is it West Kelowna now? Anyway, the dispersing contrails of two jets looked like exhaust trails from missiles launched at the moon... or at least they did to me... but I watch WAY too many sci-fi movies, so that may explain it!

A little sun for a rainy day...

2011-08-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Since it is cloudy and raining today, I thought I'd post this nice photo of the sunset from August 14, 2011. This is a 5-shot stitch of the sunset through the evening clouds... but it still looks warm and inviting, doesn't it?

Coming back from where we've been...

2011-08-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

This action shot was taken of me and the Princess by J, who chose to ride with K on the way home from the Okanagan today. As you can tell from the lack of postings the past two weeks, I have been away from the Blog for a couple of weeks enjoying a well-deserved holiday with my family. We enjoyed two solid weeks of sunshine, swimming and 30C temperatures... it's all in the timing! More posts over the next few days to show some other things we got up to... stay tuned!

Airshow Guests

2011-08-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

Seen from our deck yesterday, during Media Day at the Abbotsford Airshow. If you look closely, you can see a reporter in the back seat of the gray one who thought riding in a supersonic jet sounded like fun!

August 8th

2011-08-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

113

2011-08-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, K!

History, right in front of you!

2011-08-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

68 years after being shot down and crashing in a Russian swamp, this pristinely restored Focke-Wulf FW190 A-5 of Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection took to the skies over Paine Field yesterday in its public debut... and what a glorious day it was! The plane is the only original flyable Focke-Wulf 190A fighter to take to the skies with a genuine BMW 801 engine. Alongside the FW190 was it's smaller, but equally deadly, FHC counterpart the Bf109E-3 (itself rescued from under the sands of a French beach in 1988!).

Hey! What are you looking at?

2011-08-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

So... what could possibly cause a crowd this size to gather at Paine Field in Everett, WA on a sunny Summer Saturday... ??? Well, you had just better tune in for the next post, hadn't you?

Orange Crush - August Style

2011-08-04T22:47:00.001-07:00

Funny Little Rabbit...

2011-07-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Found this odd little rabbit eating lettuce on our front lawn last night...

July 30 Sunset

2011-07-31T19:39:00.001-07:00

July 27 Sunset

2011-07-31T19:38:00.001-07:00

Clouds that look like stuff...

2011-07-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Come on... give it a minute... put your eyes out of focus a little bit... there you go!

Sunset with Rose

2011-07-22T20:09:00.001-07:00

Sunbeam 2

2011-07-22T20:08:00.002-07:00

Sunbeam 1

2011-07-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

And it's back again...

2011-07-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

The gorgeous hues of a mid-July sunset on July 12, 2011, a nice surprise after the dreary end to the past few days. The sun made a nice effort that night, then gave up the past two days as we've returned to clouds and torrential rain today. Come on, Summer, make an effort!!!

And it's over again...

2011-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, spoke too soon as usual. Suddenly, the sky was gray, and when I look now, the forecast is calling for clouds and showers through Sunday... one day I'll learn!

One (Fast) Year Ago...

2011-07-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post... here's a little reminder of where we were one year ago today... thrilling to the sound of roaring Merlin engines as 8 classic Supermarine Spitfires swooped past to start the Flying Legends Airshow in Duxford, England!

Sweet Summertime...

2011-07-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

The sun sets in spectacular fashion yesterday, July 10, 2011. It's hard to believe that one year ago, we were in England watching wonderfully restored WWII aircraft zooming through the sky at the Flying Legends Airshow in Duxford! As a nice little reminder of our time in England, we had a wonderful visit with friends visiting from England, and then K and I capped it off with a lovely 90-minute walk around the neighbourhood in the warmth of the evening.

500

2011-07-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

The 500th post!

So, in honour of the 500th post on this blog, I give you a shot of what summer is all about - our son and his friend screaming their heads off at Cultus Lake as they are flailed about the lake on a tube towed behind our friends' boat! Our timing turned out to be impeccable... after months of rain and cold weather, the skies cleared, the temperatures soared... and all in time for us to go spend 4 days camping with several of our favourite families. It's all in the timing!

Canada Day... and a Princess to boot!

2011-07-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a Princess? And check out the perfectly-themed Canada day chapeau! The girl has definitely got "it"!

(And, yes, I do realize that Canada Day was yesterday, but some of us had to work!)