Category Archives: Thoughts

Seeing in the mist

Walking along the Bluffs, when the clouds enveloped the hillside, most of the view was obscured, hidden in the mists.

On a clear day, my eye is drawn to the array of islands, Mayne, Prevost, Saltspring, and the larger hills of southern Vancouver Island, and even the gorgeous Olympics beyond. Eagles often soar above and beneath us and the sound of sea lions ascends from the Pass.

But on this misty day, it was different. It  offered a distinctive beauty only ‘visible' when the mist obscures those things that draw the eye on a clear day. It seems that its on misty days the shape of things is revealed. The lichens gleam bright on the darker fir limbs, the mosses almost glow. 

It was in the fog and mist that I noticed the beauty of one tall snag: one I have seen frequently, but not til the mist obscured most everything else did I note its structure, its curves, its peculiar bare beauty. 

Makes me wonder what other beauty I am missing when the sky is clear, and the days are bright.

Sunrise thoughts

Light and shadow, the shapes of the trees and the openness of the sea as it stretches across to the mainland— the otters have left crab shells and a few crab legs on the point. Perhaps I scared them when they were feasting on the morning catch. A heron squawks loudly as it launches and slowly wings across the bay. Its a lovely bright morning. No low cloud and sea fog obscuring the view today. At least not right now.

In addition to the freshness of the early morning, and the colours of the sunrise, the first light shows the contours of the ground most clearly.  Later, the contours are still there, of course, but not quite as easy to see.

A good reminder for me  to 'take stock' first thing, while the lay of the land is clear and well lit.

even in the stillness…

click on image for a larger view

Standing at the Point this morning, I was again enjoying the golden colours of early morning and noted the stillness of the water. It was  broken only by a few ripples which alerted me to the family of three otters swimming toward our boat anchored in the bay (centre frame). The otters each climbed in, and dived back into the water several times.  Lovely to watch, though I expect they left us some smelly goodies. 
My enjoyment of the morning was augmented by noting again that in the stillness and quiet there's constant, though often unseen, or unseeable activity —even playfulness—  though it looks so quiet.
What has caused you to notice this constant activity around you, even amidst the apparent stillness and quiet?

exquisite beauty along the path

 

click on this image for a larger view

Walking along the path to the beach, surrounded by a tangle of tall dried grasses, the grey twisted limbs of Ocean Spray and a tangle of bare wild rose canes, I was struck by the pattern and colour! Exquisite, wild and unexpected beauty, the designs, patterns and artistry. On both sides, all around.

With this image, the deeper I look, the more intriguing the patterns. And yet, I could have simply walked on past, thinking the only thing was to get to the beach at the end of the path…

even with a limited view…

click on the image for a larger view

The fog has enfolded us for several days. We can barely see across our bay, and certainly can't see any farther. At the same time, while our view is limited, there's a different kind of beauty even now—  even here shrouded in the mists.

In the forests, the mosses practically glow in the diffused light, and the depth of the forest is more 'visible' as the trees fade into the mist. On the roads, the shapes of the bare trees are revealed — unique sculptures, each one. Spider webs are strings of tiny beads, as the moisture forms on each slender thread.

What is it you see when the fog enfolds?

garden thoughts: lines and curves…

Lines and curves - click on image for a larger view

The curves and lines in this image have been intriguing me since I captured it on Friday.
What keeps me looking is the contrast between the long clean lines that have been so carefully drawn in this garden,  and the rough 'imperfect' lines  and curves of the tree and its shadow. The intersection of these lines— their juxtaposition— provokes all sorts of thoughts for me.
I wonder what it suggests to you?

Willow shapes

 

"Willow Shapes" - click on the image for a larger view

Yesterday, walking in Galiano's Heritage Forest, my eye was drawn to the shapes of the trees— the shapes that will soon be hidden by the profusion of leaves.
Mixed with the evergreens are are are several willow trees of varying kinds, along the main path. They’ve been there, as their size indicates, for years and years, but it wasn’t til yesterday that the light caught them in a certain way, and I ’noticed’ them. They are, to me, absolutely beautiful—  the stature of the tree as a whole, and the detail of the slender curves…

I will likely post several more photos of these and other trees in the days ahead, either here or on my Curious Spectacles Facebook page which you can find here.

feeling small : precarious ventures

click on image for a larger view

Watching a fishboat depart from the sheltered waters of Whaler Bay in the early morning, with a strong NW wind, and beneath a rather ominous looking sky, reminds me how precarious every venture is. Again the Breton Fisherman's prayer seems apt, not only for those who literally go to the sea in ships, but for us all:
Dear God, be good to me for the sea is so large, and my boat is so small.

small creatures in a powerful sea…

a lone female Goldeneye (click on the image for a larger view

Usually the ducks and shorebirds take refuge and find quiet spots where its safe to seek their nourishment. But not these two I saw yesterday. While the NE Wind blew over 40knots, and the waves crashed ashore in the sandstone shallows, a lone female Goldeneye cruised through the tossing waves and dove and fished and bobbed bravely continuing  her search for a good meal.  And on the rocks above, a single Killdeer stood stoutly in the face of the oncoming sea.

Watching these  small birds I was struck by how spirited—  even audacious—  they were in the face of such powerful forces of wind and sea.