I call these "Burb deer" as they are fairly tame, keeping me at a distance of about fifteen feet. A little bit worrying if walking along a road and being afraid to scare them into traffic. This was on my first evening walking in the neighbourhood.
I explored the "Old " part of the city the next morning. The sun came out to play as I sat in a window drinking an excellent coffee. I discovered a great import food shop and a nice gallery of native arts.
The industry of the area seems to be fishing, tourism and the business of aging. The retirement population is quite large.
There are many ways to get around and float planes not only serve the remote areas but take people back and forth to the mainland. I guess some people are more in a hurry than others.
The ferry, when it is leaving port, lets out this horn sound that makes you jump. The small planes have a long and laborious take off motor sound. The burb I'm in has a bunch of great bikes and bikers that love to go out in the afternoons.
All in all, a little noisier than I expected.
This is the founder of Nanaimo's famous bathtub races. More the spirit of the place. He looks just as good from behind too!
The best of all, of course, is that it is spring.
The gardens in the area are exploding with colours and shapes and plants I have never seen before. There are even several varieties of palm, making it resemble Wellington in New Zealand. That and the hills with houses perched on rock faces, long winding roadways to houses and terrific staircases up, up, up.
The last few days have been gorgeous. Lots of sunshine with fluffy clouds, temperatures that are in the teens, coat off for short while.
That's me. Everyone else, who must be used to being generally cold, have peeled off the layers and are in shorts and tank tops!
I've hicked up into the woods near the house, seeing what rainforest is like, on a very small scale. This turtle seemed to think today was perfect for a nap in the sun.
The colours are so rich and vivid. Small birds kept checking me out and I spotted several that I have never seen before, part of the purpose of this trip.
Another day, I drove up to Parksville and Qualicum Beach.
Parksville is an enormous resort area. Lots of campgrounds and spas and the like.
It also has a wonderful provincial park. I walked around there for quite a while, till the wind blew me back to my car. The mysteries of the forest have quite loud voices as they whisper about the past.
Driftwood is lined up along the beach, making bleachers for visitors to sit and watch what the ocean has to offer. The view is spectacular, showing the mountains on the other side of the straight, still capped with snow.
I've seen a fair number of bald eagles and this one was being pursued by crows. They look quite small compared to the eagle.
I next visited Qualicum. A very small but very pretty town that is mostly new and built for the tourist industry. The architecture is an interesting mix of Arts and Crafts with a touch of Japanese. Or, when I walked around a corner, a complete copy of Medieval English Mews and alleyway with a Sushi bar in one of the shops. Eclectic.
All good days should end with a fantasy moment. Here is today's. Only one of the many giant things I have seen so far.
Of course, what amazes me is everyman's view. Rich or poor, this is your view, every day.
How wonderful.
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