Double-billed Seagull

I was quite surprised after taking this photo that this particular seagull was going to get double-billing in my blog post. It is not uncommon for sea gulls to become famous. Some of my readers may be old enough to remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull. See Bach, Richard, and Russell Munson. Jonathan Livingston Seagull. [New York]: Macmillan, 1970. On the other hand, it is not always convenient to be double-billed. We have to watch this all the time on our own bills to make sure they aren't double billed and double paid. But then again, this seagull isn't likely to worry about his credit cards or being double-billed.

Beachcomber Regional Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

This tiny gem of a beach is tucked away in a very small Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is called Beachcomber Regional Park and it is located at the end of a small peninsula on the east coast of the Island. It was essentially deserted on the day we visited, as we found many of the beaches to be. I is high tide and the beach is probably somewhat larger at low tide, but this is not a place people would come to surf or swim. It was also a clear day, one of the very few times during our visit to Canada that we didn't have rain.

Chile and Hot Sauce

This photo takes some explanation. It was taken in The Old Country Market in Coombs, British Columbia, Canada. This market is most famous for it grass covered roof grazed by goats. It is known as "Goats on the Roof" around the world and is a famous tourist spot. Inside, it is an exotic collection of food items from hundreds of countries around the world. I was very impressed with the variety of things I had never heard of and had no intention of ever eating. This is a typical shelf in the store. You will have to click on the image and zoom in to read the labels but it is worth the time and effort.

Little Qualicum Falls, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

I feel like I am at the polar opposite of my life in the desert Southwest of the United States when I see something like this waterfall in British Columbia. Notice the tree lodged in between the walls of the canyon. I took this pictures, standing in mud and off and on holding an umbrella from the rain. I am sure the picture would have been different in the sunshine, but we hadn't seen much of that on our visit at this point. I understand that parts of the Vancouver Island get more than 120 inches of rain a year. I haven't seen anything this wet since I lived in Panama. The colors are even more impressive in person than show in any photograph.

Crab in the Sand

We were walking out on the huge tide flats off the coast of Vancouver Island by Parksville, just as the sun was going down. We spotted this tiny crab sitting next to some sea weed. At high tide, the ocean is right next to the steep hill of the shore, but when it is at low tide, 200 yards of very flat sand. It is amazing to see how the tide comes in and out and leaves such a huge expanse of sand. I have seen the same thing in Panama, but there the sand was not a firm and nice to walk on.

Man in the Street

I didn't know that James P. Sullivan (Sully) lived in Victoria, British Columbia. But there he was standing in front of a sushi shop and waving at the people passing by. He looked pretty wet since it was raining quite hard that day.

Victoria Harbor

Victoria, British Columbia is an amazing city for a dedicated desert dweller. Not only is there all this water with large and small boats, but at the time I was standing under an umbrella in the middle of a rain storm. This picture really needs to be seen larger than what you can see in these reduced size photos. Click on the photo to enlarge it and then click again