A fond farewell to a beautiful autumn October in Penticton.  November has arrived as I write, and yet our lovely autumn weather holds on.  Though more than a week has passed, these photos could have been taken today.   The sun is shining, the leaves are still bright, flowers still bloom, the sky is clear blue.  What an amazing, beautiful fall!

We tend to think of the beach as a summer destination.  But here it is only a week until Hallowe’en, and Penticton beaches are still popular spots.  Today’s snapshots show a selection of beach activities on a sunny autumn afternoon at beautiful Skaha beach.  You’ll find folks soaking up the sun, walking their four-legged friends, strolling barefoot through the sand along the shore, playing tennis, enjoying romantic moments, sharing good conversation with a friend, laughing as they engage in family activities, picnicking, jogging, spending some quiet solitude, and speeding along in a motor boat.  What?  There’s no one in the water?  Ah, but that is only because the water-skier took a tumble moments before the camera shutter clicked.  Yes, indeed!  Even water-skiing in late October!  Don’t you wish you were here?

If you are rush, rush, rushing around, and life’s stresses are getting to you, here is the solution.  Take a slow meander along the shoreline at Penticton’s beautiful Skaha beach on a lazy, hazy autumn afternoon.  Move slowly, even stretch out on a bench or lawn chair, close your eyes, and breath long and deep as you slowly soak up the gentle rays of autumn sunshine.  Take along a picnic, meet some friends, and relax together.  You’ll be glad you did.

But most October market days the famous Penticton sun still shines, though its rays are at a lower angle, the skies are a paler shade of blue, and the shadows are longer and cooler.  Booths that remain are still stocked high with healthy, organic produce, now with the amazingly bright colours and crunchy textures of autumn apples, squash, pumpkins and gourds … and a final few fresh tomatoes, as night temperatures have dipped to frosty levels and bid adieu to most of their compatriots.

Dried flowers and colourful sprigs of fall ivy replace bouquets of summer flowers.  Root vegetables supplant spring and summer legumes, greens and cukes. A brilliant riot of drying hot peppers, along with numerous varieties of onions and garlics, promise delicious soups and stews in the cold months ahead.  A great sunflower, loaded with ripe seeds, droops its heavy head in the chilly morning air.  Sweet summer corn is long gone, but polka dot Indian corn on drying husks promises cozy winter nights, with popcorn popping in the fireplace.

The few remaining artisans booths offer cozy blankets and knit hats and mitts.  Even most of the buskers are gone, though a remaining few, wrapped in scarves, bravely strum their guitars and play their fiddles with cold red fingers.    The market itself is still crowded with enthusiastic customers – and their four-legged friends – but the majority of shoppers are locals, wrapped in fall sweaters, and stocking up for the snowy months ahead when the market will sit empty and silent, waiting patiently for the fresh new greens of spring to appear.

Enjoy these photos of mid-October al fresco sidewalk cafe dining in beautiful Penticton!

What you probably didn’t see was coverage of Occupy demonstrations in smaller cities and towns.  But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

There was an “Occupy Penticton” event on Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market.  Half a dozen demonstraters walked from their colourfully decorated bus, through the Penticton downtown market, carrying large “occupy” signs.  It was a peaceful march, and quite a number of residents stopped to ask the marchers questions, resulting in some interesting discussion.

Here you go – Occupy Penticton!

But October is here, and so is autumn.  We’ve had a few wet, cool days, but we’ve also had many beautiful sunny days.  Gradually the day time temperatures have been cooling off, moving downward from high to lower teens.  Night time temperatures have been dropping too, reaching as low as 0 C since mid-month, and signs of frost are appearing on car windows and frozen tomatoes.  Of course the cool nights are also responsible for the beautiful fall colours, so no one is complaining.  Right?

Today’s photos present a taste of Penticton’s autumn beauty in early October.  Don’t you wish you were here?

In the other gardens/ And all up the vale,

From the autumn bonfires / See the smoke trail.

Pleasant summer over / And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes / The gray smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons! / Something bright in all,

Flowers in the summer / Fires in the fall!

(Robert Louis Stevenson)

And also in the fall, bright berries, seeds, grains, leaves … and wild roses!  What? Wild roses blooming in fall?  Check them out …

By the way, if you’re feeling inspired to enjoy some autumn poetry, check out this site I recently happened upon:

http://www.egreenway.com/months/monoct.htm

(And if you’re feeling inspired to write an autumn poem of your own, why not share it with us?)

And in autumn it’s the amazing colours that hold me in awe.  We’ve had some good cool nights lately – and the trees have responded in all their fall glory!  These snapshots were taken on October 8, during Canada’s Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  And truly, these wonders of nature are so worth being thankful for!  Enjoy!