On Getting Out There – A Meditation

We forget sometimes the everyday power and ordinary wonder of immersing ourselves in the natural world. It’s a possibility, an opportunity, that is nearly always available to us. Authentic experiences of nature don’t require an epic excursion into the wilderness for days on end, into apparently pristine surroundings where all evidence of human incursion has been elided. The true magic is that, no matter how much urban we try to impose on the natural landscape, there is still wild all around us.

January 24, 2016 1

Coastal Life at Patricia Bay

One of my favourite places on the peninsula to hang out for an hour or two is Patricia Bay (Pat Bay to us local folk). For a small cove area with a roadway running right alongside it, there's an astonishing array of wildlife and activity to be found at the water's edge. Combine this with phenomenal sunsets, and the place pretty much can't be beat. There's also an incredible amount to be learned by taking the time to relax, sit a spell, and observe the goings-on of coastal life in the bay.

April 14, 2012 0

A Tale of Mice and ‘Fir’ Trees

A veritable icon of West Coast life, Douglas-fir trees are ubiquitous throughout the coastal region. Beaten only by the Coast Redwoods for the title of World's Tallest Trees, these ancient giants can grow to over 85 metres (278 feet) tall. That's more than 25 stories high! The reason for the oddly hyphenated common name of Douglas-fir is that these evergreen trees actually aren't fir trees at all. Their scientific name, Pseudotsuga menziesii, literally labels this tree species as a 'false' (pseudo) 'fir' (tsuga). Gotta love that Latin.

January 26, 2012 7