Secret Hideaway

Up in the hills, far above Kelowna, lies a secret hideaway. In my last blog entry you got a look at its upscale "facilities", now I'm showing you a little bit of the inside. It was hard not to feel like a voyeur, setting up my tripod to capture a snippet here and there of this rustic retreat.


We must have just missed the occupants, as the wildflowers in the coffee can were still fresh. The walls literally tell the story - people do enjoy themselves here!

Outhouses of the Wild West

When this woman heads up into the hills for a day of the great outdoors, there is one concern that dominates all others - am I going to have to pee in the woods? I was well into my thirties when my lack of experience in this area sent two of my closest friends into fits of hysteria deep into a canyon in Arizona. Here in the semi-arid climate of the Okanagan Valley, hydration is extremely important in order to avoid headaches and nosebleeds. I think the nosebleed thing is a little unique - my nose hasn't fully acclimatized, even after two years. Anyways, this concern was amplified as I was traveling with a male companion with whom I wouldn't normally discuss bodily functions. (Note - for me, that includes the entire gender...) So, off we went, up, up into the mountains in search of scenery and minerals. I packed a full compliment of water and threw the essential roll of TP into my bag with a groan that may have been audible at fifty feet.


Never in a million years would I have expected to have the relative luxury of using outhouses in the middle of nowhere throughout the day. I'm not joking - when I needed one, they'd just turn up! Not only that, they got nicer as the day went on. The first rest stop, I'm going to call "A Room With A View" - both in and out. How I wish I had taken a picture of me in the "window". Moments after I stepped out, a huge logging truck went screaming by on the road. I think I would have gone into cardiac arrest if it had been any earlier.


If you know me as a photographer, you know that I have a thing for hardware, so I made use of the subject material to grab a couple of artsy shots before sauntering along, pleased as punch for dodging the bullet.


A few hours later, we arrived at one of the most interesting places I've ever seen. I'm not even sure how to describe it, but someone has put a lot of effort into constructing a little getaway in the woods. One of the first things I noticed was this sign pointing to the "men's room", which I surmise was anywhere a safe distance from the "house". I never discovered if there was an actual facility, because my attention was dominated by this glorious structure in exactly the opposite direction.


No view here - this commode was completely enclosed and in immaculate condition! The day was taking on an unusual theme, but it was completely justified. We were killing ourselves laughing and we hadn't seen the best of it yet.




Whoever these people are, they have the best sense of humour. Don't bother to ask me where this place is. Even if I remembered how to get there, I wouldn't tell, just out of respect for their ingenuity and their creative use of Bart Simpson.


The things you see in the woods! Have a great week - hope this made you chuckle.

Laura

Destruction of the Mountain Pine Beetle

The older I get, the more sure I am becoming that there is no such thing as coincidence. I've recently gained some recognition for being able to tell a story with images and words. Yesterday I went for a ride up in to the mountains just outside of Kelowna, and today I have a story to tell.




If you live in Canada and read or watch the news, you've probably heard of the Mountain Pine Beetle. This insect has been ravaging the forests of the BC Interior for several years now. The warmer winters and containment of forest fires have created ideal conditions for the survival of this hungry species. I've driven through some infested areas before, but I had no perspective on how rapidly the forests are being torn down in an attempt to contain the beetle and harvest the wood from the dead trees before it rots or turns blue, which makes it undesirable for the major lumber markets.




My guide for the day was Roger, a friend who has staked a claim up in the mountains and offered to take me and my camera off the beaten path when he went out prospecting for the day. These pictures were taken at his claim site; a site that just last year was a dense forest. Not having been up to the area since the snow melted, Roger's surprise at what we found was evident. I'm not sure how much of his work has been affected by the dramatic change in the landscape, but I suspect the impact is significant.




If every picture tells a story, then I'm naming this one above "The Last Stand". This group of trees was left to stand in the midst of the clear cut. From what I learned yesterday, it's likely they have a function. We covered a lot of ground yesterday and I saw some fantastic things that will be material for the next few blog entries, but these images have made an impression. Is there a certain beauty in them? I think so. As most photographers know, it is best to accept what you are given on any day of shooting. The story will reveal itself. It always does.

Summer Exposure!

I have some exciting news! A portfolio of five of my images and an article about my approach to photography has been published in the summer issue of a new magazine, Okanagan Arts. One of my goals for the year was to be published before the Okanagan Photographic Arts Workshops in August, and it was very good fortune that my website crossed the right person's path at just the right time. I am very grateful for the opportunity given to me by Robert Macdonald, editor of Okanagan Arts.

Seeing a magazine like this hit the stands is very encouraging. The Okanagan Valley is full of artists, striving to find a voice and an appreciative audience. A gorgeous publication like this one bodes well for the future. Speaking of the future, I'm going to be bold enough to mention that I am looking for gallery representation, and opportunities to show my work locally throughout the summer. My contact information is on my main site, http://www.lauratucker.com/. It can't hurt to put it out there, can it?

This is the cover of the magazine as seen on the website www.okanaganarts.com:

Well, thanks for checking in! If you want to see an online version of the article, it can be found at the link on the right hand side of the blog. I'm told that the pictures will be added very soon.

High Noon Above Skaha

The first thing I'm going to do today is apologize to my most regular visitors - it's been 10 days since my last post! There's lots going on in my world of photography, so I'll make an effort to catch up with an extra entry or two this coming week. First, I want to share some images from a few weeks ago. My "cousin" Jeanette was in Penticton on a camping & climbing trip, so I made the drive down to spend a day hiking with her. I put quotes around the word cousin, because if you know my maternal family at all, the word cousin stretches far and wide. In this case, our mothers are first cousins, so we're not sure what exactly that makes us - second or third or something! Most importantly, Jeanette moved to Calgary about a year before I ventured West, making us our only blood relative west of the Ontario border. Now we're practically neighbours, because when you live out here and it's less than a day's drive, you're likely to see each other more often than in our home-town. Funny how that works!


I met Jeanette late morning and we headed out to the hills. Her friends are avid climbers and we decided to check out the hiking trail that went through their climbing area. It was our first time out together, so we were looking for something that would take a few hours, but wouldn't be too difficult. Off we went with the crappiest map in the world in hand. We were fine at first, but of course we lost the easy trail after a while. Instead of an easy loop trail, we ended up on top of a mountain overlooking Penticton to the north and beautiful Lake Skaha to the south.

Neither one of us was too keen on going back the way we came up - scrambling up a rocky gorge and using a rope to pull ourselves up the final incline to the top was a little more than we had gambled on. Fortunately we heard voices and Jeanette got guidance from some climbers while I got shutter happy.

Losing the easy trail turned out to be good fortune - the view was magnificent. It was high noon, so I put a polarizer on the lens and hoped for the best. I'd love to go back again when there's "magic light". Needless to say, we made it back down without incident, although sometimes it's hard not to curse the weight of the camera equipment.

A day like that wouldn't be complete without a couple of people pics - we sat and watched this lead climber as he brought his group's rope up the rock face. It was an impressive thing to watch as he alternately ascended and tried to find his route. And finally, here's one of Jeanette. Next time I'll remember to have someone take one of us together.