ARBUTUS TREES BY THE OCEAN AND MORE

Time is counting down.  Just over three weeks until we cross the border heading for Arizona. Tomorrow we are going to a celebration of life for my Dad's brother.  My Dad was from a family of eight.  The first five of them passed years apart but the last three all passed away in less than six months this year.  The last one had requested no service so hopefully this is the last celebration for a while.  It is mostly the only way we get to see the extended family but not the best way. 

Not so much fall as drought caused early leaf drop on some of the maples

We went down to one of our favourite spots to see if there would be a sunset last night.  Sunset fizzled but the late light was nice on the Arbutus trees. 

Sunset

Giving up on the sunset, I turned my camera the opposite direction and found the light was very nice

All the above photos were taken with my Canon 6D and 24-105mm lens with the camera on my tripod

While sitting out in the sun this morning, I noticed a couple of spiders busy constructing new webs

Web weaver at work

The spider photos were taken with my Canon 5D Mark 2 and Canon 100mm macro lens hand held.  It took a lot of shots to get these three!  There is very little depth of field when using macro lenses so rather difficult to get the subject in focus.

A BRIEF VISIT TO VICTORIA

We took a drive down to Victoria yesterday.  We took our friend Bev D with some things she wanted to move to her apartment down there.  We left her at the apartment for a few hours and went to Richard and Robin's for lunch.   Georgia was very pleased to show Grandma her new bedroom and also her playroom.  We took Georgia and wandered about in the intermittent rain for the afternoon.  Later, we picked up Bev then met Richard and Robin at Halibut House Chinese Restaurant for supper.  After eating, visiting and saying our goodbyes, Aileen, Bev and I headed back to Parksville and Errington.

Took a drive in the rain north of Victoria at Saanich for these two photos at Mitchell Farms

I wandered around Beacon Hill Park in Victoria for a bit and got the rest of today's photos

Reflections in a little stream

Some exotic looking plants

Up closer

I would think this little squirrel is used to performing for treats

All he got from me was a series of clicks

All the above photos were taken with my Canon 6D full frame DSLR using the 24-105 lens

Fall Crocus  The last six photos were taken with my Canon SX50 point and shoot camera

A sleeping drake

I saw a young couple crouched down beside the walkway.  They wondered if this bat was dead.

I saw movement so I turned it over with a stick and it stuck its tongue out at me

Seconds after this picture, the bat unfurled its wings and flew away looking very healthy.  Don't know what the issue was at the start.

A FEW MORE PHOTOS

Found and edited a few more photos from the past couple of weeks.

Qualicum Beach a few nights ago

False Lily of the Valley berries

False Lily of the Valley leaf starting to get it's fall colour

Another Fat Truck, this one has a lowbed hauling a log loader.  Still 16 feet wide.

Rhubarb grown on northern Vancouver Island.  I guess it likes all the moist foggy weather.  It was still sweet and tender!

AWHILE SINCE LAST POST

Yes, it has been a while since I posted but we've been busy.  We had a very busy and fun week at the Escapees Vancouver Island Chapter RV rally.  From there we moved down to Charlie and Sheila's for a while to get busy organizing our 50th anniversary party.
It has really turned quickly to fall weather.  It was 6C outside and just 10C (50F) inside the motor home this morning.  There are lots of leaves falling but that's more likely from drought.
We are also in travel planning mode.  I think I have come up with a route south but it is using some of our previous routes.  We're at the point now where we would have to go quite a way east to find new country.  We will start from Victoria and head down the coast until Newport, Oregon where we will turn east until we turn south and east of Death Valley then down through Las Vegas.  Unsure of which route from there to Florence.
We had to find a broker to buy our travel health insurance from this year since the Blue Cross employees are on strike.  We were fortunate to find one who got back to us in a timely manner and zipped us through the application procedure in no time.  It was even a bit cheaper than last year since we are going to be gone for a shorter period because of our longer stay on the Island.

Noticed this new form of architecture yesterday over in Alberni.  Guess he forgot to brace it crossways.

I ended up with a two headed sea gull last night at Qualicum Beach

The gulls were practicing their formation flying

Two cruise ships headed for Alaska passing by Qualicum Beach

The Island Princess

The Volendam

Warning

Spiders the last two photos

On the fence beside the motor home

FINISHED WITH THE NORTH ISLAND FOR NOW

First of all, welcome to Creekers Two, who I understand are followers of this blog.  I guess I have never mentioned my geocaching handle on the blog from comments made by these fellow cachers to my brother in law John F.  Anyway, it is Photo Quad, a combination of my first two hobbies.  Now it is photography, ATVing and geocaching that I spend much of my free time on.  All three support each other.  Geocaching leads me to interesting photo opportunities and the ATV often takes me there.  Given that, if I find some outstanding photo opportunity, the geocaching falls into second place.  The cache will be there another day but the photography can be fleeting.  Grab it while you can!
We have had our grand daughter, Georgia with us for a few days.  I drove down to Errington on Wednesday towing the RZR and returned it to its winter abode.  After a quick turn around, I met Richard and Georgia at Campbell River and picked up Georgia and her luggage.  I was back to the motor home after a 9.5 hour drive.
Two days ago, while the ladies were at John and Anne's in Port McNeill, John and I hiked the Blinkhorn Trail out of Telegraph Cove.  It's another one of those fairly difficult trails with lots of roots and mud but there were several geocaches along it as well as some photo ops so we had to go.  This wasn't my first time on the trail as I had gone with John before I got into caching.  John has done it several times.
We packed up this morning and headed back down Island to Campbell River and are parked at Bill's.  We will spend two nights here then move to Seal Bay RV Park near Comox on Monday.  We'll be there until next Saturday attending the Island Chapter of Escapees RV Club's Fall rally.
Five weeks today until our 50th anniversary party so after the rally, we will need to get busy finalizing plans.

Old Chevy in the rain forest

Rust pile

At the end of the Blinkhorn Trail looking down Johnstone Strait.  Just down there on the right is Robson Bight, world renowned Killer Whale viewing area.

Along the Blinkhorn Trail

A big old Western Red Cedar stump along the Blinkhorn Trail

Telegraph Cove, kayaking mecca

16 foot wide "Fat Trucks" on North Island logging roads don't leave much room

The back side of an alder leaf in the drizzle yesterday