ITS A WARM SUMMER NOW

With some of my siblings still working and others travelling, it isn't too easy to get all eight of us together so it is nice when it happens.  My sister Sue took the initiative to make it happen this time.  We are currently experiencing what the weather office is calling  the longest hot spell in history but it isn't nearly as bad as many other areas who have higher temperatures combined with humidity.  Aileen is thankful that we are at Charlie and Sheila's where we have 30 amp power so we can use our air conditioning.  The forecast is for cooler temperatures next week so we may move somewhere off grid for a few days for a change of scenery.  There is no ATVing in this area now as the forest is all closed due to extreme fire danger.  I've only had the RZR out once since we get to the Island this spring.

The town of Duncan, BC has the 39 days festival with music at different venues around town every day.  I went one evening with Cousin Neil and Carol.

Close up of the drummer in the above photo

This venue was right along the abandoned railway tracks

Audience feet

Returning to the car, we used Alvin's Alley

These murals and more graced the alley

Wild rabbit on my evening walk

Lavender

Farm land above Quamichan Lake near Duncan

Curious sheep

Near the motor home at Charlie's, this spider was chowing down on an earwig

Great Blue Heron coming up empty at Qualicum Beach, BC

Great Blue Heron success

This is how a heron throws its prey up and turns it so it can be swallowed

Great Blue Heron cruising past

Evening colour at Qualicum Beach with the sun behind me

Not much colour when you shoot into the sun

All the above photos were taken with my Canon SX60 

The two below are from my full frame Canon 6D on a tripod using the self timer.

My brothers and sisters and I got together on Tuesday for supper.  We are in age order from the left so that's me the old guy on the right.  There is just under fifteen years between me and Becky.

Then we added our spouses

SECOND MOVING DAY THIS WEEK and a FLORENCE, AZ CONNECTION

We've had a busy week.  On Monday we moved down to my Cousin Neil and Carol's in Duncan.  Wednesday we drove up to Nanaimo to attend the Escapees RV Club chapter luncheon.  Thursday Aileen had an eye checkup in Victoria.  After the appointment, Richard bought takeout lunch and we went to a nearby park with him and Georgia.  We had a nice visit.
Our plans have been altered once again.  It seems Aileen requires some laser surgery on her eyes before we can head south.  The cataract surgery has to heal for three months before doing the laser and the first appointment is October 22.  We are usually at least a week south of the border by then.  We think we will continue with our plan to visit Grand Junction, CO on our way south so we will arrive in Caliente later than usual.   When we've had time to reflect on this latest surprise, we will try to come up with a plan and route. 
Today, we moved up to Charlie and Sheila's where we hope to stay for a few days.  We already have appointments on three days next week.

I bought a used 2X extender for my 100-400 zoom lens and I took this shot of a turkey vulture with the combination on my Canon 5D Mk2

Aileen and I went to the Pier in Campbell River one evening as I noticed on ship finder that two cruise ships were approaching from the north on their return from Alaska.  The white one is the Celebrity INFINITY and the dark one is the Noordam.

On Sunday morning, I went up to the Campbell River airport where the Wings and Wheels show was on.  Lots of beautiful cars on display as well as quite a few planes.

B25 that was taking riders

Now for another small world moment!

For my friends who winter in Florence, AZ, that is Phil Price on the left.  When Aileen and I first went to Caliente in Florence back in November 2008, we rented Phil's lot and parked on it for over three months.  He was visiting in Olympia, WA and drove up to visit his friend Al, seated on the right.  Al summers on Vancouver Island and winters on the same street as Phil in Florence.

Al's '35 Ford convertible

A Packard

Old Chevy

BACK AND FORTH

That seems to be how our summer is going.  We were back down to our son's to park for a few days while Aileen had the surgery in her other eye July 3.  That surgery also seems to have gone well.  She now has excellent distance eyesight but requires glasses for closeup which is opposite to how her vision had been before.  She bought a pair of cheap reading glasses to get her through until she can take a proper eye exam in about six weeks.
Since I had purchased a season's pass at Butchart Gardens, I made another visit there one morning.  I had wanted to go on an overcast day to do flower photos but although it was cloudy when I went, before long the sun had come out.  Then the tour buses started arriving and it was time to get out.  Actually, it was difficult getting out as the tourists were surging along the pathways more that filling the full width.  At times I just stood there waiting for a gap.  Some places are just too popular!
On Friday July 6th, which happened to be Aileen's birthday, we moved from North Saanich up to Cousin Bill's at Willow Point, near Campbell River.  With a stop for gas, another for dumping our tanks, another for lunch in a pull out along the highway then finally a longer stop for Aileen's nap and Mitzy's walk, it took us about six hours to make the drive.  Richard and Georgia drove up that evening and spent the weekend with us.
On Saturday, Richard and I did a bit of geocaching and poking about checking out possibilities for future RV rally activities.  On Sunday, Richard, Georgia and I went up to Paradise Meadows at Mt Washington and walked around a loop trail.  Sunday was Georgia's birthday and we and Bill went to Bill's son Tony and Rita's for supper.  We had a great evening visiting.  Tony and Rita joined us another evening for supper at Bill's.
Small world moment here this morning.  Rita's niece was getting married this weekend over on the west coast of Vancouver Island and she and Tony and others of her family were going there.  So Rita is related  to Aileen as Tony's mother was Aileen's cousin.  Then we heard this morning that my brother's son was going to a wedding in the same area.  It turned out to be the same wedding!  Maybe it isn't that far a stretch since Rita and I both come from large families.
I did some geocaching several days but only a few each time as some were quite difficult or impossible to find.  Yesterday, we went to Courtenay to buy a new CPAP mask for Aileen as her's started coming apart in the night and leaking.  She found a sleep apnea center in Courtenay that we will probably use in the future as they seem to be very service oriented.  Since the place in Salmon Arm we have always dealt with changed hands, the service has not been great.
 

The walkway over the highway below our son's house

I spotted this cat lazing in the evening sun on a trail near our son's.  This is what's known as backlighting in art and photography.

On another trail near our son's, I found this Calla Lily that someone had tossed over the hedge and it was growing in the ditch

Closer examination revealed this little frog tucked down out of sight

On the other side of a non-opening window upstairs in our son's house

I was able to put my camera lens right up to the glass so I could do a close up.  The spider felt safe as it seemed to know I couldn't get through the glass.  In the comments below, my son has identified this guy as a Cross Orb-weaver (Araneus diadematus)

A man made carved out fish ladder on the Puntledge River at Nymph Falls 

Lower section of Nymph Falls

Campbell River waterfront

Subalpine Daisy at Paradise Meadows.  There were many nice flowers blooming along the walkway in Paradise Meadows

Since you're not supposed to step off the walkway, this is how you get photos like the one above.  This is a cell phone image our son took of me.  Using the small Canon SX60 with a tilting screen makes for some flexible photography.  Shoot with one hand and balance with the other!

Fringed Grass of Parnasus

Jeffrey's Shooting Stars

Paradise Meadows elevation about 3,550 feet.

A little pond in Paradise Meadows.  The plants are Buckbean.

Close up of Buckbean

Interesting tree forms

Paradise Meadows looking across to Mt Washington ski area

Gray Jay

Bunchberry

Lots of neat old tree skeletons

Different colours of Indian Paintbrush along the road to Mt Washington