The snow has quickly disappeared here in the North Okanagan Valley. The warm weather and sunny skies make winter seem a distant memory, though skiing is still open on Silver Star.

_02A3577 Across the street from our cul-de-sac is one entrance to Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, where there are anumber of hiking trails.

This long-dead Ponderosa pine attracted me, so I decided to hike up the hill to photograph it.

_02A3595 But what really got my attention were these small yellow flowers blooming in the grasses among the Ponderosa pines.

_02A3569 Sagebrush buttercups are the earliest flowers to bloom in these arid grasslands, soon after the snow has melted.

_02A3580 From this hilltop I looked down upon Kalamalka Lake. The home in which we are staying is at the lower centre in this photograph.

_02A3625 This image is of this evening's sunset at Rose's Pond, which is over the hills that you saw in the previous image.

To see a collection of photos from our winter holiday in Austria and Switzerland, return to the "Home Page", click on "Galleries" and then choose "Recent Work."