All posts by stweedale@gmail.com

even in the stillness…

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Standing at the Point this morning, I was again enjoying the golden colours of early morning and noted the stillness of the water. It was  broken only by a few ripples which alerted me to the family of three otters swimming toward our boat anchored in the bay (centre frame). The otters each climbed in, and dived back into the water several times.  Lovely to watch, though I expect they left us some smelly goodies. 
My enjoyment of the morning was augmented by noting again that in the stillness and quiet there's constant, though often unseen, or unseeable activity —even playfulness—  though it looks so quiet.
What has caused you to notice this constant activity around you, even amidst the apparent stillness and quiet?

exquisite beauty along the path

 

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Walking along the path to the beach, surrounded by a tangle of tall dried grasses, the grey twisted limbs of Ocean Spray and a tangle of bare wild rose canes, I was struck by the pattern and colour! Exquisite, wild and unexpected beauty, the designs, patterns and artistry. On both sides, all around.

With this image, the deeper I look, the more intriguing the patterns. And yet, I could have simply walked on past, thinking the only thing was to get to the beach at the end of the path…

a tangle of texture

 

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Walking at the Bluffs in the winter, even on an overcast, drizzly day,  offers a feast of colour, texture and shape. The trees are clothed in mosses, and draped with lichens. Here what caught my eye was the twists and curves of the Garry Oak. They were almost luminous with the deep greenness of the mosses, though much darker than the tangle of lichen covered branches  in the foreground.

Surfbirds and BlackTurnstones

On Wednesday afternoon a flock of Surfbirds and Black Turnstone arrived at our beach. The chattering noise, and the flurry of wings... These are a few of the photos I took.

It's interesting to note the relative size of the Surfbirds and Turnstones compared to the gulls. And also the distinction between the Surfbirds and Turnstones. The Turnstones have white on the leading edge of their wings and on their back. The Surfbirds have no white on their backs.

a curving trail in the forest

While the clouds were hanging low, and the incessant drizzle tempted us to stay inside by the fire, the awareness there was a new trail to explore drew us out. We put on our best wet weather gear and headed for the spot we'd heard of, and were rewarded with a magnificent adventure, getting yet another perspective on our lovely island.

The trail curved downwards through large cedars and firs, ferns and salal, and then a patch of wetland, before emerging on the sloping sandstone of the north east coast of Galiano. Though the trail isn't long it took us some time, as we kept stopping to admire the curves and shapes and the rich beauty around us,