Life at the Lake

The McFrothys have spent a busy last week or so at Chad's grandparents' place on the Shuswap Lake, just across the lake from Salmon Arm.  So what have we been doing during that time?

We drank wine on the beach:

We swam in the lake:

We enjoyed amazing views:

We (okay, Chad) made Oregon Grape jelly!

We (okay, Chad again) attended jazz concerts:

We visited Crannog Ales brewery and farm.

We made a bunch of tasty homecooked meals:

Chad and Scott watched this garter snake try to eat this mouse whole (he failed after he became camera shy):

We had lots of campfires with smores:

We witnessed an epic hailstorm with huge hailstones:

Alas, it is time to move on and tomorrow we are off to Lake Louise and points beyond!

Soggy British Columbia

Although Chad enjoyed a few sunny days on his return to Canada, I got home to Vancouver last Friday night to three days of rain, followed by two days of rain in Kamloops, and then slightly sunnier skies in Salmon Arm.  The news has been filled with stories of the flooding in the interior, and even though the water is no longer at its peak it's still very high.

The South Thompson River outside my parents' place is far above its average levels - for this or any other time of year.  The rain also means that the fields across the river, which have normally turned a dull shade of brown by July, are brilliant yellow and green.  I grabbed a few shots on the morning when left, as the sun finally came out.

Gratuitous puppy shot of Allie, my parents' amazing dog.

We're now in Salmon Arm, where this morning I pretended to be a nature photographer and went down to the marshes along the overly full lake to take some pictures.

This boardwalk is normally a couple feet above water.  Not today.

The geese have nowhere to nest, as the marshes are totally flooded.  Luckily (?) they have found some logs on which to roost.  Not pictured: the other wildlife I saw, including turtles, osprey, some other random birds, some gross carp, and a mouse!

It's been nice to spend the past week in familiar stomping grounds - Vancouver, Kamloops, and Salmon Arm - catching up with friends and family, recovering from jet lag, packing and repacking, and nursing our colds (my welcome home gift to Chad).  Tomorrow we're back on the road!