Dizzy Swallows

Late Fall in the Pacific Northwest

December 7th, 2012

There are many things I love about our home in the Pacific Northwest. I could wax poetic for days on the merits of our craggy mountains, grey-green oceans, piney forests, and the blazingly verdant moss that covers it all. Anyone who has lived in this region for over a year can tell you that our summers are unsurpassed, but the colder months are a long, hard slog characterized by leaden skies and a damp cold that cuts right to the bone. This can be a deal-breaker for the uninitiated. We Northwesterners are hospitable, but admittedly take some time in accepting those tender, sun-warmed outsiders into our ranks. Perhaps this is because it is only once they see past the grey, and even grow a bit of moss themselves (on the north side, naturally), can they appreciate our region’s natural treasures as much as we do.

It is in these grey … Continue reading

Salt Spring Island, Part 3

September 5th, 2011

Happy Labor Day chaps! Hopefully all of you are still in the full swing of a long, restful weekend!

Today I’m wrapping up our wonderful Salt Spring Island camping trip with the third part of our adventures. One of my very favorite things about our tent (while it may not be quite so charming as that of the lovely Artemis) is that the dome is nearly all mesh. Lying inside at night, the stars are your ceiling. In the morning, enjoying a glorious sunrise is only a matter of sitting up.

After breakfast and a bit of lounging, we spent the morning roaming the rocky shore, enjoying the tide pools and their inhabitants.

I love the bulbous anemones. Their Jabba-like bodies are at once rather disgusting and fascinating.

The low tide exposed a bounty of mussels, barnacles, and seaweed.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the stones, … Continue reading

Salt Spring Island, Part 2

September 2nd, 2011

Our second day on Salt Spring dawned sunny and fresh. The tide had slipped away in the night, leaving the dark rocks naked and glistening green with seaweed.

Coffee never tasted so delicious.

After making ourselves decent for public viewing, we wound our way back to town for ice and to see the sights.

The largest town on Salt Spring is Ganges, a friendly, buzzing little metropolis curled round a small marina.

There are several parks scattered about town, with inviting lawns and charming residents.

As it so happened, Saturday was market day and our ears brought us to the music pagoda, complete with dancing hippies. This is an island after all. We hippies love an island.

But even I was surprised by a certain pastime in which three local girls were happily engaged. Chicken tossing. Yes. The three were gently tossing a fluffy, speckled bantam hen from one loving … Continue reading

Salt Spring Island, Part 1

August 31st, 2011 2 Comments

Hello darlings! No indeed, I have not forgotten about you! We got back from camping late Monday night and yesterday was something of a scramble to catch up with work. My goodness, the things that pile up when you’re unplugged from the internet…

But without further ado, I’m going to jump right into scenes from our camping trip on Salt Spring Island. It was one of those rare vacations where everything goes smoothly, from traffic, to the ferry, from the weather, to snagging a choice campsite.

My habitual ire with ferries does not, as yet, extent to the B.C. Ferries. Though we were on the “milk-run”, which stops at all of the major Gulf Islands and takes roughly 3 hours, there was no dawdling and we departed every stop with commendable punctuality.

The view wasn’t half bad either, with the characteristic rocky crags of Pacific Northwest islands rising from … Continue reading

Camping

August 24th, 2011

A scant few weeks after Jacob and I began dating we drove out of LA in my old beater car (miss you Max!) for a week of camping. That first trip is still one of our favorites. We stayed in both Joshua Tree and Death Valley, enjoying the wilderness and all the (tiny, deserted) back-roads in between.

Camping to me is synonymous with summer. I’ve lost count of the family trips we took growing up, often, as teenagers, having to be dragged bodily to the car with the dire threat: “You’ll thank me later!” Well, thanks Mom. Even those times spent huddled, miserable, and damp under a tarp with the rain sluicing down around us have been folded into my undying love of camping.

Though this summer has thus far offered a sad dearth of camping opportunities, I am delighted to tell you that on Friday we will be … Continue reading