Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Devil's Club, with berries
I'm well aquainted with this dear hiker's friend, but the berries are a little hard to find. I've only seen them once.Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Eavestrough Enigma
It's time to adjust our gutter machine. Things aren't quite running straight.
A little under a sixteenth of an inch out in four feet. Very bad.Where do we begin?
These things are complicated - adjustment upon adjustment for adjustment.
Rows and rows of shiny little wheels. Doesn't that just bring out the tinkerer in you?
First step: make our mechanic think he is on vacation.
The drive system, with which we are not qualified to tamper - but then, we aren't really qualified to tamper with anything in this machine. Viva la Unscrewdriver!
Part of the wondrous and incomprehensible lip forming box.
All four exit drive roller clearances must be carefully checked. The manual doesn't recommend more than 1/32 of a turn at a time on the adjustment bolts. Very sensitive.
The final metal mangling mechanism - it puts the bead on the back edge of the eavestrough.
"Any straighter?"Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mahoney Lake
Near Oliver, BC
There is an ecological reserve surrounding this lake, due to the lake's special properties. Do you see the slight purple tinge around the edge of the lake and in the deeper water? They tell us that there's a dense layer - about 8 meters down in the lake - of purple sulphur bacteria.
Below the layer of purple sulphur bacteria, the water is dark, anoxic and saltier than the sea. I would guess, by the look of the mud on the shore, that the surface layer is a little salty too.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
One of the better mountain roads in the area
Depending, naturally, upon your idea of good. It's the Crater Mountain road in the Ashnola Valley. I thought you might like to experience it.
It's narrow, it has no ditch, it isn't maintained and it's tastefully sprinkled with large caliber pebbles. In a few places the uphill tire track is noticeably higher due to material that has fallen onto the road. It gives things a bit of a lean.
I'm sorry about the pictures. I neglected to take enough pictures on the way up, so these are all from the return trip. They were taken from a bouncing vehicle in low light, so they are a bit blurry and crunchy - perhaps suited to the nature of the road.
All right. Let's get going.
A nice place to look back on.
Hope you enjoyed the ride!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
Or, as the Latins would say it: balsamorhize sagittata
We used to call them Wild Sunflowers - they are, I am told, a relative of the sunflower.
They're a staple part of Okanagan springtime scenery.
Cheerful colours, silvery leaves - perfect amateur photographer bait. We can't resist them.
