Rathtrevor Beach

Babies are squirmy things.  I'm sure this comes as no revelation to anyone who's had to hold a baby who isn't asleep and yet, I keep discovering how quickly they can defeat a camera shutter.  Keith today proved nearly impossible to catch without a goofy expression, but I certainly tried hard.  I have about 20 pictures on my camera and only a few worth posting.  This one was great.

The Spiderman hat almost didn't come  home with us.  Bev and I have determined that we have to do a clothing check on hats and shoes more often.  We were almost back at the car when we discovered he'd lost his hat somewhere along the way.  Turned out it was about where we'd turned around to head back to the car, so we got in double distance today.

Bev and Keith enjoying a walk on the beach.  He was so happy to get out of that carrier and have a chance to stretch his legs.

Bev and I went out to Rathtrevor Beach where she proved to me that there are indeed fine sandy beaches within a very short distance of Nanaimo.  Today there were only a few people in the park, but come summertime, this sand will be covered with visitors from far and near.

A kaleidoscope of seaweed and sand

Driftwood reminds me of my friend Cécile.  Check her link and art below.

 The color of the ocean and mainland off in the distance meld into each other, ofttimes making it difficult to tell where sky, sea and land begin and end.  Today was pretty clear, however.

After our walk, we stopped for a picnic on the grass.  Here's Keith at "adorable" .. 10 seconds away from "impish" where he tried to ensure Bev wore that slice of bread home inside her shirt.

Keith showed concern about leaving the blanket to explore the grass, so Bev coaxed him over with a wee white daisy.  After that, he felt free to investigate the rest of nature by shoving it in his mouth.

And finally, to prove to Bev that she takes some great pictures, here are a couple from the day.

Waterfront

Today, Bev and I walked the full length of the Queen Elizabeth Promenade, more commonly known as the waterfront walk.  I've got a ton of pictures to share with you since our walk was more of a dawdle and I almost made her late for an appointment because we lost track of time.  Hope you made it, Bev!

I giggle when I read this, I don't know why.  Maybe its the landlubber in me.

Forests of two different kinds ... the evergeens of Newcastle Island are backdrop for
the jungle of masts at the Nanaimo Yacht Club

Looking out toward Protection Island

Looking back at pierside shops

These two aren't very big as yachts go, but I probably wouldn't pass up
an opportunity to be wined and dined aboard one.

At the other end of the spectrum are boats at moor who really don't need security measures.

Bruce, if I ever strike it rich, I'm totally buying you this beauty.

This is one way to come home with a case of crabs ....

... without getting all emo about it.

I hear the food here is good.  I've lived here five years now ... perhaps an afternoon of sea air, patio,
sunshine and pitchers of margaritas is in order.  Cause it doesn't get better than that.

Now how often do you see seaplanes and pubs advertised together?  I love this town!
The Lighthouse Pub, on the right, is actually a regular drinking spot for us since they have seating that will
stand wet clothing, room to stash a PFD under the tables and a large bathroom to change into dry clothes.

I swear to god, these gulls were almost glowing.

Now this is a true western hitching post.  Take note, Alberta boys.  The British
Columbians know a thing or two about knot tying.  I'm going to go out on a limb
and guess this is a bowknot  Cause its at the front of the boat.  Cha!

The sails of this sculpture actually turn with the wind

If I didn't know better, I'd have testified there was a city crew involved here. Apparently,
whatever this cable guy was doing involved 4 or 5 guys wildly gesticulating and
offering lots of verbal backup from the safety of the dock below.

Dirty Fat White Buoys.
A running joke for one member of the Bastion Dragons

All parkades should look so good.

Cherry blossoms in front of the Port Authority office.

Cottle Lake

Flies droned in the humid morning sunshine, bullfrogs sang from their lily pads, and baby ducks purportedly paddled the waters, although we missed the photo op for Mama Duck and the fuzzy younglings.

We ran into a trio of wildlife photographers .. massive camouflage colored cameras propped on tripods with their telephoto lenses trained upon the swamp ... they were a bit evasive and seemed hesitant to share exactly what they were trying to capture.  "This and that," "anything," "well, maybe not birds."  Seems they didn't really think highly of birders and 'looky-lou digital photographers."  They did open up and get chatty about gear -- "probably looking at $30,000" ... animals in the area -- "you probably won't see cougars or bears" .. and did share that they all sold their photos to various magazines.

I like traveling with Bev particularly for this reason.  Left on my own, I wouldn't approach other people I meet on the path.  However, with her there, I often strike up conversations with other trekkers and people we meet .. makes the day interesting when you can see it from other person's view.   They often share interesting tidbits and give you pointers to places where you can find great photos, such as the young father with kids in tow who told  us about the ducklings out for their morning exercise session.

These pictures are from the Cottle Lake area of Linley Park, which is massive.  I've shown some pictures of smaller zones in the park before, but we've barely touched the pathways yet. 

All but one of these photos will open larger, so click on them for a bigger view.

The little stone bridge at Cottle Lake

The area had a multitude of little creeks running into or around the lake and most of them had picturesque bridges.

Trail's End - that wee log across the creek didn't realllly promise a solid
foundation for further adventuring, so we turned around.

Cedars along a creekside provide a protective awning

Logs and lilypads

Cattails and bullfrogs

I'd love to tell you how the morning smelled of lazy summer days, but ..
it smelled of this .. skunk cabbage.  At least until we were a good distance away.

This cherry tree was all cozy with the massive cedars.

I'll bet he'll be happy when he can exercise and forego the fleecies on warm days.
Keith was full of goofy grins today.

A reflective moment.  Harrrr, I kill me!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

I poked my head over the back fence today and saw a bit of color in our back yard!

Angelique Tulips int the lower bed

I've allowed this muscari to naturalize on the hillside .. here they play against a red rhododendron about to bloom.

Angelique tulips against a backdrop of heather.
This opens larger, and I image that it will become a header or theme for the site sometime soon.

The magnolia tree was also picture worthy this morning!

In the 'hood

With the exception of the top two photos, these were all shot facing directly across the street
from Bev's home, most of them from the same yard.  The top two were different neighbours.

This is the view out Bev's living room window. 

Bev and I took a week off walking ... me because my feet are giving me hell - I think I need orthotics.  Bev used the time to get ready for going back to work after her mat leave, and look at options for more schooling.  The good news for her is that her company will look at placing her on a daytime schedule for the first month so she can get Keith settled into a routine that involves daycare. 

However, on a rainy Tuesday, we got back at it and when I got out the car on her street, I couldn't help but be amazed with the show that Mother Nature is treating us with.

Birthday Card for Bruce

Bruce .. do you remember that time we were walking beside the river and you found a 30 pound rock in the shape of a heart and gave it to me?  And then objected .. for years ... when I threw it back in the river rather than carry it on a two hour walk?  Do you remember that time? 

Today ... I found a heart of stone for you beside the river.  However, rather than subject you to the entire mosaic, which I'm sure I'd never get put back in the right order once I unloaded it all from my car, I choose to give you this framable picture.  I, too, can be a practical romantic.

I love you so much and am so thankful everyday that I get to share my life with you.  Happy Birthday.

Nanaimo River Estuary

I've shared some of the photos from this trip with you in a post below, but I had so many more to show off.  Here they are in no particular order.

A helicopter hovering above you gives you a case of the willies.  This copter was flying a search pattern
and stopped near where we .. and fortunately a few other hikers .. were wandering the paths.

Bev and I both admitted to trepidations about horses, although the closest she would come was about six feet.
The black hose trotted right up to the fence and hung his head over in the hope that I'd have a treat for him.

I giggled.

When the tidal waters are right, Bruce and the Huliguns will take their practises on this river.

These posts are sooo West Coast.

The low end of a rutted road provided a home for a soggy marsh.