Walker Lake

Turbulent weather
all around today - big sky,
rain, sun and wild wind

~ carliewired

I was awake in the dark at 3 AM. At 4 I determined this wasn't going to be a great morning for weather so I might as well try for some more sleep. I took a 'sleeping pill' - a large mug of hot chocolate, then rolled back into bed by 5:30. It seemed to work. I woke up suddenly at 10 AM to bright, although rambunctious weather. The clouds were heavy in some areas and they were piling up around the valleys. 

I wanted to get out of the city today. I chose a drive along the old Merritt highway to the Campbell Creek Road, a favourite place to plein air paint. I picked up a very late breakfast at a drive-thru before I drove up out of the Thompson Valleys. 

Walker Lake is a beautiful spot in our grasslands. Sagebrush and pine meet here. I can watch the eagles soar and fish. Today, they were enjoying the wind. They were performing aerobatics above the pines. I could see where they were nesting in the tree tops. Some were fishing in the creek that runs into the lake. 

Canada geese were nesting on the north shore of the lake. A bunch were on the lake when the wind came up. They oriented themselves to the wind and bobbed like corks. 

There are ranches all around the lake with cattle wandering in open range. The grass at the bottom of the valley is so high that it rippled like ocean waves in the wind. It is so deep that when the cattle lay down they almost disappeared in it. 

I had no quilted heart to release today. (I will save them for the Rivers Trail in the city.) I did find a paper heart stapled to a dead pine. My sentiments exactly - I love this area! 

Blipfoto was having problems yesterday. I see it reported on the community page. I found it a bit worrisome to have it unavailable for several hours late in the day. I was fortunate to have uploaded early in my day. Here's hoping it's all sorted. I am rather late today.

It's a much cooler day today. It was 9 C overnight and a high today forecast to be 20 C. It's stormy all around with the possibility of thunder and lightening.