A salute to Teo

Teo Mocchi had posted a photo of a green door....it reminded me of another Italian green door in Venezia.  I love the green shutters & doors of Italy.

Check out Teo's blog.

Here's an article by James Martin.   Buying shutters.

James has a blog worth checking out... Wandering Italy.

Red Leaf

I found this leaf at the Cherry Hill winery near Cowichan Bay....it was so red I couldn't resist. . .

New bird house and today's blossoms

My birdhouse just arrive from Orcas Island.  I love it!!

Sad to say, I don't think any bird will ever call it home...I can't stand to let it sit outside.  So, if you know of any bird that wants to live inside. . . .

This time of the summer presents the gaudiest of blooms.  The fire orange daylilies are real stainers....and the hydrangeas can't decide what color to become.

My new MyPublisher book

I just finished a book with all of my Washington/Vancouver Island images....you've seen them on my blog. But, it was fun arranging them into a book.

When you go to the link type in the order # M728605
Then on the next page they ask for a password....1216543
Ta da....

MyPublisher link.

Mendocino Headlands - Whiffen Spit BC -Birchwood Lake NJ

My two favorite walks...Birchwood Lake in New Jersey and Whiffen Spit in Sooke, Vancouver Island.
An easy journey for a morning walk.

Birchwood trail takes us on a loop around the lake. Whiffen Spit is a narrow strip of land that goes about a mile into the bay at Sooke....it's almost like walking on water.

At Birchwood Lake we've spotted blue herons, hawks, snapping turtles....and DOGS!
Whiffen Spit there was a bald eagle watching over us in a tree.

I wish Whiffen Spit were closer...then we could alternate walks!

PS
Help!!
How could I possibly forget about the Mendocino Headlands walk. It is so spectacular!
When Paul & I went for our walk around Birchwood he reminded me. . . .

Point Ellice House-Victoria

The Point Ellice House has been occupied by the same family since the 1870's. All of the furnishings are exactly as they were in the 1800's. Usually when a house is restored, many of the furnishings are items that were ' of the era', not actually the family possessions. The house is very small by todays standards and it seems even smaller because it is stuffed with furnishings.

The O'Reilly's had three children two boys and a girl, Kathleen. Kathleen never married she spent her entire life at Point Ellice.

It's interesting...when the house was built it was surrounded by countryside...now it is a tiny oasis centered in industrial blight. Not nice land surroundings...the entrance from the water is lovely.

For a detailed tour click on the link and go to 'Point Ellice history' ...then click 'BC Heritage Virtual Tour'. You'll see the floor plan and additional photos.
Here's the link.

ps...we had a lovely tea in the garden...definitely delicious!

If you are interested Michael Weishan has written a lovely book about the family and the house. "From a Victoria Garden".

Victoria

Victoria was an amazing little city. Not only is it a very pretty city, but is was easy to navigate and park. We had such a good time exploring some very odd places. One of them is Miniature World. Paul loves miniatures...he had a great time. I was intrigued by the exit door. A link to Miniature World.


Another terrific find ....I loved this place, the Victoria Bug Zoo.
(Make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page and click on"click here to have a peek at the zoo".)
I learned so much about insects....I was surprised how long we stayed...it was fascinating!


The Victoria Harbour Ferry offered two different tours.... harbour or gorge. We decided on the gorge. It was a great way to see Victoria from the water. I loved the seaplanes...Victoria Harbour is a seaplane airport!
Check out the site for Victoria Harbour Ferry.

We stayed in Sooke about forty minutes from Victoria. While we were in Sooke we drove to Point-no-Point resort for dinner. Every table had a pair of binoculars for wildlife viewing...I spent the entire dinner watching a bald eagle....maybe not the ENTIRE dinner, I did fill those wineglasses. I had the most amazing crispy confit of duck leg with a cherry compote. #1 duck ever!!
Check out Point-noPoint.

Sooke Museum Garden

The hydrangeas were as large as a basketballs & the clematis was thick with blossoms. Then I came across the most interesting flower...its head bowed to the shadows. I was curious, so I peeked under it's purple petals and found the most amazing structure.....this odd creature is called a Lenten Rose.
Here's some more info about the Lenten Rose.
More info about Hellebores.

A link to Sooke Museum.

Fairmont Empress Hotel-Victoria

Everyone goes to the Empress for tea....we decided to have the Curry Buffet at the Bengal Lounge.
Wow....the best!
I had a Bengal Tiger :
Havana Club Rum
Apricot brandy
Fresh lemonade
Pineapple juice
Splash of grenadine

Link to the Bengal Lounge.

Royal BC Museum-Victoria

Royal British Museum in Victoria is one of my all time favorite museums. Wonderful permanent exhibits and great temporary exhibits....definitely worth a few hours.
Great staff too!!
Link to Royal BC Museum.

Royal BC Museum - Love these photos

War Brides- Exhibition

War Brides was a touching exhibition held at the
Royal BC Museum.

More Sooke

Our favorite meal in Sooke was at Markus' Wharfside Restaurant.
We found a nice Viognier from South Australia on the menu....a wine with oak!! YES!
It is difficult to find any wine with oak or even a smidge of residual sugar, on any menu in BC.

I love fresh flowers on my table...but the little arrangement on our table was my all-time favorite. A broken shell, a touch of green and a bit of water.
A fantastic bit of creativity!!

Eagle Cove Guestsuite

Here is a link to Eagle Cove Guestsuite.
Not only were our accommodations wonderful but the price was a real bonus. Des, welcomed us with enough food in the frig for a couple of breakfasts.
We had two private decks and the living area and the bedroom had full views to the ocean. In fact, the bedroom had a full length sliding door that we kept open during the night...and listened to the sound of the waves.
Des & Blythe were wonderful hosts...helpful but not at all intrusive. We would love to return and spend some more time getting to know them.
Zeus almost made the trip home with us....but he was too heavy...exceeded my carry-on limit!

Check out the photos below. . . .

Eagle Cove Guestsuite-Sooke

Under glass. . .

Eagle Cove Guestsuite-Sooke

Butchart Gardens-The Sunken Garden

The Butchart Gardens, just outside of Victoria are FABULOUS!!

I was blown away....and now that I have revisited them while working on my photos, I am even more in awe. I want to go back and walk through the gardens as the seasons change, discovering new and enchanting corners of this paradise.
I watched the teams of gardeners working their magic...made me a little sad....it would have been a dream job for my Dad.

Take a look at the web-site for Butchart Gardens.
It's a great site....so many things to check out....they even show the garden in different seasons.

Butchart Gardens - F L O W E R S

One of my favorites is the top flower, the Tibetan Blue Poppy ! !

The only flowers that weren't in evidence were the roses...just a little too early.

Butchart details....what fun!

Themed garbage cans!!
Throughout the park every area had different garbage cans with flowers growing from the top.
In the Japanese garden, raked gravel was the topper.
Hmmmm let me see....maybe on top of my can at home I could drape items of black clothing....that seems to be MY theme.

The last two images are flowers from the 'plant identification' building. I still am not sure about the identification of the orange striped flower.
Does anyone know?

Butchart Gardens - Around the gardens

The attention to detail is astounding, notice the twig trellises...thumbs ups to this team of creative individuals!
I love the harbor....yes you can come by boat and anchor at the gardens!

What a beautiful fantasyland!!

Butchart Gardens - Japanese Garden

Butchart Gardens are full of delightful details!
In the Japanese Garden the gravel was raked into meditative patterns....the lamps were finished in a bamboo pattern......and they even arranged for three Japanese tourists to stand on the stepping stones, cameras included.

They think of everything!

Ps...Yes that really is a BLACK plant.

Butchart Gardens - The Dining Room Restaurant for tea

We made reservations for tea at the Dining Room Restaurant at noon. We figured after three hours of hiking around the gardens we'd be ready for a high tea...ours was a truly a high tea...w e had some sparkling wine to start the show!
Here's to Edna and Allison our tea partners in crime!!
A link to The Dining Room Restaurant.

Barbara's Column

My friend Barbara Neibart had her first column published today in the Daily Record!!
Congratulations Barbara....can't wait til you start a weekly column.

Barbara is a fabulous artist and now a published writer!! I've mentioned her on previous posts...take a look at some of her artwork:
October 9th, October 26th, December 20th and May 7th.

Lake Shawnigan-Cowichan Valley Wines

We had a very relaxing stay at Shawnigan Shores B&B.
Jasmine was our constant companion....she was so insistent... her sister, Bob, abandoned us.
The floating dock was a great place to sit and watch the waterskiers whiz by.

I also got to unwrap all of my bugs from Tofino Botanical Gardens....I WANT MORE !

Shawnigan Shores is a great location to stay if you plan on visiting the Cowichan Valley wineries.

Link to Vancouver Island wineries.
Type in: "Vancouver Island wines" in the search box....you'll see info about the Cowichan Valley wineries.

We visited every winery that was open....a few had sold out of this years vintage and were closed for the season. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to Venturi-Schulze Vineyard.
It was a fabulous night with an incredible family of passionate winemakers. I can't say enough about the warmth, intelligence and passion for wine that Marilyn, Michelle and Giordano shared with us. It was a night of fantastic food and
T E R R I F I C W I N E S ! ! !
Check out their website....have a peek at the video. The only thing missing on the video is the bald eagle that I spotted...and of course there is no way to taste the absolutely best pasta I've ever had. An invitation to share a meal with the Venturi-Schulze is known as the ultimate compliment....we are humbled!!
Thumbs up to passion in Cowichan Valley!!!

Notes on Restaurants*
Our favorite restaurant at Lake Shawnigan was Amuse Bistro.
A charming couple have opened a very delightful restaurant. The evening was perfect for an meal outdoors in their lovely 'treehouse'....it was relaxed and the food was inspired.
We also had a dreamy lunch at Glenterra Vineyard.
After a tasting of their wines we decided to stay for lunch.....something so seductive about this inviting valley. Maybe it was the soft sunlight and the gentle breeze...the good wine.... Ahhh!!

(May 24th - May 27th)

Lake Shawnigan

Cathedral Grove

Cathedral Grove is park of Macmillan Park it is located in the middle of Vancouver Island on the road to the Wild West Coast.

In 1996 a terrrible storm ripped through BC...it destroyed thousands of trees in Cathedral Grove, many of the trees were more than 800 years old. I can only imagine how beautiful it was....it certainly is majestic now.

We were talking to a park ranger, she told us that her first day on the job there was a couple visiting the park on their honeymoon, a tree fell on their car and they both died instantly.
On our path at Birchwood a Jenny Chang and her family were hiking....a branch fell and she died.
Windy days stay away from tall trees!!

Geeze...maybe I can come up with more good news?

A link to Cathedral Grove.

Watercolor Collages

More watercolor fun

He-Tin-Kis Lodge - Ucluelet BC

Ucluelet is the quiet twin sister of Tofino. We couldn't get an entire week at Osprey Guestsuite in Tofino....so we decided to finish our week in Ucluelet at He-TinKis Lodge.
We had one very mediocre, fat saturated, meal at Matterson House. I definitely do not recommend Matterson House. There is a spot of contemporary relief at the Tauca Lea Resort, we had a very nice meal at the Boat Basin Restaurant.
A really great place for breakfast in a bun and some terrific homemade cinnamon rolls slathered with cream cheese frosting is Ukee Dogs.
*It's # 13 on the map.

Watercolor-Tofino

Wild Pacific Trail-Uclulet

The Wild West Coast has hundreds of trails....in fact if you want to reach many of the beaches you have a few kilometer hike from the parking lot. One of the easiest is the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet.
We got a kick outta the signs in the area!! We didn't run into anything with fangs. Just the 7 bald eagles that I spotted.

Ucluelet, He-Tin-Kis Lodge

Tofino Botanical Gardens

Geeze, it looks as if a drunken sailor was handling the camera.
I've improved on one thing....the talking....at least I've stopped narrating. Now if only I could add some music or get the birds to sing on cue.

Flowers from the northwest

I picked up flowers and leaves in Washington and Vancouver Island and pressed them in my La Vie Claire magazine.

My bugs from Tofino Botanical Gardens

Tofino Botanical Garden

The sign at the entrance was a warning to be on the lookout for bears, wolves & cougars!
We met George Patterson a Jersey boy that moved to Tofino twenty years ago and has built/planted the Tofino Botanical Gardens.
There is also a lovely cafe featuring paintings by Dawn Stofer. AND a fab little shop that sells bugs in resin....wow...did I ever chow down!! George announced that my purchase was the all time high for the recently opened shop.
Right On...Power to the Bugs!

Another Tofino note....If you are in Tofino make sure you check out Shelter.
This was by far our favorite restaurant in Tofino/Ucluelet. Start with a frozen Bellini. The best Bellini I've ever had, yes, much better than Harry's in Venice...REALLY!
Try the Local side-striped shrimp spring rolls with a perfectly balanced dipping sauce of ginger, cilantro & chili...the Halibut burger....and to finish it off...THE CHEVRE CHEESECAKE served with a blackberry compote. The folks in BC know what to do with their soft, mild goat cheese...turn it into cheesecake.
This, I crave!!

A link to Dawn Stofer's Gallery.

Chesterman Beach -Tofino BC

Osprey Guestsuite-Tofino BC

We rented half of a house on Chesterman Beach just outside Tofino.
Osprey Beach House was very comfortable and right on the beach....there was only one downside...the beach is extremely popular so there was a stream of walkers, bikers, surfers, doggers........
Here is a link to Osprey Guestsuite.
(May 22, 23, 24 & 25)

June 7th Mountain Lakes

I just chased a fox out of the garden...this one was larger than the one I saw before we left for vacation. I am a dope, I had the camera in my hand shooting the house and flowers and put it down to chase away the fox.....you'd think I would have capture him??

Orcas Island - San Juan Island

Orcas Island is one of the San Juan Islands...located in Washington, north of Seattle.
We had a wonderful time driving around the island...down every road to the end. It was glorious....sun and green and sparkling waters. I spotted my first bald eagle...we were having dinner outside at Inn at Ship Bay and he was soaring above us. Magic!
We took a drive to the top of Mt Constitution.
You could see forever!
Orcas has several potters and cooperative galleries my favorites are:
Orcas Island Pottery which is located down a tiny country road and set among the pines on the edge of the water...it's a fun place to visit even if you don't want to add to your pottery collection.
Crow Valley Pottery and Darvill's Bookstore are located next to each other on Main Street in Eastsound.
Cafe Olga was a nice stop for lunch if you're driving over to Mt Constitution. It's in the Olga Artworks Building.
We had a terrific dinner at Inn at Ship Bay...sitting outside and watching the bald eagle cruising for his supper.
Another great restaurant with lovely views to neighboring islands is Christina's.

If you are in Eastsound on Orcas on a Saturday morning don't miss the farmers market held in the main square. (10am-3pm) Paul had fabulous fried oysters...and I found some wonderful felted animals.
Paul also spent time with a women discussing her sightings of the Virgin Mary and where he should go if he wanted to view the miraculous. I can imagine all the locals were bursting with laughter as they watched him tangled in her web!!

New iPod toy - great travel speaker

I just loved having this speaker on our trip!! It is 3 1/2" in diameter and 1 1/2" depth...takes 3 AAA batteries. It is very lightweight. It will play 24 hours of music on just those 3 batteries. (Keep in mind that you still have to recharge your iPod)
It was so portable and the sound was great....I'm not a sound expert, but to my ears it has very good sound. It will be especially great to use in Europe, no adapter plug necessary! YES!
It is made by Altec Lansing ....sells for $30....it's called the Orbit-MP3.

Deer Harbor Inn-Orcas Island

Yo-Yo Ma on his cello playing Bach.....on my new Orbit-MP3 speaker.

Deer Harbor Inn-Bluff cottage

We had a great stay on Orcas Island at Deer Harbor Inn.
We had a hot tub on our porch....great place to catch a falling star. The cat became our protector against the wild dachshunds that passed by in the meadow...she also liked Paul's bag. There must be catnip in that bag, she was the first of many to nap in his green bag.
It was so peaceful!! Great fun watching the sea planes coming and going on the harbor below our cabin.
We also watched hours and hours of movies til late in the night. . . . .
(May 19th, 20th & 21st 2008)

Deception Pass Bridge

Deception Pass Bridge is the bridge that links Fildalgo Island to Whidbey Island.
I was happy they posted the "Do Not Climb", it was the only way to keep Paul on the ground!

Anacortes to Orcas Island ferry

The two days we were in Anacortes is was rainy and foggy...it looked beautiful...like an Asian landscape...full of mystery. The morning we were leaving the sun came out and everyone waiting for the ferry was in a festive mood. Fiddles came out...the dogs were running...and a very sweet lady from Orcas had a box with little black chicks that she had opened to give them a little warmth.

Washington Park outside Anacortes

Washington Park
located just outside Anacortes was a gem.

Nordic Tug in Anacortes

Wow...we had a wonderful time on a Nordic Tug.
Greg Mustari from Skipper Cress in Anacortes took us for a spin. It was drizzly and foggy and visability was 12'.....but what fun!! If I ever buy a boat...it'll be a tug. It was so easy to steer/drive, what a great time.
Greg was soooo interesting...we could have spent days listening to his stories from his years on the Chicago Police force as a detective. I'm sure we'll see him again....somewhere, somehow!!
Thanks a million Greg!!

Heron House- Anacortes Washington

We flew into Seattle Washington....and drove an hour and a half north to Anacortes Washington.
Our first stay was at Heron House.
Heron House is located on the quiet, west side of Fidalgo Island. It was lovely and quiet and felt a million miles from the buzz of Anacortes. We rented the Madrone Cove Room with windows on all sides of the room and views that went on & on...changing with the weather.
(May 17 & 18th 2008)

We're home...we're home.....

We arrived home late last night......Anacortes, Orcas Island and Vancouver Island were wonderful!!
I promise a real posting soon!!
Photo...just a tease.....our view of Chesterman Beach on the Wild West Coast of Vancouver Island.