Pumpkins and Squash

I can honestly say I have never seen so many pumpkins and squashes in my life

The word ‘harvest’ has come up again in my blog, since the raccoon post, as it’s that time of year. The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, is known as a huge produce area, people will come down from as far away as Vancouver (400km) for the weekend to break for the weekend, and in addition to activities or just hanging out they’ll pick up huge bags of fruit and vegetables on their way home.

On our way to Osoyoos we passed through Karemeos, also in the Okanagan valley. I was astounded at the amount and variety of squashes and pumpkins, apples, aubergines and other fruit and vegetables there were for sale directly to the public, a huge farmers market.

I love the fact people are so obviously dedicated to this as a way of living, despite the fact these are growers who supply across the province (if not country) there were varieties of apples, onions, courgettes and aubergines I have never seen before. I also admired the spirit of the grower markets; the fact that the stalls were bigger than mini-supermarkets at home in London, the range of creative displays and handpainted signs created a sense of community.

An old Plymouth from the 1950’s lies abandoned under a bar sign on the Crowsnest Highway to Hope

Pictures from the town of Osoyoos, in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada.

Osoyoos Travel / Subway – Osoyoos after sundown

Dairy Queen – Osoyoos after sundown

Turquoise office – Osoyoos after sundown

Husky Garage – Osoyoos after sundown

The harvest

And there he was, in Stanley Park, sitting at the top of a tree, gorging himself on berries as if on the stroke of midnight they’d never exist again. Like he was an extra in one of those japanese paintings with blossom trees, charming, beautiful, greedy and totally uninterested in us watching below.

Tales of two cities

A few weeks ago, on the way to work, I was admiring the change in seasons in London. Passing over the Thames on my commute I was struck by the mist that covers London on some mornings at this time of year, before the sun rises high enough to burn it away. I spent a few mornings getting up extra early with camera to catch the scene as I suspect it will only be here for a few weeks before the seasons shifts again.

Mist over the Thames – October Morning

Todays post finds me back in Vancouver – another holiday there, I can’t quite seem to get enough. I took some photos of the state capital of British Columbia, a city called Victoria. Its on Vancouver Island and so like Thames has a relationship with the water, but the hitory is shorter and so the coastline is wilder,. I’m always thinking of the scale of North America about the scale of North America – I wanted to compare it to a photograph I took of the Thames in London.

Victoria, Vancouver Island – the coast on Dallas Road

I’m sorry its been a while – What with work and spending a lot of time refreshing my graphics and photography website, I have to keep on top of my portfolio, even though that often seems to be a job in itself. Anyway, website: I’m pleased to say is now up. I’t only its second draft so I will be polish, polish, polishing it. Have a look:
http://www.kevinricks.com

The low sun cuts through train carriages just before the town of Golden in British Columbia.