Springtime in the Shuswap and Environs

As you are now aware, I'm an infrequent blogger!
But every now and then the cycle comes around and I'm on it, enthusiastically. 

The land released its moisture quickly this year, and now we are anxiously looking around for rain clouds,
sort of ... because it's so beautifully sunny! 

Here are some photos to bring you here without you having to move from your chair.

Mount Ida with a crown of cloud

 This mountain dominates the sky, visible from all parts of the city and countryside.

This fascinates me.

Residents of places which have such a marked and beautiful landmark,  must share a bond,
have a common, shared experience of pleasure and appreciation,
which is literally  fixed on such a point visible to many.

A walk near La Casa in the woods

Most of you know we go for drives. This is a cherished ritual in which we indulge, even with the climbing gas prices. We go for drives. We talk while we bless various loved places in all their various seasonal guises. Right now the fields are tilled or growing young shoots of corn and alfalfa etc. There are lots of births everywhere, baby cows, goats and sheep, sometimes bouncing around together full of spunky life. No horses yet. We also buy eggs, which many farms sell, usually from a cooler stationed at the road, or on a porch, most using the honour system. One place doesn't but I suspect they soon will. We recycle used egg cartons wherever we buy. We feel a sort of relationship with the folks whose eggs we eat, the people who care for these willing hens, this strangely pre-packaged living food source. We have become familiar with the different kinds of eggs produced. Some are obviously from young hens, some shells are harder, some shells have marks and freckles, occasionally some have poop. Some yolks are more yellow. Some are designer eggs from an egg aficionado, in lovely pastel colours. Most are fertilized. We have become familiar with the properties of each egg supplier, with their farm lives affectionately revealed: their gardens, their cattle, their dogs. No eggaggeration, we have a rural link.

An unusual rock montage

I called it a lost Henry Moore.

 I used to view Henry Moore's sculptures in Toronto.

On days off I'd go to the Art Gallery to soak up the culture,
a bit of Henry, and quiche in the gallery restaurant.

David found this sweet bloom, later identified as a type of Borage

Descriptively named: Tall Bluebells

A golden crown

This flower covers sunny hillsides in the Okanagan and Shuswap. They're called Arrow-leafed Balsamroot, and the Native population used to harvest the roots and eat them roasted or steamed, hung and dried to store, then soaked to eat. The leaves were also eaten steamed. The deer and elk graze on them year long. Although I did not take a photo of the massive spreads of yellow on the many hillsides, here's a professional photographer's composition of their spring display.

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Deer Spotting

 Along Westside, we stopped at a favourite look out, and David spotted a deer nestled below. See if you can see her in the photo above.

Here's a clue

Here she is!

 Thanks to my zoom lens

Further along the lakeshore, another scenic view

and another, with angel's wings

Another day, another drive, this time through the Nicola Valley. We found the rolling curves of the land so pleasing, although dry for this time of the year. For anyone travelling from Merritt to Kamloops, I strongly recommend taking the old Highway 5 which goes through this valley. These photos are of Richie Lake which were taken from a breathtaking viewpoint off the road looking down at the graceful shores and surrounding undulating hills.

Throughout the valley, I noticed a healthy growth of young bunch grass. I know that overgrazing by cattle has eliminated vast ranges of this native grass, and I'm sure someone besides me is pleased to see it in such abundance here. This grass is characterized by such symmetry that it looks like it was planted by man.

Bit of history: I learned about bunch grass while working at LaCasa 2007-10, on landscaping and during my first stab at landscaping design. For those who missed our LaCasa phase, here are some shots to acquaint you with this property. I like to say that I and my cohort Kelly, weeded every inch of it!! I took these not too long ago, when LaCasa was still covered in snow.

Spoiler Alert: Education Ahead ... Because most of the property is designated riparian (close to water, in this case Okanagan Lake), we were required to plant native plants on the common property. (Some sod was used as well, for instance in the Activity Park.) I noticed "bunch grass" mentioned on the recommended plant list, which led to researching various native grasses. Bunch grass is valued for stabilizing hillsides, as well for its resistance to drought, due to its long roots reaching 6 feet. This grass provides forage (for deer and big horn sheep who visited LaCasa) as well as an environment for critters like birds and small herbivores. Another bit of trivia: Did you know that one of the functions of forests is to retain snow in the shade, thereby allowing a slower pace of run-off into waterways? This is one reason why clearcuts are triggering flooding events: snow is melting too quickly, en masse.

And finally, a wild vining Clematis, growing near my dog walking path at Canoe Beach, on the Shuswap (Lake)




And below, some Forget-me-nots with the most
vivid blue that the camera doesn't do justice

And not to forget, the Shuswap and Okanagan have many, many orchards.
This is a photo of (slightly fading) cherry blossoms near our house, with Bastion Mountain in the background.

Adieu mes amies ... until next time