The omen

[tbob]

My wife grew up in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and we have a tacit understanding we would retire there when we leave the frozen north.

We were looking for a place and had narrowed it down to a couple of sites. On a trip this summer we decided to look at one place just to see if we liked it. Neither of us had ever been to this particular area so we needed to scout it out. Most of you know I have a soft spot for dilapidated old farm buildings. This was on the corner of the road leading to the site.

[Donald]

Will need a bit of restoration work before you move in!

Okanagan Valley? Wine trips. When are you moving!!?

[arith]

Nice area, no nasty neighbours. Not on a good public transport route though.

[Shadowman]

A nice fixer upper or so the realtor told us. Nicely composed and exposed.

[tbob]

Will need a bit of restoration work before you move in!

Okanagan Valley? Wine trips. When are you moving!!?

There are not many vineyards or wineries in the locale. Probably only twenty wineries and a hundred vineyards within a 30 km radius. So it would not really be a wine trip. More of short wine amble.

[tbob]

I think the realtor terms for this would be; Property with views in all directions and flow though air conditioning.

[tbob]

Nice area, no nasty neighbours. Not on a good public transport route though.

Rural as it looks, the development we are looking at would have us living cheek by jowl with our neighbours. a bit of a change for us because we currently live in spot where the neighbours are not visible and it is dead quiet. One of the reasons we needed to check it out. Decided the benefits outweigh the drawback

It has the same access to public transport as 99.999% of Canada. None.

[chauncey]

living cheek by jowl with our neighbours

If I translate that to mean that your neighbors will be considerably closer...tis a wise move.
Having more advanced medical facilities is a boon to us oldsters.

[Mike Buckley]

Property with views in all directions

Including straight up

[IzzieK]

Thanks for the laughs, guys...Good luck on the move, Trevor and wife...

[Dave Humphries]

They are nice shots Trevor,

My immediate thoughts were that you really know how to produce a well processed images.

Then, when I switched between them in Lytebox, I noticed something; it looks like you processed them to achieve a consistent blue sky colour between shots.

However, there does seem to be a significant difference in saturation and contrast between the two, not entirely explained by them being shot from different angles to the subject and sun angle.

On balance, in terms of saturation and contrast, I think somewhere between the two (applied to both images) would be more acceptable to me, although I appreciate that is your choice. I note the use of Auto White balance (in at least one), which may also contribute to some of the colour differences.

I hope my personal observations (not criticisms) are helpful, Dave

[JBW]

never hurts to have what you like in your backyard.

[ST1]

Interesting subjects which fit with your style of images Trevor. My first thoughts when I see places like this is "why did they become derelict" then additionally with these my second thought is somebody loves them enough to keep the fence in good repair.

I wish you both well with your retirement aspirations, just don't buy a property that needs you to take on too much work.

[bnnrcn]

It seems to be a nice place. I especially like the second image. Very nice composition and colors

[tbob]

They are nice shots Trevor,

My immediate thoughts were that you really know how to produce a well processed images.

Then, when I switched between them in Lytebox, I noticed something; it looks like you processed them to achieve a consistent blue sky colour between shots.

However, there does seem to be a significant difference in saturation and contrast between the two, not entirely explained by them being shot from different angles to the subject and sun angle.

On balance, in terms of saturation and contrast, I think somewhere between the two (applied to both images) would be more acceptable to me, although I appreciate that is your choice. I note the use of Auto White balance (in at least one), which may also contribute to some of the colour differences.

I hope my personal observations (not criticisms) are helpful, Dave

The two shots were processed at different times and of the the two the second is the more poorly processed (for my tastes) Too warm and red. Both are shot in RAW and processed in Aperture (with a preset I created, creates an effect I like). Cleaned up for sensor spots and sharpened a small amount. It is then moved into NIK Vivesia and processed with many control points in groups for the sky, building, grass and small green plants. Then noise reduction with NIK Define and finally sharpened in NIK RAW Presharpen.

I will have to go back and do number two again from the original or try to adjust the final a bit in Aperture. Went too far astray. It always amazes me how different my processing can be on two occasions.

[Manfred M]

Just don't move into those areas around Kelowna that seem to be hit by major forest fires every few years.

The Okanagan and Peace River area where you are now are two of the major areas of BC I haven't gotten to yet. Both look like they have their advantages and disadvantages. It looks like they have their fair share of old barns too.

[tbob]

Interesting subjects which fit with your style of images Trevor. My first thoughts when I see places like this is "why did they become derelict" then additionally with these my second thought is somebody loves them enough to keep the fence in good repair.

I wish you both well with your retirement aspirations, just don't buy a property that needs you to take on too much work.

The fence is to keep riffraff like me out. Actually it is to keep cows away as they would use the interior as nice place to rest on a hot day. Most cows are not house trained. The buildings are preserved by the locals as a historic site as it is the original ranch from the late 1800's. Preservation has not meant restoration and eventually nature will reclaim these. But that could be many years away in the desert climate.

[tbob]

Just don't move into those areas around Kelowna that seem to be hit by major forest fires every few years.

The Okanagan and Peace River area where you are now are two of the major areas of BC I haven't gotten to yet. Both look like they have their advantages and disadvantages. It looks like they have their fair share of old barns too.

There are currently two fires burning in the near vicinity; one at Oliver about 30 km north and the other at Rock Creek about 50 km east. But you are right, there are a lot of fires. However that is part of the ecosystem and a needed part at that. The problem is that people build in the lovely treed parts on the hillsides and then are surprised when a fire rips through burning all the accumulated pine needles, dead branches, dry grass and weeds. Along with their house.

We will be living in the midst of vineyards and orchards so the fire danger is slim to none.

[Andrew1]

Trevor, I have a great (humble opinion) b&w photograph of the main building hanging on my wall and we go by it for more shots when we are close. We really like the area for a short vacation and try and get there every year or two and just wander the valley from Kelowna to Ossoyoos. Wineries being the main draw and we have more than a couple of favourites.

Fires do tend to be a problem in the area but the high temperatures and dryness are the reasons the agriculture, cities and resorts are there. Thin underbrush fires are fast, light and do minimal damage to the trees. Poor forest management results in not all but certainly some of the massive fires we are seeing.

[Donald]

We will be living in the midst of vineyards and orchards so the fire danger is slim to none.

Okay, just let us know when you move and we'll start arranging the CiC wine/photography trip!!