Different views

If there is one thing I am seeing, it is that...
The truck is King!

I don't think I've seen as many trucks quite this monolithic in size before.

And they are everywhere.

This, on Vancouver Island, is THE mode of transportation. I've seen them in every age possible too.

More exploring of Nanaimo itself and checking out another of the many large parks that dot this city.

I was at the Colliery Dam park, with a lovely pond, a sluice and a waterfall. Because it is near to Vancouver Island University, it was full of students during the lunch hour.

Small birds are everywhere. It is in deep coniferous woods like these that you will see lots of tiny birds (so hard to spot) like nuthatches. Those you can recognize by their song, but have a devil of a time seeing them.

Then there are the kinglets and warblers, with such amazingly subtle differences that identifying them consists of “ Oh gosh that's so beautiful”.

You can tell it's an urban forest with all the modern amenaties.

Later in the day, I walked along the ridge of the forest that goes north west from the house I am in.

This is really rainforest, extra lush right now because it has rained a lot and it is spring. All the mosses and lichens are flowering, sending up small little threads with a tiny bead of green, like a droplet, on the top.

Tiny spring flowers carpet the forest floor, making it hard to decide where to step.

I had wanted to find the entrance to the park called “Sugar Loaf” because it has a great vantage point of not only Nanaimo but of Departure Bay, Newcastle Island and off in the distance. Beyond all that, the Rockies half hidden in mists and clouds.

The sun came out for that afternoon walk and I was finally able to shed my outer coat and scramble up this hill getting nice and warm.

The view, as you can see, is spectacular. I just sat there enjoying it and pulled out my sketching material and did a pen and ink. I am enjoying getting back into the pen and ink again.

There is a ferry over to Newcastle island and the island is a provincial park. I may go there to see if I can spot more marine birds. There is even a lake there, so a marsh area should have some herons and maybe loons.

Today, though, it is raining again. The weather would usually be my guide to my activities (I hate getting wet), but with the amount of rain that is normal for this island, I might never get out. I am getting a lot of artwork done. That part is good.

I know pretty much every coffee shop in town and all the malls have seen me at least once.

I just have to gird my loins (?) and go, weather notwithstanding.

Salt Spring Islands, Tofino and a few others before I come home.

The flowering trees are just glorious. The scent of the sea, mixed with the sweet of the blossoms is an intoxicating combination, very hard to describe.

I'm enjoying the quiet pace, the fresh clean air and the sound of the many birds that come with me on my walks.