nature, Photography

Afternoon Beach Time

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It’s nearing summer’s end, but after weeks of very high temperatures and nearby forest fires, the air has for the most part cleared and allowed a little comfortable beach time.

I brought a book with me but I didn’t do much reading.

I watched the boats going in and out of the marina, the kids playing on the sand and in the water, and the ducks stopping by to see if there were some snacks to be had.

It felt very luxurious to be able to just sit and enjoy, relax and not think about anything much.

There is an adjacent park and we walked though it when it was time to head home. It was a thoroughly wonderful afternoon.

Happy Sunday.

nature, Photography

Creek Walks

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We live across the street from this creek.

We frequently walk next to it or cross over on our way to do errands or to go for walks. It is a kokanee creek (kokanee are landlocked, freshwater salmon that are close relatives of the sockeye) that at the moment is being rehabilitated to make it easier for the fish to travel to their spawning grounds.

In the 1950s, the creek bottom was coated with concrete to more easily facilitate winter run-off, but the fish were severely impacted. Ladders were installed but they aren’t very effective. Now, the city is returning the creek, section by section, to its original condition.

Happy Saturday.

Milestones, musings, nature, Photography

Good-bye August, Hello September

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Summer is in its last three weeks and autumn is on the doorstep, shifting from one foot to the other as it awaits its turn. I always find this time of year to be a turning point, not just seasonally but in so many other ways, as well. In the northern hemisphere, the slower pace of summer comes to a halt as students return to school and many people either recommence work after holidays or resume a more regular work tempo.

A nearby beach.

Personally, I am transitioning as well and will retire in two months. Normally I would be back in the north (an impossibility right now regardless, since most people have been evacuated due to the forest fires), firing on all cylinders and pushing the pace, but not this August. My career-driven life of many, many years is slowing down, and although I am considering some contract work, I feel both strange and elated.

Lush summer trees.

Strange because all this is different … and elated because all this is different. There’s the slow good-bye, the considerations of what comes next … many things to which I’ve been looking forward. Still, I feel a bit contradictory: like I should be much busier than I am, even though I don’t need to be and don’t want to be. It might take a little time to regroup and become this new life.

Late-summer anemones.

Like it is for everything and everyone else in the northern hemisphere right now, autumn is on my doorstep. It’s both a beautiful time and a sad time, but it’s also my time.

nature, Photography

Panicle Hydrangeas

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Tis the season for panicle hydrangeas; they tend to bloom in late summer and well into autumn.

The word “panicle” means “loose cluster,” which I think is an appropriate description for these pretty flowers.

Usually, panicle hydrangeas grow to about 2-3 metres (8 ft) and the blooms will turn some shade of pink or light red. They are the hardiest hydrangeas and will tolerate extremes of heat and cold.

It’s lovely that these plants extend the blooming season into the autumn. Although they do not change colour due to soil chemistry, shifting temperatures trigger these plants to transition from creamy white to pink or red.

Happy Thursday.

Commentary, nature, Photography

Castor Bean Plants

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Castor beans are not something anyone should eat as they contain ricin which is highly poisonous.

Castor oil also comes from this plant and can be used medicinally as long as it is not ingested in large quantities.

Although the castor bean plant has to be treated with care, its soft, spiny pods (it’s perfectly safe to handle them) are a beautiful red once they ripen and the leaves also have a lovely shape and an interesting purplish colour. This plant also grows to about 2 metres (approx. 7 feet) so it would make a good privacy hedge.

Although it’s quite beautiful, I wouldn’t want to clean up after it once the pods start falling. It’s a prolific plant and there might be a lot of them!

Happy Tuesday.

Sometimes, life is like that.