I am posting this, just because the contrast in the lines caught my eye… There is much work and clanging going on at the ferry terminal at Swarz Bay, Vancouver Island. The Fraser River Pile & Dredge Company is hard at work. I understand my father’s fascination with work sites much better now.
We escaped for the weekend. Voted off the island. Friends arranged for a new experience: soaring, flying without an engine. It was an extraordinary day, and I will remember it forever. What an amazing feeling! Silence, with only the whispering of the wind, and the sing-song of the altimeter… Thanks to my pilot, Don!
This all happened at the Hope Airfield, in BC. If you are interested, contact the Vancouver Soaring Association.
Gliders all ready, Hope Airfield, BC
Don the pilot, Vancouver Soaring Association
A scene of quiet contentment… Sunny afternoon on Saturna. This picture was taken with a telephoto lens, from a good distance. To find out more about harbour seals, click this link.
I went on a hike on Vancouver Island, this weekend – uphill, mostly – with a friend who acts as my guide. Her generosity has allowed me to discover the back country, and I feel very privileged. That hike had an incredible payoff. At this time of year, Vancouver Island is a playground of green backdrops, punctuated with wildflowers. My wildflower photo collection is growing at a fast pace and I have spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the names of the lovelies I captured…
During this trip, we saw three bears. One mama bear and her cub, a tiny little guy barely bigger than a small dog. They crossed the logging road in front of our vehicle and it was a treat to watch them.
Later, while walking next to a bog, we saw another bear. I should say my friend saw a bear “watching us”, according to her. I tried to look across the bog, to see if I could spot it, but I could not really make out the bear… and I was really focusing on some orchids…
Check out this close up of an alpine aster (aster alpigenus) in the middle of a bog. I often take pictures because something – a bright colour, a contrast – attracts my eye. But I don’t really “see” everything in the picture until I blow it up on my computer screen at home. Actual pixel view. That’s the ticket!
When I take a look at the actual pixels, I am amazed at the little dramas that unfold before my eyes… Mysteries are revealed, secrets unfold… it’s almost magic. Here is this week’s example. A spider – the Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) has set up shop in the flower, nicely camouflaged, and is waiting for dinner to arrive… Pity the innocent insect that visits this flower!
Was it due to bad behaviour?
Nah. I just needed to go do some exploring and what better time to explore than summer in BC? Collecting more photos for the files and galleries. And inspiration, of course.
