Sum Sum Summer Time 2014

Ok where did I leave off on my last blog about Spring.  Here it is the end of summer and I am camping right now so have some time to blog.   This is our first time to camp this summer and it is a few days away from the end of August, but we are here at our favourite place Davis Lake Recreations site here in BC Canada only an hour or so from our home.  So let’s just start from where I am right now Davis Lake.

Well the first couple days for me was just relaxing and reading.  Then weather cooled and I spent many hours inside the motorhome with a spectacular views of the lake working on photos and this blog.

My hubby of course was out fishing the whole time.  Finally when the weather cooled he was getting bigger trout, the biggest caught was 19 inches.

Mornings and evenings always bring a change to the lake scene.

One night we had some close friends come for dinner and enjoy a beautiful evening as the sun set behind the hills. 

 Trips

End of June I went to Oregon to a nephews wedding and while down there did a little sight seeing at Silver Falls State Park and Oregon Gardens Resort as well as stop in and see an old friend.

Wedding
I really do enjoy capturing special moments at weddings with my family.  However I would hate to do it professionally.  Way too much pressure.

Silver Falls State Park
It rained off and on my visit t here but the falls were spectacular. 

Oregon Gardens Resort
My sister and I spent one night at this resort that included acres and acres of these beautiful gardens that we first took a narrated tour on a small trolley, then later walked most the gardens.

 Visiting Old Friend
I always love to stop in a visit an old friend while going through Washington and we went and visited her horse for the afternoon.

Trip to Shuswap Lake
My hubby and I were invited by some friends to stay a couple nights at a resort they were staying at.  What a treat that was.  Luxury to us.  The drive down first was very scenic.

What a treat to relax here the weather just broke from a rain storm the evening we arrive and gave us nothing but sun the next couple of days.

I rose early the first morning to go down to the water.  I felt all alone on the lake.  It was so quiet with the sun just coming up.

The evening lights from the resort were just beautiful.

This summer was not all trips of course much time was spent at our ranch working and enjoying it. 

Gardening

The garden got off to a good start early summer.

But as we were gone often the baby marmots kept eating all my lettuce and greens.  Somehow flowers are now taking over the vegetable garden.  But something that I am getting for the first time this year is squash in the garden. 

I won’t have much to harvest in the garden this year just lots of potatoes, onions, turnips, kale, carrots and lots of garlic. but had plenty of berries to harvest.  It was a very berry couple of weeks.

 Flowers

The beginning of the summer found our deck very bare looking when I first set all my pots of flowers out I started in the greenhouse.  But it didn’t take long for the heat of summer to bring color to our deck again.

I wasn’t going to do flowers this summer, but somehow did and was surrounded by them all over our property. Right now I will begin collecting my annual seed to carry on the flowers for the next year.  I have been saving flower seeds for 20 years. 

Just a glimpse of the many perennials I have in my flower beds.

Wildflowers
This June and July we had so many wildflowers and many new varieties.

 Wildlife

I was blessed one morning to sit and watch a fly catcher bring food to her babies as they had just left the nest.

Well the marmots are still here, but we had some new visitor this year.  We have bunnies in around the house, not good as they have munched a few things now.  But I was able to see some otters that came down the creek and got some really great photos and videos of them.

 

Our Part Time Home

Well I guess for those of you who follow me know I spoke of a new property
we purchased last winter and was going to start work there is summer.  Well our tenant in our rental house in town moved out and we decided not to rent it right now as we had owned it for over 20 years and wanted to spend a little time there.  So many weekend from July through August we would go there and work a bit, and I was also able to go to a few Saturday flea markets in town and set up for selling my greeting  cards.  But mostly just enjoy being close to town yet right on the river and wonderful walks on the dikes and trail systems right from our back yard.  Now we may want to down size there.  Still will spend some time at the new property in October.  But here is a glimpse of the walks we take from our little house on the river in out town.

Going north east up the river we follow the trail to where our two rivers in town meet.

When we go South east up the river we follow it for awhile then cut over to the Kettle Valley Trail.  There is so much wildlife right here in our town.

Once back on the Kettle Valley trail we go through the old train tunnel and come out at the other river and the old train bridge.   The walk takes just over an hour.  Where the trail passes by town it is all lit with lights at night.

We are seriously thinking of downsizing to town as we really do love it there.   

 Creations by Here I Am Carrie

Well I finally got out this summer to sell some of my greeting cards at our local outdoor venues. 
My first time out was at our local Saturday flea market.

We had a music fest in town my 3rd weekend and I set up on the closed street along with other vendors for 2 full days and did really well with my sales. I had a great display and was really getting the hang of talking to people.

Salton Sea Winter 2014 Part 2

Well spring is here and time the snowbirds have returned back north to our ranch in British Columbia Canada.   Lot of leaks and floods in the plumbing when we turned our water back on and feeling overwhelmed with trying to get everything back in order here.  But before things get crazy busy with life at the ranch I thought I should get part  2 of our life at the Salton Sea this past winter.  So on with my collage of photos which help tell the stories.

I spent way too much of my free time making my homemade greeting cards.  But I have finished them all.  I now have about 250 in stock.  As a test on setting them up I went to the outside flea market near Salton City to see how it would all go. 
Baby Steps

I could not forget my passion for flowers and this spring at the Salton Sea we had beautiful blooms in our yard of desert scape plants.

The empty gravel yard when we bought this house was like a blank canvas for me and over the last 3 years I have so enjoyed creating the landscape and patio areas with mostly materials and plants with little or no costs. 

I am forever moving rocks and adding a plant or two.  The heat this past winter here did slow work down in the yard.  There was not a drop of rain in 10 weeks and most days ranges from 85 to 100 degrees.  The hottest winter I can remember in 25 years going there.  But as I was inside working on my greeting cards progress was made there.

Everyday either early morning or just before the sun went down I went for a walk for about an hour with my dog Sheaba. Our neighbourhood is so varied and forever changing from one location to the next.

Found under many big trees in the the washes around the neighbourhood are makeshift shelters that were used by  illegals Mexicans or even homeless.

From beautiful homes to stuffed chairs on empty lots our area has it all.

Surrounded by mountains  and glimpses of the sea were always there during my walks.

Occasionally company would come and stay with us so would take them for a walk down near the Salton Sea.  We still own a empty lot near the sea and went for a picnic there with friends.  Then headed for the long walk down to the waters edge.

The shoreline here is lined with barnacles, but one still feels like they are walking along and ocean beach even if it is only a salt lake.

The main fish still in the Salton Sea are Tilapia, which dead ones can be found sometime along the shoreline.  I am sure they were once also a source of food for Sheaba when she ran wild down here near the Salton Sea.

The constant hum of ultra lights can be heard all along the shore of the sea a favourite area for them to fly.

There is now so much activity on the shores of the sea with ATVs, jeeps and fishing.  This group of vehicles parked on the shore were sitting in lawn chairs waiting for the full moon to rise.

Every March Tera Del Sol Jeep club holds a jeep rally near Salton City California near the Salton Sea.  Thousands of camper and jeeps swarm the desert during this weekend.

It’s fun to just park at a view point and watch all the activity in the desert and bad lands.  The dust they create is more then I want to put myself near. 

Our area is not without wildlife even with all the dyeing vegetation.  Coyotes are a regular seen around the neighbourhood and desert along with pelicans near the sea and hummingbirds at the flowers.  I discovered a burring owl just on the edge of the neighbourhood.  How it has managed to survived with ATVs driving within 20 feet of it’s burrow.

Seems the little burrowing owl had a mate in the hole, which I could have been around when the babies hatched out.  So many other birds and creatures were always there to be seen when one took the time to look.

I will miss my walk I took everyday and seeing the every changing landscape and skies.  The mountains with the shadows that changed with the time of the day.   But the snowbird had to leave and head back north.

September Camping, Harvest and Sunflowers

 After a summer of work finally got away for a short camping trip with friends in early September.  Of course I picked days I knew the weather would be beautiful and hot.  So for 5 glorious days we enjoyed our waterfront campsite and hubby enjoyed his fishing.

I did say waterfront campsite even with our own dock.
Our outdoor living area was set up near it.  The views were forever changing.

Also I enjoyed the chance to use my new camera.

I love using the panorama on my camera,
it always provide a better view sometimes on the scene.
This is at the end of the dock looking at our motorhome and camp area.

Trying out more of the settings on my camera
as well as a little floating with my i-pod. 

This was Sheba's first camping trip.  She was so good and never had to be on a leash.  We had other friends camping with us as well and she seems always more comfortable when there is more of our friends around.  However when they all left after a few days, she would hide under our motorhome and often growl at other dogs or people passing by.  She also loved the water, not to swim in, but loves laying in it.

There wasn’t to much waterfowl in the lake at this time of the year,
but lots of birds eating from the cattails.

Often sitting in the chair my eyes would roam around to things I could snap a photo of.  Was nice to sit and relax for short periods.

I tried to get up early a few morning to catch the fog coming off the lake.
But there wasn’t much there this time as I had seen in the past.

Well upon returning home from camping went right back to work as it was time to start harvesting our fruit.  Our trees were loaded this year.

There is plenty more in another room.  One more apple tree to pick as well.

Along with the fruit there were onions and potatoes to get out of the garden.

Now the canning and making of jams begins. 

September is the month my sunflowers smile.

I start many varieties from seeds in the greenhouse in the spring.

I love seeing their smiling faces all around the yard and garden.

The first hard frost has finally hit and most my sunflowers are now gone.

Was hoping to get out camping one more time, but we are having the worst weather with so much rain.  Just can’t seem to get a 5 day window of just sunshine.  Really don’t have the time to get away again, maybe I am just dreaming.  I am tired again these days without the sun and heat to keep my batteries charged.  More and more I find I am falling behind in things I used to stay on top of.  I think often of the days when we had no TV or internet  or even local radio and how I managed everything.  But also in those days we would go long periods without seeing or talking to anyone unless we went into town.  I had very little social life as there was no way to communicate with friends or family.  We had no phone then and still don’t, but the world has opened up to us filling our time with TV, internet, e-mails and Skype.  Oh I almost forgot it just dawned on me were so much of my time goes.  My hobby photography…..

So as the colors of fall begin to change

I hope for a renewed energy that it always brings.