A Taste of Winter

14-snowAlready we are having a taste of winter at Ginty Creek.  Clear skies always produce a good frost.1-frostThe cottonwoods had a brief attempt at providing some colour.2-golden-cottonwoodsFog is common most mornings.4-fog-finger-peakBecause of the rainy summer, the river is much higher than it would normally be at this time of year.4-tawny-riverAs has been the norm for this year, we would have a couple of sunny days, sometimes three, and then it would rain on and off for a week or more.  I had a wet trip to Williams Lake.6-rain-to-ws-lkBut about 2/3 of the way home, I drove into patchy sunshine.9-near-tatlaThe mountains were white with snow.  This is Nogwon.10-nogwonFinger Peak looks pointier from downtown Kleena Kleene.11-finger-peak

12-fp-and-hayRed sky at night – sailor’s delight!13-sunsetBut in the morning we woke to fresh snow.14a-pondPart of me thinks: Oh no! Not already, and part of me appreciates how beautiful it is.15-birch-abstract

16-branch-in-grassEvery day I rummage around for kale and swiss chard in the garden.  (The roots are all dug and in the root cellar.)  Every day I think it will be the last greens that I find.  And yet I continuously manage to scrounge enough for supper.17-chardThe ground was not frozen so I knew the snow wouldn’t last.  By afternoon, it had melted.18-rain-abstract

19-grass-rainTwo days later, the sky cleared and the temperature dropped to -12C.  (That’s about 10 degrees American.)18a-frosty-morningThe fog and frost compositions were gorgeous.18b-frosty-morning-2

18b-frosty-morning-3The pond froze over.18e-frozen-pondThe sun was warm later in the day, but the frost never melted in the shade.  Perkins Peak sailed above the river.  Looks like I won’t get up there until next year now.18g-ppThe following morning, the temperature was just as cold.18i-twigsFriends were staying, and we walked up onto the north bluffs.  Again, the fog effects were fabulous.  We could enjoy them thoroughly because the sun was shining on us!18j1-more-fog

18l-fog-ppBut once again, on day three, the storms started to come in.18-storm-coming

storm-2And last night it rained steadily.  The night temperature rose to zero C.  The pretty winter jewelry disappeared.  Most of the ice on the pond melted.  The forecast is total gloom for the next foreseeable future.18l-thaw

 

 

7 thoughts on “A Taste of Winter”

  1. Always a pleasure to see ‘home’. Liked your comments about dead animals…spot on. One dark night, at Half Way, dead black cow in middle of highway. Good reflexes Ken! Old Chilcotin adage: if you have live stock, you’ll have dead stock. One winter, a road killed moose (near One Eye) was gone in a week-fed many birds, rodents and carnivores.

  2. Funny about the candles! I used to look forward to power outages to enjoy their ambience. Lost power for two days with the hurricane – cooking by candle light
    is not fun. Been on the hunt for battery powered candles and lanterns since.
    Are we wiser,or just older? Lol!

  3. Beautiful autumn photos!
    Are you still doing book tours? I’m anxious to attend another one and get updated on your activities, as well as buy another book or two. I love your slide shows/talks.
    Unfortunately I missed your 2014 visit to Vernon, and look forward to seeing you again.

    1. Here in North Carolina, south of Raleigh, theres not been a cloud in the sky since Hurricane Matthew blew by Oct 8. Wish I could send sunshine your way to help with the power challenge. I would welcome a cloudy day ( Just 1!)to change things up a bit. Such is life, I know! On the theme of opposites, I have a hardly used Canon Power Shot. I just enrolled in a Beginning Digital camera class at the community college,or guilt might have led me to send it on to you. As always, your blog is an amazing look at a place far different than my spot on the planet. Nice of you to share.

  4. We are already getting some snow in the higher country. That’s a good omen for the snow pack to come this winter. No frost at the cabin yet but town got down to -1C last week. Funny to have the coast colder than up the lake. I’m trying to put my garden to bed except for the winter crops that will stay in the ground. – Margy
    Margy recently posted…Coastal BC Birds: Song SparrowMy Profile

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