From Victoria to Nanaimo

Here are a few images from the drive from Victoria to Nanaimo, taken in early April this year. It was a beautiful day, with just enough cloud in the sky to make the landscape interesting.


This is a quintessential British Columbia photograph - the ferries are an essential mode of transportation between many points.


By the time we got to Nanaimo, the clouds had started to move in, making for more dramatic light. The harbour there is lovely, with a long boardwalk and docks to stroll on.


I was struck by the size of this boat, The Endeavour. The row boat tied next to it really gives a sense of scale. I used a wide angle lens to get right up close, yet include as much of the Endeavour as I could in the frame.

Harbour Reflections

I am standing on the dock at Fisherman's Wharf in Victoria. It's a beautiful spring day; warm when the sun shines, brisk when the breeze moves. People are walking around, looking at the curious houseboat community. The committee for renewing the wharf has a display of their future plans that seem to generate a positive response. I take out my camera, anxious to explore this place. After a few warm-up shots of my surroundings, I start to see the beauty of the details.


The reflections create an abstract, painterly image. When there is no reflection, as in the image below, it is clear that there is much more going on beneath the surface of the water - more than I had anticipated...

Meet Sammy the Seal! He hangs out at Fisherman's Wharf, waiting for people to feed him fish they can buy right on the dock. Sammy is a pretty well-fed seal. He had a younger companion who had to work a lot harder for food. Needless to say, the young seal was a lot slimmer.

Butchart Gardens

One of the highlights of my trip to Victoria was visiting Butchart Gardens. My mother had been there a couple of years ago and described its splendour. I remember she raved about it, but I was blown away by the beauty, especially by "The Sunken Garden", pictured here. It was formerly a rock quarry that was transformed into a lush garden by the quarry owner's wife, once the quarry was no longer being mined.


This fountain is just beyond The Sunken Garden, and the dancing waters are quite spectacular.

No trip to a new area would be complete without capturing the unique character to be found in the trees....

Distinct

Chaotic

Ancient

This is definitely a place to see in all seasons. I will definitely return in the future. Enjoy!

Discovering Victoria

I just returned from my first trip to Vancouver Island. I visited Maureen, a friend from Toronto who moved there in January - yes, the invasion continues! The weather was cool, but very cooperative. The trip has supplied me with some fresh material for several blog entries to come! These images were made in and around the Victoria harbour. I had not expected such variety in a relatively small area. These images are of the Empress Hotel, which overlooks the harbour.

We made our approach in the smallest ferry boat I've ever seen!


The cherry blossoms were in their splendour throughout my visit...

And we saw one of the residents of the harbour contemplating life.


This is a sampling for now, I'll be back with more later.....

Late Winter Reflections