(Almost) Wordless Wednesday – Marine Life Class at the Lantzville Sea Shore

On May 18, 2022May 19, 2022 By Widow BadassIn Adventures with dogs, Good Times, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors56 Comments

Note: none of the sea life depicted here was harmed in any way during our class observations. We were observing and listening to our knowledgeable instructor, retired marine biologist and author Rick Harbo. All flipped over rocks were carefully and gently replaced to protect the wildlife revealed.

A windy but dry and sunny day for our field trip to Lantzville to explore the intertidal sea life.

Overturning a rock revealed this pair of Plainfin midshipman. The female is upside down because…

…she was depositing her eggs on the underside of the rock. Once done, she leaves and the male stays behind to guard the eggs until they hatch.

Sea stars found clinging to yet another rock

Nudibranches (dark spotty things) and their egg casings (cream ribbony things)

My favourite find of the day…Maggie (the sea dog!). Killing me with cuteness.

Maggie coming in for a boop while I was trying to get a closeup of the anemones.

Rock on,

The WB

A Beautiful Earth Day Beach Walk and More

On April 22, 2022 By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Good Times, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors40 Comments

Donna and I headed to Qualicum Beach today.

We noticed something strange. Three young deer exploring a spit of land.

They all eventually made it off the spit and closer to shore. Then they disappeared into the trees.

After all that deer watching, it was time to replenish with a loaded “Big Dog” from a hot dog stand just off the beach. It tasted amazing in the warm sunshine.

Donna sang me this song as we ate our dogs. Now I can’t get it outta my head. Uhhhh…thanks ~~for nothing~~, Donna!?!

Before heading home, I went to my hair appointment in Parksville. I got my hair seriously chopped! Love how light my hair feels. Sherry did such an awesome job.

Hope your Earth Day was as great as mine.

Rock on,

The WB

Silent Sunday – Pipers Lagoon Park

On January 30, 2022 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors47 Comments

Please enjoy these photos taken at Friday’s hike. It was the first time the sun had broken through the fog in about a week!

We weren’t the only people enjoying this foggy early morning.

Fog is lifting and the sun is peeking through! (And rejoicing was heard throughout the island 🙂 )

Blue skies to the north and east, and fog to the south and west

Donna on the lagoon side, with Salish Sea also in background…and the welcomed sun!

It’s good for people to rest at this time too.

Distant islands viewed from a rocky outcropping

Still foggy when looking to the south. There were 3 river otters swimming in the sea below us, but unfortunately they were hard to capture effectively in a photo.

What a glorious morning to be at Pipers Lagoon Park!

Rock on,

The WB

Wordless Wednesday – Pheasant Glen Loop

On January 19, 2022January 18, 2022 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors49 Comments

Tuesday’s hike:

Screen shot from the AllTrails app on my phone

Tuesday’s hikers:

Obligatory selfie, with Donna of Retirement Reflections

This might be a moss called *Stairstep* (according to iNaturalist)

The trail featured many wooden paths over boggy areas

Looks a bit rickety but quite safe to walk on

This could be Cat’s Tail Moss or Witches’ Hair (according to iNaturalist) *and I am here for either name!*

Could be smoky polypore or turkey tail fungus. Take your pick!

Water droplets on rosehips (no need to consult iNaturalist for this one!)

The last of the snow from the late December/early January storms

Apres hike chow-down! Tofu stir fry with noodles at Saigon Kitchen in Parksville. (Pardon the blurry shot, please)

Hope your January is going well!

Rock on,

The WB

Silent Sunday – Christmas Lights at Butchart Gardens

On December 19, 2021 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, See the Beauty51 Comments

Unexpectedly beautiful day. Waiting for the Brentwood Bay ferry to take us across to the Saanich peninsula.

Our tickets were for 3:45 so we explored the gift shop etc., until it got a little darker. This is me and Sarah (friend of my daughter’s – now also a friend of mine!) – under a beautiful tree. Pic of said tree in full dark coming a bit later on…

Immediately we were impressed by the sheer number of lights and the quality of the displays.

The theme was the 12 days of Christmas…and we saw the partridge in the pear tree first, natch.

Of course we brought along the trippy special viewing glasses from Milner Gardens. This is what the displays looked like with the Christmas Star ones.

In sunken garden. My son-in-law looking like a demon…LOL. Thanks, Sarah! 😉

Now, in his human form. With cute wife (I made her!) and the lovely Sarah. 🙂

And here is the lovely Sarah ~~revealing~~ revelling in her true form. Sigh…there’s always gotta be that one in every group…. 😉

We were lucky not only with the weather, but that it was also the night of the full moon! Expect a lotta full moon photobombs…

Per the sign: clap or sing loudly to brighten/change the colours on this tree

That’s a lotta maids for milking only 1 animated cow!

I don’t remember “1 dragon spitting” in the song but I am sure it is in there somewhere 😉

Giant Christmas bauble topped by the moon.

Wire-framed trees and icicle tree, now in full dark.

Back where we started. Tree from beginning, now in full dark

We couldn’t figure out where the 12 drummers drumming were at, until we exited the gardens and saw them overhead. Pardon the blurriness. Taken by me in the back seat of my car as my daughter drove us home.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you!

Rock on,

The WB

Silent Sunday – Christmas Lights at Milner Gardens

On December 12, 2021December 12, 2021 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, See the Beauty35 Comments

Dinner at the White Elephant first, in Parksville. Thai food, yum! With my daughter and son-in-law, and Donna and Richard.

Milner Gardens & Woodlan d – offering a festival of lights as a fundraiser

Reflections in the pool beside the gift shop

Peeking in the windows to see the decorated rooms

Pictures of some famous visitors, including Princess Di and that dude she married 😉

Donna gifted me a pair. I had never heard of these.

This is what my balcony lights look like normally.

This is what they look like ~~on drugs~~ with the glasses on. Like I said, trippy!

Next weekend I am heading (with the fam) to check out the light display at Butchart Gardens, strictly for comparison/research purposes only 😉 . My daughter and I will be packing the trippy eye wear, for sure!

Rock merrily on,

The WB

Wordless (Almost) Wednesday – What Is That Bright Ball In The Sky?

On November 17, 2021November 16, 2021 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors55 Comments

Today the sun came out. Why is that exciting, you may well ask. Since Saturday afternoon, here on Vancouver Island we have been experiencing what meteorologists have dubbed an “atmospheric river”. If you can picture a river flowing overhead and ~~leaking river water~~ dropping rain all along the way non-stop, well…that’s been exactly it. Leading to rainfall records being broken for the province, people being trapped in their cars on washed out or flooded out roads, and mass evacuations.

It has been quite the weather-event year for British Columbians – a heat dome, a summer-long drought, forest fires, and now flooding and mudslides.

I have been lucky where I live, having escaped the worst of the effects on the land. And lucky enough to get out today and enjoy the sun at Neck Point Park. Here are some photos.