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

Getting past my past

June 11, 2014 by Created by RCW

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.