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"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

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Fresh...

I spent last week travelling over to the mainland to visit my nieces.
My middle niece Rachel and I then took an alternate route home.
There's nothing like having the leisure time to take the long road home.
And so we did...
From Tsawwassen on the mainland you can take the 1.5 hour ferry to points
south near Victoria or you can take a 2 hour ferry to the middle of the island
to Nanaimo. 
I've only done this route once at night so it was such a treat to be sailing
on a gorgeous clear morning...
...there was a beautiful dusting of fresh snow that lay like icing sugar across the landscape...
I've never been up into these mountains but I've looked at them from down below
for half of my life when I lived in Vancouver and the many many times I've taken these ferry rides...
...and still they catch my breath...
The two 'bumps' standing out here are called The Lions...
Sometimes from certain angles they really do look like two majestic Egyptian 
sculptures of regal beasts keeping watch...
As the sailing continued I said to my niece "people pay money to go on cruises
like this...how lucky we are to have this as part of our highway system!"
Closer to Nanaimo we passed the Entrance Island lighthouse station.
Built in 1885, one of the rare, still manned lighthouses on the coast,  it was built to
guide ships into the Nanaimo harbour from the Straight of Georgia, now renamed 
The Salish Sea by the Chemainus First Nations People who have lived here for thousands of years.
After an hour and a half drive we arrived on Denman Island to visit old friends and the mountains
up that way, the spine of Vancouver Island, looked just as lovely as ever...
There's a magic feeling of snow in December, right before the Solstice...
Winter skies travel gladly with us on our road trip...

5 comments:

thewiildmagnola said...

Some of the most gorgeous photos I've seen. Thank you for sharing.

Sandra Nobles Hagan on Facebook

http://thewildmagnolia-ocala.blogspot.com

Marigold Jam said...

Absolutely stunning! I had a real feeling of space of Nature's wonders and of calm. I will come back to these pictures.

Suz said...

really enjoyed this

Unknown said...

What beautiful photos of your trip!! Thanks for sharing. I love seeing both the mountains and the water...and in December it all looks so different, right? A dusting of snow, low clouds, and cool temps.

Acornmoon said...

Have you any room for me? I am packing my bag. What a spectacular place to live! Those mountains are breathtaking in your photographs and must be much more so in real life. I hope you enjoy your time with your family. May I wish you all a Blessed Christmas. I have enjoyed visiting your world in the blogosphere and although I seem to have less time now I do hope that you continue to inspire us with your wonderful images. xxx