The last bits

Misty beaches make opaque pictures.

There is a large surfing community in this area.  The normal response is, "Well, they wear wet suits."  So?  It still seems very cold for surfing to me, but what do I know?

The little sea birds don't mind, of course.

We left our cozy cottage and headed back to Victoria.  This is the famous Empress Hotel.  You need deep pockets to stay here but it's fun to wander around inside and see how the other half lives.

The Parliament Building is an interesting structure, both inside and out.  Built in 1893 it remains in use today.

I'd seen pictures of these phone booths before but never in real life.  Who knows how long it will be there now that everyone has cell phones.

We took the ferry back to Seattle and spent the next day exploring again.  The Space Needle is probably the most recognized structure there but what we really enjoyed was the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame and the Sci Fi museum that goes along with it.

We returned home almost a month ago.  I had so much to catch up with at work that there has been very little time for blogging, but for now our little excursion has ended until the next great adventure.

There are bound to be more Scenic Sundays in our future.

Bear Watching in Tofino

In Tofino we signed up for a bear watching trip on a Zodiac boat.  We took a chance and it was so worth it!  There are many islands and passages to get lost in.

We wore big red suits for insulation because it was cold on the water.  Life vests were built into them.

The fog and the water played on each other in so many mystical ways.

And then we saw the bears!  We could hear them crunching on fresh crabs and watch them pull rocks aside as they searched for food.  Because we were in the boats we were able to get very close, unfortunately, I didn't have my zoom lens with me.  The boatman cut the engine and let us stay for a long time.

He said it was unusual for there to be two bears at once.  Usually they are solitary.  He thought perhaps there was a little courting going on here as they chased each other around.

We also saw a porpoise, an eagle and sea lions.  Seeing wildlife in their habitat is one of my most favorite experiences in life.

There are so many Scenic Sunday places to see.

4 a.m.

Our new friend and guide, Bud, said that the best time to see animals was in the early morning.  Now I am NOT a morning person but when I woke up at 4 a.m. I decided to try my luck.

Although I was not lucky finding any animals, I did get some great shots.  I don't know if it was night or day, though, it never got any darker than this.

Now where are those bears???  They're missing the sunrise.

Visit Scenic Sunday to view scenery from all over the world.

Spring is in the air

The chokecherry bush is budding.

It's a cloudy spring day.

Maybe it will rain.

Anyway you look at it, it's Scenic!   

As Emerson said, "Live in the sunshine..."

For a few brief hours this morning the sun came out between the clouds to light up the snow and frost.

I managed to haul in some wood before the sun disappeared behind the haze.

The days are getting a little bit longer.  The blackbirds arrived. Tomorrow marks the half-way point between winter solstice and spring equinox.  There's hope for a greener tomorrow!

Visit Harriet to check out Shadow Shot Sunday or Scenic Sunday to see what's happening around the rest of the planet.

Red Mountain turned white

Another spectacular view- this time it's from our mailbox

Red Mountain before it turned white.  This photo was taken in the fall after our woodpile was newly stacked.  We have gone through a couple of rows already with the cold and snow of the last two months.

Dry Fork Canyon.  Do I not live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet?

Take a look at other scenic views at Scenic Sunday.

Salt Marsh and Sailboats

Here we explored a state park south of Ventura that Joni wanted to check out.  It had very nice camping spots.  It was a much different environment than what I'm used to seeing.

There were beautiful tall grasses waving in the wind,

succulents covering the dune,

and pretty yellow flowers blooming.

And then Joni offered to take a picture of me at the beach!  Proof I was really here.  We sat on the beach and watched the sailboats for awhile.

Ahhhhhh.............so relaxing!

This is a combo post.  It's Scenic Sunday, Today's Flowers AND my 300th post!  Wow.  Not to mention the end of my California trip.  Two weeks of posts from a five day trip that will hopefully carry me through the winter weather that is now setting in at home.

Harbor Views

Boating is another popular activity in southern California.  There are all kinds, shapes, sizes and colors.

I love the bright colors and the reflections on the water.

Scenic Sunday has other beautiful views from around the world.

Stretching towards tomorrow

I took this picture about two weeks ago when I was exploring the McConkie petroglyphs. I'll post pictures from that excursion later, but for now here is a scenic view facing towards Sawtooth Mountain in the distance. The ridge in front of the mountain is Pine Ridge and I live right below there. How scenic is that?

Check out Scenic Sunday for more beautiful landscapes from around the world.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir

We are so lucky to have good friends! They took us for a boat ride yesterday on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. And what synchronicity. I posted on My World Tuesday about the Red Canyon Overlook and guess what? This is the reservoir we were viewing only now we were on the water looking up. There are so many fascinating rock formations, birds' nests and watery shots. I took too many pictures to post all at once so I'll begin at the beginning. These shots were taken from the boat launch as we headed into their favorite cove.....enjoy the ride!

To enjoy viewing other beautiful places from around the world, check out Scenic Sunday.

Abandoned

Visit more scenery at Scenic Sunday!

Rain and clouds

We've been getting storms the last few days, more of the oddball weather patterns this summer, so it was quite chilly this morning. Sawtooth Mountain (named after the blades on a saw) lies to the northeast of us. I'm so lucky to see it every day!

For scenic shots from around the world, check out Scenic Sunday.