More Autumn Colors

The front garden, with the liquid amber tree just beginning to change colors.

1931 Buick hood ornament called Mercury... Yes FTD used these cars for deliveries. I have been playing with a few of my old photos with a view to uploading a few on Megashot for the new community called Bygones and Antiques.

I just like it.  

 Another one from May 2009 when we were on the Antiques Auto run to the Sunshine Coast.  I think this was at Gibsons Landing.  Someday, I may get the "Cars" albums finished on my web page.  None of the albums are made, just starting a list.  Its good for reference.  My Travel page is 5 years behind.  Oh well.. maybe next year I will get more done.  Have been very busy with Megashot this year.
Its been a partly sunny, bits of rain kind of day.  When I got up this morning there was a rainbow to greet me.  My photos are not that great, though. 
Yesterday, I cleaned the filter on the pond pump and its running ok again.  The deer are eating the apples, but not all at once.  We have had more apples falling, and so I am taking them across the road to the deer pasture.  We still have apple sauce left from years past.  In talking with our guests it seems they spotted the blue heron on the deck railing this morning!  The bird did not go into the pond, though, just checked things out, again.  They were quite excited to see a deer as well.  :-))  The wilds of Saanich!

Todd Inlet

About a week ago on a hot and sunny day, Dan, Irene, Pat and I walked to Todd Inlet. I was playing with my cs filter for a few shots since the sun was sooooo bright.

At home today it is raining lightly. We are eating the grapes. They are delicious, small, green, seedless grapes. The vine grows up one corner of the back garage and over the front door, as well as along one side of the garage. I had cut it back when we painted the garage, but I am going to try grow its main branches out again... one over the door and one along the side of the garage.

Kimberley to Castlegar, B.C.

Aug. 3 - We are on our way from Bryan and Joan's home using the GPS to find our way back to the highway over some creative routing. We stopped for gas at the Husky noticing quite a lot of road construction happening in Kimberley/Marysville. We have a lunch stop at Moyie Lake with a time change shortly after. We go to Creston and turn north on the #3A road so that we go on the Kootenay Lake ferry. Very smokey and hazey on a 32 degree hot day. We shut off the propane while waiting for the 2:30 ferry. Its a 35 minute ride. Beautiful scenery. We get off the ferry and head for Castlegar. We get lost while trying to see a bit of Nelson. Finally on our way again and get to the Kootenay campsite about 5:30. We get plugged in and have supper - hamberger, washday potatoes, salad, ice cream, zinfandal. Do the dishes and walk to the river (?). Lovely sunset. We need to spend more time in the Kootenays. It is very pretty country.

At home: We got back from the Island Challenge (1927 and prior antique cars rally) which was in the Duncan area. Hot day, which is better than the usual rain we get on this meet. Was good to see everyone. Rosalie, I will have some photos for you in a day or two, I hope.

Our house guests were gone when we got home. Dan and Carol on their way home and the Grants taking a bit of a tour to Vancouver. Our dinner party for the nine of us went fairly well on Thursday.

In the garden, the purple plums are falling on the ground going to waste. I must get out and gather them and freeze them for later use. I will make them into sauce like I did with the yellow plums. The pump in the pond has quit. I guess its filter must be plugged up again. I really must get the big filter out of the bottom of the pond and attach it again. Maybe get a bit of wire to make a cage around the whole thing as added filtering and assuring that the filter stays attached.

Swift Current, Sask., Campground

July 31st - we finished off this day in the Swift Current, Sask., Trail Campsite. A nice spot with views over the hills. We had our previously prepared rice/sausage caserole, wine and Swiss emental cheese. This is our last night in Saskatchewan. I regret the lack of lightning photos. I just did not seem to get the opportunity. I am pretty happy with all the prairie photos, though. After eating, I we went out for a while and caught the sunset light. There were bugs, this time, so I did not spend too much time out there.

Today at home I spent a bit of time on the new site, and on house work. Apparently we had rain with wind, thunder and lightning. I slept through it all. Tonite we went to The Greek Days festival at the church next to the swimming pool. The food was pretty good and there was folk dancing. I have a movie that I shall add to my youtube account and eventually post on my video spot at the bottom of the page.

Sing another prairie tune

On July 24 after arriving at Don and Debbie's we decide to go out for dinner at Lakeshore. Nice upscale restraurant. Don and Debbie are renovating their home and doing a fine job of it. Looks very nice.
On July 25 we have a leisurely morning with breakfast/brunch at the Husky. Visit with Albert K. Don drives us about a bit.. no photo stops. Its another very hot day. We get back and all go for naps or breaks. Don, Pat and I go out to Silton about 4:00 to arrive 5-ish. This is to be a surprise party for Albert and Audrey B.'s 40th wedding anniversary. We are suppose to hide our cars on the side streets of Silton... oh yeah right, and go into the hall to await their arrival at 6:00. There is dinner, cake, pictures and visiting. Pat and Don were both in the wedding party. After the dinner we go back to Regina before the dancing starts. The sunset photos are from Silton. My party photos did not turn out at all. More talking of old times when we are back. Don goes out to The Junction where people he knows from the Kelliher Leross area meet for coffee every Sunday morning. Pat joins the guys for coffee and I manage to spend some quality time with my camera. .. more of this morning to follow.

At home today: I have frozen 4 1/2 more jars of yellow plum sauce. I picked 48 plums, peeled and pitted them. Boiled them with 1/2 cup of sugar for about 5 minutes to kill any bacteria. I then put them in the jars, cool them and freeze them. We enjoy this sauce with ice cream or frozen yogurt, over little strawberry cake cups, on pancakes.

Running back to Saskatoon

A scenic spot where we stopped for lunch just before Lloydminster.
There seems to be a lot of water lying around this year. In fact, we had a call from Pat's mother warning that a highway we were to take, had been washed out. Fortunately when we got to it, the water had run off and the road was dry.

Canola and alph alpha with fences. After this shot I changed my camera to wide format and added the extra wide angle lens, as prairie scenes seem to lend themselves to the wide format.
I must have been bored while waiting for the gas tank to fill on our way out of Edmonton. This is not a selective color photo, but a full color shot. I selected the yellow and red and naturally framed it on the black and white background.
Another flare over C & J's roses. I did not find out what their roses were named, but they were certainly gorgeous and blooming whole-heartedly.

On July 21, we had breakfast in the van because we wanted to have an early start so as to get to Saskatoon by late afternoon. We were unplugged, said our good-byes and thanks and were on our way by 10:00. We gassed up on our way out of Edmonton and were almost to Lloydminister for our lunch stop. Thanks again, Colleen and John for sharing the two days with us.

On the way through the prairies it looks like there is quite a lot of water this year, in the north western area anyway. The canola and flax crops are just about ready for the optimum blue/gold photos. More on this later.

At home today we had a visit from Kelly, Angie,. Tyler, Allyssa and Jason. They had been camping and traveling around the island for the last 2 weeks. They covered a lot of ground in their 2 weeks. They were on their way home and stopped long enough to share lunch with us. It was so good to see them. They are all happy, healthy and still have some energy left after their 2 busy weeks.

We had quite a good shower this afternoon, after lunch. Perfect weather for having a nap!

More Devonian Botanical Gardens, Edmonton, Alberta

July 20th
More of the Devonian Botanical Gardens photos and roses and flares at Colleen and John's house.
We went through the butterfly garden and I did not manage to get anything worth while. We saw the rest of the closer gardens under glass, and had lunch from the kiosk. After lunch we took the tram and the driver explained to us what we were seeing. Its been a full day... we go back to their home and all take a nap. Later they make another scrumptious steak dinner for us. More pleasant visiting on the patio. There are very few mosquitoes. To our room by 10:30 as we have a 5 - 6 hour drive tomorrow to get from Edmonton to Saskatoon, Sask.