Monday, July 30, 2012

A Torrential Downpour and a Rainbow


 Yes, that wave you see on the left is being created by a car, a car you can't even see because the wave is so  gigantic.



The amount of rain we have gotten this year has been unbelievable. There seems to be a severe thunderstorm watch every couple of days... which I don't mind at all.  I find storms to be invigorating... and exciting :)  It's been such a wet spring (and summer even) that we don't even have a campfire ban yet this year.  Some of the sour cherry trees in our backyard have collapsed under the weight of the cherries that have grown on them.  

Here is part of an article from our local news that puts it in perspective:

"Records are made to be broken or, in this case, shattered.

June, 2012, will go down as the wettest June on record in Kelowna. And that's saying a lot, records have been kept since 1968.
According to meteorologist Doug Lundquist, 107 mm of rain fell in Kelowna last month shattering the record of 103 mm established back in 1990.
June is the wettest month in the Central Okanagan, averaging about 41 mm of rain annually. May (39 mm) and July (37 mm) are second and third in terms of wettest average months in Kelowna.
"This year, it was a monsoon season on steroids," says Lundquist.
A significant amount of rain (more than .2 mm) fell in Kelowna on 20 of 30 days in June. "

Friday, July 27, 2012

Growing Our First Vegetable Garden - Part 6

Flowering
 Our first batch of radishes were eaten weeks ago and our second batch is coming along nicely.  Our zucchini plants, however, have only just started flowering.  I'm learning that some vegetables require a lot more patience than others :)  I was beyond excited when these brilliant yellow flowers suddenly showed up yesterday.  Now I wonder how long it will take for a real zucchini to make an appearance?


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Camping - Hydraulic Lake Recreation Site

 Luke and I went camping with our friends Joey and Elsie a couple of weekends ago. Here are a few photos and some captions to go along with them

The sites were only $12 a night so we made use of two sites while we were there.  Joey and Elsie set up camp right across the road.
 This particular rec site had some massive, beautifully made, picnic tables




 Doesn't it look so snug and cozy in there?

 Luke is frying up some mini burger patties for our breakfast

Just a short walk to the lake from our site
Photo taken by Elsie - Thanks for taking this awesome candid picture of us!


 Hydraulic lake is a good fishing spot apparently, although I didn't see any one get lucky this time

 The lake was gorgeous in the morning, even without fish nibbling, it was fun to just hang out on the shore




 Luke had so much fun with Joe that we bought our own rods as soon as we got back into town



Saturday, July 21, 2012

Growing Our First Vegetable Garden - Part 5

Harvesting and Enjoying our Produce:
Luckily for us, we decided to plant radishes this year. Luke and I both eat them like candy, and they are by far the most rewarding crop we have planted so far. Our carrots and zucchini won't be ready for quite a while, but at least we have delicious radishes and cilantro to enjoy!
 Circus loves to hang out between the rows

Some bright red peaking out





 Notice the one giant Zucchini plant in the middle?

 These were the first radishes to be harvested from our vegetable patch. They were so fresh and delicious, more than worth the tiny bit of effort required to grow them.

 May I just say that I will never use anything but fresh herbs again? The cilantro is so potent, I can't believe what I've gotten used to while shopping at the grocery store...


See how much Circus love to be in the garden?  I can't blame him :)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Chicken Dumpling Bento with Fresh Veggies

Just linking up with 'What's for Lunch Wendesday' over at Bentolunch.net. I will resume my chronological gardening posts tommorow, stay tuned for our first harvest :)
Contents: Chicken and vegetable dumplings, celery sticks, radises, grape tomatoes and baby carrots


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Growing Our First Vegetable Garden - Part 4

Labeling: (aren't they just the cutest garden stakes ever?  I love being able to customize them!)




Thinning: