Tag Archives: sea

nature, Photography

Ocean Views

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I’m not feeling well – nothing serious, just a bit under the weather – so am posting a few favourite ocean photos from my archive. Some have been posted before, others not.

Pacific Ocean, Vancouver Island
Reynisfjara Sea Stacks, North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland
Haida Gwaii, Pacific Ocean, British Columbia
Tuktoyaktuk, Arctic Ocean, Northwest Territories
Hecate Strait, Pacific Ocean, British Columbia
Caribbean Sea, Dominican Republic
Hecate Strait, Pacific Ocean, British Columbia
Pacific Inside Passage, British Columbia
North Atlantic Ocean, Greenland

Have a happy Wednesday.

nature, Photography

Richmond

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On our way back home from Victoria, we stopped in Richmond which is just south of Vancouver. M grew up there and we took a little tour around to his old teenage haunts.

The seafront has an eclectic mix of fishing vessels, sail boats, restaurants, coffee shops and townhomes.

After the wind storm that walloped Victoria and Vancouver had died off, the weather was gorgeous with a flat ocean calm and clear, sunny skies.

The weather was so good, in fact, that I spotted someone paddling an ocean kayak (the small red vessel toward the mid-right of the photo).

Sunny December days are a gift and we certainly enjoyed this one, especially after the weekend’s storm.

Happy Monday.

Commentary, musings, nature, Photography

Winter Lake

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When we left the Caribbean the temperature was about 30C (86F); here at home it’s 5C (41F), which is a rather significant difference but completely to be expected, of course.

A cold-looking Okanagan Lake.

Another big difference is that we’re now next to a lake, not an ocean, but I love how both bodies of water can exert themselves so strongly on our lives and consciousness, even down to their colour changes.

I very much like being close to large bodies of water (I was born next to and lived my early years near the Atlantic); I find them comforting and reassuring, even when they decide to whip up some good storms.

Breaks in the cloud cover allow shafts of sunlight to shine on an opposite bank – a beautiful effect.

I find it interesting that M finds the same sense of comfort and reassurance in the mountains; he was born next to the Rockies. Maybe we all have a sort of “birth set point location” that stays with us all our lives and for which we can unconsciously yearn.

Happy Sunday.

nature, Photography

Bright Green Ocean

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The night ocean here in the tropics in particular can often look phosphorescent green, something many people may find surprising.

The colour is caused by phytoplankton, tiny organisms that grow near the surface of the ocean and like plants, get their energy from sunlight.

This green tint is more visible at night (and to cameras, since they “see” more colours at that end of the spectrum). Unfortunately, climate change is affecting the growth of phytoplankton and we are seeing much more phosphorescence at night than we should be.

However, here’s a more conventional ocean view together with a soothing sound track of those ocean rollers:

Happy Friday.