Mayne Island - Georgina Point Lighthouse Park

Shortly after disembarking at the Village Bay ferry terminal - and being unsuccessful in our search for a place to eat - we opted for an exploration of the park at the Georgina Point Lighthouse. If I were a permanent resident of Mayne Island, I'm sure I'd be a frequent visitor to this place. I've kept the photo captions to a minimum; I think the scenery speaks for itself. (2016-09-25)

Georgina Point Lighthouse...

Looking over to Sturdies Bay on Galliano Island...

Well-maintained path in this park...

Georgina Point shore...

Galiano Island in the distance...

Classic Gulf Islands shoreline (Mayne Island)...

End of Georgina Point Park...

Georgina Point Park...

Barkerville in September

A trip to visit Britt in Quesnel is not complete without a drive out to Barkerville. This year we thought we'd forego Barkerville in lieu of the shorter drive to Cottonwood House. The gods conspired against us, as Cottonwood House was closed for the season (2015-09-27). There was little else to do: drive on to Barkerville... TBCompleted

Sointula on Malcolm Island

For this post, I thought I'd try something a bit different. Today I'll post a slideshow of our recent (2015-02-09/10) trip to Sointula on Malcolm Island. 

Sointula (2015-02-09/10)
Colourful boat sheds are a photographer's delight...

TO BE COMPLETED

An afternoon at Skaha Lake (Penticton)

 Why is it that whenever I visit the "sunny Okanagan", it rains?

It just does! On this day, Barb, Sean, Angela, Marco and I had planned to tube down the Okanagan River, joining Okanagan Lake with Skaha Lake. No such luck. Apparently, in late August, there wasn't enough water in the river to make this a viable operation.

Too bad. But, not to worry; the sun came out and we went swimming at Skaha Lake.

(2013-08-29) 

(2013-08-29) 

(2013-08-29) 

(2013-08-29) 

Lower Joffre Lake in August

As part of Marco and Angela's visit to Canada, we decided a trip to Saint Georg's winery in Naramata was in order. The only real question was how to get there. The Coquihalla highway? The Hope-Princeton highway? The Trans Canada (Highway #1), turning off at Spences Bridge? Or, the Duffey Lake Road then via either Kamloops, or Ashcroft, or Spences Bridge? In the end, opting for scenic over practical, we drove up through Squamish, Whistler, and Lillooet, by way of the Duffey Lake Road (Highway 99).

I don't know how many times I've driven this road, and I don't know how many times I've had vehicles turn off the highway in front of me, at the Joffre Lakes parking lot. Until this year, I've never bothered to ask what the attraction was. In June, in anticipation of a visit from Paul and Beate, I Googled the location. Clearly, by all internet accounts, a place worthy of a "look see".

Our short visit with Marco and Angela was well worth the parking hassle on the day we stopped in.

 Lower Joffre Lake (2013-08-24)

Joffre Peak and the emerald lake below (2013-08-24)

Joffre Peak rising above Lower Joffre Lake (2013-08-24)

A bit of a "zoom in" on Joffre Peak (2013-08-24)

Seton Lake on a Cloudy Day

My June trip up the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and then the Duffey Lake Road, called for a "Kodak Moment" stop at Seton Lake. The weather had not cooperated on this trip. While not exactly miserable,  there were plenty of clouds occasionally obscuring what would otherwise have been gorgeous mountain vistas. Nonetheless, even clouds can give pictures a degree of drama. Notwithstanding the fact that the skies over Lillooet are almost "always" blue, on this day things were a tad darker than usual.

The viewpoint just outside of Lillooet; 
Seton Lake (2013-05-23)

Try as we might, we could not 
spot (nor hear) the mountain 
goats that occasionally 
scramble about on these 
slopes (2013-05-23)

The beach at Seton Lake is awesome 
to swim in during summer months (2013-05-23)

(2013-05-23)

Howe Sound: the View from Porteau Cove

Our mid-July trip into the interior of British Columbia took us along the Sea-to-Sky Highway. En route to Squamish, Whistler, Lillooet, and points beyond, we stopped at Porteau Cove to stretch our legs and to catch a glimpse of Howe Sound. Follow our pictoral visit below.

 Welcome sign: Porteau Cove 
Provincial Marine Park (2013-07-15)

Looking along Howe Sound in the 
direction of Squamish (2013-07-15)

 An ersatz ferry dock makes for a great 
pier at Porteau Cove (2013-07-15)

Looking across the pier, along Howe Sound, in the 
direction of Horseshoe Bay (2013-07-15)

Ruckle's Farm on Saltspring Island

While on a visit to the fall fair on Saltspring Island, in September of 2012, we also drove by the farm at Ruckle Provincial Park. We weren't the only ones there, admiring the late summer yellowish browns. As I was walking about looking for good postcard shots, I noticed a group of water colour artists also trying their hand at capturing these unique colours.

The classic Gulf Island late summer palette (12-09-15)

Ruckle Farm on Saltspring Island: I've never
liked the word "bucolic", but this is it (12-09-15)

Ruckle Farm on Saltspring Island:
Country Road (12-09-15)

 A collection of buildings at Ruckle Farm (12-09-15)

Ruckle Farm on Saltspring Island (12-09-15)

120915

Parksville: Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition

On the 3rd of August, what with the day being overcast, we took a drive to Parksville to have a look at the Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition.

Parksville: Sand Sculpting Competition
 & Exhibition

In years gone by, we've somehow never made it. We either forgot or, having driven to Parksville, found the crowds too much for us, and parking to be horrendous. On this day, everything was perfect. For a nominal donation ($2.50 per person), we were delighted to see some really creative sand art. This post represents my impressions of the sand sculpting exhibition. I may have noted who won, and what prizes were awarded, but really, in my mind, every creation was a winner.

Let the reader guess which fairy tales are depicted...

Parksville: Sand Sculpting Competition
 & Exhibition

Clever: Rub-a-dub-dub... Three men from the pub

Parksville: Sand Sculpting Competition
 & Exhibition

Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition
in Parksville: Hanne was
convinced that crack was real... Now THAT'S GOOD

I love this detail

Parksville: Sand Sculpting Competition
 & Exhibition

Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition in Parksville

Troll. Billy goats

My personal favourite: a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen

My personal favourite: a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen