no place like home..

I flew home yesterday. A 90 min. delay in Comox meant an arrival at 2:30 AM. AAaarrrgghhh! Otherwise an uneventful trip. TO's weather today was mild with light rain...wait a minute - this is January in Ontario, not BC!
Back to work tomorrow. I love my job at the studio and have missed the people, the energy, the personal satisfaction of challenges and creative solutions. It will be great to see everyone.
I'm suffering from jet lag and lack of sleep. 5:30 AM will come early.

trip to Hornby Island

A ferry from Buckley Bay takes Ian, Gord and I to Denman Island and we drive across Denman to a second ferry which takes us to Hornby Island. The trip takes about an hour. It's raining lightly as we make the crossing. Both islands are rugged, mountainous with steep cliffs falling off to rocky beaches. As you dock you marvel at the homes and cottages clinging to the sides of the cliffs. The islands have year-round residents, many of them artisans and in the summer the population swells as lovers of nature arrive to enjoy the scenery, the beaches and parks.
I meet for two hours with our architect. Our plan is coming together nicely and soon we will submit it in our application for Development Permit and we'll be able to get started. WooHoo!
Ian and Gord come back for me and we drive to Helliwell Park for a walk and a picnic lunch overlooking the Straits of Georgia. The sun has come out and it is beautiful. Ian has us searching in the grass for Opuntia - a miniature cactus that is native to Hornby Island. Cactus in Canada? Who knew?

Seal Bay Park

We walked down to Seal Bay the other day, but I forgot to take my camera so I'm using "sunny" pictures from a previous trip. Seal Bay is a beautiful park, with well maintained trails that wind down to the beach. Tall trees, ferns, mosses and shrubs line the path. Everyone who walks it should have Ian (semi retired Forester) along because he can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about any plant, tree, fungus, moss, bird or insect.
The beach is a rocky crescent with a view across to the mountains on the mainland. Occasionally, if you search carefully and are very lucky you can find a "flower stone". When the tide is out you can explore tidal pools and see starfish and other creatures trapped by the retreating water. We also usually see herons, eagles and seals. This is the best of a woodland, a beach and a wildlife walk. Even in the rain - who could ask for more?

hiking in to Comox Lake

We got a break in the weather today so Ian, Gord and I hiked in to Comox Lake. The sun appeared briefly, but it was mostly misty, low cloud, cool and damp. Not complaining. After days of driving rain it was just great to be out walking - period! We enjoyed a picnic lunch (including fresh doughnuts from the bakery in Cumberland) at the "Squeaky Door" cabin. The lake water is very high and icy cold, but what a view! January in BC. If you can wait out the rain - this is the reward!
While we were down at the beach we noticed that run off had created two waterfalls on the other side of the lake. The water was just streaming over the rock face and falling straight down. We climbed a steep and slippery path through ferns and moss-covered boulders, negotiating over and around fallen trees to get a few pictures. Ian and Gord in the middle shot give the waterfall some scale. A relatively small volume of water falling a great distance - Absolutely spectacular! The path wound up and around the rock face and we probably could have climbed to the top, but decided to leave it for another day. Something to look forward to!

the raging NILE

I visited our lot and the creek today after weeks of rain. The creek is very high and fast and roared like a freight train. Quite different from the mild mannered, crystal clear stream we're used to seeing in the summer. The lot was sodden, rain pouring down and bouncing off the leaves and debris on the ground. At least I didn't have to fight my way through a tangle of brush to get to the creek. It's hard to believe that this will be our home in a year.
I had an appointment to meet with a BC Land Surveyor to review and complete the paperwork required to get our development permit. He is familiar with the creek and tells me that we can expect to see black bear, cougar, deer and eagles in the area. The predators will be drawn by the salmon that spawn in the creek. It was a fun and informative conversation. The only piece left to complete the application will be our final house design. I plan to meet with our designer and brainstorm the plan next week.