There is a mountain that turns the Similkameen River to the East as it crosses the Canada-US Border, and pushes it on to meet the Okanagan River at Ellisforde. It is called […]
A New Garden
I’ve been digging. Wayyyyy back when U.S. President Johnson sent his boys into Cambodia, my school teacher told me that I’d better study hard or I’d wind up spending my life with […]
One Room School
Do you think the prairies and big skies are east of the Rockies? Think again. Sometimes you climb up the arroyos out of the Columbia River Canyon and the winter wheat gleams […]
Green and Not So Green Energy
I started this blog as a place in which to think about energy in the desert landscapes of British Columbia and Washington, in a way that also included beauty as part of […]
Horses and Almond Trees and True Love
What about the horses, eh? Pretty intriguing creatures to share a planet with. You saw them yesterday, recolonizing the mistake of an orchard at Kiona, after the seduction of cheap water evaporated […]
Wine, Salmon and Whisky Trading
Here’s a story about salmon, wine, and watching the water flow. It’s about how to find a site for a vineyard. It’s about how to get the land to speak. Or how […]
The Horse Thief’s Garden
One of the most stunning headlands left along the Columbia River is Horse Thief Butte. It was a major village site for as long as there were salmon in the river. There […]
Apple Hunting with Bears
Last fall, I was driving past Ewing, on the west side of Okanagan Lake, when I slammed on the brakes. This is what caught my eye: First Growth Apple Orchard Gone to […]
Hawthorns in Danger of Extirpation
Somebody read that hawthorns grow wild here. Domestic varieties show up in low-water gardening just about everywhere, with their pretty pink flowers and their red berries for the birds. Full marks for […]
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 […]
Okanagan Okanogan 