Weekly West Coast - Adieu to 2016

A couple of photos to wrap up the year.  Happy New Year all! May the force be with us in 2017.

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Magical Mushrooms

If April showers bring May flowers, I suppose it follows that November monsoons bring mushrooms (and other assorted fungi).

Have a great week all.  Wishing you warm thoughts wherever you are.  

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Wet, Wet West Coast

I knew when I started this project that I'd struggle to post pictures when the rainy season hit.  I just didn't expect the struggle to start so soon! 

October was one of the wettest months on record here. There were 28 days of rain.   Motivation pretty much packed it in after day three of the deluge.  No wonder it was hard to find inspiration. 

Still, there is beauty to be had, even on the wettest days.  I just have to look a bit harder.  And find creative ways to record it when I do find it.  

The photos below were taken on a spectacularly stormy day last week. I parked at the beach and took pictures between swipes of my wiper blades.  It's hard to convey the awe  of that moment with just three pictures. The surf was crashing; the wind was roaring.  My car shook with the force of the gale.  Sea foam rose from the water and danced up and over my car.  As I was leaving, an eagle flew low just beyond my rear window.  A blast of wind stopped its flight, and it hovered at eye level for a moment before it struggled on. It was so close I could see individual feathers. 

Of course, still photos don't really do the weather justice. For that you need video.  Fortunately, I stumbled across this film, 29 Days of Rain, by local indie filmmaker Shane Philip this morning. You know there's been a lot of rain when there are salmon swimming around the playground equipment in the park. 

Have a great week all.  Wishing you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Autumn Arrives

It is autumn, and that means rain here on the west coast. Taking pictures outside has become challenging.  I knew this would happen eventually, but I thought it would be November before I struggled to find the motivation to go outside.  It's only the second of October, and I am ready to hibernate.  Only a couple of photos this week as a result.  

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Willow Point Walk

A couple of weekends ago Hubby and I drove up to Willow Point for a walk.The seaside trail led past the results of this year's Transformations by the Shore Chain Saw Carving Contest.  We've lived on the island for so long that I should know when the contest takes place.  That I don't means that every so often we are surprised by new carvings when we walk this path.  Here are some of my favourites. I'm amazed at the amount of detail the artists can achieve in the five days they are permitted for completing their creations. 

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Out and About

The harvest abundance continues.  I have such generous friends. This week I received: green grapes, apples, garlic and red onions.  This made for another busy weekend in the kitchen. Apple sauce is cooling and waiting to be transferred to jars for freezing. Apple-pie ice cream is almost ready to scoop. Grape sorbet base is ready to go. Thankfully the onions and the garlic will keep, so I have time to share a few photos.

These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago.  Even though I was busy in the kitchen then too, Hubby and I did get out for a walk at the marina.  I just hadn't had a chance to post the pictures until today.

The day was overcast and threatening rain. We noticed what we thought were raindrops hitting the water, though we weren't getting wet.  Then we realized what we were seeing wasn't caused by water from above.  It was caused by jellyfish surfacing from below.  There were thousands of them.

Look closely between the pillars and you'll see a plane from CFB Comox.  

The clouds threatened, but the rain held off while we walked and snapped photos.

Do you see the seals?

They saw us, though they didn't seem bothered by our presence.  

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Busy Like Bee

Hi all!  

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm still here.  I haven't forgotten about Weekly West Coast. I've been taking pictures of our beautiful island home, but I haven't had the time to get those photos posted. It's harvest time, and I'm fortunate that my generous friends share the abundance with me.  There have been plums, summer squash, peppers, tomatoes, beans, greens, apples, pears...and more.  I've been busy saucing, souping, pickling... you get the picture. Or rather you don't, but you will! I'll be back with more photos soon. 

Until then!

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - At the Beach

Sometimes it feels good to putter around the house.  There's satisfaction to be had in crossing items off my to-do list.

And sometimes it's best just to walk away from it all and head to the beach.

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast - Southwestern Ontario Edition - Part 2

Some more photos from our trip to Ontario.  These ones were all taken within walking distance of my in-laws' home. We did lots of walking considering how warm it was, but we made sure we stayed hydrated! 

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Southwestern Ontario Edition!

Hubby and I are just home from visiting family in Ontario. Most of the pictures below were taken while walking around my parents' neighbourhood. I'd say more about the trip, but it's back to work tomorrow. I'd better get back to my unpacking!

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

We had to travel a bit further for this and the following photo, but it was worth it! Such yummy mixed drinks.

Mmmmm...whiskey!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Attention Seekers

There are so many ways that flowers attract our attention, but for some the usual strategies of colour, scent and beauty aren't enough.  As I've been wandering around taking photos a I've found a few flowers that have found new ways to stand out from the floral crowd.

This daisy caught my attention by leaping out from the more reserved daisies at the side of the path.

The muscari above left the sidewalk-side flower bed altogether in order to stand out from the crowd.

I'm not even sure what this plant is, but it certainly commanded my attention.  I was scanning the water for sea-life, but was distracted by the buzzing coming from this plant.  Though you can't see them in the photo, it was covered with very busy bees. There were so many that I heard them from several feet away.

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - Random Awesome Things

Results of a shipwreck washed up on the beach? Treasure? Possibly.  You'll have to find it yourself to know for sure.
Kudos to the creator of this cache!

  Like the real deer that frequent this park, these near-deer are in a different location each time I visit.
It's awesome that someone takes the time to help them in their travels.

I loved how the colour of the sphere-thing was repeated in the poppies in the foreground and in the roof-top in the distance.  Even more than that, I loved that someone took the time to create a still-life in a little-used alley.

Art in a tree! I admire the determination of the artist who hauled that rock up that tree.  Well done!

More art in more trees!  We saw a few owls like this in the trees around Port Renfrew. I wonder what they signify? Thank you owl artist for giving us something to ponder and enjoy.

This still-life arrangement is behind someone's backyard fence.  Not something they'd get to enjoy regularly, so I'm assuming they've created it for passersby like me.  What a lovely idea!

The awesomeness here is readily apparent.  I love how neat the printing is, and I love how it differs from the "wash me" graffiti you usually see etched on a dusty car.

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!