The weather outside is frightful. It's been that way for nearly a week, and daily highs in the double-digit negatives are expected to continue 'til at least Sunday.
Add to that the rise of the latest COVID variant and the traditional post-Christmas lull, and there's little wonder Penticton currently looks as empty as it does. From the stores to the slippery streets and sidewalks, it's eerily quiet out there.
Meanwhile down on the Okanagan Lake waterfront, the wind and the waves and the extreme cold have combined to once again form the mountainous, icicle-encrusted winter wonderland that's typically reserved for the theoretically colder late January.
So we took advantage of our changing climate to walk amongst shapes and sights with our camera, taking in the weirdness. And two things readily became apparent.
First, the waterfront is blisteringly cold. Cover-every-square-inch-of-skin cold.
Second, there were actually other people down there doing the same thing we were.
And we spoke with a few of them. We wanted to find out how they were handling the record-breaking weather and yet another COVID holiday season, and see if they had any thoughts on 2022.
First up were Stan and Susan of Penticton. We found them on the beach, not far from the SS Sicamous, taking pics and celebrating a special day.
"I'll tell you first," said Stan, his face plastered with a big smile, "that today we're celebrating our 49th anniversary."
We congratulated them and then asked how things are going otherwise in the midst of another COVID wave. And Stan replied that "it's as good as can be expected."
"We're snowbirds so this is definitely cramping our lifestyle these past two winters," he laughed. "And we were just starting to relax and now to not go anywhere again, it’s tough. We'll probably start using curbside pickup again for groceries."
According to Susan, they have no plans for New Year's Eve and didn't have any big plans for Christmas either, and simply aren’t comfy right now in social situations.
"I hope by this summer that we can have travel restrictions lifted, at least in Canada," added Stan. "My wife is a Newfoundlander and we'd at least like to get back there."
A little later near the Lakeside Resort we ran into Penticton resident Mike Biden, a guy well known locally for his photography -- particularly of wildfires.
He was out on this frigid day doing what he does best.
"I do find this a very strange time," he said in response to our question. "especially with COVID when everything shuts down and you can’t see your friends and go places like you're used to.
"So I take my hobby of photography and get out there to stimulate my mind and body."
Biden said his New Year's Eve will be a quiet affair, with his wife Shelley and another couple.
"Christmas was very lean," he added. "Just my mother-in-law and wife. I cooked the turkey for them. It was great!"
For 2022, Biden wants an end, finally, to COVID, but recognizes it's been even harder on some than others.
"I hope it dies off eventually and society can get back to normal so people can get back to work and we can start to have events once again.
"But this is hardest on people who don’t have good hobbies or good health. I'm blessed. It's a blessing to be out here in the cold photographing icicles."
Up next were Ruben and Laura. We encountered them on the Kiwanis Walking Pier, ogling the scenery like they'd never seen it before.
And that's because they hadn't. Ruben and Laura, you see, came all the way to Canada from their home in Spain. They arrived just a few days ago.
"It's amazing here, said Laura. "The mountains and the lakes. We don’t have that in our country. We specifically came here for this."
According to Ruben, the foul weather had little impact on their morning plans.
"We love it here," he said. "We were out at the viewpoint at the mountain (he pointed toward Munson Mountain) earlier today. We don’t care that much about frozen hands because the views are amazing."
As for COVID concerns, the two are fully vaccinated and follow national mandates and international restrictions. "We just can't let it affect us," said Laura.
Their hope for the new year agreed with that of everyone else - an end to the pandemic.
As we said goodbye, Ruben and Laura indicated they were headed to Lytton. We told them the community had been gutted by wildfire in June. They said they had no idea. They'll likely head to Vancouver instead.
Our final waterfront conversation of the day was with Chris Prescott, whose welcoming smile belied his concerns.
"It's been an exceptionally tough Christmas," he started. "I have an elderly couple I'm friends with, so getting this variant is a real concern. I've been isolating for almost two years now. It's getting tiring but I think it's essential.
"But I really think right now with the cold weather, it makes it more difficult. I'm on a fixed income and in an apartment. My bedroom is heated, but the rest of my place is not."
But Prescott, like the others we met, was pushing through. When we spotted him, he was in the midst of a multi-kilometer walk, something he said he does every day.
And although his New Year's Eve plans will be smaller than he'd prefer, he said they'll be "lovely" just the same.
"But I do feel for those who can’t get outside," he added. "Those who are isolated. And I think we need to be there for the people who need help.
"Maybe in the new they find a vaccination that will encompass all variants of this pandemic."
