Last weekend I thought I would have an opportunity to get a few photographs for this blog.

So, on Saturday, while down here in Vernon, the Okanagan Valley was enclosed in a heavy dreary fog, I chose to drive up to the sunshine at Silver Star. It was Australia Day, so I planned to photograph those crazy Aussies who would be skiing down from the top dressed in their summery best - bikinis and Speedos. As promoted on the resort's web site, I awaited the skiers at the bottom of one of the runs down which they were to ski. But bad information!! The ski down was on another run, so I missed out on this event. No photos. Veda and I went for a long walk instead. At least we got some exercise. Why can the resort not publish the correct information?

On a sunny Sunday morning, I thought I'd go to Swan Lake Conservation Area where one can see many species of hawks. I'd also heard that a number of short-eared owls had been seen there recently. I saw only two hawks, but at such a distance that I could not make any decent images. So I decided to go to another area, along Otter Lake Road. Eventually I spotted a hawk perched on top of a dead tree. I was in a good position for a photo, but had to wait for a cloud that blocked the sun in an almost clear sky. As I patiently waited for good light, the hawk stretched its wings and flew off. Apparently it was not patient enough to await a potential meal. So no raptor photos.

In late afternoon, the skies seemed to indicate that there might be a decent sunset. So I hiked up into Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and then down to a beach in search of a good composition. The possibilities were not great, but I did find a log in the water at the edge of the beach. But the clouds mostly disappeared. The sunset never materialized. This image was the best I could do.

_02A3347 The water in Kalamalka Lake was choppy because of the wind, so I put on a polarizer and a six-stop neutral density filter to be able to get a 13-second exposure to smooth out the water. Again, my biggest reward was the exercise from the hike in and out.