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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

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

It came upon a midnight clear...

There's much to see around the towns and cities this time of year,
but there's something special along the seaside as well...
I took my brothers kids out to Whiffin Spit for the afternoon...
There's nothing that Griffin loves more than to run with the kids!
We came to ramble on the beach, exploring driftwood houses...
There were rocks to turn over and crabs to discover...
Even tiny hands held tiny crabs...
But the real reason we came here today, was to see the work of 
many secret elves.
You see every year, without being seen or heard, in the middle of a cold night,
the same tree is decorated on the spit...
People who walk the spit add there own bits and pieces as the days lead up to Christmas...
A lot of pieces are from found objects on the beach so the shore gets 
a clean up as well...
Some leave memorials to those who used to walk the spit, man and dog together...
And then after New Years, as quietly as they came, the secret elves come again
and undress the tree, saving it all for the next season.
The beach always holds surprises, some gruesome, like this whole sheep we found...
very strange.
The birds are out and about, flitting beside us in the bush as we walk along...
Then it's time to go in for hot chocolate.
One of the best parts of walking far on a cold day!

5 comments:

Stone Angel said...

What a passel of great looking kids; they are so lucky to have an auntie like you!

Cobalt Violet said...

Thank you for that trip to the sea.
I love the photos ... and all the bits of hot pink!
... the little hands with tiny crabs and the elf tree!

Happy Holidays to you Kerry!

Anonymous said...

i hope there are ways things are given back to you in the way that you give so freely with posts like this and the time you spend with little ones.

and that tree! love it. there is a tree here at mile marker 104 -the only tree within 40 miles in any direction (and no town closer than...40 or 50 miles) that is decorated all year long with christmas decorations. what gifts these sorts of trees are to one and all.

(just saw a preview of some of your work at ithacalit...am so excited!! kerry- wow!!)

gz said...

much more fun and educational too!

Suz said...

oh that was fun!
and I love the idea of that tree...now you have methinking of finding a tree around me to decorate....but since Christmas is almost outlawed....I may have to risk going to jail :( to do it
and those kids are so gorgeous...thanks so much for a peak into your wonderful life
blessings and Merry Christmas