A little Island time

 

Living on the Island seems so ideal.  My sister and her family live in Nanaimo, but in a little secluded spot, where they can keep chickens and a couple of goats, at the end of a street where an old apple orchard used to grow, with salmon spawning in the creek on their property.  It's hard not to love the Island, although to walk across on the Ferry for our family of 4 (a not quite 2 hour ride) not including overnight parking is close to $100, so we don't go visit as often as we'd like.  Next time we visit, we are going to try to get to 'Shack Island' a little lagoon that you can venture to during very low tides where old fishing shacks from the 30's still stand.  On our trip home we saw a pod of dolphins playing in the wake of the Ferry.  By the time I got out on deck to take some photos the dophins were much farther out, but the sunset and sky nearly took my breath away.

To the Island we go!

It's been a busy long week of late days at the studio.  Dean's been doing all the school pick-ups and dinners so I can stay late and get my work ready for my up-coming shows:  the Eastside Culture Crawl and the One of a Kind Show Vancouver.  It's because he'll be away a lot in the next 2 weeks, so I'm trying to make up for what will be lost time.  Ahh the juggle. 
We haven't been to Vancouver Island to visit my sister and her family since May or June, so we will be going over, just for the night and Saturday, to spend a bit of time with them.  This photo of the arbutus trees (tree on the right with the red bark) and moss was taken last fall- it's such a beautiful tree that is naturally growing in the pacific northwest coast. 
Have a great weekend!

This Charming Wedding

I'm always excited to catch a glimpse of my vases in action! This week  I received a lovely photo from one of the owners of the Green Room, a shop that carries my striped bottle vases in Courtney BC, on Vancouver Island.  This is from her wedding (congratulations Cortney!), photographed by Crystal Clear Photography, with re-finished vintage furniture by Gabriel's Attic (also available at the Green Room)! Such simple and lovely styling, don't you agree!

shades of green

I could not pass up Mr. Gumball at the thrift store on the Island for $2.  Complete with green eyes- most likely a grade 10 woodworking project.  Just turn the nose and a gumball comes out of his mouth.
Some other photos I took while on Vancouver Island. Lots of moss and greens everywhere we look.  Reminded me that I need to make some more green glaze tests and expand my green glaze options.  

I'm only back in the studio for a couple of days before our extended family takes off on our big 'Dahliday'.  All 16 of us are embarking on a 'right of passage' for the kids, so to speak.  Heading over to 'D-land'.  It's something the grandparents have been planning and saving for for a long time, to take the whole family on a holiday.  The grand-kids are all the perfect ages- between 7-16 years of age, with some aunties and uncles sans kids to help out if need be.  So we are going to brave the rides and parades, despite it not being entirely 'my kind of thing', and I'm quite sure that in the end it will be some fun.  I'll be preparing some posts this week with some more Island pics, but just so you know, my shop and up-dates work-wise won't be in full swing until next week, after I've recovered from 2 weeks of spring break and 1 week of Disney. 

hospitality

Photos from our friends' place in Campbell River.  We've known Eden & Paul for a long time- 14 years or so.  Eden and I met in 1st year French in College.  She was one of those people I knew I could be friends with right away. 

Eden's got great style and is an amazing cook.  Her gift of hospitality was well felt by us all- the fresh apple juice from their own apples tasted like gold, the lattes were delicious, pancakes amazing, not to mention the strawberry cake.  

We are just finishing up our visit to the Island with my sister and her family.  I'll be back next week with some more bits of inspiration that I gleaned from our time here.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Mirrored Mountains

We had to stop by the side of the road to take pictures of the mountains and the train bridge reflecting on the lake.  When we drove back an hour later, the lake was all choppy and it was raining, so we just caught the calm before the storm, so to speak.  I really like mirrored images, kind of like ink blots, when it comes to lake and mountains.  Last year I took these photos when we were in the interior. 

We've made our way up to Campbell River and are staying with our good friends there.  Off to do a little thrift store shopping today and possibly building a fire on the beach this evening.  It's been good to feel relaxed and like we are on 'island time'.  On Vancouver Island everyone drives slower and life is generally at a much slower pace then in the city.  I could get used to this..:)

Island Time

Just popping in with a photo from our hike yesterday.  We are on Vancouver Island, enjoying staying with friends and hiking in the rain forest and exploring the rivers and beaches.  I'll try to post a few pictures here and there along the way- so much to photograph and enjoy.  Hope you are having a great week!

last of the Island

A few more photos from the Island for you. The boys are now convinced that taking photos of shells/crabs etc that they've found on the beach is as good as taking those things home.  The tide was out so far and was so shallow, it was perfect for little boys to frolic in.  And my dear sweet Oliver, looking a little tired by the evening, but oh so cuddly and yummy at 4 months of age.  Love this age- they are just precious!

We leave today on our trip and won't be back until the 16th. Yay for holidays!

Island get-a-way: Adventure Walk

Below my sister's place is a salmon spawning stream/river that is perfect for taking little boys on an nature walk.  We came to this cave-like tunnel at far end of the stream, which keeps the water flowing  through while holding train tracks above it.  The boys and I ventured through the dark tunnel, finding an almost magical waterhole on the other side.  If I had had my video camera with me you would have heard me 'yelling' at the boys to be careful along the wall and sides- not to slip into the water because it was so deep.  They are OK swimmers but it would have required me jumping in after them, camera and all if they had slipped in.  No worries- all went well and they have an adventure story to add to their summer holiday journal.

Back to the Island...

I'm taking a little break from all my ceramic symposium talk to let you know that I'm heading back to Vancouver Island to hopefully be present for the birth of my new niece or nephew! I'll be taking the Ferry ride with my Mom so that we can be a great support to her during or after the birth.  She is most likely getting induced in the morning so with high hopes and best wishes for a safe and healthy arrival of a new life, I'll be off.
Photo: the amazing Arbutus trees on Vancouver Island on a hike we did with my sis last week!