Tag Archives: Southern Gulf Islands

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday, Wanderings

Looking closely – Photo Wednesday

March 2, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above:A jewel-like line-up of mosses in the glorious late afternoon light at the Lyall Creek Trail, on Saturna Island, BC.

Practicing with the close-up views of the world around me. It is a very verdant and natural world at the moment: it rains practically every day, and all this “wet” nourishes the greenery.

Have a look.

(Psst: if you find that I have incorrectly identified one of the following tiny denizens of our forest, feel free to use my contact page to let me know. I will be very grateful to make a correction!)

Those are the blooms (or capsules) of a new moss colony in my rock garden. The sun showed up that day. It is gone now.

And in the forest around here, little treasures on the forest floor, in the mosses… if you look really closely. Above: British soldier lichen (Cladonia cristadella).

Another view of these interesting tiny lichens. It looks like when they bloom, the “mouth” of capsules opens. Just my observation, and I am not an expert by any means.

Above: some Pixie cup lichens (Cladonia chlorophaea) sometimes find it useful to grow on top of each other. I guess the space available on the right side of rocks is getting tight. Location, location. Competition!

A new lichen colony, standing up in the mosses.

Above: on a branch that had fallen in the mosses, some really leafy lichen. No idea about ID (my middle name!). Admire the texture.

Above: Grand foam lichen (Stereocaulon grande), with bloom capsules. Our forest floor is full of little treasures, you just have to look closely.

Above: another very common lichen: Freckle pelt (Peltigera aphthosa) with its capsules opening.

And I leave you with the above delicate little treasures: mosses sending up a couple of “beaky” seed capsules. Had to hold my breath to get that shot.

Happy trails.

Blog, Inspiration, Photography, Wanderings

Ferry travel = Stunning show

February 28, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: the view from the back of the ferry, as it rounds the corner at the end of Navy Channel, heading into Village Bay, on Mayne Island. (About 30 minutes after leaving Saturna Island…)

Friday morning’s sunrise was exceptional.

This is one of the first shots I took, about 15 minutes after we left Saturna Island, heading down the channel. I could tell it was going to be a promising sunrise. I love cloud cover, it adds drama!

Pretty soon, several other travelers looked up from their computer, device, or book, and came out on the deck to snap pictures with their phones. It was a spectacular show, and it kept getting better…

Above, the pointy silhouette of Mount Baker, in Washington State (did you know it’s a volcano?) in the far distance. To the right, the silhouette of Saturna’s Mount Fisher.

And in the other direction, the still dark blue part of the sky, and the ferry’s motion cutting a swath in the water. Those dark hills are on Mayne Island.

I slowed down my camera’s shutter speed, to get the motion blur on the wake.

Here is another shot of the ferry’s wake, down Navy Channel, in the direction of the sunrise:

And then… hang on to your hat…

…or to the railing, because those colours are about to get boosted to the max!

and one more, for good measure…

And after a stop at Mayne Island, where the Victoria-bound travelers transferred to the Skeena Queen, another ferry, about 30 minutes later, the bright oranges began to fade, and became more subtle.

And then the sky went into the pastels. Still absolutely gorgeous…

Light on water: pure magic.

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday

Water Moods – Photo Wednesday

February 24, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: Header photo of the quick flow of water across a forest path, over pebbles, reflecting the sky.

Today’s theme is brought to you by the rains, which have fed all manner of ponds, seasonal creeks, and riverlets flowing around the wood paths, and the roads.

This is a macro shot of the surface tension of blades of grass, pushed by the water flow on a forest track.

And more play with reed reflections on pond water. Amazing magic happens when you throw a stick into the pond! Sinuous waves.

And to conclude, I leave you with yesterday morning’s moonset, around 7 am, over Pender Island… Moody blues and pinks.

It pays to look out the window, early in the morning!

Blog, Photography, Wanderings

Friday’s Ferry Ride

February 14, 2016 Andree Fredette

Commuting from the islands to Victoria is a regular event for most of us. Some people take the ferry often enough that they lose their sense of wonder at the landscape.

Not me. I pay attention to details. The lovely beach with logs strewn about, shown above.

And the cormorants who hold reunions on the ferry traffic buoy near the Swarz Bay terminal, on Vancouver Island.

And details on the venerable Mayne Queen ferry itself…

On older ferries, the pictograms can be quite puzzling.

Perhaps letting people know that this is not a garbage can…

I did write that the ferry is a venerable piece of equipment. It is over 50 years old, and despite regular maintenance, is showing its age.

On a sunny afternoon, sitting on the back deck of the ferry offers up absolutely beautiful views of the wake, and the dramatic sky. On the right, the lumpy shadow is Salt Spring Island.

And arriving on Saturna, the ferry disturbs the birds that were perched on the dock pilings… But before they took off, I was able to get these shots, through the car window.