Christmas with Santa

On Sunday, I had just finished a good wet hike in the forest, and on the way back I ran into a friend who asked if I was going to take the dogs for photos with Santa.  The new vet on the island was putting it on for the first time, and I had forgotten.  I had less than 1/2 hour to get there before it was over, so I didn't bother to dry or comb Venus.  I knew that Ajax would be afraid of Santa so I left him in the car.  Here are the best of the photos, despite Venus being wet and dirty. She loved Santa and was very cooperative!!

I Love the Coastal Life

There are amazing colour-changing leaves and frigid rugged beaches on the east coast, but it's painful for me to think about being anywhere but the West Coast.  I truly believe we are the best coast.
This past weekend I went down to the cove, where the ferry comes in and snapped these photo as it sailed across Howesound  back to Horseshoe Bay.  It doesn't matter what season you are in - the beauty of this coast is consistent.!  I love where I live! 

Later that same day I went for a hike with Ajax up to a lookout and enjoyed the vast expanse of the Salish Sea (Georgia Straight) and watched one of the Nanaimo ferries heading into Horseshoe Bay.  I know nothing with any certainty, but the vastness of the ocean makes me dream!!

West Coast Solitude

Henry David Thoreau once wrote: “I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found a companion so companionable as solitude.” 

Welcome to my "happy place" my place of solitude.  Below are some photos of where I hike to on sunny days year round.  Complete solitude. 

 

 

Thanksgiving

So thankful for our good neighbour-friends George and Sheila Hunter and the entire Hunter clan.  

 

October Skies

Who doesn't love a sunset?  If there's one thing in today's ever-changing world that will always be concrete: it's that the sun will rise and set every single day. With each sunrise, a new day begins and each sunset holds the promise of a new tomorrow. Sunrises are wonderful parts of nature, but sunsets hold a special place in my heart.  Some of the best sunsets are in fall when the air gets colder.  These are my favourites from October.   

A 3 Year Old Buddy

Ajax - still a handful, still a good buddy, and still photogenic. In my humble opinion.

 

Fungus At It's Best

Mushroom spotting is one of my favourite fall activities, and hiking the forest trails with the dogs in fall is like a treasure hunt when it comes to finding mushrooms.  These are my favourites so far this year.

 

 

 

 

 

Fall in the Garden

Japanese maple, purple monks hood and autumn-joy seedum.

 

 

 

Of Wood and Stoves

Can't fathom heating your home with logs? Trust me, a wood stove is a many splendored thing.  Our rancher home comes with radiant floor heating which we have never really figured out in the 12 years we've been here, so we don't bother.  Why would we? - We have a dandy wood stove that is so efficient it can heat the whole house!  

It all starts with getting firewood and stacking it in our 2 wood storage sheds.  My job of course.

 

This year, it was clear we needed to replace the firebricks and baffles in the wood stove as the bricks were breaking down to dust.  My job!  It was fun trying to fit the bricks in so they would all fit.  When I got to the baffle bricks on the inside top, I was stumped.  No matter how I tried I couldn't get them in.  Thank goodness for YouTube - I found a baffle installation video.  

Voila !

It's About Chris

Cancer changes your life.  It's that simple.  It changes the cancer patient's life and the lives of everyone in that patients life.  You learn what's important, you learn to prioritize, and you learn not to waste your time. You get on with life.
We spend a lot of time at the chemo clinic or at imaging clinics or just waiting someplace.  Chris is taking everything in stride.  So far his regular blood work and his regular CT scans show that the cancer is stable and not progressing.  That is the ultimate goal - remain stable.  

These are Chris's chemo pills - 5 in the morning and 5 at night.  10 pills a day seems like a lot and it is.  He takes them for 2 weeks then gets a week of no pills.  Then he gets an Avasta infusion and starts the pills all over again.  It's a regular cycle now.

  Below we have Chris after an infusion and a few days into chemo.

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  And Chris at the end of a 2 week cycle.

 

West Coast Pup

Just like Ajax, this pup loves the outdoor freedom of Bowen.  Up until now I have been taking them both for hikes together, no issues, but last week Ajax displayed quite a bit of protectiveness around her when we ran into another hiker and his female dog (that Ajax knows).  Unusual for Ajax but I don;t want any trouble so I will have to be selective with my times and places I take them both, or else they will get separate walks. 

Puppy Progress

Five and a half months she passed her puppy manners class.  We have now graduated to puppy obedience level 1.  She is the youngest in the group now at 6 months, but the biggest. She is not very focused in my opinion, but she has the hang of come, sit and down.