Theresa's Pics

Fish on a line.

2009-09-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

For work the other day we took our clients fishing up at Ellison Lake. We caught three fish that I believe were trout. Managed to get a photo of this guy while he was fighting being reeled in.

A Few Shots of Summer

2009-09-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Just to keep you on your toes while in logging country.

Surf Schools Out!

Long Beach.

Deserted surfboard on Long Beach.

Wickininish Beach.

Sunset in Parksville.

My poor pink runners after one of our hardest summer hikes. The left one actually came off my foot and Chris spent 5 minutes digging it out of the mud for me. It did not feel good going back onto my foot after being filled with mud.

Clouds over the beach at Campbell River.

The water reflecting on a yacht.

This one was taken while I was in Durrance Lake. Trying to keep steady while treading water, keeping the camera out of the lake while getting the shot that I wanted was an interesting challenge.

Peacock Feathers

2009-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Have proved to be a challenge to shoot. Trying to get the colours right, the shimmer and the texture all while the subject is moving has meant lots of bad shots in the quest for the great one.

Rock Star Rooster.

2009-06-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

OK. This rooster totally cracks

me up every time I see him.

He has earned the title of Rock-Star Rooster.

He's got the Mick Jagger strut down.

And he has the 80s rock hair perfect too.

And when he doesn't get his own way,

he can throw a barnyard fit rooster-style.

Bee!

2009-06-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was out playing with my newer lens (the 35mm f3.5) and I was really having fun with the macro. I was pretty happy with these-especially considering that the bee had no interest in staying still for more than a few moments at a time.

Forest Mushrooms

2008-11-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Chris and I went for a walk through Mt Doug Park.

When I looked down at the ground, I noticed these small mushrooms. I couldn't help but think that they could be interesting to try for macro shots. I had chosen to not bring my camera but luckily I had thought to grab Chris' point and shoot and throw it in our knapsack.

More Fences...

2008-11-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

So I thought that I would share a few of the fence shots that I didn't use for the photo contest.

I really like the effect with this one but, as it isn't really a fence, I thought it would be cheating to use it.

Love how the bricks look in this shot. The fence, not so much.

Love the rails here-especially the rounded ones on the top level.

My Neices Birthday

2008-10-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

So these pictures are a bit older but I just never got around to posting some (oops!). They are some photos I took during my neices birthday in August. We were at my Dad's extended care facility for our family party. The girls were getting bored inside so Chris and I took them outside to the playground that is there. Then we decided to try our hands at basketball...

Alycia loving the swings.

Malena getting into the swing action.

Alycia. The dresses that they are wearing are ones that my Grandma hand smocked for my sister and myself when we were their age.

Alycia peeking out over the top of the climbing platform.

Alycia walking through the flower gardens. I think she was trying to find Chris and Malena as they were playing "Monsters".

Malena just loved these lizard-eye glasses that my Mom gave her.

Chris and Malena playing "Monsters". Other than making faces, holding your hands in weird positions and stomping around, I'm not sure what exactly this game entailed-but they had fun.

Malena practicing her jump shot.

And getting her first basket ever!

Alycia trying to get the hang of dribbling.

Chris getting into the basketball action too.

Malena taking a breather. Gotta love the classy way to sit in a dress.

We Have a Jumper!

2008-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Chris and I stopped up in Coombs. Anyone who has been there knows that the thing they are most famous for is the goats who live on the roof of a store there.

The goats happily pose for pictures and give you this look trying to get you to feed them. Of course they may have better luck if they didn't hang out by the "Please Do Not Feed The Goats" signs. Guess they just didn't think that one out very well.

Totem Poles

2008-10-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I took two of my clients up to Duncan for the day. While we there we went to the Native Cultural Centre. Of course I had to bring my camera and took the opportunity to shoot some of the totem poles that are on the grounds.

The Bright Side of Insomnia

2008-09-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

So I have found one good side to having insomnia on vacation and waking up at 3:30am.

Beach sunrises!

Saturday in Parksville.

2008-09-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

What a tough week-end I tell ya. Sun, beach and being a couple of goofs.

Our first view of the beach that day. I don't think that I really could have asked for more.

My toes digging into the warm sand.

This is the same three posts sticking from the sand as in yesterdays sunset photo. Think the tide has gone out just a bit?

I love the wavey texture of the sand on the beach. It felt so neat under bare feet.

Wakeboarders.

Kite Flying. I may have over-processed this one a bit but I like the HDR effect on this photo.

A clam shell half buried in the sand.

A stranded buoy. Just a bit away from the water at that point.

Three boats. I thought it was bizarre that if you look at the front boat (on the far right side) it's not even in any water.

A funny little crab scurrying along the beach.

Chris being a goof jumping in the water.

Me after a mud/sandball fight. Lucky it washes right off.

In case you hadn't seen enough of my feet, here's one with seaweed on my toes.

The tide coming back in.

Parksville

2008-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last week-end Chris and I went up to Parksville. It was so beautiful and relaxing. The perfect week-end away.

On the Friday evening, we arrived a bit late-darn slow dinner in Nanaimo. We arrived just in time to head down to the beach to catch a gorgeous sunset.

Stunned Bird

2008-09-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was in our living room when I heard this loud bang on the patio doors. When I went out to investigate, there was a poor stunned bird on the deck that wasn't moving. Not quite sure what to do, I asked Chris to put on some gloves and gently put the bird onto an old dutpan and put it on the railing. My thinking was that when it was no longer stunned, it would fly away quickly and I wanted to keep it from getting trapped on our deck-or flying into the doors again.

So, after placing the bird on the railing-and I swear that the bird was looking right at me-I noticed that I was in an unique position to get some very close bird photos. So I grabbed Chris' point-and-shoot and this is what I shot.

Sorry to all you non-bird people.

Oh! After about 45 minutes, the bird did come out of it's daze and flew away. So I didn't have to bury another bird who was confused by our doors.

How We Spent BC Day.

2008-08-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was a holiday, BC Day. There was a lot of things going on in town that we had thought about doing. There was a huge free concert on the grounds of the Legislature that was our original plan. Unfortunately the day before, Chris spent the entire day outside painting-without sunscreen! So we needed to find something a bit more shady to do.

So I came up with the idea of going to Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. Tall trees=a lot of shade and it beats staying home all day. The park used to be the Victoria Portland Cement Factory (1904-1920) and there are a lot of ruins from the factory in the park (more great photos of these are coming).

But I am a klutz. Just as we were nearing where we were stopping for lunch, I could hear the Snowbirds getting near us. So we started to look up to try to find them. They flew right over our heads and in my quest to get some photos (they were still quite low because the airport wasn't that far from us and they would have been great photos), I lost track of where I was on the trail and, well basically, fell off the side of the trail and down an embankement. Oops.

Luckily I saved the camera (again), and only have a bit of road rash on my right leg and rolled my ankle a bit. I am glad that my ankle didn't start to really hurt until later that night so I was able to get back to the car with no problems.

So on to the photos.

Looking up the trees.

The sun poking out through the bottom of the trees.

Our scenic view from lunch.

Chris and I taking our photo together after eating lunch.

The wood poles that, at one time, were part of a pier.

Even Chris is starting to get in the action with his Olympus Stylus 850SW.

Faces From the Cornmaze.

2008-07-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

My Aunt and I took four of my cousins kids to the cornmaze the other day. While I have lots of pictures from the maze itself, I was kind of excited to be able to try to get some spontanious photos of their faces. It's something that I haven't tried to do often and was glad for the opportunity to try things out.

Some 'Oh crap! I just got busted" pouty faces.

The train whistle was too loud for her, so every time it would go off Kylie would cover her ears.

Trying to mimic the feeling of motion on the train.

Such a serious girl.

Kylie was in such high spirits that day that she was a great model for me to shoot.

Zoe checking out the Old West Bank.

OK. Totally posed.

From the bottom of the sea...

2008-07-18T09:03:00.001-07:00

... well sort of.

Chris and I went to the Vancouver Aquarium and so we were able to cheat a bit and not have to go scuba diving (which I can't do). But I did have to shoot these through glass and murky water so it's gotta count for something.

I believe that these are sea anenomes-and I hope that is the correct spelling.

Jellyfish

2008-07-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

Yes I have been slacking way too much with editing and posting my photos lately and looking at everyone's blogs. I guess that life is just getting in the way of hobbies right now and this has been suffering. Starting next Wednesday I'm on vacation again (yay!) so I have set aside a day (or two) to get back into the swing of things and catch up on everyone's photos.

Flowers

2008-06-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

I just love lavender. The smell when it's in the garden or just cut. The purple colour is just beautiful.

I believe that these were poppy petals (although I could easily be wrong about that) that someone had collected and left on a park bench. I just loved the colour and the contrast of the soft petals against the rougher wood bench.

More Geese.

2008-06-18T11:00:00.001-07:00

What can I say? They were cute and the babies were fluffy.

Plus they didn't attack me!

Grass-Eye View

2008-06-17T19:43:00.001-07:00

While I was lying on the grass shooting some flowers-well and enjoying lying on the grass-Chris started to walk towards me. I just couldn't resist his foot on the grass from that level.

Babies!

2008-06-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

Well it's been too long since I last added photos so I decided to get into gear and do some today.

I have about 600 photos that I haven't really had time to look at or edit yet-yes I took a lot of vacation photos which I am aiming to get up here soon. But here are a few from today when I was out trying to come up with something for the photo contest.

We stopped at the Oak Bay Marina to look at the boats and get some shots from there. While there we came across a lot of geese. There were about 30 adults, some 'teenagers' (best way I can describe how big they were) and about 6 baby geese, well gosslings I guess.

Two of the babies. I really liked the rear-facing shot as it seemed different and to really stand out from the head-on ones (which I'm sure will be posted later).

One of the 'teenager' geese walking out of the water. This one just makes me laugh.

Raindrops

2008-06-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well the weather around here has not been very nice for the last few days. It has been quite chilly and wet.

So I shot the raindrops on the leaf of my Japanese Maple that's on my balcony.

Things I Didn't Expect to See at the Beach

2008-06-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Rusty power tools that were sitting on the sand.

A ladder that goes nowhere.

A driftwood seamonster.

A riding lawnmower deserted in the middle of a strip of grass.

Bird on a Fence.

2008-06-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

One of the few perks of my job-I can go out for walks with my guys when it's sunny outside. No being all cooped up inside. And I can shoot photos while we're out too.

Guess What I Saw at Work Yesterday?

2008-06-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

I know.

I see them often at home and I get to see deer a lot at work too. These two, and sometimes a third one is there too, walk down the side of the house and seem to enjoy eating the guys' garden.

Lucky for me they are young and haven't figured out that it is best for them to be scared of people. So I can get fairly close to them for photos (much closer than I can get at home).

And they haven't had that crazy "I'm about to charge you" look yet either.

Flowers. Morning Dew and Sunglasses.

2008-06-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Some flowers that I came across while out for a walk with Peter and Allan (two of my clients) the other day.

Something either coming into, or out of, bloom.

Another dandelion.

Morning dew on the tips of... well it's something green...

Love the tree reflections in Peter's sunglasses.

Houseboats

2008-05-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

I just love going down here. I mean, not only are seals your neighbourhood pets, but this is the view from your door. Sure you have to put up with the noise from tourists, put I couldn't help but drool a bit over the houseboat for sale...

2008-05-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

A few assorted photos from a recent walk along the Harbour.

So wouldn't want to go down that ladder-the water is a bit questionable.

A corner stone on a building.

Perfectly timed-yeah we'll go with flukey- to get the seagull in the top corner of the shot.

Waterfront

2008-05-27T16:12:00.001-07:00

A few more photos from our recent strolls along the Inner Harbour.

A rowboat with an interesting paint job.

Some buoys.

Just because you are travelling by kayak or canoe doesn't mean that you can't get any take-out.

A Ship and Two Geeks.

2008-05-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

When Chris and I were at the top of Moss Rock Park, a tall ship went sailing by. There was also a helicooptor hovering over the ship. The piece of land is Clover Point where I have taken lots of photos-notably many of my seagull photos.

Chris and I are such geeks. Gotta try to take photos of us together wehenever I can remember. One day I'll figure out the timer thing so my arm isn't sticking out in every shot...

I guess Chris was either getting bored or hoping to find another lizard. I managed to sneak this photo of him. We both like this photo-in fact, if Chris ever gets his next album together, he is threatening to use this shot on it somewhere.

Blue Flowers.

2008-05-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Some wild flowers. Yes again at Moss Rock Park.

And a stalk of wild grass.

Purple Flowers

2008-05-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

These are some purple flowers that we came across on Moss Rock Park. Something, other than a lizard to look at up there-and a whole lot less creepy too.

Pink Daisies

2008-05-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

The Critter That Creeped Me Out.

2008-05-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Psychotic seagulls don't faze me. But this guy did. Even now I am getting shivers just looking at these photos and thinking about it. Blech!!!

We ran into this guy on the top of Moss Rock Park. It is a very easy walk with stunning views-and a lizard too! I must say that this is something that I don't remember ever seeing in Victoria before.

Seals!

2008-05-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Chris and I spent our beautiful afternnon down at Fisherman's Wharf. It's a great spot-the place in town to look at funky houseboats, lots of boats, buy fresh right-off-the-boat fish and seafood, and eat some great food.

But the best thing we saw there yesterday was four spotted seals.

I love how when I was taking this photo, it felt like the seal was looking right into my eyes.

The claws on the front flippers.

This seal is named Ying-Yang. And yes he really does have two different coloured eyes. The colour is a bit off (tried to fix it up a bit but to no avail) because Yin-Yang was underwater at the time.

Some shots of their rear fins (sorry but I don't know the correct name) while they were underwater.

At one of the fish stores you can buy a container of fish of some sort to feed the seals. These are smart seals. They know if they hang around long enough they can pretty much eat to their hearts content. In fact, they will even come up to your hand to eat if you hold the fish out over the water.

These are some very large seals. You can tell that they love the tourists who feed them.

Dandelions

2008-05-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

While most people consider these weeds, I find them kind of pretty.

Of course my opinion may be different if I had a yard...

Random

2008-05-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today I have a few random photos to post.

This is an otter that ran in front of us when we were at the beach the other day. I've never seen one that wasn't at an aquarium so I was a bit surprised when it darted in front of us. Boy do they ever move fast.

A caterpillar on Pete's hand.

The Legislature Buildings at night. I want to go back and try this another night-and to bring my tri-pod this time.

Health and Safety Week-Really!!

2008-05-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

So last week was North America Health and Safety Week. My company decided to have a photo contest for us to demonstrate how to be safe at work.

We took a different perspective. We decided to show how to be unsafe at work.

Yes we are a twisted trio but did we ever have fun and make people laugh. We'll find out on Monday-well Wednesday for me-if we won the contest. Don't know what the prize is but we would almost be happy to just have bragging rights.

First we have Dan demonstrating his method for getting things unstuck from the lawnmower.

Wow! Does't he look happy mowing the lawn. Gotta love the bare feet.

Saeed, if you are thirsty there are better things to drink than bleach (actually Oxy-Genic).

Theresa, that's not how to make dacquiris at work!

Dan sure has a unique way of getting his head into checking the oil in the work van.

I don't even know how Dan could have lowered the wheelchair lift on himself-especially since he's holding the remote for it!

Pete and Theresa! This is not how you play at work! I find it so funny how he was really into doing this and is actully punching me in the nose.

Shells

2008-05-10T16:56:00.001-07:00

Birthday Cake

2008-05-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

This week we've had four birthday's in our circle of friends. One person had his on the 6th, Chris was the 7th, one guy (whose birthday was the 6th) daughter had her birthday on the 8th and another friend is today.

So we had one big party with a yummy cake-made by me because I am the cake lady.

This is Apria who turned 4 yesterday. Gotta love how she is eye balling that cake. Love that look on her face.

And I tell ya, there is nothing better than a four-year old eating cake.

Crazy Animals

2008-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well I've run into a few strange and crazy animals over the last few days.

First there was the seagull that perched itself on our windshield wipers while we were eating dinner in the car before a movie. As if those claws weren't enough, it kept trying to peck at us through the windshield. And then it opened its wings full width-at which point we decided to close the side windows.

I know the colour isn't the best but I guess it's not too bad from shooting through the windowshield, avoiding a red reflection from our car on the seagull's belly, and not having my camera. I gave Chris an Olympus SW 850 for his birthday so I was giving it a bit of a test drive that night.

And then there was the crazy bunny.

I was crouching on the ground and it came up to me, perched on it's hind legs, made its ears go all crazy and then stuck it's tongue out at me!

The peacocks might not have been crazy but I loved that I caught them with their feathers on display-even if it's shot with Chris' camera through a chain-link fence.

The Breakwater Part IV

2008-05-01T13:36:00.001-07:00

Really. This should be the last of the set of photos from the Breakwater.

At the end of the Breakwater, is a small beacon-because it's not really a lighthouse. It was at the end of a beautiful evening.

The Breakwater Part III

2008-04-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is the lower walkways along the side of the Breakwater. It is huge pieces of rock lined up for people to walk along. The pieces are uneven in size which makes lot of ridges that you have to be careful to not trip on and there are gaps between every block.

This made an adventure when we went. I had just got my new glasses-with a different presecription that is taking some getting used to (it makes the ground look curved so I can have problems judging the depth and shape of the ground). But I managed to not fall, although I did stumble a few times...

This area is also popular with scuba divers.

...and fishers.

The Breakwater Part II

2008-04-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

So since I showed the side of the Breakwater yesterday, I thought I would show the view from the top of the Breakwater as you walk along it.

And in case you were wondering, no there are no rails or anything to keep you from falling off the side while walking-hence why it is supposed to be closed at dark and on stormy days.

This shot shows the protected area between the edge of the Breakwater and one side of the shore. If I recall correctly, the Search and Rescue boats are moored in here. The Breakwater is the curve on the left side of the photo.

The first bend along the walkway (about a quarter of the way along).

The view of the other side of it (from where we parked the car).

Waterfront Graffiti

2008-04-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

Chris and I went for a stroll along the breakwater the other night. I haven't done that for about two years and had forgotten how things looked and what there is to photograph. I took lots of photos that night so of course they will be posted over the next few days.

Anyways, the breakwater is just that. A cement jetty (?) that protrudes from the shore to slow down the water as it comes to shore-I'm assuming towards the Inner Harbour although I can't say that for sure. The top is a cement walkway that is quite popular for an evening stroll. The sides are built up of a few rows of large cement bricks that you can also walk along.

These photos are taken from the lower rows of blocks, in the top photo at the far left side you can see the top of the breakwater and some people walking along it. These lower levels have some interesting graffiti and painting.

The Big Shave

2008-04-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I spent about two hours scrubbing out our bathroom. So what does that mean? Yes! As soon as everything is clean, Chris realizes he needs to shave.

Say good-bye to the clean bathroom...

Markers

2008-04-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

I think that these will be the last photos that I post from Pioneer Square cemetary.

There is something so poignant to me in the first photo. Just a simple work 'Baby' on the marker. Nothing else. I was glad to see that someone had planted a flower in the site, almost so as not to forget the unknown baby.

And this one has a bit more info about the person. But it is very hard to make it out. 'Little' "Died' and a few numbers.

Fire Hydrant

2008-04-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

I came across this neglected looking fire hydrant today. How come while looking at it, after thinking that this would make cool photos that the first thing in my mind is "I'm glad I don't live around here and depend on this hydrant from protecting my home."

Reflections

2008-04-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last night Chris and I went out to a movie (yay!). When we got home we were walking through the parking garage and I noticed a huge puddle in the middle of the garage floor. As we were approaching it I noticed the great reflections of the pipes and lights in the puddle and how interesting they looked.

So I ran upstairs to get my camera-and hoping that no one came and drove through my puddle.

Unfortunately the flourescent lighting did something weird to the colours-and yet again I wished that I had a proper flash for my camera 'cause they may have turned out a bit better. So sepia and b&w it it...

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2008-04-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at breakfast...

Yesterday at dinner...

Fallen Memories

2008-04-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

2008-04-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I was downtown, well the outskirts anyways, and walked through Pioneer Park. This is the oldest cemetary in town for the early British immigrants. I was a bit shocked by the state of disrepair that many of the monuments are in today.

I took a fair amount of photos and will be posting them over the next few days.

This is the top of a monument. I couldn't make out any of the writing to tell you much about it. I was attracted to the cherub angel faces that are carved into it.

The View From a Log.

2008-04-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

So Chris and I went out for a walk yesterday. We get to a creek and there is a fallen tree that goes across the creek almost to the other bank.

So I'm game.

I have no fear about walking across it to get some photos from a different angle. I've been walking across beach logs and beach rocks since I could walk so I am comfortable being up there and I wasn't worried about loosing my balance at all. I mean, it's not every day that you can shoot a creek with a birds eye view.

Chris however, was more hesitant and shall we say a bit more nervous than I was. Although I don't think that I helped by repeatedly saying "So I guess it would be a bad idea if I slipped and fell into the creek right here?".

So thanks Chris for talking the photos of me on the middle of the tree when I was over hte middle of the creek-even though I think he was secretly shitting himself.

Chris on terra ferma (with my tri-pod). He was not putting even a toe on that tree.

The log across the creek. Not too bumpy and not too slippery with the moss growing on it either.

The reflection of a vine from overhead. If you look closely at the shadow, you may recognize the flowers from my pink flowers from the other day. I thought it is neat that you can make out a light pink flower reflection in the water instead of being solid black.

The same pool as I'm throwing rocks in it from above.

There were thes blobs at the bottom of the photo which I edited out. I kept looking the blobs trying to figure out what they were. Then I realized that it was my toes! But I couldn't see the log udner them so I guess my toes were hanging over the side.

I guess that may have been a reason why Chris was a bit worried for me up there...

The water flowing along the creek.

Going a little faster at the bottom of a mini waterfall.

The creek bed along the cliff.

More trail walks

2008-04-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

I think this should be the last of my photos from our walk the other day. For some reason, when uploaded these photos all came out a bit darker than how the original one looks. I don't know why (or if this ever happens to anyone else). So most of these don't look quite as good as they did in their folder.

A shot up the trees.

Chris standing by the roots of a fallen tree. He's just over 6 feet tall to give you an idea of the size of everything. Yes he's a willing model for me when I need one!

Chris standing in some ferns. On me they were waist-high, him not so much...

Some ferns that were growing on a tree branch over our heads. Unfortunately this one posted very dark compared to the original.

The shot of Chris and I together with the Douglas Creek behind us (boo on his face looking so dark though).

Everythings Bloomin'

2008-04-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

So when Chris and I were walking the other day, I couldn't help but notice how everything is blooming now-as are my allergies. I thought that I'd share some of these blooming photos.

And since I almost had to use it for the animal photo this week, I thought that I'd include the slug. And yes I know it looks somewhat like an uncircumcised penis...

Pink Flowers

2008-04-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Chris and I went out for another stroll and came across these pink flowers. I'm not exactly sure what they are from (I might be able to tell later in the year when they are fully out for the summer) but I just loved the colour and how vibrant they were.

Sudsy Fountain-and some metal too.

2008-03-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Last night Chris and I decided to go to the Imax for the last night that 'Transformers' was playing. Unfortunately, it was sold out.

Since I had my camera we wandered around talking and looking for something to shoot. Then we came across this fountain. From a distance it looked like there was giant icicles hanging off it. As I've never seen anything like that before, I had to check it out. When we got closer, we realized that someone had poured some soap into the fountain and the icicles were actually a large amount of bubbles.

Bad for the fountain but good for us.

Did I mention that it was a bit windy? Love the bubbles flying away.

Love the swirl of the bubbles in the water.

Just something about the water falling over the ledge.

This is another fountain on the grounds of the Parliament Building. I was entranced watching the water curve over the top against the contrast of the sunset with the Empress Hotel in the background.

Some shots of metal that I took. I don't know which of these I may use for the contest-or if I'll use any of them at all.

A weathered BC Coat of Arms, well a part of it anyways.

The ceremonial door at the Legislature. Unless you are a considered important-like the Lt. Governor or the Queen-you won't ever be able to use this door.

The handrail leading up to that door.

One of the lamposts on the Legislature grounds. The full BC Coat of Arms is on the base. It was hard to get the black-on-black design to show up well, especially since it was getting late and the sun was setting.

The top of one of the lamps, a Victoria traditional design.

And since it was there-flowers!

Clash of the Seasons

2008-03-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it when I looked outside my living room doors to see snow falling against the backdrop of the cherry blossom trees. I mean this is Victoria and it's March 28th.

Who would have thunk it?

Rust

2008-03-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

I love the look of rusted things. The colours, the texture if the item has started to rot away and how it looks when the rust runs onto surrounding items as well.

I saw these rusted items and loved how they looked. It looks like building waste that has been used to help 'shore' up a cliffside. The rust is unusual in colour and I'm guessing that the salt water that is has been exposed to would explain that.

These shots are of two pieces of rusted metal and two shots of each piece. And yes, this is some of what I was shooting when I was swarmed by those seagulls...

Attack of the Birds

2008-03-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Chris and I went to Dallas Rd. and went climbing on some rocks on the beach that I haven't explored in years. At one point I was trying very hard to balance on a wobbly rock, that was balancing on a wobbly log, to try to capture this rusted piece of metal that was sticking out of the side of the cliff.

Suddenly there were about 50 seagulls swarming at me.

There was a guy on the ground right above my head who decided to start feeding bread to the seagulls (don't even get me started on that) and the gulls were coming for the food.

They were swooping in so close to my head that I was actually getting startled-not only for how close they were but for fear of being hit with poop. Luckily that didn't happen but Chris did comment afterwards that a few times he thought that some seagulls actually bumped into my head (if they did I didn't notice).

It was enough to make me say "Blech!".

So here are the seagull shots that I was able to get as I was being air-bombed while balancing on the wobbly rock.

I know that this one is out of focus but I really do love the colour of the sunset and the contrast of the black seagulls against it.

These last two are seagulls when they weren't swarming me.

I like these ones much better than the other ones. They didn't startle me...

Driftwood Cross

2008-03-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

While exploring a different part of Clover Point on Dallas Rd. that I haven't been to since I was very young, we came across this cross made of driftwood and kelp.

There is nothing to indicate why it is there. It just is. And being the day after Easter, it just somehow seemed appropriate to post it today.

More Vancouver Trip Pics

2008-03-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well this should be the last of the photos from my work trip to Vancouver.

These photos were all ones that were taken out of the window of the moving work van.
All that exhaust!

A dilapidated building on the side of the highway.

The "Why you shouldn't try to take photos in the George Massey Tunnel" shot.

There was just something about the line of the telephone lines in this shot.

Oops! Apparently I took this photo through a mesh screen of some sort. My co-worker and I were wondering which bridge this is. Does anyone know?

I've never seen so many cranes in one small space before. Poor Pete was trying to count them but we were driving too fast for him to get above two.

The view from the Knight Street Bridge (at least that's where I think we were-the one right by Ikea).

We Also Went to Scienceworld...

2008-03-10T14:52:00.001-07:00

Outside the main door, there is this contraption that drops balls and makes music. It was fun to watch and all the bits and pieces made for some interesting photos. Unfortunately, it was behind some scratched plexi-glass so the photos aren't quite as good as I had hoped.

Some of the optical illusions.

I was glad that in the photo you can still see the effect of the circles moving.

Count the ghosts.

The two top pieces were switched around. Now count the ghosts again. Brian was fascinated by this one and trying to figure out how the extra ghost appeared.

Pete getting the straight yellow rod through the curved cut-out in the purple sheet.

Look carefully. These are circles, not spirals.

Perpetual motion rings.

I couldn't get my eyes to work on this one-and I don't think that I could explain it either-but I thought it looked kind of interesting.
A close-up of the Soma Blocks. Love the wear pattern on them.
Brian and Pete trying to out-relax each other (Bri-with that intense look-won).

Next we went into the exhibit where we turned and tilted things to make energy.

Pete tilting the solar panel.

On this one, you spun a wheel and the electricity that you generated lit the light bulbs and then would illuminate the silver disk at the top. You can faintly see the blue lines in the silver disk.
A water turbine.

Pete spinning the dial-I believe this is from the water turbine.

Makine hydro electricity. At the end of it, the brown-orange rooster on the right-hand side spins when you've made enough electricity.
The lights at the edge of the screen in the Omnidome movie theatre.

Hmmmmm.... Guess Where We Went??

2008-03-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

Yup. Not a bad way to get paid at all...

Pete getting ready for the game. Got his face tats and his jersey on and all ready to go!

Outside GM Place.

And seeing that it's me, I had to shoot the sunset from outside Gate 2.

Pete with his new gear on-we just needed to adjust the hat band a bit...

Before the game.

The guys all ready for some fights.

That's Pete on the left, Jamie in the middle and Brian on the right. Some game shots-well at least until I was sorced to put away my big lens (you can only use a max. of a 72 and mine was a 150. For some reason my lens that only goes to a 45 just didn't cut it).

Bri and Jamie watching intently.

I tried to get some full rink shots. WooHoo for the wide angle lens!

BC Ferry

2008-03-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

So I went to Vancouver with two of my guys-Pete and Brian-for two days last week. I have lots of photos to share so I thought that it would make more sense to divide them into themes.

This batch is things that I saw on the outer deck of the Ferry on the way to Vancouver.

2008-03-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

I still had some photos from the walk that I took with Pete (my client from work) that I hadn't posted yet. So I thought that I would finally get around to sharing them.

This log with the smiling face is something that Pete saw. I asked him if he would like to take the picture and he was very excited to take a picture with my camera. We took it doing 'hand-over-hand' (he held the camera and I put my hands over his to help him take the shot). Unfortunately it is a bit blurry but Pete was hoping that I would post it so everyone could see his photo.

Moss on a tree branch.

Fallen log.

Giant mushrooms growing on the tree.

When I got home and looked at this photo, I thought it was kind of neat that in the bottom of the photo you can see tree shadows in the mud puddle.

On our way home, we saw these flowers.

Flag Pole

2008-03-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is the flag pole that is at the top of Beacon Hill Park.

More Phyllis Park

2008-03-05T10:41:00.001-08:00

These are more photos of our excurssion to Phyllis Park. This park is on Ten Mile Point and there is a trail that leads from the top of the point down to the Straight of Haro.

We started going down the trail only to be stopped by a huge mud puddle. As we were only wearing our runners that day, it put a bit of a kibosh on our walk down the point. Chris and I decided that we will go back there in the summer-when the mud should be dried.

The view from the top of the point.

Part-way down the trail.

A little wooden bridge across part of the trail. It was on the other side of the mud puddle so we didn't quite make it down that far
Yet another sunset.

A second set of rock stairs.

There is a house right along a part of the trail that was undergoing renos. I just thought it was very bizarre to see the set of stairs just sitting there outside, not going anywhere.

Phyllis Park

2008-03-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

Today, with my bonus day off work, I spent some time at Phyllis Park. I was on the hunt for photos for the contest for this week-as well as some that I can use for a day or two...

A wooden walkway that leads to a seating and viewing area. I liked the texture of the wood grain but wasn't 100% sold on this one.

Moss growing on a tile roof.

Grassy rock stairs.

2008-03-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Well apparently it's been 'Bring Your Camera to Work to Get Shots for Your Blog' for the last week or so.

Pete and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood the other day. We ended up at Mt. Douglas Park and found a trail that was actually wheelchair accessible. We had a great time walking along the dirt trail-and Pete found it fun to drive over the tree roots on the trail and bounce his way along.

Here's Pete bouncing his way along the trail.

I love this shot. You can see how small Pete looks compared to the height of the trees. It was so nice to find this trail close to home because it's just not often that we can get off the paved path and find some nature with the guys.

Another shot of Pete driving down the path.

Pete's Visit With My Parents

2008-02-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

Pete, one of my clients at work, loves to visit with staff members families. I have been working with him for about 13 years now, and he knows Chris, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law and my neices. In fact, he even invited himself to our wedding (and I was glad that we could fit him in).

So he has been asking to visit my parents for about 6 months now. We were finally able to co-ordinate everyone's schedules and get over to my Dad's extended care home for a visit. We were lucky to be in our good stretch of weather so we were able to spend most of our visit outside in the garden. The stone fountain in the garden.

A flowering bush. I'm not exactly sure what it is but I love the fuschia colour.

An abandoned bird bath.

And what would a garden be without a gnome?

More Signs of Spring

2008-02-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

While I do feel bad for those of you who still have snow on the ground, I can't help but love where I am living and all of the things that are blooming.

Unfortunatley though, I am going to guess that if things are blooming so early that it means that my allergies are going to start early too. Oh well. I am so willing to take that.

Peacocks

2008-02-24T11:21:00.001-08:00

I've always loved the colours of peacocks. The colours are so rich and vibrant. The plume on their heads. Their call. Unfortunately none of the peacocks had their feathers up but I still love how these photos look.

And for a change, there was even an albino peacock too (and yes I was shooting through a chainlink fence for this photo).

Geese!

2008-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well it's been about two weeks since I last posted bird photos so I couldn't resist!

And yes I promise that these should be the last set of photos from our walk along the Songhees!

More Songhees Photos

2008-02-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

So (yet still) more photos from the Songhees.

A row of townhouses that I found the architecture appealing. The style and the colour really appealed to me. Hate to guess how much they would cost...

Some red branches that I pretty much got into to get this angle.

Moss growing on a brick wall.

2008-02-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, still more shots from our walk along the Songhees.

This is the view of the Inner Harbour from the Esquimalt side of the water.

This photo is the Empress Hotel.

This is a shore-to-shore shot. Rocks on the side where we were and the Laurel Point Inn on the far side.

Some of the heritage buildings along the water.

And what would a shot of the Inner Harbour be without a seagull-and one on top of a totem pole.

Float Planes

2008-02-21T15:58:00.001-08:00

Yes I still have more photos from our walk last Monday.

Along the water where we Chris and I were walking along the Songhees is a stretch of water where the float planes take-off and land. However I didn't realize how closely they landed to where we were walking. Needless to say, when the first one landed almost in front of us, I was a little surprised-then I kicked myself for not taking photos. Needless to say we then had to wait in that area so that I could try again.

These are those photos.

Chain Fence

2008-02-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

While walking along the Songhees the other day, my eye was captured by this fence. So I decided to see how it would photograph. I like how it turned out-and the background behind it isn't too shaby either.

I like the shadows in this one.

Sping is springing!

2008-02-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well we have had an extremely mild winter and flowers are starting to appear. When I when I came across these flowers yesterday I couldn't help but smile. Nothing beats the February blahs better than outdoor flowers!

Another Beautiful Day!

2008-02-18T20:11:00.001-08:00

This is the downside to the contest photo this week. It shows why Chris shouldn't pose with ice-cream. Yes, he's a messy boy!

Today was just a beautiful day!

Chris and I went for a walk along the Songhees Walkway to enjoy the sunny weather. In fact it was so warm once you got out of the wind that I was actually able to wander and shoot photos without my coat on. Gotta love the break from the wind and the rain!

There was so much to see and as I wasn't feeling rushed due to my fingers going numb, I was able to take enough photos to last me for the next week. So I hope that you enjoy our sunny day-and that the geese (when posted) don't scare you too much!

While walking, we came across these mini bronze statues and a water fountain. I thought that they were beautiful and that the subject was so unusual, especially considering that these were in a public area and that this is Victoria afterall.

I also love how blue the sky looks in this one.

More Castle Photos

2008-02-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

When Chris and I went to Craigdarroch Castle the other day there were so many interesting archetectural features to look at and try to capture. Because I took so many photos I couldn't include them in one entry, so I have a few more to share today.

The curved windows and a huge stone patio. I also love what I would call the 'Juliet Windows' (as in 'Romeo and Juliet').

The turret by the main entrance. I love the lights being on in some of the windows.

Looking up the turret. The rose coloured stained glass windows.

Craigdarroch Castle

2008-02-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Oh phooey!

I thought that I had until tonight to post a photo for the contest but it seems that I can't tell time. We finally got a break from the rain today and I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot for photos. So I guess that you'll now get to see photos of Craigdarroch Castle for a few days-mainly because I took a lot of photos and I think that some of them look a bit interesting.

Seagulls (sorry you non-bird lovers)

2008-02-11T18:10:00.001-08:00

So what do seagulls do when it's windy out? Well they line up on a roof ridge!

While this may not be an interesting photo of the birds, I liked how the roof looked.

More Photos from A Windy Day at the Beach

2008-02-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

Well I thought that I would post the other shots that I had taken at the beach the other day. There are some that are a bit fuzzier but the last couple are more crisp-a rarity that day.

Windy Day at the Beach.

2008-02-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry that these are a bit later being posted, and there are more to come still, as I took them on Friday. It was very windy so we went down to the beach to see if there were some interesting waves crashing on the beach.

Well this wasn't the best idea for a couple reasons.

The first is that it was so windy that I kept getting pushed around. When I got home there were very few usable shots as most were too blurry from my moving in the wind.

The second is that we were getting blasted with salt-water spray. Probably not good for the camera (or our car either). I was also not the biggest fan of it in my mouth and eyes.

The last reason why this wasn't the best day to go shooting photos is that we got stuck in a downpour and were soaking wet by the time we walked back to the car. Not good on so many levels.

This has re-affirmed my decision that at some point I would like to get a smaller point and shoot camera-and for around here, preferably somthing a bit more rain and weather proof.

I like this one-even if it's not 100% in focus. I guess it makes the waves look like they have a bit more motion to them. I also like how the rock on the righ-hand side looks like a face. Made me smile when I first saw it on the computer.

There are more coming from my mis-adventure-hopefully tomorrow. I know. Famous last words...

Headlight lighting

2008-02-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

We went to my belated staff party on Thursday night. As neither of us our drinkers we left a bit early when the drunk people were getting, at least in my opinion, a bit silly. We took the scenic drive home and managed to shoot a few things.

Just to make it a bit more interesting, the next shot was taken without using my flash but rather lighting the shot with the headlights from the car.
The reflection of streetlights on the water. I just wish that I had put my tri-pod back into the trunk...

So this is Winter?

2008-01-30T17:33:00.001-08:00

So it appears that the blast of winter that is attacking most of the country has seemed to forget about us, of course I've now probably jinxed us all to some horrible weather. So I thought that I would share a few pictures that I took last week-end just up the mountain a bit from where we live.

and Still More Sunsets... (part two)

2008-01-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

What can I say? Living here we seem to get some beautiful sunsets and since we live about two minutes from the top of a mountain that allows a great vantage point, you get to see lots of sunsets.

In these shots, my back was to the setting sun so it made for a different glow in the sky, as opposed to shooting directly a the sunset.

The View from the Gamesroom

2008-01-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

In our building we have a Gamesroom on the second floor. You can shoot some pool, play cards or catch another one of our glorious sunsets that we have been having lately!

Nature in Black and White

2008-01-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

Eagles-and a Baby Seagull

2008-01-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

When we decided to go out to Goldstream the other day, our main purpose was to go Bald Eagle spotting. While we msised the shot of an Eagle attacking a Seagull, I did manage to get a few shots.

This one is a bit harder to see but near the middle of the shot, you can see the Eagles black outline against the trees.
Soaring above the trees.

Flying against the backdrop of Mt. Finlayson.

This Seagull was a lot smaller than the other seagulls that were around the river bank. It was pretty funny to watch him in the shallower water edge. You could see him walking along the water (the water came right up to his belly) as he was scouting for food. Then the next minute he would flap his legs very vigourisly trying to swim against the current.

I love that you can see his little feet walking under the water in this shot while he is looking for his next snack.

Up, Up and Away...

2008-01-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Chris and I went to Goldstream Park today. Nice little stroll in the blowing wind-in fact a very large tree branch fell down from a tree right behind us and missed hitting us in the head by a matter of a few feet!

While there I saw a Blue Heron (at least that's what I think it is). In the series of five shots you can see it locate some food and swoop down for the attack.

and STill More Sunsets...

2008-01-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (when I got slimed by seaweed) we had a beautiful sunset.

Just for the record, I did not photoshop or alter the first five photos. This is really how it looked! I did not use any filters either. The only thing that I did while shooting was to try different settings to see how the different settings would change how the photo looked once shot.

The sunset was very orange and fire-y and had beautiful reflections on the water.

Enjoy!
The snow capped mountains on the Washington State side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Totally unaltered!

OK. This is the one shot that I did alter the colours. While it may not look totally natural, I do like the contrast of the colours (the blur around the edges is from my forgetting to reomove the macro lens-I think it's a neat mistake).

An Afternoon Stop at the Beach...

2008-01-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

This is the after shot of my jeans after stopping at Clover Point to shoot some photos after work yesterday. Yes that is dried slimey seaweed all down the back of my jeans. Oh what we'll do for that shot!
This is the shot made me slip on the rock that was covered in said seaweed. I realize that it looks very similar to a previous photo but it is a different ring-much more weathered and I could get closer to it to get a close-up (as opposed to the one that was getting splashed by waves).

While I was landing and slipping down the slimey seaweed rock all I could think was "Don't drop the camera!" The pain of taking a hard landing on a tailbone that I have already broken in my youth didn't enter my mind. Ouch!!

When I stopped sliding, I looked down and my once dry runners were planted squarely in this:

Didn't even faze the seagull.!

Once I got back on my feet and wiped off some of the slime I looked up and saw this...

On my way back up to the car, instead of looking at the pretty sunset (those pics will be posted on the next entry) I was looking at the rocks when I noticed that someone has carved a face in one of the rocks.

I thought it looked kind of neat.

Telegraph

2008-01-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

In our building there is a table where you can leave things that you don't want anymore and anyone else can take. The other day I found this treasure-well to me anyways.

It appears that someone was getting rid of an old telegraph tappy-thing. I'm not sure of the proper name for it and I may look into trying to clean it up a bit, but I just thought that it was very cool and it now looks great on the side table beside the couch.

Corroded Faucet

2008-01-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

2007-12-29T23:27:00.000-08:00

So this was Boxing Day with my family (yes it's a couple days late-again...)

This is my Mom opening her BIG gift with help from my oldest neice.
Her reaction when she realized what it was. For years she has said that she would like a Val D'Or covered vegetable dish to match her china. So this year we all chipped in and found one for her.

My youngest neice deciding that wrapping paper makes a good hair accessory.

Both of the neices opening a gift together. You can see my Dad trying to avoid getting his picture taken in the background-in every photo he either has his hand in front of his face or else he was purposefully closing his eyes.

Very annoying!

You can tell she's related-CHOCOLATE!!!!!!

I love this one of my youngest neice reaching into the bottom of her stocking for that last gift.

Games Night

2007-12-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

Last night, we had a few friends over for a Games Night. It's a great way to relax and catch up with everyone-and to eat a lot of junk food too! We tried out a new game that we gave one of our friends for Christmas that's called 'Spy Alley'. It was kind of interesting in that you take on a secret spy identity and have to collect pieces to a puzzle and try to 'out' your co-players as to which spy they are to win the game.

My Thursday Night Music Man

2007-12-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night, Chris pulled out one of his (many) guitars and started to play some flamenco-style music for me. Because he has been so busy lately, he hasn't been home as much as I would like and he certainly hasn't had much time to pull out his guitars. So it was nice to hear him play again and to see him relax and do what he loves to do.
This is our ornament that we got this year to celebrate our First Married Christmas together. It is not a traditional one but this fits with our style much better.