Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ferries and Fireworks

When we arrived at the dock in Little River we were informed the Ferry to Powell River had an overload of vehicles awaiting boarding. About 20 cars after us got on with 3 vehicles left behind. If staff actually parked cars as they used to, rather than just letting everyone stop where they are comfortable stopping, no one would have been left behind as many cars had ample excess room befor and aft of them.
In the company of Crows
We ride the Queen of Burnaby
her salt rust stains displayed for artists/photographers to admire.
Past a seal
towards the scenic other coast line.
 Content to investigate, seeing anew that seen before
 while salt breeze toy with the imagination. 
Arriving in time for viewing
fireworks during blackberry festival in Powell River.


I noticed a sailboat harboured close to the fireworks barge, I wonder how many sparks left a charred imprint of blackberry festival on its deck and sail cover?
Wishing beauty, love and hugs for all. 
Share the joy, share the love, share a hug worldwide.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Is it finished?

Summer Storm, Red-tailed Hawk
Is this one finished?
I glazed thin mixes of gel/color across the background to push it back. Detailing added to clouds and glazes over the hawk to subdue it into the rainy landscape. I then added more foliage to the foreground.
Its hard to get the colors right on in the photo but its fairly close though the rusty color may be a bit too prominent in this photo than what is real.

This was how this painting sat for almost 2 years before I gained the courage to delve back into it. The problem I fought was how to add depth and capture the moody gray-blue rain squall against the brilliant fields. So in the interm I tackled a large painting of grebes on the water with misty blue-grays and ended up totally destroying the canvas, it was horrible, hence my hesitation to continue on with the red-tailed hawk. All said and done though I did learn with the Grebes what not to do. Not sure if I should push this further with more glazing or leave it be. Anyone willing to critique? 
Please understand that my feelings won't be hurt by honesty.
Hugs to the World!

The gift, new version

Here is the new version of "The Gift".  I am happier with it now as the majority of time these little yellow warblers are elusive as they dart amongst the new spring greenery. The painting is now truer to what I was working to capture.
This is the previous version, though it had simplicity it did not feel forest like.

Monday, October 25, 2010

2 K + 2 K

This may be a longish post of images.
Forest Fronds
The green of the forest floor can be deceptive as it was so dry that the needles from the tall trees resembled the sound of rain as they fell. Campfires were prohibited in most of B.C. and Vancouver Island due the extremely dry conditions. Forest rangers had to be ever vigilant. At Jaun de Fuca attendants carried water packs on their vehicles and strapped on their body when they checked the beaches at night as some campers ignore the fire ban and attempt to have beach fires or campfires. Sadly two nights in a row staff had to stop the same European tourists who were insistent to have a fire; personally I would have kicked them out of the park for such blatant disregard which put the forest and other campers at risk. Growing up on the west coast impressed the memory the forests tending to be damp from the moist air coming off the sea, the trees being a catch-basin for moisture captured and held. I wonder has the mass removal of trees on Vancouver Island generated, or excelerated the process of change ultimately drying out the rain forest.
Junco
We were surprised that no moisture was dripping off the vehicle when we awoke, we were expecting moisture and dampness, yet as the morning fog lifted only dryness was evident.

We decided as our schedule had now run amok to take that park attendants advise and attempt the first 2 k of the West Coast Trail to Mystic Beach. We took our time and leisurely strolling enjoying our new adventure. The first part of the trail was filed with flitting bouncing little wrens.
Camouflage Wren
Wren
Crossing the Pete Wolfe creek suspension bridge at the 1K mark, photo by G Delorme.
The first K was easy, the second K was a little rougher going for the bionic woman.
Bionic woman using long lens as a scope to view birds in the tree tops, good luck, lol.
photo by G Delorme.
This is the second part of the trail, whereupon my sweetie had the challenge to heist me upward or hold the balance of my weight to assist on down drops which were a bit much for my braced legs to manage.
I love this shot of the hikers coming towards the loose plank bridge. Photo by G Delorme.
The bionic woman intent on keeping balance on planks which bend under ones weight, I have to laugh at discovering this image that Gerald took as I look so serious and intent. Now you may look at this image and say "big deal, its an easy cheesy walk in the park" and when I was more abled it was. Now to traverse the landscape I am enabled by leg braces which keep my knees from dislocating and lace up boots that wrap my ankles to hold them together. I have a painful soft-connective disorder and any part of my body can painfully dislocate by a slight wrong move, especially if I lose balance.
the leg braces prevent me falling every twenty steps so to be able to say "I walked 2 K + 2K of the West Coast Trail, even though I needed a wee bit of help, is a personal "highlight" which will not be soon forgotten.
Log bridge. Here I cheated and went off trail and down through the stream bed to cross as the stream was depleted enough to step over.
Looking Down at Mystic Beach from the trail above.
Yay, we finally reached the shore, how inspiring!
My sweetie strolling the shore while I rested on a log.
I was amazed how many people backpack wee ones in that were running around on the beach. When we arrived there were about five families camped above the high-tide mark and when the tide comes up there is not much shore to camp on. As we arrived the tide was hastily in-coming so we were lucky to get these shots as within the hour all had changed.
There were wonderful wave carved caverns.
Looking out from within. Shortly after taking these photos this cavern was reclaimed by the sea.
 Rush and roar of waves, how refreshing, mmm, salt spray love affair. I believe the salt spray and smell of the ocean is what I miss most since moving away from the coast.
The sea reclaiming its boundaries.
Photo by G Delorme.
The notched log path leading back up the bank from the beach, I kindly gave way for these hikers to pass as I am quite slow on steps having to be more cautious than the average bear.
And where we stepped aside, I spotted once again another gift...
Photo by G Delorme.
I asked Gerald to photograph this heart that lay off the side of the log. It, as the stone-heart from the previous day was left for others to discover and enjoy. The one aspect I love about photography is that I can both carry the object with me as an image and also leave it for others to enjoy. 
May your day be filled with Heart-filled joy.
HUGS!


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Jaun de Fuca and a heart for Egmont

We camped overnight at Jaun de Fuca campground and after a hearty breakfast ventured down the trail which contained 250 steps along the path down to China beach where the day whisped away on the salt breeze while we photographed waves, gulls and hermit crabs. Being happy childlike explorers in a wonderful sea-weed adventure we overstayed well past checkout to later find a note on the vehicle requesting another nights fee. Gladly we obliged welcoming the extra time to soak in the scent of fern and cedar.
This looks like a travel photo; actually there was a photographer taking shots of this couple strolling the beach so it was either being set up for a travel shoot or as is popular these days maybe on location engagement photos. Either way they caught my attention. I seldom take people shots, I usually attempt to avoid them in my photos but I'm glad for the exception here as I like the silhouettes against the sea-mist.
When I photographed this stone-heart which was on the trail I gave thought to Egmont who has a few wonderful blogs which I heart-ily enjoy and miss dearly when he's not blogging.
The receding water on the sandy shore line reflect the sky while the waves reflect the tree line, love the contrast.
Keeping a watchful eye out for...
Its amazing but the gulls seem to know when the eagles are coming as they lifted skyward before we even saw the eagles cross the tree-line.
Its a hardy breed who fish the open waters as swells can be forty feet high, sure would not catch me out there.
Thank you those who have post comments, I do appreciate the kind notes.
Big hugs, share the love and kindness worldwide.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

A Special Gift, I found a few of my grandfathers negatives.

My grandmother nursing. (I love this image of Motherhood)
My Mothers father was a professional photographer way back when. I was told he photographed people while they made their way across Canada from the east to the west. Sadly though while he was driving through the mountains of BC he had a car accident which caused a head injury whereupon he had to be institutionalized some time after that, leaving my grandmother (who traveled by train) to raise ten children on her own. My mother was about three years of age at that time, so she never knew her father. 
 I found these three large old negatives amongst the ones that my daughter rescued, They are too large for my negative scanner so I placed them on the bed, scanned and hoped for the best. Though the tops and bottom of the image is cropped by the scan it captured the main focus area. 
Grandma and the first five?
I have no clue as to where this is taken.
 Grandfather.
Its strange to go through old negatives and realize that there is so much that was unspoken, not told regarding family history and heritage. I know some people can trace lineage way back which I believe gives one a sense of who they are, yet I was always told "let sleeping dogs lie" Information was never forthcoming so after awhile I gave up asking, yet I have never given up wondering.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Our next pull-off was to grab a few images over a log bridge which had big pullouts on either side for vehicles. I really would have taken a few shots of the extremly-long-old-single-lane-log bridges we crossed further on but in most places we found people drove quite fast and to put it bluntly very ignorant towards others safety on this stretch of road.

 View from the bridge
 Spirits in the water, looks like a sea-lion face.
 My shadow to the right, it was a long drop.
 An interesting white rock that looks like a female face in profile.
 One more scenic view from the bridge.
A clear-cut valley.
While photographing the above stream we actually had a red-neck driver swerve  towards us which not only was unsettling it also kicked up gravel and stirred up a mini-dust storm that covered us, so naturally I was not going to put myself in position to get run-over just to photograph very interesting bridges no matter how much I would have liked.

Pacheedaht, Port Renfrew

The rivers mouth. The gulls all lift as an eagle flew over.


I wish we made the time to find out the story of this memorial that remembers an honoured person. But I was getting hungry and crabby so we needed to find a campsite for the night. 
I admire the workmanship.
We drove down to the shore where there was a beautiful campground where all the ocean spots were filled and the few spots vacant in the bush had no picnic table or even a log to set our campstove on, also the outhouses had no doors attached so we headed on over a long narrow single-lane bridge that crossed the sea channel to Port Renfrew. A lot of fishermen camp in this area as most campers had boats or boat trailers attached.
This was the road into the campground, sea-clouds were moving in quickly obscuring the ocean view.

The doves and Stellar Jay were photographed in Port Renfrew.