flotsam and jetsam...

A few random bits and pieces here and there...

>>> Above are some shots from our low tide wander last Saturday. Lots of eagles, lots of sand, lots of sunshine. And beach exploring with my two boys; what could be better? (Including when AK entertains Ty so I can stalk some wildlife - bless him.)

>>> With AK away all this week, stitching happened not at all. Hmmm. Perhaps it's because every time I sit on the couch (which is where I generally work) I end up in this position. There are a lot of things taking shape in my mind - does that count?

>>> It's a grey, threatening-rain kind of day, chilly for June 1. Seems a good night to try out this one pot pasta recipe.

>>> I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new running tights Yeah, I hate running. Except apparently the natural follow of all this dog walking is dog running (okay, we're mostly walk/runners right now). I'm not setting any expectations yet, just seeing how it goes. But cute new running pants are always helpful for encouragement.

>>> I love sewing projects using selvage. This pillow is a prime example of the cool things that can be made with what are in theory "scraps."

>>> I love how Stasia of the Stray Arrow combines poetry and beautiful metalwork.

>>> If the sun comes back, this banana & peanut butter 'ice cream' might be the perfect treat to make at home.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

to the beach!

My camera is feeling a bit neglected these days. When I picked it up to take these photos, I realized it had been 12 days since I'd last clicked its shutter. That's depressing. But I guess that's what happens when a four-legged companion now trots along beside on all my walks. A smart-but-still-learning pup who needs a bit of leash attention, especially as he's bit anxious in the presence of other dogs (understandable given his history). You can pretty much guarantee that if I stop to take a photo an off-leash dog will come racing up out of nowhere, often with an inattentive owner far behind. Quick shots with my phone have been all I can muster lately.

So it was nice to get out with both my boys the other evening, an opportunity for me to tag along with camera in hand while they explored the shore. Ty's first real trip to the beach with us, in fact, and he loved it. There were a few stretches of sand where he could race back and forth, and eagerly eye the hundreds of seagulls still feasting on herring eggs out in the strait. The weather has been beautiful for the most part this past week, and the coming long weekend looks promising indeed. Here's wishing you a fantastic weekend, and here's hoping I get out with my camera a little.

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With flowers blooming all over town and temperatures creeping up, there's no denying it any longer - welcome spring! I'm doing a little clearout over in the shop - pop over for 25% off with the code SPRINGCLEAN.

between the downpours...

Each time I passed the the kitchen window in my wanders through the house, what I already knew was confirmed by a quick glance at the puddle where the driveway meets the street: it was raining. Not just a few drops here and there, but a steady drumbeat keeping the muddy pool topped up. From the couch I can see it coming down like a sheet. Argh.

And then suddenly, after the rain seems at its heaviest, there is a lull. I go to the window to make sure, and the driveway puddle is curiously still. I wait, poking my head out the door and pacing back and forth. It seems to be holding, at least for the next few minutes, and I decide to take my chances. Layered up with a gore-tex topper and my trusty bean boots, I grab my camera bag and head straight for the beach. This pause in the rain has coincided nicely with the low tide, and the shore stretches out before me under a grey sky. The driftwood over small rocks at the high tide line moves into larger boulders covered in barnacles and slime, and finally sand spreads out just at the waterline. I amble between the rocky pools and sand, looking for critters and things left behind. Every once in awhile I pause to scan the horizon and the hillside, noting a few eagles perched high in the trees and the sheets of rain still moving out across the water. A sprinkling of drops finds me every now and again, but a real downpour holds off, for the moment.

I have spotted a starfish or two clutching a rock, waiting for the water to return, but then suddenly I'm out on a larger expanse of sand and they're everywhere. Piled together in large clumps, the ochre stars have decided space is overrated and are waiting out the low tide with a crowd of friends. The whelks are everywhere too, and seem to be embracing spring already, having laid little eggs that now cling to rocks and abandoned clam shells. Occasionally there is a bright orange whelk, a sunspot shining bright in this grey day, grey landscape. I look but so far there are no signs of herring eggs washing ashore, clinging to every bit of seaweed. No signs of sea lions feasting on the eggs and herring off shore either. Soon, perhaps within a few a days. The fishing great blue heron will have none of me today, flying off when I am still far away.

When I can deny the call of 'real life' no longer, I amble back to the truck along the high tide line. On my way home I stop to pick the first batch of stinging nettles for the season. As I make my way down the dirt path I wryly watch a young couple, the woman's belly swelling, head out to the beach with a photographer for a maternity shoot, just a little needles of hail start coming down. I tuck my head down and pick a dinner's worth of the tender but prickly shoots, then get back to the truck before I'm fully soaked. The grey days are still here, but if you look closely around the edges, in the tiny greens that are poking up through the muddy earth, spring is on its way. But it takes a lot of rain to get there.

barefoot & fancy free...

little gaps opened in the greyness of friday morning, slowly widening into a broad expanse of blue sky in the afternoon. when i left work the sun was bright and warm, welcoming me into the weekend. the tide was on its way in when i hit the beach, but there was still enough sand here and then to wiggle my toes in it and feel the lick of salt water on them. a brilliant sort of early summer evening, a peaceful bit of time alone to contemplate the start of another year. too quickly though i had to put my shoes back on, to navigate my way across the seaweed-slicked and barnacle-covered rocks back above the waterline. while it lasted, it was a very good walk.

on my way home along the river estuary, i spotted a couple eagles hell-bent on their destination and i eyed them as best i could while steering my own route along the road. i took a left into a fish & chip stand with circling gulls above. a little woman from the adjacent fishmonger was standing on the edge of the yard with her bucket of scraps, winging them into the air and the beach below. she left and the eagles and i waited, unsure whether dinner was over. after a few moments she came back again, her bucket heavy with salmon heads and scraps. i stood with her at the chainlink fence as she tossed pieces high into the air, and between the gulls and crows bald eagles swooped low over our heads to their targets landing on the sand. the whoosh as they passed a few feet over my head made my skin tingle. a few of them quarreled mid-air over their prize, wheeling with claws outstretched. far too quickly the moment was over, the woman headed back to work without a word.

>>> how goes your weekend?

clearing the cobwebs...

a wild day at the beach, also seen in this video. a day when it rained all day and i was glad when there was a break to escape to the shore. i was home alone and tired of my own company, but the rush of wind on the beach cleared the cobwebs from my head. you can tell the season has shifted though, when a windy walk at the beach isn't that cold, and the light hangs late into the evening. slowly, surely, summer is finding a foothold. sometimes it's hard to remember that when it won't stop raining.

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A and i are heading out of town today after work, a quick trip to the mainland where towering walls of granite rise up from the windswept waters of the sound. crossing my fingers for a little break with the weather so we can slip on our sticky rubber shoes and climb some rock. but if not, we will explore and visit with good friends. a little break from the busy pace that has been taking over lately, another sort of cobweb clearing.

wishing you all an adventurous weekend.

wordless wednesday

low tide again...

most of the time i go for walks alone. just me and my camera. but once in awhile it is fun to go with someone else, especially someone who is as kid-like as i when it comes to exploring the life around us. my friend Emily is one of those people, and we hit the sand today just a little before the low tide reached its peak. we were on a long spit of land that i love to explore, and first we headed to the exposed outer beach where the wind chilled us despite the sun. the wide stretch of sand was dotted with pools here and there and before long i was wading through the seaweed water searching for creatures. after we crossed the road over into the mud flat expanse of the protected inner side, feeling the soft mud suck at our sandals. above you can see a little bit of what we saw - click on any image for more info. we saw ochre stars and leather stars, sea anemones tucked up tight against the air, hermit crabs and sand dollars, oysters and mussels, stranded jellyfish, mudflat snails and whelks and little shore crabs. two creatures in particular kept us fascinated for quite some time: an ornery and impressively-clawed rock crab, and the graceful but massive bulk of a lewis moon snail.

so many incredible creatures sharing this little piece of coast with us, on a bright beautiful spring day. i hope your sunday had a little nature in it too.

ETA: just looking back through some posts and realized Em and i went on a walk in the exact same spot one year ago minus a day. interesting to compare the two, or at least interesting to me...

low low tide...

did anyone catch the 'supermoon' last night? i only caught it through glimpses in the clouds on my drive home, and my attempts to photograph it were a bit dismal. nonetheless, it was beautiful and big.

the low low tides brought by the full moon were a bonus at our picnic yesterday, allowing a glimpse at some creatures that don't say hello too often. at first we just noted the swathes of oysters, and the healthy population of sea stars. but there were also egg collars from the lewis' moonsnail everywhere we turned, those funny coils of sand and mucous (and eggs!) extruded out by the snail. the amount of collars suggested a healthy population of moonsnails, although without boots i was reluctant to venture into the water itself. i found one moonsnail upside down in the tidal muck, not quite fully tucked into its shell. it may have been too late already, but i placed it back in the water in hopes it wasn't. i also found a tiny purple urchin which got popped back in the sea as well. today the tide is supposed to be even lower and the sun is shining again, and i will be heading to another beach to explore. it's all 'research', right?

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thanks for all the feedback about the giveaway draw. while i was thinking it over, the winner did contact me, so i'll be sending the piece her way. don't worry, i will try to have another giveaway soon!

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while visiting my mom, i had the chance to meet one of the lovely ladies behind cooks cooperative and ripple rock farm. they are hard at work on what looks to be a fabulous garden, but Heidi was nice enough to take a few moments to chat with us and show us around. if you're looking for some tasty recipes, i recommend you check out their blog.

wishing you a happy sunday!

snow-kissed morning...

 

i've walked this trail countless times. across the quiet parking lot and onto the gravel pathway that winds through ragged trees and lush salal bushes. down over roots and rocks, out onto the open stretch of sand. the sound of waves hitting the shore is like a giant exhalation from inside my chest. i've walked this route in sun, rain and wind, but until this particular morning, not with snow. granted, the snow was on its way out, the clouds that had brought it moving out over the sea and the sun poking its way through the trees. but still it was gently settled on the path, my truck, the leaves and seaweed as i passed. catching the sun in spots, or still sleeping quietly in the frozen shade. my breath rose in a steamy cloud as my boots left wet prints in the sand. my last morning on the west coast before heading home again, and i wanted to savour this last walk along this curve of beach until next time. now revisiting it in this photos, i wish i was still there.

i feel like this week has turned into a total wash. not sure where the time has gone. my focus is anywhere but here. my to-do pile isn't getting any shorter. an inch of stitching takes forever, my sketchbook stays closed. i'm not sure how to get back into my creative space.

the weekend promises a bit more outdoor escape. i plan to visit the newborn lambs on my folks' homestead, watch them frolic in the mud with my nephews close behind. and sunday may be about exploring another stretch of sand, digging for clams in the muck to bring home for dinner. good springtime activities. what are you up to?

gull 1, crab 0

as promised, a little shoreline drama. nothing too crazy, just a bit of the risk of being a tasty treat at low tide. we had been wandering along the sand slowly exposing itself to the sun as the tide went out. while admiring all the vibrantly-cooured seaweed, i noticed a gull at the water's edge, pulling away at something. i thought it, too, was seaweed, but quickly realized it was a sunflower star, a rich purple in the sand. low tide is prime lunch time for all the feathered foragers. A quickly directed my attention the other way though, to spot another gull looming over a crab it had flipped on its back. we were only a short distance away, watching as the gull pecked at its quarry, while the crab poked arms upward in a fruitless effort to fight him off. but after a few moments the gull flew off, and we couldn't hep but approach what it had left behind. the crab sat helpless on its back, but when i flipped it right side up again it quickly began its backwards/sideways escape, despite missing two legs. i tried to encourage it back in to the safety of the water, but he stubbornly hunkered down into the open sand. it seemed best to let nature take its course, so we backed away and left the red rock crab to its business.

no sooner had we put a few metres between us though, and mr. gull was back in the scene. it wasn't on the top of its game either, as we noticed a strong limp as it moved on its prey again (maybe something to do with what's stuck/tied to its leg? hard to get close enough to see). but nonetheless it took no time at all to have the crab on its back again and that seemed like the game was over. i don't enjoy the kill, but i feel honoured to be able to witness these raw moments once in awhile. nature taking its course, as it does, and should.

i'm heading back out to another beach shortly, for another sunshine low tide walk. i hope your monday is going well!