Category Archives: Photos

a little light on the road…

a little light on the road
in places there are bits of light on the road... (click image to enlarge)

My daily walks up the road are always a pleasure. Well, mostly always. Sometimes, if its just plummeting rain, my pleasure is dampened (so to speak). But today it was a real pleasure, as the leaves dappled the road, and the sun was still slanting through the trees, even if weakened by the light overcast.

In places, like the spot in the photo,  there was a little light on the road, which struck me as this morning as a fine metaphor of how life works—  a little light here and there. Not alway blazing brilliant light, but light all the same. And then the road curves in to the shadier spots.

The patches of light are exquisite— I love and appreciate them— their clear colour and beauty,   but even in the shadier spots there are marvelous things to see: moss and mushrooms, lichens, winter wrens chattering and woodpeckers flitting. These treasures were certainly present today and interestingly, they were for the most part, in the darker, less glorious places.

 

 

a fleeting glimpse of the mergansers…

click photo to enlarge
click photo to enlarge

This afternoon a small grouping of mergansers was patrolling the shallows. I've been watching for their return, and am so happy to see them fishing close to shore, faces immersed, and diving the instant they catch sight of a morsel.

Just after I retrieved my camera , something startled them, and off they went in a fabulous flurry of wings and water—  a spectacular splash of colour and light. I didn't have time to re-set my camera, so caught what I could.  Watching wildlife we are given whatever glimpses there are. And this was definitely one. A great delight.

these precious last days …

the creekside path
a creekside path, diverging around a grand old maple (click to enlarge)

Spending a few days in 'town' offers a chance to walk the paths along Mosquito Creek. The delight of these walks comes not only from the beauty alongside the tumbling creek-water, but the poignancy of recognizing these are likely last days before the green leaves the trees (so to speak). The sunlight shining through the still vibrant green is more precious perhaps because these days are so limited. But its not only the colour and light. For me its also their shadow patterns on the path —  constantly shifting, and intriguing.

❧❧❧

The photo above is one of my favourite points on the trail where it diverges around a grand moss-clothed maple. To the left it goes down to the creek itself. To the right, up to the road. The main trail is straight ahead, past the maple,  following alongside the creek.

One of the best tafoni spots

Last week we ventured out to Salamanca Point. The access path opened to a stunning view— the open strait, from NW to SE—  but it was the tafoni that was particularly awesome. Galiano's sandstone shores are a great place to study tafoni — the intriguing shapes sculpted in the sandstone— but I think this particular spot is one of the best on the island.

The slant of the afternoon sun called attention to  the variety of shapes with patterns of shadow and light, gentle curves and straight lines, the regular pitting and the random swoops and hollows.

Watch for further photos of tafoni in later posts. Its one of my favourite 'subjects'.