New Things

 Finally.......some blue sky....at last. Time to bounce up and down like the Energizer bunny! Boing! Boing! Boing! Haven't seen sky like this for eons.....and White Cat came calling again. She is bigger now....her tail is longer, and she is much poofier.

                                   She likes to sit on the fence and watch the birds and the sky.

                       The Lady's Mantle has started up again.....just in the past few days.

 White Cat watched while I crawled around in the dirt trying to find new things. She rowled at me happily. She looked like a cloud sitting on the fence.

 Preen, Preen....we should all do this at least once....She matches the clouds in the sky. It was actually mild and warm today......for once. Boing! Boing!Boing!

                                          Lungwort is pushing itself out through the ground.

                                                              White cat purred.........

 Valley Fire Pirarrea ( not sure if that is spelt correctly)......making a show at last.

                                                     Hydrangeas starting as well.

                                             Many clouds .....white cat approves.

                                                             Viola

Clematis throws out shoots. Wow, must be spring.

Saratoga Beach

 Saratoa Beach on the way to Courtenay. A wild and stormy day.....nothing and no one out. Except us....

 Houses right on the shore line. Kind of reminds me of Sooke, where  my parents had a cabin. We used to go there  on weekends. Beach was a lot like this. Very rocky.

 Wind pulls at flags. No one about. Again,just us.....

Saratoga Beach North......just the tide starting to come in and the gulls and crows foraging.  Wonderful smell of  the ocean......

Seawalk

Fishing Troller beneath Coast mountains.....picture perfect.

 The Seawalk at Flannel City......lovely views. Vey busy place today. First day of spring, I suppose, and everyone around here has cabin fever. Had a hard time finding a parking space, all the way up and down the walk....and people trundling along the walkway, having to move each other out of the way, just to get by. I had to navigate to figure out how not to get in anyone's way. So funny...where have these people been all winter? Hibernating, I suppose.....

                                               Quadra Island and Mountains looking east.....

                                          The "Rock"...it is allowed to be covered with graffiti......

Ferry to Quadra Island with onelone beachcomber. Everyone else was up on the walkway......

Wind and more wind.....

 Grad 2011 has finally arrived on the "Rock"

 Mountains rising above Quadra Island

 In the moment, Dale  sits in an empty spot...............

 Dale practises taking a picture with my new camera.......cars were whooshing by so fast behind her that it was very distracting.

Back of the "Rock"....

 New condos built right at the point. Great views. Empty gravel lots all around , though. Building stopped, right after this one went in.

 Looking south down island......

 Looking over the Passage.....

                                      Love this old log....peppered with rot and termites.......

March Storm in like a Lion

 Huge storm last night and today. Hurricane force winds   ( well  so they said on the Weather Network), just slammed into our part of the island.  There must have been a foot of snow last night, followed by rain, and lots of it, followed by ice pellets, and ending with the wind.

This is looking across from the Big Island to the lighthouse at Quadra Island. Telephoto lens works great.  Some day will have to get me an even bigger lens, but for now it's just great.

            Looking back along the coast line to Flannel City  ( sorry, can't resist calling it that). 

 Surging ocean, throwing up logs onto the beach and turn about. . Could practically taste the salt spray as it  slashed it's way over the rocks and logs.  Wind was so strong, hard to stand up.....

                                                          Surf  and lots of it......

        Looking out past the end of Quadra Island with the Coast Mountains in the distance.

                                 Lone seagull wafts its way past the rocks and logs.....

                                                 Over the never ending surf......

                                                         Into the wind..................

           And he makes it......................Maybe March will go out like a lamb.......one can only hope.....

Moon in the Dawn

 Cold frozen northern Island sort of morning. Love how the light is "blue" at this time of day. Was so lucky to capture the moon still toddling across the sky.

 "Slowly, silently, now the moon walks the night in her silver shoon." (Walter de la Mare 1873-1956)

                                        "Eppur si muove......but it does move." (Gallileo Gallilel)

             "Beautiful! Beautiful! Magnificent desolation!" (Buzz Aldrin.....on landing on the moon)

Wedding Cake Mountains

                        Pink Frosted Mountains......good enough to serve at a wedding......

""Fromone white cloud that hurries beneath the stars, whishpering over the black, unfrozen  pool.
Silently falling on withered leaves, eddying slowly among bare boughs of trees.
The music you are to me is as ghostly as these...........
Softyly falling, softly passing,
Wandering softly on dreamless air." 
               ( from "White Nocturne" by Conrad Aiken)

"Oh may be pure as the beautiful snow, and on life's page make sure, mark for truth, deep and low." ( from "The Snow" by Watie W. Swanzy)

Five Hour Snowstorm

 Picture perfect snow......happened overnight, in five hours. About 4am I thought we were going to be buried. Thought these trees across the cul de sac were so incredible.

                        "As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words."
                                                                 ( William Shakespeare)

                                                         Frosted trees at 6:30am

                                             Good to play in the snow.................................

                                                  In the predawn twilight.........................

                                                            Buried fence and arbour..............

                                                                Lonely chair in predawn.....

                                                    Poor driveway....................too steep

  Kind of  reminds me of the tree of life. Thrushes and their friends roost here and get ready to feed                  in                           the morning.

"And finally Winter, with its biting , whining wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow."
                                                                      (Roy Bean)