August 29

I can't get enough of these little tree frogs! This little guy decided to greet me when I pulled out the chair. They're the size of a quarter.

I've lost track of which swimming beach this was, but it was an early morning dip. Blissful.

Took the truck to Victoria and had its oil changed. Everything else checked out so my road home should be smooth. This is in the ferry lineup. The ferry was late - both ways - and island folks LOVE to complain. Meanwhile I was sitting in the shade with a gelato and thinking about being stuck on the 401 in the summer heat for hours. Yeah, I have very little sympathy for them.

Beachside arbutus. The arbutus are simply gorgeous - can't get enough of them.

Barnacle art.

Part of our Ruckle Park walk - this buck was very close, and after I took the picture he started to walk towards us - so we beat a measured retreat.

 Burgoyne Bay. A walk through the woods brings you to the head of the bay, where these totems grace a ceremonial site. Tan and I sat on the beach and watched the tide come in, then I suited up and went for a swim. The water was full of light green and white seaweed and small fish. The bay was home to several houseboats as well as sailboats tied up. What an idyllic place to live! Of course my practical side wondered where the sewage went - and I hesitated before I swam but heck - if those crabs can survive so can I.

The presence of these totems made the beach seem very peaceful, very special.

The view of Mount Maxwell from Burgoyne Bay at low tide.

Burgoyne Bay at low tide.

 There were a few of these flitting around the beach. Not sure what they are.

Walked back to the car through the woods - the trees are so huge and the forest so fragrant and peaceful. Then we packed up our swim gear into the car and Tan headed up Mount Maxwell - a very bumpy 9 km up to 560 m above sea level.

This is one of the views from the top of the mountain. It was so high and the cliffs so precipitous, that I had to sit down at first just to get my sense of height under control.

A shot in the opposite direction (with some fragments of something from my camera).

And here is Burgoyne Bay where I'd just been swimming. High tide now.

I tried to capture the edge of the cliff to give you a sense of how high this seemed!

And finally, another craft shot - my first pine needle basket. It smells wonderful and I have washed and dried a bag of pine needles to make another attempt, building on what I learned.

I've spent the day packing up my little trailer and getting ready to leave tomorrow. It's been a wonderful few weeks on Saltspring Island. I do love it here. I'll miss the gorgeous trees in Tan's backyard, the little town of Ganges - so bustling in the summer - with its musical events almost every night, all of the beaches where you can take a dip or just sit and soak in the beauty.

I doubt I'll be back for such a prolonged stay again - it's been really special to spend time with someone who has been a friend for 56 years! After all the busyness of life, it's been wonderful to just have time to sit together on a beach.

Thanks Tan!

August 25

Tannice and I have been spending time travelling to studios, wineries, cideries, and breweries across the island. When we're home, we both have projects we're working on. This is a basket I wove from bramble vines I pulled out of Tan's front garden. Not bad for a first effort!

There is a studio on the island which sells beautiful French fabric - cottons which have been treated so they can be used outside. I bought some lovely yardage with poppies and lavender and created awnings for the trailer. Aside from being pretty they have a practical purpose - keeping out the sun without having to close the blinds and reducing the flow of air. I had enough left over for a wee table cloth and two cushions!

Salt Spring Island Cider Works. We had a flight of 5 flavours - all of which were fabulous.

Some visitors to the back yard - who just moved in for the afternoon.

Today we went for a walk in Ruckle Park. This place is magical. The last time we tried to walk, my leg prevented us from going too far, but today it was all good. What an amazing place. And there are a few RV sites for my RV friends! Put it in your list of 'must stay there'.

The arbutus are huge - the trunks twisted. They are stunning trees.

The colour in an arbutus trunk:

Ruckle Park is on land donated by the Ruckle family who farmed here. The farm is still active, and the whole valley has its own charm.

A stunning Garry oak with moss hanging from the upper branches:

The road through the park to the cliffs and the sea is a shady treat full of huge trunks.

Salt Spring Island Brewery. We had a flight of 5 beers and came away with a lovely stout to have with our smoked tofu burgers for dinner (thanks Bill and Bobbie for that recipe!)

August 20

The morning ferry line-up of people wanting to leave SaltSpring. We are heading to Victoria to attend Fibrations - a local fibre festival.

The festival was quite large - with lots of great vendors and groups including the local spinners and weavers, and embroidery guilds. The venue was very lovely - a local park behind a community centre and school.

One demonstration was of cotton spinning on this charming spinning 'book' - a portable cotton spinning device like the one used by Ghandi. The girl demonstrating it was very skilled and made it look easy - although I know that spinning cotton is very difficult because of the shortness of the fibres.

The venue was gorgeous. Garry oaks, lovely rocks to sit on, warm sunshine. 

There was a woman weaving baskets from kelp! I got quite excited about finding some kelp and doing this - but apparently I'll be unlikely to find any on the island. The baskets were very beautiful when they were dried.

After the festival we had lunch at a converted 1950's gas station. Quite unique.

Then we went to the Abkhazi Gardens. These gardens are so beautiful. These trunks are rhododendrons.

Walking in a rhododendron garden.

Garry oaks. So lacey and beautiful.

Cyclamen grow wild here. Sigh.

The shapes and colours - so lovely.

A charming bench that invites you to sit - or lie - and enjoy the garden.

A stone bench shouldn't be this comfortable!

The trunks of a huge pine.

Rock outcroppings and steps up to the house.

The ponds were created in the natural depressions in the rock.

Just look at these Japanese maples!

From the top of the garden, you can see the ocean and the Washington State mountains beyond.

These gardens were so lovely, and very worth visiting. We did not have tea there, but it looks lovely. If you're visiting Victoria, I'd recommend this - it's free to visit. The famous Buchart Gardens is $35. Of course it's much, much larger - this garden is a large city lot.

A lovely day!