May 9 - LOOKS Like Summer, Feels like Winter - Breehy, Queen Mary Park and a burst of Tulips ...

I agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson - sometimes it's not the destination, it's the journey ....

I often passed this sign as we drove a scenic route to Walmart. Nikkie said there wasn't much there, just a bit of playground equipment ... but I thought I'd check it out anyway. This was a sunny but chillingly cold windy day, and Breehy was chomping at the bit for a ride, and this little park was only a few minutes away - so I thought it would be a good start for my summer wanderings.

 The time Nikkie went there, the playground looked like this.
 
 However, today it seems that an upgrade had been made. Just a little 'uns playground .... as a destination, nothing to write home about (or even blog about) but the journey? Well, that was another thing ....

 This was such a beautiful ride through a rich green canopy of leaves and old growth forest.

And I bet you're wondering what on earth is the background of my selfie?

(And yes, I actually got a haircut today. Like it?)

 It's an amazing tree that I came across in a grassy meadow.

Yup. Never saw a tree like that before in all my many years. Now I realize what I've been missing while sitting on my butt for the past year.

 

The trunk held some strange treasures. Not sure if they were fossils or bird poop. Not brave enough to investigate further.

The ground was covered here with this very invasive plant which, according to Steve, has a loooong Latin name.

And there were tons of bluebells just growing wild. I'm sure I remember them from Scotland, where I lived when I was a wee lassie. That's before I moved to Newfoundland and became a young maiden.

 It wasn't until I got close enough to take a picture of these beautiful poppies that I realized there could be snakes living here. I mean, probably not, but maybe.

 On the way back, we skedaddled down a bank to visit the stream flowing through. This is Healey Creek, which is a tributary of both Bear Creek and the Serpentine River, both important salmon spawning rivers. This park was established to protect the ecosystem of this area.

 

The area holds several old tree trunks, remains of giants from the past. They just go to show that youth isn't the only holder of beauty.

So - it didn't take us long to get back home, to recuperate. While I was loading pictures to the computer, I heard a loud roar. Yes, it was Nikkie, mowing the grass. Working. So I thought that deserved a picture.

And for a treat, I decided to drag her back to the park with me just in case I forgot some pictures the first time.

Somebody had actually used this hollow trunk for ... a picnic? Maybe. There was a plate inside. I don't think I'd want to go in though - seems to me this is a home for insects, bugs and small rodents. Maybe even big rodents.

 And ... to end on a brighter note - here's an inside look at some of Steve's tulips.

Breehy's Back! Let the Good Times Roll (get it? roll? as in wheels? rolling down the road?)

After spending over a year in the basement porch, suffering in silence with a flat tire, Breehy finally gets a hospital visit. Covered with cobwebs, dust bunnies and crackling leaves (the porch is not an enclosed porch - well, it has a roof as it is beneath the patio that leads from the kitchen door, and a bit of a half wall, but it is a part of the house that I don't sweep, dust, or wash every few months like the rest of the place), Steve wriggles her into the trunk of the car, and off we go to Rocky Cycle.

This reminds me of the time I bought a huge wooden glider chair from the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Richmond. We had a witty bitty Hyundai Pony at the time - but Steve somehow got the chair in. That was the last large item I asked him to transport in a small vehicle. Howard would have just left the chair on the sidewalk and told me to rock it home. However -

She looks quite helpless there, doesn't she?

Poor Breehy looks a bit out of place here, too, among all these way more expensive bikes.

The nice young man took a look at her, tapped on his calculator a few times, and asked,

'How much did you pay for her?'

Well, I knew it was no good to lie, as the Zellers' price tag from about 6 years ago was still on the frame.

'$150.'

He was nice enough not to burst out laughing, so I continued,

'She may not be expensive, but she's world-famous.'

I don't think he believed me, as he probably never read my blog. If he had read it, he would have recognized her right away.

He gave us a quote, and Steve asked if that would make her as good as new. He assured us it would make her better than new, as an 18-year old kid working for Zellers probably put her together in the beginning. 

We wouldn't even ask if we could watch him work .... and I'm glad no one tried to repair the tire in the beginning.

So now, everything works - nice firm tires, new cables, and a new odometer on the handlebars. Chain shipshape, and all the cobwebs cleaned off. 

I would have liked to see him take her for her test drive though.

But a huge thanks to Steve and Rocky Cycle - now we'll be able to go exploring again!

A Misty Morning Walk - Steve, Me and a Vodka Bottle - and a Tribute to George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder

Saturday morning, a bit rainy and a lot windy - a perfect day for Steve and me to hit Iona Beach for a long hike to the end of the 8 kilometre pier. And yes, that's only one way. The 8 kilometres, I mean.

Of course we had a mission - to toss a bottle containing a white rose, red ribbon, and a prayer/poem from a bestie in Calgary in memory of a much loved member of Celtic Thunder, George Donaldson. For those of you not familiar with this band and this singer, enjoy while you read on - The Parting Glass - one of my favourite songs. It's a bit sad. though.

The first step was to find a bottle. One may think that wouldn't be a problem, however, one would be wrong. I finally did find an empty Vodka bottle, although a Scotch one would have been more appropriate. If I lived closer to my sisters-in-law I don't think I would have a problem finding a wine bottle ... however, this lone Vodka bottle was destined to hit the briny ocean waves.

Next step - a white rose. These aren't as plentiful as one would think, however Save-On-Foods had a few in their Roses-By-The-Each Bucket, and the gal there was kind enough to give us some red ribbon, as my ribbon supply was obviously hiding some place where I couldn't find it.

Next step was a misty raindroppy drive to Iona Beach. Steve parked - the lot was almost full with cars - people getting ready for the Sun Run - and the roadways were crammed with bicyclers dressed in stretchy black pants zipping along on skinny tires. Busy place for a Sunday morning. And some of them had the joy of watching us try to push, shove, poke, and squeeze a nice fat rose into a vodka bottle. 

Poor little rose.

Then we started the walk along the jetty. Yup, that could have very well been the two of us below, pretty chipper on our way out ....

 ... with me trying to hide the fact I was carrying a vodka bottle with me at 10 o'clock on a Saturday morning.

The colours in the sky and the ocean were amazing -

 and since we were near the airport, we got to see the bellies of some of the planes that were arriving.

 And guess what shared the air with the planes? Right! Eagles - quite a few of them, actually. They seemed to be checking out what the low tides were offering for their Saturday brunch. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of them on the way back, even though there was one sitting on a post a few yards away .... you'll find out why later.

We finally made it to the end, where there were a few steps leading up to a lookout. I wasn't sure if I could climb these few steps, but I did. Steve got ready to fling the bottle - and I got ready to video it - but he suggested I take a panorama sweep, which I did .....

... at least, I started to do - before the battery in my I Phone died. But at least you can hear the wind blowing, and imagine the smell of the salt air - because this, my friends, is the big and beautiful Pacific Ocean!

So, I'm sorry to say, I have no picture of Steve with his throwing hand up in the air, as he pivoted and took a few steps forward, and let fly. That bottle just sailed up in the air, and arched over the waves - then hit with such a bang we were sure it had broken. But it hadn't - we watched it bob up and down in the waves for a while.

Even though we both hope it travels far and wide, at that moment we were both pretty much sure it would beat us back to the beach. 

However, from a loving lady in Calgary, Alberta, through the hands of two fans from Surrey, British Columbia, a big Thank You to George Donaldson for sharing his beautiful voice with our world. 

The Old Man
An Ordinary Man

A Rainy Day at White Rock .. Crescent Beach ... Ocean Park .. Whatever - 1000 Steps, Lots of Rocks, and a Long Black Train1000 steps

Last night, I happened to mention the 1000 steps that lead to a secluded beach near White Rock, and Steve asked if I wanted to go 'tomorrow.' Knowing that 'tomorrow' was going to be an immensely rainy day which would negate the decision, I said 'Sure.'

However, I went upstairs this morning and realized the rain was light, so when Steve asked if I still wanted to go. I only hesitated a moment ... then said, 'Sure.'

I don't know much about these step, only that they are between White Rock and Crescent Beach, there are not 1000 of them, and they wind their way down a very steep cliff.

And we were okay with that. At least on the way down.

The rain was more of a heavy drizzle, but as you can see, the wooden steps were quite wet, which meant we both had to be very careful. Neither one of us wanted to carry the other back up.

And guess what we found? Yet another sign of spring - teeny little green leaves popping out all over the place!

About half way down. We tried not to think about the return journey.

Ah. Finally. Now a little uphill path ....

Past a tree with some sort of bird high in the branch - a hawk, I believe. Funny thing is, I didn't even see the bird until I loaded the pictures on the computer. Then I zoomed in and Bazinga! A bird!

And finally, a beach, a beach just like back home in Newfoundland beach, all full of smooth round stones and sloshing waves.

See? A White Rock beach ...

Steve and Neil

... and a Newfoundland beach ...

The little boy has all grown up .. as has his big brother who now drives me all over BC in the Big White Truck!

Now if I were mean, I would tell you to stare at the centre of this pic for 25 seconds, then look at a white wall. But I won't. This was a mistake click when I obviously was lowering the phone ... but it's pretty cool. I call it My Artistic Swirl. I hope it doesn't make you dizzy.

It was so good to hear the waves rolling up on the shore - this video only partly loaded, unfortunately.

 

After filling up our pockets with pretty rocks, we headed back to the under-the-railroad tunnel, Steve thought it would be a great idea to stand in the tunnel while the train went overhead, and since we could hear the lonely whistle of one nearby, we decided to try it. The tunnel is the only far-from-Nature art installation in sight, and while I thought of it as grafitti that sort-of spoiled the unspoiled scene, Steve thinks of it as modern day art. Kind of like the cave-man drawings of eons ago. I can dig that, man.

I did take a video of us standing under the track, but I can't load it here or on my Face Book page, so I guess it's only available if you come visit me and my I Phone. However, rest assured, when that train started to rumble overhead, it was only a matter of seconds that the two of us fought to get out first. So much for giving up my life for my child.

(Only kidding. I would any time.)

And here is the culprit - a long train hauling coal somewhere.

So now we start our trek home ... first the path ...

... then the stairs ....

... about half way up ...

... some of us were a bit slower than others ....but you can tell from here how far up he was from me ...

... and we made it. 

It's actually not 1000 Steps. It's only about 300. I'm sure I do that many every day I'm home, going upstairs and downstairs about a thousand times anyway. The going down was fine, the going up got a bit tiring the farther we went, but it's certainly nothing to frighten you away.

And it's a good job we went when we did - because later on the afternoon, the rain started in earnest. And as far as I know it's still coming down pretty hard. Hopefully I won't have to borrow Howard's canoe to get to work in the morning!