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Antlers at Last – and Fast!
At two years old, each black-tailed buck we've known has been different in the headgear department. I’d noticed the variety, but I’d never really paid attention to how fast those antlers can develop...
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Fisgard: A Guiding Light
For mariners trying to safely navigate their way along the rugged and often foggy southwest coast of Vancouver Island, Fisgard Light is vital. The oldest lighthouse on Canada’s west coast, it was built...
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Perches Aplenty
We’ve added a number of trellises, tripods and other supports to our garden this year. They’re functional rather than glamorous, and some are on the rustic side, made from scrap wood. But they seem to...
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Eating is a Dirty Business
My grandfather was a dedicated gardener who grew most of the family’s vegetables in his tiny backyard in Victoria. One of his pearls of wisdom, passed on to me by my mother, was that “you have to eat a...
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Seeing the Art in Artichokes
Vegetable or flower? I guess it depends on your point of view. In the ornamental garden outside our neighbourhood restaurant, artichokes are grown for their lovely purple flowers, and never eaten. But...
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The Little Spirit Lifters
Can there be anything that lifts one’s spirits more than watching a wide-eyed little fawn starting to explore its big new world? I captured these three photos of our newest residents a couple of weeks...
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Coast of Dreams
What is it about the BC coast that inspires so many dreamers? In one community after another, you can see the evidence: an old boat that someone once planned to restore to its former glory. We came...
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The Little Things
My days have been busy lately, now that the harvest is fully upon us. Summer is racing by, and already we’re starting to see the signs of approaching fall. But before this glorious season ends, I want...
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Slow but Adventurous
Still on the theme of “little things“, I noticed this tiny snail – about the size of my little fingernail – when I stopped to photograph our Echinacea (purple coneflowers) the other day. Since the...
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When Tyranny Reigns
For several weeks I’ve found it impossible to get a post written, and difficult to even to download my camera. The reason? I’ve been enslaved by TOTH. Perhaps you’re familiar with this mighty force,...
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Totem Morning: A Sneak Preview
There’s nothing quite like daybreak in a quiet cove on the BC coast, especially when it coincides with low tide. In the still of early morning, before the water is rippled by breezes, the reflections...
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Textures of Time
Last week I showed you an totemic shoreline on a small island off BC’s Sunshine Coast. This week I’m taking you to a much wilder location, on the Central Coast – West Beach, on the exposed outer coast...
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Daybreak at One Boat Bay
Morning Mirror (click to enlarge – it looks better that way) Some years ago, we stayed in a bay in BC’s Broughton Archipelago, a spot we’d never tried before and which has no name. It was a little...
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Fall Magic
Thousands of mushrooms are popping up all over our property, in what’s turning out to be one of the best wild mushroom seasons in a long time. As a result, my walks lately have been more of a slow...
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Fall Feast – for Others
Masses of mushrooms of many varieties continue to appear everywhere on our property, as I reported last week. I’ve found what I think may be a cluster of Chanterelles – though lacking mushroom...
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Day’s End at Fisherman’s Wharf
As a life-long west coaster, I’ve always loved the intricate and fascinating jigsaw puzzle formed by the poles, booms, gurdies, lines, drums and nets of commercial fish boats. On summer days when the...
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Moving Forward in the Fog
Travelling along on a foggy fall morning, the closest reference points are clear enough. But naturally, as you cast your eyes further ahead, the sharpness diminishes and the landmarks get less and less...
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Fall’s Last Hurrah
Here on the west coast, November can be a drab time of year. With its diminishing daylight, bare tree limbs, and wet days turning fallen leaves into a sodden brown mass, it’s never been exactly my...
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A Complex Story, Simply Told
A washed-up kelp head and rivulets left by the receding tide: sometimes less really is more. I couldn’t resist trying to capture the simplicity and stark beauty of this little tableau at West Beach on...
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The Silent Intruder
In the night we often hear a Barred owl call out its persistent question: “Who-cooks-for-YOU?” Less frequently, we catch a dialogue between two Barred owls, sounding more like a loud gang of crazed...
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