This root rocks! I wanted to take it home with me but I couldn't lift it. Besides I was a kilometre from the car park.
And there are rules on the island about removing objects from the beaches. No no no, you must not collect drift wood. It's difficult for me to obey this rule. However because of it the beaches are strewn with logs and pieces of wood which creates a very picturesque sight.
They come in all shapes and sizes. You end up playing the cloud shape game with yourself. This one looks like a beached shark.
There is history behind this rusted bolt.
Beauty rests in every piece of oddly shaped, sea sanded chunk of tree. If I could take them home my yard would be full of them.
I would horde them and they would clutter up my property. They would take up all the available space until there would be room for nothing else.
Just like on my camera card.
Fisgard st is one of my favourites in Victoria. Exploding with colour and unique, interesting shops,
My favourite place to visit on this block is Three Fan....well, read the sign. Another one of those curious narrow walkways with mysterious history of cocaine dealers and brothels behind the brick walls and permanently shut steel doors. .
So let me take you down another alley.
Sometimes, when I am walking down the narrowest part of Three Fan Tan Alley I think about the dark history of this place. I also think about questions that can't be answered. Like "Would I get stuck if I rode my motorcycle through here?"
Her incurable addiction to the beauty of texture in rocks and bricks lured her into the dark narrow alley...
Because she had experience with the light at the end of the tunnel, she took courage.
As long and as dark as many a tunnel had been, her experience told her that if the dragon in the middle of the tunnel did grab her, he would not hold her for very long.
And that in the end all paths leading toward the light are worth walking.
No matter how scary they appear at the beginning.
Although I love grapes and have even grown them, I have never been able to enjoy a glass of wine. There are other beverages that please my palate more. However, I have always been fascinated with vineyards and the process of making a good wine. And that is why the sign in the driveway lured me in.
I did not ask why a rooster on their sign instead of a bundle of ripe grapes, nor did I tell the proper gentleman behind the wine tasting counter that much to my regret his delicate product tasted like turpentine on my tongue. That is not to say it was bad wine..... judging by how much wine he sold under my nose, the other guests thought it was excellent.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy a stroll through the beautiful grape garden. The grapes were not ready to sample.
There was however, one product at Cherry Point Winery that I did enjoy. Vancouver Island is populated with a Prickly web of blackberry vines and the winery takes advantage of this. Local people pick the berries and sell them to the winery.
There it is converted into the tastiest after dinner sipping wine, Blackberry Port.
I learned something at Cherry Point. If you don't enjoy wine, quit whining about it and sip a bit of prime Port.
I usually try to avoid crowds. I went to this event for two reasons; First, I wanted to hear the symphony and see the fireworks, secondly I was in the mood for some people watching. Come on admit it, most of you enjoy watching people. It can't be only me.
I don't know what I was thinking. I kind of forgot that I am a hermit. I got way more than I bargained for.
Ferreting out a few square feet of grass on which to plant myself was like stumbling across an easy chair in a forest.
But when the deep vibration of the orchestra instruments floated through the air most people didn't care if there was someone dripping catchup on a corner of their blanket.
There were two solo pianists who were only 16 and 17 years old, Carter Johnson from Campbell River and I believe Eric Manning is from Victoria. Both are amazing musicians.
The inner harbour is such a beautiful spot for these kind of events. The lights on the government buildings were as pleasing to look at as were the fire works. As the crowds dispersed I was glad that I had chosen to take the bus. It was a stress free way to get home at the end of a crowded but wonderful day in the city.
Wheels. There are three mechanisms in my possession that enable me to get around on two wheels. Victoria caters to people on two wheels. There is the Galloping goose which is the main bicycle trail that connects Victoria with both Sooke and Sydney. Then there are the regional trails that string communities together like cobwebs. The roads also have bicycle lanes. There is a huge cycling community here. Some use the trails to commute to work, some for exercise, others for training and then still others for sheer enjoyment.
This is one of the many bridges that are part of the trail system and span the waterways of the southern island.
When you come to Victoria you really must bring a bike or rent one. There are many scenic spots all around the city and beyond, where you can stop and enjoy the view.
......and watch other people having fun without any wheels at all.
While cycling is a lot of fun, it is also good exercise. It's the body movement that I need. But in the end I prefer the sound of my V-Star purring beneath me, carrying me further and faster than my legs ever could.
As the sun slowly dropped behind the Long Beach horizon I gazed at the disappearing ghost of an off shore island. I reflected on life. Like this spectre it changes when light casts itself from different angles. The ideas of today are different than they will be tonight or tomorrow. Truth can be hidden or revealed by the direction and intensity of light. All of us most likely have a mistic island in our lives. We wish we had seen more clearly to find the beauty behind the fog.
Some of us wish for the island to disappear completely and with it the inhabitants of truth. But there will always be flotsam washing up on our shores. We must gather the treasures and discard the trash.
And at the end of the day the setting sun will reveal everything in a most beautiful light.
Even if the chocolate is all gone....
A stroll from the campsite down a path and a boardwalk takes you to Long Beach. Because of the wolf sighting I think, there were few people and no dogs on the large expanse of sandy shoreline.
Some people travel long distances to visit beautiful places like this island. On my motorcycle, as though in a dream, I get to ride the island, drinking in the natural beauty as though it were a glass of the finest Champaign.
I ask myself, "Is this a dream?" Then I photograph parts of me against a backdrop of scenery so that later I can confirm that, "Yes, it IS a dream! And I am living that dream."
The ocean is an intoxicating drink to the eyes.
And the rain forest breathes life into my limbs.
My mind is emptied of all other needs...........................Except of course..........................
My legal addictions. :-)
I love living on an island. This piece of ground I am parked on is enveloped with fresh ocean air and covered with an umbrella of diverse skies. No matter where I go the discovery of each unique shoreline fascinates me. Rocks, sand and sea fill me with a sense of well being. I can ride in four different directions and find all three.
And threading it's way between both shores, rivers search for lakes to pour themselves into. The deep clear pools invite you to strip off your gear and rinse the heat from your body.
When I arrived at Point Green on the west side of the island near Tofino, they told me I could not register or set up my tent because a wolf had been sited in the park. It took an hour for them to decide what to do about it. Wolves have been roaming the area since before we have but now with the depletion of the deer caused by tree growth and a lack of underbrush, the wolves have changed their diet. They seem to be enjoying their brothers, the domesticated variety, and I don't mean just for play.
The parking lot seemed like a good place to set up my little coffee pot. A construction site provided a table for my primus stove and pots.
The whole process of finding the wolf and either hazing him out of the campsite, or killing him if need be, took so long that an exploration of Tofino seemed in order.
And a delicious bite of fresh Halibut stuffed with crab at a recommended restaurant, which I will also recommend to you.
The wolf was never seen again and I think his poor stomach was not as full as mine.., but for him it was a good day to keep living. You go wolf-girl!
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