Alyssa and I had been waiting for a decent day to make a Bella Coola visit. It was a beautiful morning at home when we started.

From the lookout a few kilometres north, the colours were enriched by the orange-brown of the burned trees.

West of Anahim Lake, the Rainbow Mountains were very white.

Plenty of snow at the top of the Bella Coola Hill but it rapidly disappeared as the elevation dropped. You can see a bit of Highway 20 on the lower right.

The fun thing for me going down the Bella Coola Hill at this time of year is the transition from winter to spring. 3/4 of the way down, we saw the first green leaves.

Birch catkins. (This tree does not grow at home.)

From my friends’ yard is a great view of Melican except it was not very clear. The trees were in full leaf down there..

A short distance down the valley is a lookout. How green everything was here.

We had had the best of the day. Clouds were thickening.

We had a great day and a good visit. This was my view on the way home.

Alyssa’s time with me was nearly over. She had stayed 3 weeks. Before she left, we managed to finish the skeleton of the outdoor kitchen.

And so I was alone again. I had some exciting visitors on the pond – a pair of horned grebes. They stayed only two days, though.

The sora, however, is a yearly visitor. They are much smaller than a duck. They have a piercing whinnying call but are rarely seen as they stick to the flooded edges of the pond.

Another heavy snowfall!

Hummingbirds arrived, but in the morning, their sugar water was often a popsical.

Brown-headed cowbirds arrived. A signal for me to quit feeding the birds. Most of my customers were chipmunks anyway.

And I saw the first bears. These are close to my turnoff from Highway 20. They were eating like there was no tomorrow.

While Alyssa was with me, Pepita came on heat. She was on heat at 4 months through February and I had booked her in for spaying in May, but now they could not operate. So she had to be kept on a lead again. Alyssa would take her bike riding or running to give her exercise,

But I could not give her enough exercise by just walking. She loves to ride on the ATV but hates running beside it. On my first attempt, the rope tangled round a wheel. So I rigged up a long pole across the front of the ATV and tied her lead to it. I lunged her like a horse. She didn’t particularly like it, but she tolerated it, and was tired enough to sleep at night.

I wanted to make a quick trip to Williams Lake. I didn’t need to leave too early so could enjoy the sunrise on the mountains. (It froze hard, hence the whitish sheen in the burned forest.)

From downtown Kleena Kleene, Finger Peak looks sharper. Nogwon behind.

I stopped near Bull Canyon for a pee break.

Back home, the weather continued unsettled.

The garden had now been made ready for 3 weeks, but it had been so cold not a single weed had grown. Alyssa had wheelbarrowed in the manure and helped me set up the irrigation system.

It was very dry. But by the beginning of June, almost 2 weeks late, I figured I was going to have to plant some time. When the seeds were in and the row covers on, I put up an electric fence with four strands to keep Pepita out. She is a joyful digger.

Two days later it rained. Good timing. However, now it won’t quit! Mostly very heavy showers and cool weather. It has brought the blackflies out in force.

But at last, we have the first spring green.