A Painted Sky

I feel happy looking out my patio balcony every day. Each day gives me something different to look at and on this evening the sky looks like a beautiful painting (click on photos to enlarge).

My niece made the heart for me several years ago.

All these zinnias and marigolds are the beautiful colours of autumn.

The echinacea is winding down for this season. I haven't grown them for years.

The petunias were taken out of the pots and put into the garden.

Most of the plants in the garden were in pots first. They were taken out and put into the garden when we thought scaffolding was going to be installed in order to repair balconies on the upper levels. It turns out the scaffolding may or may not be erected. If it does go up it won't be until the end of summer.

I get to enjoy breathtaking skies on a regular basis.

I hope you enjoyed them too.

 

One Night in August ~ Skywatch Friday

The moon was quite an orange colour but it's a bit hard to tell from my photo. Nonethless I like all the colour in the night sky.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. I hope you'll visit again soon.

 

Mid-August ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope today finds you happy and healthy and that the weather you are is treating you right.

Earlier this week I had to run some errands downtown.  As it happens it was near the place where the cruise ships dock when they come to Vancouver. The ships dock within a short walk to downtown Vancouver and the touristy area called Gastown.  Gastown is the original Vancouver and it is still comprised of a lot of old buildings and cobblestone streets.

The next two photos look east to the entry to the Gastown neighbourhood.  Here you'll find lots of tourist shops with souvenirs, restaurants, coffee shops and a residential area.

It was a very busy day with tourists and locals alike walking all along the street.  I overheard some tourists say how much they loved the city. I only hope they don't end up changing their minds.  If they walk a little further beyond Gastown they will enter what is considered to be the poorest postal code (area) in the country.  There you'll also see the saddest sights around with many people battling all sorts of addictions. It really has become such a problem despite governments and all kinds of agencies trying to tackle the myriad of issues over many decades. Anyway, I digress.  This post is really meant to be about the beautiful day I was experiencing.

It really was a beautiful, sunny day.  Though there was a slight chill in the shade earlier in the day, it heated up considerably by the mid afternoon. I had to remove my light cardigan and store it in my bag.

The 'fluffy' white clouds against the pale blue sky evoked a sense of calm and peace.  Everywhere you look the people are smiling and enjoying themselves.  These are very enjoyable times to be out and about in the sunshine.

The ship that is docked is the cruise ship named the Coral Princess.  It's a rather large ship and was apparently custom built to navigate the Panama Canal.  The ship is probably travelling to Alaska though it could also have come up from California.  Have you ever been on a cruise and if not, do you wish to go on a cruise?  I've never been on one myself. Some day I'd love to cruise up to Alaska.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit my Skywatch Friday post.  I hope to see you again soon.

Road Tripping Part 2 - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends & fellow bloggers,

Last week I shared some photos of the drive to Kamloops from Vancouver, BC. In this post we continue our journey with a peek at Kamloops from the lookout.  

The lookout provides a very beautiful view but on this day the smoke from wildfires burning to the west, obscured the city below and across the river.

The smoke on most of the return trip was not as bad but I suspect it's worse now.  More fires are burning and there has been a lot of fire destruction in several places to the west and the east of Kamloops.  It's very sad. Firefighters have arrived from Mexico & I think Australia to help our firefighters fight the blazes.

Near the Fraser River at Hope, BC

Near Chilliwack, BC

Farming fields of Chilliwack, BC

Passing through Surrey, BC on the way to Vancouver

 

Approaching the Port Mann Bridge.

I'm always happy to get back home safe and sound. Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

Update:  On Saturday, Premier David Eby declared a state of emergency in the province due to new, very fast moving wild fire situation.

B.C.'s wildfire service warns the conditions are explosive and unlike anything they've ever seen before.(Yahoo News August 8, 2026)

Road Tripping Part 1- Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend. I don't know about you but even now that I'm retired, I always look forward to the weekend. I guess it's because I know I likely won't take or make any business type phone calls for a few days, lol.

Last week my brother and I went on a day trip to visit a family member for the day. We travelled from Vancouver to Kamloops, which is a distance of 354 kilometres or 220 miles.  I'd been wanting to make this trip for many months but various things kept me busy at home.

Here are a few photos taken along the highway.  The skies were mostly clear when we left Vancouver.  But along the way and in Kamloops itself, the sky was very hazy due to the smoke from the wildfires burning several hours to the west of where we were.  I was glad we travelled when we did. If we had left a day later we would have been sitting for hours on the highway due to road closures caused by a vehicle on fire.

     

In the last photo we are beginning our approach into the city of Kamloops.  As you can see the smoke was pretty thick.

Thanks for coming along with us on this Skywatch Friday road trip.

The End of July is Near - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, 

I hope this Friday finds you well and in good health.  Hopefully you're not experiencing any extreme weather one way or the other. 

I took a very quick road trip to Kamloops, BC which is 354 km (219 miles) northeast of where I live. It makes for a very long day to get to there and back to Vancouver as well as spend a few hours visiting in Kamloops.  But I'm glad it's done for now and hopefully I'll go again soon if the weather cooperates.  

I captured these scenes on the way back to Vancouver, BC.  I'm getting a late start on the travel but I hope to make a few more road trips before the end of summer.

What about you dear reader. Have you made any road trips in 2026 or do you have any planned for the summer?

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. 

Sending you good wishes for a wonderful weekend.

A Beautiful Evening ~ Skywatch Friday

There are just some evenings that are very beautiful and peaceful.  This was the sunset on July 15, 2026. 

I captured these photos as I started on an short evening walk. 

Thank you for joining in with my Skywatch Friday Friday post this week. Have a wonderful weekend.