Victoria In Pictures

My Great Blue Heron, right outside the hotel window. Oh joy!

The best "wine" I had all week. Victoria likes to promote BC wines and although I am a great Canadian patriot I have a huge distaste for Canadian wines.

This was Paul's joy, not mine.

I was taking pictures of this little guy when he leaped toward me. Since I had the lens on macro it seemed as if he would jump on top of me. Of course I let out a shriek which made those around me laugh. I laughed at that myself.

This shot made Paul's trip. It was a little cove and he could just imagine himself living out his days there.



My Japanese Maple. Can't grow that in zone 2b.




An odd brown gull. Not sure of the genus and species.



I have never seen a bird such as this. When we got home I looked it up in my bird encyclopedia, (yes, I am that geeky) and found out it was an Oyster Catcher.



Looking for whales and seals. None to be found.





Through the hotel window. Last night there I sent him for pints at the nearby pub. He went but felt guilty and was back inside of an hour.

Okay, this crow sat not 4 feet from me when I was eating a fish taco on the wharf. I saved some of the tortilla shell for him as he was watching me so forlornly.

Red Fish Blue Fish. Totally sustainable "restaurant" where I ate said taco. By 11:30 am the place was packed with people wanting lunch. The waiter at the hotel restaurant recommended the place to us. Good food. Cheap prices, and yes that is a shipping container.



The Empress Hotel. Ahh. I stood outside this hotel while on a school trip when I was 12 years old. We lived outside of Edmonton. I will never forget that day as it was the day I vowed to grow Virginia Creeper wherever I lived. And I have unto this day. (Yes, I guess I was a geek way back when too.)

MY Great Blue, closer up.

The view out our hotel window.

Couldn't resist capturing this picture. It was prominently displayed in our room. Heehee.

Found on many of our 5 hour long walks. You read that right. I lost 2 lbs on the trip.

Never dreamed starfish were purple. Did you?

Right outside our $259 a night hotel. So sad.

We have Franklin's Gulls in Saskatchewan. These gulls are huge! They should be, they feast on fresh seafood every day.

Arbutus trees. Smooth as a baby's bottom. They shed their bark year round. Lyse, are these the trees you have in North Carolina?

Our hotel. Our room was on the far right. First one with the arch.

All in all it was a great trip, as far as trips go. One thing I learned, or already knew but did not admit: I like my feet firmly planted on the earth, preferably the earth that is very nearby my own home. It was nice to be with Paul all week. Really nice. But as the old adage goes, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!"