It’s that time of year! An Old Tradition Hangs On Despite the infill of subdivisions, old habits of spring burning aren’t dead yet. The bigger the flames the better, it seems. Sun […]
Hints at a New Science of Life
The science of botany got its start in plant classification and botanical gardens. Because of that, contemporary human understanding of plant communities largely revolves around species and their interactions. The results can […]
Sour Dates
They might be called russian-olives, and they might look and taste like sour, sawdusty olives, but they’re really dates, and they are weeds. They wreck ecosystems, displace native species, reduce environmental diversity, […]
Standing Still
A long time ago, orcharding started in the Okanagan when Lord Aberdeen and Lady Aberdeen planted the Coldstream Ranch with fruit so they could make jam and compete with these folks from the old […]
Accidental Art
A lot of art takes place out of doors. Here, for example, is a lovely spring ritual that can colour up even the windiest day: Springtime Apple Heave Ho Spartans and Granny […]
Smart Architecture
Architecture is an art that balances functionality, beauty, innovation and tradition. It gives us stuff like this: American Robin Summer House, Keremeos Grass and mud living quarters, decorated with binder twine and resting […]
Making Light of Gravity
Gravity is the point at which the energy of the universe touches the earth. We should be able to use that. Who needs fossil fuels. Here, for example, is the energy that […]
Different Borders
Here’s how the American and Canadian governments think about the border that cuts our valley in two: Oroville-Osoyoos Border Crossing, Highway 97 It is, as you can see, pretty hard to tell […]
The Garden and the University
Here’s one of the gardens at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, right smack dab in the middle of the grasslands of Ellison, north of Kelowna. Given that the American half […]
Of Wine and Cheese
Here’s a photo from the pre-digital era of 2003. Its colours look as quaint as old Life Magazine covers. It does the job, though … Chasselas Vineyards, Vevey Switzerland The Swiss have […]
Okanagan Okanogan 