Meanwhile, in BC – Nanaimo Region

June 29, 2014 by Created by RCW

Not just known for super-sweet bars (eating, not drinking), Nanaimo is also a lush region of Vancouver Island.

These pics were taken around my mother’s new home near Qualicum Beach.

: The view from my mom’s back yard includes the Inside Passage and Whistler

: A splash of colour in the grey and green woods

: No colour alteration in this…that is how blue the night sky was

: Just off the cliff at the back of the yard was this wary customer

: Was glad the camera picked up the reflection

: She did her best to remain hidden

: Droplets decorate the leaves and petals

: Stopping for a quick drink before flying to the next leaf

: The two blades spin in opposite directions, making you dizzy

: She was determined and stayed in there for quite some time

See also photos of: Fort Langley/Harrison Hot Springs, Chilliwack

Meanwhile, in BC – Chilliwack

June 28, 2014 by Created by RCW

Not just a Canadian band of the 70s and 80s, Chilliwack is also a small town in Southern BC, a couple of hours west of Vancouver.

It also happens to be where my mom lived until a few days ago (before she moved).

: A lone crow watches over the misty valleys

: Droplets decorate shrubs outside the house

: The clouds enter the mountain valleys below your feet

: Swirling shell meets a fork in the road

: A ribbon of fog ties a bow around the mountain

: My mother’s malamute is looking for a snack

: A small spider hops across the back of a deck chair

: His raised hairs suggest he’s as scared of me

So let me ask you, Whatcha Gonna Do?

See also, photos of: Fort Langley/Harrison Hot Springs

Meanwhile, in BC – Ft Langley, Harrison Hot Springs

June 27, 2014 by Created by RCW

Taken a little trip around British Columbia this month after attending a science conference in Vancouver.

Here are the first batch of photos, taken in and around Fort Langley and Harrison Hot Springs.

: Historical totems welcome visitors to Fort Langley

: Fort Langley is littered with antique shops

: Transcanada railway runs through Fort Langley

: Not sure, but think we had one of these when I was a kid

: Supposedly the face of a fox, Mt. Cheam looms over Harrison Hot Springs

: This bucket seemed so lonely on the edge of the pond

: Harrison Hot Springs plays host to people of all social leanings

: Daughter looks on while mom preps the picnic

: Seemed like sound advice to me

: For the number of times his image appears, you’d think Sasquatch was King of BC

Dear Toronto Marlies…

June 6, 2014 by Created by RCW

Memories of the 2013-14 hockey season

(It took 4 days, but I was finally able to pull my depressed head out of my @$$ and write a final address to the players of the Toronto Marlies hockey club, who lost the AHL Western Conference Final earlier this week.)

Well, gentlemen, it has been a hell of a ride this season—one full of soaring highs and crushing lows—but throughout it, please know that your fans have been immensely proud of you and all that you have achieved.

We cheered when you soared. We hurt when you hurt. Our hearts broke at exactly the same moments yours did. And we did all this because you are a second family to each of us.

My friends are probably sick of hearing about you guys. My Facebook and Twitter connections will get a brief respite from the near-daily onslaught of things Marlies-related. But all of them know, I will be back to crow about my boys and the wonderful organization soon enough.

While I continue with the preoccupations of summer and hope you do the same, know that I am counting the days until I hear the first reports of training camp, the sewing of names onto jerseys, the irritated rumble of the Zamboni prepping that first sheet, the spine-chilling slice of metal blades into perfect ice.

For as much as I will enjoy the sun, sand and water of The Beaches, I cannot wait for the sweet embrace of the Ricoh’s front doors and the buzz of another Marlies season opener. When I peer once again into the South end of the ice and watch my boys start the dream yet again.

All the best, gentlemen. Be well. Rest up. And for God’s sake, stay hungry.

Memories of the 2013-14 hockey season

Back to the Aquarium – Everybody Else

May 29, 2014 by Created by RCW

And after the sharks, the jelly fish, the rays and the reef, there is all of the other amazing animals at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto.

: The colours seem almost artificial, they’re so vivid

: A school of silver slivers swim silently (say that 10 times fast)

: A gar shares space with a muskelunge

: Probing the lake bottom makes for some nasal scarring

: A collection of twins sliding across the pebbles

: Striped fish sit boldly in the darkness of deep ocean

: The crab tries to huddle its 2-foot wide body into the crevice

: A menacing under-bite on the wolf eel

: Like marine flowers, anemones brighten the rock wall

: A mottled fish tries to blend in

: Camera simply refuses to focus well on seahorses

: Gentle fronds reach out to snatch food from the water

: A simple ball of toxin

: A determined horseshoe crab tries to break into the resting tank

Back to the Aquarium – Call me Ray

May 28, 2014 by Created by RCW

Aside from the shark tank, rays also have their own tanks where they rule the roost at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto.

: In the touch tank, the ray slips quietly under the surface

: A young black tip shark searches for food

: The ray flaps its wings, barely disturbing the other fish

: The bonehead shark looks like a small hammerhead

: The small ray seems to want to play with the onlookers

: Sharing their space, the bonehead shark soars above the flying ray

: Two rays fly through the tank

: A young girl leans into the touch tank to reach an adventurous ray

: A school of fish ignore the distant ray

: A young girl shows no fear in the shark tank

: Flying in formation, the rays cross the tank

: Not sure if the mother is offering her daughter to the sharks or just saying “Look, honey!”

: My friend Victoria works up the nerve to take a touch

Back to the Aquarium – Reef madness

May 27, 2014 by Created by RCW

For its sheer variety of creatures and its rainbow mosaic of colours, the coral reef displays are high on my list when visiting the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto.

See also: Shark Tank and Jelly Fish & Friends

: Welcoming you to another fun day at the aquarium

: Small striped fish huddle among the coral branches

: The solitary fish drifts with the current

: The small yellow fish looks like it was dipped in purple paint

: Beautiful decoration belies the deadly array of barbs

: A puffer fish debates inflation

: Poking among the corals in search of food

: An anemone becomes a playground for clown fish

: Such delicate fins

: A lion fish spreads its beautiful but deadly wings

: Searching for food

: Magnificent silver fringed in gold

: The eye spot provides protection from predators

Back to the Aquarium – Jelly fish and friends

May 26, 2014 by Created by RCW

After having fun with the sharks at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto, we moved onto the jelly fish exhibit!

Back to the Aquarium – Shark Tank

May 25, 2014 by Created by RCW

Last Friday, I took my wonderful friend Victoria to the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto, her first time there and my second. And of course, I had my camera along (which means I can only suspect Victoria was there, my face buried in my camera as it was).

Today’s pics are of the tunnel through the shark tank. Other photos will appear over the next several days.

PS I welcome you to check out Victoria’s blog: Victoriously.

: Teeth and stingers appear in the deep blue

: Cue the ominous music

: A shark surveys the menu

: Small fish huddle in the fronds of the artificial reef

: Schools of fish ignore the predator

: Like a barbed blanket, the ray glides through the water

: A busy afternoon

: A new kid joins the school of yellow fish

: I particularly like the tank’s lighting effects

: Resting atop the tunnel, a sawfish shows its stuff

: Sharks creep up from all sides

: I like the spot light effect of this image

: Was excited to get a sense of motion in this photo

: All manner of fish mingle in the shark tank

: A large shark slowly makes its way behind us

: A small shoal of yellow-striped fish start the shark tank

: The curved glass makes for interesting lighting effects

: A turtle glides across the bow of a submersible

: Who watches whom?

: Young sharks explore the wonders of humans

: Even mom gets excited

: And the teeth just keep coming

Victoria Day fire works

May 20, 2014 by Created by RCW

Monday, May 19th was Victoria Day in Canada, a chance to celebrate the birthday of the sovereign in charge when Canada was founded.

But more importantly, it’s fire cracker day to kids across the country (we also shoot fire works on July 1st, Canada Day).

Having moved to the Beaches neighbourhood last summer, it suddenly dawned on me that they annually hold a fire works display down the beach from me. At 10 pm, with the first boom that eked through my window, I grabbed my camera and headed outside.

All in all, the photos aren’t too bad, but I will definitely have my tripod with me on July 1st to get steadier photos (one is particularly funky).