Wind sock

Standing sentinel above the health care facility's emergency helipad.

Christmas lights

at the Kohan community gardens.

Snow angel

The Lancet

Built in 1912 by local physician Dr. Brouse, the eighteen-foot long Lancet was restored a decade or so ago and is on display behind the Silvery Slocan Museum. Brouse built it in the attic of the local hospital, from where it had to be removed using a block and tackle through a window.

Beside the Kohan

When the small residential plot of land beside the Kohan Reflection Garden sold a few years ago there were worries about what sort of house would be built there. How fitting that the new owner should turn out to be a second-generation local Japanese-Canadian who put up a beautiful home built of natural, locally-sourced materials using a Japanese-inspired design.

Snowy lake

Somewhere down there through the snow are some mountains and the end of the lake, obscured by the gently-falling snow.

Christmas Day at the Kohan

Willow and wall

At the Japanese-inspired Kohan Reflection Garden, the greys and browns of a weathered wall and twigs of bent willow spring from the white of the snow.

Kohan Garden Plaque

A dusting of new snow on the plaque which reads "Kohan Reflection Garden 1992." Trees throughout the garden are decorated with lights during December every year.

Helicopter

This helicopter was probably supplying a logging operation, as it was doing repeated flights through a bit of blue sky with some sort of payload. Helicopters after a heavy snow are a sinister sign as they may be part of a Search & Rescue operation looking for people in the back-country who may have been caught in an avalanche or other misadventure.

Christmases past

Behind the museum, a turn-of-the-20th-century barrel and Christmas tree stand.

Pre-holiday "bustle"

Not much bustle visible on a snowy day on main street five days before Christmas. No traffic, only a few parked vehicles in front of local businesses. At the top of the street if you look closely you'll see New Denver's sole traffic light. It's not a regular stoplight, just a flashing orange light on the highway (flashing red in the main street direction) that says "slow down and don't blink, or you'll miss this town entirely."

Sun peeks

Sunrise today: 7:41 am. Sunset: 3:51 pm. But even during the eight hours of daylight, the sun is so low that mountains shield us from it most of the time and we live in a world of blue-grey shade. This is what we had today at high noon: the peek of the sun's upper eyelid above the ridge.

Main Street Cat

Decorations

An arching bower of Christmas lights and decorations in front of a local business.

Internment House

During WWII there were scores of these houses built in the "Orchard" area of New Denver for interned Japanese and Japanese-Canadian families. Fourteen by twenty-eight feet, some housed two families. Many of these houses still exist, now upgraded with insulation, indoor plumbing and electricity, but most have had large extensions added on. This one lives on in its original diminutive dimensions.

Fish truck

"I'm here. Just yell or something."

So reads the sign on the fish truck, which parks near the main intersection in town about every 4th Wednesday and sells cod, halibut, salmon and a variety of seafood.

Thawing

This rural laneway normally has a lovely mountain view. As temperatures rise and the snow thaws, everything gets enshrouded in fog. 

Heavy

Temperatures have risen. The snow on the trees is so wet and heavy that the electrical power is system is going down (briefly thus far) several times a day as trees fall on wires. 

Hot drinks

Hot drinks trump Italian sodas and ice cream these days at the café. London Fogs, chai lattés, hot chocolates and cappuccinos are popular. Any excuse to get out and bump into people for a bit of socializing.

Winter lake

Grocery store

A few weeks ago it was a logging site. Now it's a busy construction site, and a new grocery store is beginning to take shape.

Laundromat

Where to put the snow?

For now the middle of the main street will have to do.

Firewood and wheelbarrow

Well-seasoned firewood, neatly stacked. This is birch in the main pile, with western red cedar in the left-hand pile. Larch is another popular wood because although it's softwood, it burns hot. To get the firewood inside, a gardener's wheelbarrow has been persuaded to take on an off-season job.

Backyard chickens

Both villages allow backyard flocks of chickens. One village restricts roosters. Chickens are great processors of food waste. The main challenge is keeping the bears and coyotes from getting them. These ladies look well-fenced but last spring their coop was broken open by a hungry young black bear. They took to the trees for the night and returned the next day.

Chains

Marks left by chains on the tires of the loader that helps clear piles of snow from village streets. After large snowfalls the plows can run out of places to push the snow, so empty lots, little-used cul de sacs and closed-off streets become excess snow repositories.

Butting out

Outside the community hall, two tins hold sand (and snow). With no smoking in public buildings, even the Bingo players have to step outside to quench their tobacco cravings. These are the cigarette butt receptacles.

The Bosun

Named after the Bosun mine, profits from which funded the bequest to the community in the early 20th century, the facade of the Bosun community Hall is crumbling. The interior is still very functional and upgrades within and [eventually] without are proceeding thanks to a hard-working fund-raising society.

Frozen Lunaria

In the summer this is an unruly garden area under some birch trees. So far the fragile seed pods of the lunaria haven't yet been crushed by heavy snows.

Snow removal

It wasn't a huge dump of snow, just the first proper one of the year. The snow removal equipment has been out in full force mopping things up today.

Winter tires

Everyone here has at least two sets of tires. "All-season" tires only cover 7 months of seasons. At this time of year beefy winter tires with aggressive treads and ice-gripping rubber are what go on the vehicles. Collections of alternate tires are a common sight beside carports and sheds.

Black, white and grey

Outdoor skating

Small farm

Progress

Things are moving quickly with the new craft store. Just a three weeks ago it was nothing more than < this >.

Snowing

The view across the lake today isn't much more than a wash of grey. The deep cold snap has broken and it's now "warm enough to snow."

Trees and tree shadows

This photo was taken at 2:36 pm. The sun stays low in the sky at this time of year. By what would normally be considered mid-afternoon we're just over an hour from sunset and the trees are throwing long, long shadows. This shot was taken from Highway 6. The rock face is not natural; it's been blasted to allow the highway passage by some bluffs at the edge of the lake.

Sunrise: 7:15 a.m.   Sunset: 3:56 p.m.

Frigid lake

It's really cold out for November. Clear skies and sun today. Temperature around -11ºC with a fresh breeze over the lake making it feel much colder.

Curled tight

Rhododendron leaves tightly curled against the suddenly frigid cold of dusk.

Closed

The snow on Goat Mountain is creeping ever nearer to the village. The local hotel has a "closed" sign beside its main door on this dreary weekend. The Tourist Info office, noted on the blue highway sign, is closed until spring. The hotel parking lot is empty. There is no traffic meandering by. It's the absolute nadir of the tourism year just now. In another few weeks the snowmobile tourists and skiers will start showing up.

Season's passage

To those inclined towards the motorized vehicle style of back-country recreation, there are just two seasons: ATV'ing and snowmobiling. We're now on the cusp of the season's change. Today we spotted the first snow machine in the back of a pick-up truck. It won't be long before all the ATVs are in sheds for the winter and snowmobile-toting vehicles will be everywhere.

Garden fence

White world

Rosebery Bay

Drear

Tight fit

It's a tight squeeze at the community fitness centre. This photo shows about a third of the space. There's also a very small gymnasium attached. It might not seem like much but it's an amazing community asset. On a cold dreary school holiday in November there's a steady stream of teens, families and adults amicably rotating through.

No. 2 Pumphouse

The pumphouse that is part of the Village of New Denver water system gets a picturesque treatment, situated as it is in a small park on the waterfront.

Boathouse

Kayaks