Winter on the Island

Winter on the Island can change a lot from year to year, from week to week, and even from day to day. All these pictures were taken in December in different years. Last week it was -9 and next week is supposed to be +9. On the island we'll tell you that 5 minutes or 5 miles makes a difference in the weather.

This was last year in my front yard... I thought I was going to lose my Palm trees. They were completely buried in snow for a couple of weeks... They made it back. The eucalyptus took a beating and had to be cut back severely to survive.

Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada and Veteran's Day in the U.S. I wanted to take a moment to remember those who have fought for our freedoms and to thank those who continue to. I also want to express my gratitude to my parents who believe that it was important that we not only saw the beauty of Europe, but that we also saw the images and places of Remembrance of war. Thank you for showing me the truth of concentration camps and walking me through trenches. I am very thankful to have been to Vimy Ridge. The pictures below I took in my very early teens at a concentration camp in Germany. These are memorials to those that lost their lives there. The poppies were photographed this summer in a friends garden. May we Never Forget

finds in the Forest

Englishman River in the Fall

I was up at Englishman River Falls the other day, only to discover that it is now Fall instead of Falls. It seems that over the summer the water is now found a way under the rock that made the lower fall and now all you see is the large rock. The colors were still great and it is a wonderful place to walk and take pictures. The pic above is what it looked like in the spring of this year and the pic below is what it looks like now.

The upper Fall is still beautiful

The bridge at the upper Fall.

Walking at YellowPoint

A friend took me out to Yellow Point today to show me around. I had never been there before and it is a beautiful spot to walk and take photographs. I had a great walk and there will be more pictures to be posted. Thanks Terry for introducing me to The Lodge at Yellowpoint.

Driftwood shapes

Beautiful rock Formations

Wonderful Trials

Curious Finds

Wonderful light

Places that have influenced my life

This is the backyard I grew up in. It has changed greatly over the years. When I was young there were 14 pear trees for climbing, in the upper level. they were very old and slowly died out. We put in the pool when I was in my early teens. The pool was shaped the way it is so that the flagstone wall that my father and brothers built wasn't damaged. In the summer, we'd sit on that wall and eat watermelon on hot summer evenings and have seed spitting contests. The property is surronded by 20 foot tall cedar hedges that give the property so much privacy. It is and always has been an oasis for us.

The lake is nearby and I spent alot of time near the water growing up. Being near the water is still important for me.

This is Abertay. It was my grandparents home when I was a child. My grandfather has his darkroom here and my grandmother....well... she just filled us with love. There were many happy times in this house and in the garden. It has been out of the family for a long time, but it still looks very much the same as it did when I grew up.

A Visit Home

I went back east to visit family in September and went for long walks with my camera. Some of my favourite finds were close to home.

My father tends his garden as a labor of love. The backyard of my parent's home has always been an important gathering place for our family. It is an oasis for our family and we have grown and watched it evolve over the 50 years they have been there. There are many wonderful treasures and wonders in our yard.

I have been asked many times why I seem to have a fasination for photographing bugs. It finally came to me. When I was young, my parents gave me The Larousse Encyclopedia of Animal Life. In it were fantastic pictures of animals and bugs. I spent hours pouring over that book and was in awe of the photography. I realize that that where I became so interested in photography of insects.

While I was in Burlington, I went to the Art Gallery to check out my sister-in-law's, Ruth Marshall, art glass at The Art Gallery of Burlington. They have a solarium there and this beautiful plant was there. It wasn't labelled and I have no idea what it is. If anyone knows... please e-mail me.

Swimming with Bears

Agee is a special lady with an amazing personality. I recently had a chance to photograph her swimming. It was a wonderful day.



Smells like lunch

Whatcha up to John?

Aqua fit push ups

Loving her dad

Doing laps

I've been playing with these a bit. These poppies are beautiful.

Car Shows are back!!!!

Cars Show season is back and the Father's Day Show in Qualicum beach is amazing. As the show gets bigger it is important to get there early. I got there later then I should have and it became very difficult very quickly to get decent shots in the crowds of people. It is an amazing show and well worth the time. I spent hours and still didn't get to see all the cars, the crowds just got to big to take pictures clearly.

These are some of my early edits. Hope you enjoy.

Back from Hiatus

Click on the pictures to see them at their full size.

I'm back after taking a brief break after taking my show down. I needed some time to myself and play with my camera. I spent an evening at a good friend's house photographing her garden. here are some of the pictures.

It is down

My show in Chemainus is officially down. I picked up the pictures today and headed back It was a great experience and I'd like to thank Mona for having me there. Pauline, thanks for all your support and help. To the staff at the Dancing Bean ..... thanks you were great to deal with and a pleasure to refer people to. On to the next adventure....

Playing in Beacon Hill Park

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My camera was out of commission and I have beem busy with a course I'm working on. I've been meaning to post a picture of The Dancing Bean in Chemainus, B.C., where my show is on, for a while. I stopped by on my way back from Victoria today to take a picture. Chemainus is also famous for the wonderful murals depicting local history.


I've never seen this plant before and I had to capture it's beauty. I'm working on finding out what it is.

This handsome fellow was keeping an eye on what I was up to. I suspect he's posed for pictures before.

Spring.....glorious spring. finally. it was chilly and windy out today and the heartier people were out with kites down on Dallas Road. I prefered to quietly shoot pictures in the park.

I can't help but love the bright face of Spring Pansies...they just cheer me up.