In Switzerland, glaciers cool the grapes at night. In Germany, slate holds what heat there is in a long season, while mist and drizzle hold back the sun. In British Columbia, the […]
The Secret of Great Okanagan Wine
Honouring the Humble Tumbleweed in Picture and Song
Ladies and Gentlemen, the humble tumbleweed… You can see her mother’s bones beneath her. And what did the Sons of the Pioneers sing about her? See them tumbling down Pledging their love […]
Fish in the Rain, for the Joy of It
Roderick Haig-Brown fished for salmon, but his croquet pitch is now graced with fish as colourful as the hand-tied flies he used as words when he talked with fish and learned to […]
History’s Dead End
Some things are as plain as day. Thirty years on, an industry is already nostalgia. Decorating power switching boxes. I like the “Land of New Horizons” thing, on that 1970s magazine cover. […]
4th Annual Haig-Brown Environmental Lecture
Tomorrow, I’m off to Campbell River on Vancouver Island, to present the 4th Annual Haig-Brown Memorial Lecture in Environmental Writing. I will be arguing that this Icelandic River lies at the heart […]
Green Bees in the Rabbit Brush
Walking along above Kalamalka Lake today, I found the first rabbitbrush of the season in full bloom. Oh, and aren’t the bees happy! Covered in pollen, just like A Midsummer Night’s […]
Kelowna: a Tale of Two Cities
Here’s what the City of Kelowna (the big smoke down the valley) says about public art. Ahem… Public art is about more than beautification. Public art stimulates, entertains, instructs and, occasionally, provokes […]
Wild Cherry Harvest
Whose cherries are these? Choke Cherries in a Gully, Okanagan Landing Whose are these? These Ones are Sweeter, but the Skins are More Bitter Not mine. Someone Wasn’t Using a Ladder Ooomph! […]
Weevils in Love
Sometimes, it’s time to leave the weed and find true love. This is called hitting the streets. Or pounding the pavement. Or maintaining hope in the face of adversity. Because you never […]
What is This Amazing Insect (if it is an insect)?
I have never seen anything like this before, ever. It’s like a cross between a wasp and a preying mantis. I found her today on a choke cherry tree growing alone in […]
Okanagan Okanogan 