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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Extra song for Saturday....keep the faith...

I'm going back to last summer in my thoughts....this is one of my favorite walks with Griffin.
It's about a 15 minute walk from the house and rarely, is anyone within miles of the place.
The reason for these flashbacks is that I've been learning a lot about the Niagara Escarpment and the struggle for it's preservation. 
I got to thinking about the tiny lives which live in these environments...
 and how as humans, some of us don't realize how important these little pieces of the puzzle all fit together....
...how trusting these creatures can be...  

...but then again, how so many of us DO think about it....
 So go on now....
Commit random acts of conservation.


Friday, March 5, 2010

For farmlady ...remembering Maggie.


Dog song 2 by The Be Good Tanyas


 Out in the trees, dirt on our knees
We laid him down forever
And on that hill there it was still
As in the ever after

He lays his rest we knew it best
To lay him down so gently
And now he sleeps where moss does creep
And no more is he with me

The birds did cry, and so did i
To think of life so lonely
And in their song I heard it long
What sadness, and what beauty
Your friend is gone, but you live on
In life you loved him fully
But now little streams and forests dream
And all is made more holy 


Thursday, March 4, 2010

song for Friday...song for spring...

 Spring is all about new beginnings and of hope not lost. 
After the cold dark days, we are finally beginning to see the light,
feel the warmth,
take those deep breaths of earthy scents...

Not only is Sarah Harmer an incredibly talented singer/songwriter, she plays some pivotol roles in the environmental movement. Especially the fight to save the Niagara Escarpment...an amazing rocky spine that runs through an area from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay in Ontario, Cananda. Have a look...it's really beautiful.


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

randomness....

Some mornings, its just so lovely out and all I do is take shot after shot...trigger happy in the sun this day...

backlight... 

buds, buds, everywhere you turn...
first spiderwebs this year...

old water pipes, like fallen trees, collecting moss...

alder bark...

still ponds...
...turned upside down...

mud...not snow!


Monday, March 1, 2010

The long, long, long ramp...

Mild temps again today and I think a lot of people in Canada are having Olympic withdrawl as well as hockey gold hangovers!
Went with the playmates down to Ed McGregor park here in Sooke which boasts probably the longest wheelchair ramp in the world...
There used to be a steep, woodsy trail from the top of the road down to the water until someone got the idea and the funding to make it more accessible to those with wheelchairs. It probably takes a good 7 or 8 minutes to walk down...or shorter if you run...
...but it's quite the engineering feat, this ramp.
Dodging trees and a steep incline all the way to the beach...
...and a view out to Juan de Fuca (said like 'fuke-ah') Straights with the government wharf in the foreground.
 The pretty Indian Plum is starting to bloom.
A trail along the water leads to a great boardwalk set on pylons out in the water...
Harmless graffiti...gone when the next rains come...
Quite often people come down here to do some crab fishing off the end of the dock. Today we were lucky enough to find a man who not only caught these...
...but was also finding these in his traps...
Massive sun-stars.
They are kin to star fish except have as many as 24 legs....
After having a good look, he tosses them back into the sea.
Rosie thought about coming down...
...and thought some more...
...and finally gathered the courage to come down the ramp! Good girl!
Another lovely day on the West Coast....