unfinished business

Something doesn't feel right...like I am not quite done with Sechelt. So these will be the last of it, ok? Ah, see, she knows...she knows I am not quite done, too.
My pockets were stuffed and my coat was heavy after two days of treasure hunting on the beach. I swear that is the best beach I have ever been on for finding glorious gifts. You never come back empty-handed...er pocketed. And here in Nanaimo, nearly all the beach glass I find is brown. In Sechelt it was mostly green and white. I like it.
Some boats. I have this thing about taking pictures of boats that aren't in the water. I have a whole folder of them on my desktop called "Boats in Backyards." Why? I don't know. Maybe I am collecting for a coffee table book. This is the driveway that needed to be cleared for the moving truck. Somehow, it happened that I did none of it...no snow shovel touched my hands on this trip. Strong women in Sechelt. Strong women. That was Em's little yellow house by the beach. I am going to miss it even though I am overjoyed to have her back here.
Other unfinished business....crush tag, part two. Some folks I don't know HOW I missed...and as soon as I push the Post button, I will think of ten more...cuz, did I mention, I was BOY CRAZY?!?

Han Solo? How did I forget Han Solo? Alan Rickman...eeeks. It's true. Brendan Fraser...least brooding of my crushes, I think. Just a giant walking goofball with great abs. The entire cast of Young Guns. At the time, I couldn't pick one...now? I have no desire to. But then....they were all too dreamy. Elijah...and that makes me feel creepy because I am way too old for that crush. And the most glaring omission of my first crush list is Patrick Stewart. Love, love, love him. I feel guilty in overlooking him the first time. Remiss. Pained. So sorry, Patrick. So very, very sorry. Whew. We all feel better now and I can move on to other things tomorrow. It's about time...I was tagged again for my weirdest job and though I will take tonight to wrack my brain, I just don't think I have anything that qualifies as weird...in the employment sense, anyway. There is plenty of other weirdness in my life.

first and foremost,

always, always recognize a true friend. First, last, always. One singular sensation. One chance in a million. One bright shining star. One moment in time. One. True. Friend. Singular. Unique. Continuing along the beach walks, more totems. Actually, there are twelve of them. I met one of the artists. Pretty amazing stuff. The red totem carving on my flickr page is his, as is one of the totems pictured here, though I don't know which one exactly.
There was plenty to captivate Emma's attention, too.
Is there anything to be said here?
This is the view from the beach road that I want to live on.
A lot of the houses on this beach road have these sitting areas on the water. What a glorious place for a morning coffee or an evening coctail. Even in the snow.
One last glimpse of the beach road views...
Sunset from Em's house the final night.
Emma navigates the route home to Nanaimo...
bringing Nemo home safely....as well as the rest of us. And that should really wrap things up. I think. Though I do have multitudes more pictures of four days and three nights in Sechelt. Hmmm. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings us, eh?

(subject change)

Alrighty...just got back from Canada Post, where I had to promise my first-born to pay for shipping...the joke's on them, though, cuz I ain't having any kids, firstborn or otherwise...and my artsharememes are on the way. I didn't pay for uber-fancy shipping, no delivery on a pillow of velvet NOR overnight. It may be up to ten days. However, it is Canada Post and that could really mean more like twenty days...I hope I remembered everyone. Arlee, Tod, Cara, Bunny...? Is that it?!?

second helpings

This is the second Sechelt entry. We were two women relating. We had two days of snow and heavy weather, two days of sunshine. We spent twice as much time laughing as crying. We always had seconds at dinner. We both need two "crush tag" posts. We believe in second chances. Two peas in a pod. Two. Duece. Double Trouble. When the weather cleared to blue sky, the real beach walks began. Emma and I had been housebound for days and the first day without the wind driving the snow sideways found us walking for hours, two days in a row...literally. Hours.We walked the only place that was clear of snow...the beach. Where the tide melted the snow was the only easy walking spot. It really is something special to have blue sky overhead, surf on one side, snow on the other and a strip of sand and beach rock down the middle.
There is a band of First Nations in Sechelt. They have a beautiful community along the beach. I love the beach, the beach road, the houses, the totems. So lovely. I dream of the time when maybe I can live in such a place. I love the beach at Sechelt. The rocks are full of depth and colour. The sound of the water rattling through the rocks with the action of the waves is like someone chuckling. I stoop over to listen every few steps. I like it.
Even the grafitti in Sechelt is something special...it glitters. Hidden treasures.....
Not so hidden treasures....
Did I mention the totems? Because if I didn't, they are fabulous...and everywhere.
Aren't they fabulous? It is such an amazing walk along these beaches. See, vacation doesn't have to be so very exciting to be so very beautiful.
Tune in tomorrow.

third times a charm

Well, three days later I finally made it to Sechelt on the one flight of the day. I stayed three nights. We had three Faxe one night. We fit three people in the cab of the truck for our return. It will take three posts to show you my photos... and that is because I will be selective. Three is a magic number. I made the trip over and then became housebound again. At least I was there and could hang with Em and Aethan, and Barb. It wasn't just the snow. I love walking in snow. It was the temperature. It was cold. Those of you back east will laugh, but, damn it, we're just not used to this. And the wind coming off of that water was brutal. We were all becoming a little antsy...it looked so beautiful outside. It really did.
And everyone was eager to get out there in it....until we did.
Even the geese were covered in snow...it didn't melt off of them. We saw a blue heron take off with ice around one leg.
But someone didn't let the cold weather hamper their activities. There were a few of these along the beach walk. I don't know how they could drink cold beer outside that night. A strong constitution is all I can say about that.
Emma had a gift of a fleece-lined jacket(thank you, Casper) which made all the difference. One would think that coming from Newfoundland, Emma would be more adapted to the cold but I guess her lack of body weight must hinder her ability to keep warm. She was trembling out in the cold. This coat really has been her friend this past week.
We did bundle up for some short walks to the beach once or twice. I mean, if you have a dog, you have to walk, right?
And they were gorgeous, of course, but short and brisk, with thoughts of hot coffee and warm blankets at the back of our minds.
We spent a lot of time the first couple of days just looking out windows, talking, speculating on driving a moving truck through snow and ice...but it was vacation, after all. It is a time to put your feet up and enjoy the view. I wasn't really there to ACCOMPLISH anything anyway. So, to that end, it was perfect. More tomorrow.

i'm home

This is my plane arriving in Sechelt a few days ago. Thanks, Barb, for snapping this photo...I LOVE it. I just got home and wanted to check in because I missed you all. Though I was reading right along, I didn't comment and, OH, I was itching to.
More photos to come, obviously, but I just wanted to post this photo and say thank you to Josh, my pilot from Tofino Air! What an incredibly fantastic and beautiful flight(with my camera in the luggage hold, dammit). I don't know how often it happens that we, on this coast, have an opportunity to experience this, but on my flight there was snow from the tops of the mountains to the very edge of the waters on the coast...and the sun was shining on the horizon. So, no matter how cold that float plane ride was(and it was), this will always be a memory to warm my hands with. Took my breath away. Made me cry. Sorry, Josh, if I freaked you out. It really was just that beautiful.
It's good to be home but I will still be busy for a few more days...
G'nite, then.

ready for take off

bye

crush tag

I was tagged by biddie to tell you all about my crushes. Honestly, I grew up so BOY CRAZY that would take all day. Honestly. Totally ga-ga BOY CRAZY. Insane. Certifiable. So we will take the Reader's Digest tour, ok? You will thank me for it later. In Kindergarten and first grade it was all about Peter Gobat, red-haired and freckled. I fell hard but had recovered enough by 5th grade to really truly make a fool out of myself over Mark Prieto...but all the girls did so it wasn't so bad. 6th Grade? Robbie Jablonski. Cute as a bug. Then Jr. High through High School, I carried a torch for Chris Matzen. If you saw him, you'd know why...and Andy Sampson. But that is not what you want to read about, is it?

This is what you are here for....yes, both the Cassidy's. Good genes in that family...the 70's...ah, Starsky. Yup. Had it bad for him...and still do. He is quite handsome still, and finally has his hair under control! Dirk Benedict, but only as Starbuck. The A-Team killed that crush. Some glaring exceptions from my dark, brooding types were the blond brother from Simon and Simon and Shaun Cassidy. My most complex crush is Sam Elliot because I first had a crush on the character I was reading in a book(weird, eh?). Then the movie came out and I didn't know Sam then, but fell in love with him as Travis McGee. Joe Penny, I really hate to admit that one. Simon LeBon.
David Bowie. I have dreamed of Bowie for years. He usually comes around in my dreams when I have trouble with my eyes for some reason. He has been in every optometrist office that I have...in my dreams, anyway. And spent nearly a week in my dreams with me just before my lasik surgery. Since the surgery, he hadn't been around, but just last week he was back. It was nice to talk with him again.
John Corbett. David Duchovney(why don't you love me?), and Michael Weiss. Jesse Martin(oh, that smile).Hugh Jackman, but only as Wolverine so the crush is actually on Wolverine and not Hugh. It probably won't last, then. Viggo.

David Hyde Pierce...I adore him. Love him. Michael looks like him. How lucky am I?
Johnny, of course, for years and years...and years.
My Vincent, goes without saying.
But, hands down, the longest lasting crush that has held true against the test of time, just as strong now as then....Steve McQueen. I will still stay up all night to watch the Great Escape or Bullitt or Love With the Proper Stranger....Sand Pebbles....no matter how many times I have seen them all already.
Whew. Gotta go walk the dog and get some cool air!!! heh heh
I am tagging Cara, Aethan's diary, and greenwellies.

snow day(part two)

More snow day photos because I can't get enough, can you? We don't have it too much in these parts(snow, that is) so it's always something of a novelty and I just keep snapping pictures. It could all melt by tomorrow. That's how it works here. Emma really likes the snow. If I could let her off that leash, she would run, run, run. I took her to our neighbour's large fenced yard yesterday and she did crazy loops around and around, nose pushing up mounds of snow until she would have to stop to sneeze it all out.
Here is my red bamboo again. Our back yard garden... CS in the park today, taking advantage of school closures by sledding with her mom. How fun.
A joyrider.
Someone in need of a warm barn.
And one more of Emma...here, she is posing as a Beagle. The resemblance to a Beagle is uncanny though I am not fooled. The folks at the Beagle Rescue were taken in, but I know better. She is a Jack Russel Terrier or a Fox Terrier or a Rat Terrier in a Beagle suit. Sneaky little devil. Alrighty then, it's almost time for another walk so I better make sure the camera batteries are all ready to go...cuz you know you want more snow pictures, right? Right?
I am booked on the plane again tomorrow...fingers crossed.

snow day(part one)

Here's our house today..... ...and here's Em's house by the park. Cute, cute, isn't it? Looks so cozy and what a view! I love this park in the snow. It is one of the most gorgeous places in Nanaimo.
This is my favourite tree in Nanaimo that just so happens to be on the corner of this park...it is a Garry Oak. Maybe, definitely actually, hundreds of years old. Hundreds. Centuries old. Isn't that COOL?
Wooooooo hoooooo....people are playing in the park today....
The snow does make most things look more beautiful, doesn't it?
The methadone clinic doesn't look much better, though...not cuz it's a methadone clinic but just because it's one ugly building that the owner does nothing about...what an eyesore. Nobody around here minds that the methadone clinic is here...but does it have to be so ugly?
And the pawn shop doesn't look any better in snow, either. From my back deck here I should be able to see the water just a few blocks away. It doesn't look like I will be flying anywhere today either ..cuz it's a float plane and it takes off from the water...and lands in the water....so being able to SEE the water is kind of imperative, I guess...though I really just want to go see Em and don't care about things like VISIBILITY right now. My neighbour's sailboat in his back yard is the closest I will come to seeing the water from my back deck today.
I will take what comfort I can from being cozy and warm after a walk through the wonderland out there.
And I have more snow pictures but Blogger cut me off with these...I will post more later, since I have all day to fill now. I am close to finishing my art exchange things but don't want to trudge through the snow and slush to pick up mailing material, etc, since it might just be soggy and ruined by the time I could struggle back up that hill. People are driving out there but I am not one of them. I just don't have to drive in it enough to be good at it... so I do everyone a favour and stay off the road. Maybe some other folks should try that, from the amount of sirens I have been hearing.