Another BC Safari

Our last BC Safari was already two years ago in the Kootenays. We've been other places since but we sure enjoy wandering around BC.

It’s great to have visitors because it shakes us out of our usual complacent rut. Pat and Ed drop in every second year or so and we sometimes use them as an excuse to explore. They were supposed to join us in Arizona in February and when that didn’t work out they came here. In lieu of the Grand Canyon we did gardens, art, and the wild coast. I hope they enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Pat gets the trouper award (do I mean trooper? I’m never sure of the nuance) for allowing us to drag her out whale watching. She’s not that keen on water and we were out for 3 hours in a zodiac, literally sitting on the water going really fast. 

Sumo Suits

Humpback whale

Thank goodness we saw whales or she might not have forgiven us and even so I don’t think it was a highlight for her. Interesting to us was that we saw Minke, Humpback, and Gray whales, but no orca which is what we expect. Our guide (Prince of Whales) was feeling a bit desperate so we went way down Puget Sound to Whidby Island which meant getting back in one very long and very fast run; forty knots an hour which is about 80kph. It was a stunning day, 19C and very calm, but at 40 knots it was bitterly cold. We warmed up at the Bard and Banker Pub!

Port Alberni

A couple of days later we headed out to the west coast. Yes, we are on the west coast, but not really really really.  For us the west coast is Pacific Rim National Park, where there is nothing between us and Japan. 

Wickaninnish Beach

We stopped at Cathedral Grove and somewhere west of Port Alberni 

just browsing

saw a good sized bear browsing along the road side. Jim & Ed had the windows down to get a photo and I kept telling them to keep a finger on the power button, ‘cuz those suckers can be very fast. You know how you know your partner? At one point there was a slight shift in the force and I said, “Jim, don’t even think about opening that door”. And sure enough he was thinking how much better he would be able to see with the door open! 

In between times we went to an open house at Maarten Schaddelee’s studio, some gorgeous gardens, and ate and drank too much as usual. It was great.

Maarten Schaddelee's house/studio

UVic's Finnerty Gardens

rhodo in our courtyard

Ode to Trees

We ‘do’ trees here on the west coast and generally they grow much bigger and faster than gardening books predict. If you read that a corkscrew willow should be 20 feet tall in 10 years, we assume it will be that height in 4 to 5 years. We planted one, in innocence, to fill a small space near a fence and cut it down after two years; one of the growth rings was almost 2 inches wide. Eucalyptus the same, although they take a couple of years to develop their root system. Once the roots are established you need to get out of the way or get run over. Trees are a constant source of discussion, amazement and sometimes friction. We show off our flowering ornamentals in January when the rest of Canada is shivering. We scoff at scrubby little survivor spruce trees on the east coast. We sometimes chain ourselves to trees that are being cut down for bad reasons. We fight with neighbours who have planted trees that impede the view. We complain about drifts of pine pollen and brag about drifts of cherry blossoms. It’s complicated.

What isn’t complicated is the grandeur of Cathedral Grove on highway 4 just east of Port Alberni. It is a gift to have trees like this anywhere, but it is a miracle that they are so accessible to any of us who want to see them.

Jim, hardly visible in ratio

How anyone could even think about cutting or vandalizing one of these ancients is absolutely beyond my understanding. Just last week someone removed an 800 year old tree http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/05/18/bc-800-year-tree.html and speculation is that it will be turned into cedar shakes. Really?

Perfect Weekend

I suppose I post too often about the weather but considering how it affects my mood It's not surprising. For instance today is supposed to be showery but it's been a pretty steady rain and I find I'm a bit crabby about it. However, the previous 4 days were just about perfect and for this time of year something of a miracle.
We puttered in the garden, went for a walk on the beach and reveled in the 20 degree sunshine.

In fact, on Sunday evening we had our first-of-the-season outdoor dinners and sat out on the balcony until 8:30 without even turning on the gas heater. At the height of the summer it will be too hot on this side of the house but for now we are enjoying it.

Mary's Birthday

This year's birthday was one of "those" for our friend Mary and for various reasons we decided to have the joint celebration at our house this time. Since we were in AZ, Atarah was in charge of organizing the food brigade and we got home in time to get the house set up for dinner for 17. What we discovered is that in this much smaller house we can actually seat more people because of the layout. We borrowed a folding table and some chairs and stuck it on the end of our dining table. There was enough room to have added another one which, in a theory that I don't really want to test, means we should be able to seat 22 quite comfortably. The secret to success is to leave the extra table and chairs folded until dinner is ready to be served 'cuz that leaves room for guests to mix and mingle. Thank you Joan Snowden for that clever plan.

None of which says anything about Mary the person so I am posting what I wrote for her birthday book:

Mary is the friend that everyone needs and a few of us are lucky to have. She embraces life and enriches it with warmth, exuberance, honesty, and humour. Who can count how many celebratory meals, cups of tea, and glasses of wine have we enjoyed together. And who can count the “problems of the world” we’ve solved and the opinions we’ve shared on every imaginable topic including the lives of our mutual friends! We met Mary through SMUS and then we became neighbours for a few years and happily consider ourselves part of the extended Humphreys family. Jim and Mary share a March 18^th birthday as well as many Pisces traits. She calls him her ‘sparring partner’ and he feels privileged to be linked to her.

At school Mary always encouraged the waifs and strays. Her choirs were huge joyful groups and a particular boon to the confidence of many ESL students. She was the sounding board and comfort for all and sundry, student, teacher and parent. School choir trips were adventures: Cuba, Japan, Hawaii and New York City to name a few.  Mary handled problems with aplomb so parents could relax; who forgets Don Sutton’s leather jacket incident in NYC!

Mary’s energy seems limitless with never ending concerts to attend, musicians to encourage, friends to take care of, meals to prepare, and soup to deliver. It is impossible to be ahead of her in recognizing and supporting the small or large life events of her ‘family’. Her “rosemary for remembrance” bouquets mark many occasions or there might be sweet peas, freesia, a yellow rose, or some small detail that lets you know she was thinking specifically about you.

Not shy to share her beliefs, they are delivered with love if it is something you should do or change and with fire if it is about someone who has been hurt or a wrong that needs righting. She wants to fix broken wings and bruised souls and her Lancashire/Yorkshire practicality and bluntness has served us all well. Everyone is included in everyone else’s issues if Mary thinks we have something useful to contribute, such as Keith who has a cross-Atlantic 24/7 medical consultancy. At the same time she has great respect for people’s privacy and ability to get on with their lives so she doesn’t meddle and she definitely doesn’t gossip.

My summary would have to be that Mary is about heart. She cares deeply and lives fully, and makes us all better and happier people for knowing her. Hers is a life well and truly lived.

What We Do In Sedona

I know, I blog about Sedona every year and you are weary of it. But we aren't so we keep taking photos and wanting to share the experience. So there. The photos show why we return year after year...

This year we are staying at Los Abrigados which is THE perfect location, attached by a parking lot to Tlaquepaque and a quick step to Uptown.
Every day we go on a hike/walk. I usually choose wilderness trails because it feels like we are the only people out there, and we usually go in the morning for the same reason. In the afternoon we hang out, shop, whatever and then have an equally relaxing evening with some wine and good food.
Yesterday after our 2 hour trek around Court House Loop trail I whipped Jim at mini-golf. The truth is that I won by one stroke on the last hole only because he let me redo a stroke thanks to some arcane golf rule. BUT, I got two holes in one to his one (never mind that only one of them counted!) 

It's Still Grand!

Sally mugging for the camera

And I have never seen a photo or painting that does it justice. The scale is just off the charts and it seems a bit wrong to try to contain it in an image; but we always do try. I can't remember how many times we've been to GC but it never fails to invoke that "holy s*%t" response. The area is high desert, about 7000 feet, so there are forests all around. Try to imagine what the Spanish explorers said and thought as they came upon this giant hole in the ground after miles of ambling through the woods.
The day we were there last week it was COLD. It was only about 5C and there was a very brisk wind blowing. We over-nighted in Grand Canyon Village and it was 0C when we set out the next morning, downhill for warmer climes. But so worth the cold...

first timers Sally & Alan

the Colorado River below

Unnecessary Beauty

I mentioned a while ago that the concrete barriers in and around Phoenix/Scottsdale are pretty darned gorgeous. Sally & Alan, visiting us in AZ, challenged me to post some photos so today we tried to get some. It's not easy when you are whizzing by at 70mph (not kph!) and we didn't get some of our very favourites, but here's a sample. It doesn't solve world peace or even make sense the crazy Republican primaries, but it makes for a very attractive commute.The detail is astonishing. For instance, driving down AZ51 South, the mesh barriers on the overhead roads reflect either the mountains in the distance or the the patterns on the side walls. Astonishing isn't too strong a word to describe the designs and, moreover, the political will and money that is going into making really beautiful concrete sound barriers as well as jobs. And there is no graffiti. It's impressive.