On a clear day

One of the nice things that happens in the winter is that the sky is often much clearer than in the summer and more often. The cool crisp air lets you see the stars at night light you should be able to. When the sky is clear on the mainland we often get exceptional view of Mt. Baker in Washington Strait. The other day I took this photo of that magnificent mountain and it was about as clear as it gets. Some lucky people in Victoria get up each morning and have to look at it. How awful, eh!

OLD GROWTH TREES

Most people believe that you have to travel deep into the forest to find old growth trees. Not so. There are many around Victoria. There may be only one here and there, but never the less you don't have to travel too far to see them. The trees in the picture are on the Royal Colwood golf course just a couple of hundred feet from the road on the way in. There are others on the course as well. There are others around town. There is at least one giant in Butchart Gardens near the Japanese Garden. One of the trees in the picture is almost as wide as the single lane road that passes it. Enjoy.

A Time for Reflection

In the solitude of an overcast day, a long gull sits in silence. Across the water sits the majestic Olympic mountains that are today obscured by fog. It is a silent time, but a good time. It is calm, the sun casts a gleam on the water and all is well. It is a time for reflection, which is good for the soul. Have a great weekend. Take some time to smell the roses.

Ron

BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER

When you are cold and hungry it does not seem to matter who else is around. Very few of these hundreds of birds was much concerned with other birds. Their main concern was to get a share of the food. Ducks, ducks and more ducks, swans, gulls, pigeons....they all were tryin to come in from the cold for a snack. I never realized just how big those swans are when they are out of the water. One was standing on my toes. This is Esquimalt Lagoon which is a bird sanctuary. It is next to Fort Rodd Hill one of Victoria's attractions. The lagoon is worth a visit by itself.

THE BEAR FACTS

If you are looking for something exciting to do this spring, now is the time to plan for it. If I might suggest that you do a Grizzly Bear Watch out of Telegraph Cove. When you go to Telegraph Cove, it is likely that you will see black bears on the roadway into Telegraph Cove. The trip with Rip Tide Grizzly Tours takes you 50 miles into beautiful Knight Inlet. The views on the way are worth the trip alone. The sight of several magnificent grizzly bears doing their thing eating spring sage grass was incredible. They are pretty busy during the spring, so book early to avoid disappointment. Our article will give you more information if you are interested.

WINTER IN VICTORIA, THEN AND NOW

Those of you who live in other parts of Canada and perhaps many in the colder parts of the world will appreciate just how quickly our winter can come and go.
The picture above shows my front yard a week or so ago and today. The Christmas deer's antlers were the only thing sticking out of the snow. We had 4x4 vehicles stuck in our cul-de-sac and it was pretty ugly for Victoria. Then the temperature quickly went up to 10-12C and it started to rain. It took about 2 good days of rain to get rid of most of those deep snow banks, but it is good to see them go. The fast melt of a huge volume of snow did create some problems throughout the region, like flooding, roads washed away, etc. This round of winter is over and it was one of the longest lasting ones I have encountered since coming to Victoria 25 years ago.