Back home for a holiday...and to a super "natural" Island world.

From out of the sunshine, a soft rain began to fall and a magical rainbow formed, right before our eyes.

As quickly as the mists had come in, the skies cleared, the rainbow vanished...Maple Bay and, across the Sansum Narrows, Saltspring Island appeared. It was very special.

We were back home again, after a second six months away in another super "natural" and ancient land, the place of my birth...Scotland.

Sometimes you have to go away, to see most clearly, the beauty of your own Island home.

This is the first posting since returning...it's a bit overdue. You see, we opted for a wifi connection turned way "down" (for budget-related reasons). It had sufficient "juice" to check email...but very little else. Bravely, we tried to tough it out. We finally asked a friend if we could have access to her connection and, well, the memories of instant connection came flooding back. A short time later, so did our own wifi. ;)

So, back on Vancouver Island for a holiday (and the pleasant avocation of blogging), here's a small taste of the past couple of weeks.

A visit to Gabriola Island brought back many memories of the little cabin looking across the Salish Sea to the British Columbia Coastal Mountains.

There has been very special family time...

...and some new pals.

One gave us the "eagle" eye!

Another, at the nearby Raptors Centre, provided an opportunity for a lesson in "falconry" - with a hawk!

Launching the kayaks, just five minutes from home, "rocks"!

The Gulf Islands' coastline is primordial.

The narrow boats were, of course, very happy to be out exploring again.

With every morning launch, comes mid-day lunch.

The trees grow pretty big around here...a "cracking" place to meet up with a special friend.

Wooden pathways lead to remote beaches.

Roots? Yes. They make fine listeners to Joan's "atmospheric" tunes.

From Long Beach, it might be possible to see all the way across the Pacific Ocean...well, if the earth wasn't so round!

Driftwood and runaway logs, some tossed high onto the rocks, line the western Island shores.

The late April waves release their storm-created energy...dreamlike.

The western sun sets, behind our Island home...and stirs the heart, mind, and soul.



Sometimes one has to go away, and come home again, to see and comprehend the beauty of a world so familiar. For the time being, we are home, we will breathe it all in...deeply.

It's all, truly, super "natural".