Amazing Eagle Cam

Best eagle cam I have ever seen. Two chicks just hatched and Mom and Dad caring for them!


                                              http://www.pixcontroller.com/eagles/  

Busy Times and Good News!

Whew! it has been busy days here on the island. In February we had our first real snow of any amount and boy did it snow! For three days it came down and all we did was shovel! The nice thing about snow here is that every one helps every one else. So we had lots of company on the sidewalk and the driveway and then we moved around the neighborhood helping other people shovel theirs. Community ! I love it! 

We also saw our first herring run and was it something to see! The run lasts only for a week or so, but it brings with it hundreds of birds, sea lions, seals, blue herons  and of course my favorite...eagles. 

I had never seen so many sea gulls and eagles in one spot in my entire life! I was mesmerized by them.

To see so many of these huge birds in the air at one time all scouring the water for fish was just beautiful. It also made me realize just how many fish must be out there as these big birds need a lot of food to survive and to have so many in one spot means there is a lot of food around. 

We also had some really good news at the end of January. As most of you know I have been struggling with metastatic breast cancer for the last four years.  In the late fall of 2013 I was having some problems with my lungs and so my oncologist decided it was time to do a full CT scan of my body and look for signs of metastasis. I am very happy to say that they can find  no  visible indication of any cancerous tumors anywhere in my body at this time and I am hopeful they never will.  I have another eight months of cancer treatment and then I should be able to have only once yearly check ups. The problem with my lungs turned out to be some damage done with the radiation which has increased my sensitivity to my environment. Here in the valley many people burn wood fireplaces and stoves including ourselves. However we have now installed a heat pump and new gas furnace along with an air purifier and that seems to have taken care of the problem. 

Spring is arriving and signs of that are everywhere here on the island. the flowers are popping up and the grass is getting greener and longer. Unfortunately so are the weeds!! I have been spending some time out in the flower beds this week plucking weeds and there does not seem to be any end to them. 

We have had a lot of company since January and in fact have company coming every month till the end of June. People love to get a tour of the island one of their favorite places is the barge with the sea lions in Fanny Bay. Their barking can be heard long before you get out of your car and make your way down the dock. For some reason every one , including myself, love to watch the antics of these  clowns of the ocean. Fanny Bay is famous for it's oysters and I always try to get a large carton and have an oyster fry for people. Nothing like the taste of fresh oysters. 

Fred and I have also done some exploring on our own and discovered a beautiful gem just outside of Bowser. It is a place called Deep Bay and the view of the mountains and water is just lovely. 

And if all of this is not enough to keep us happy and busy there is always deer watching.

Trumpeter Swans in the Fog

Two weeks ago the Valley was covered in sea fog for about three days. It was lovely, but difficult to take photos . A friend of ours came from the mainland to stay with us for the weekend and as he and I love to take photos we spent almost all our time trying to get some clear shots. I think he did much better than I, but here are the Trumpeter swans on the estuary.

Camera Shy Merganser

Salmon Point

Salmon Point

We have had several days of hard rain here on the island. It is the most I have seen since I arrived here July 24th. Finally the ski hill on Mt. Washington, a half hour away,  has enough snow to open for the season, but I don't ski so that is not a comfort for me.  
On Saturday I was tired of puttering around the house waiting for the rain to let up and decided to just go to the beach anyhow. After all Miss Lucy loves the beach rain, snow or wind and she was missing her beach time. We usually go to Point Holmes, but I decided that I would leave early and drive about 25 minutes farther north  to a place called  Salmon Point. It is a very exposed stretch of beach with few people around at this time of year. By the time we got there the rain and wind had ceased and the temperature was fairly warm. As we started down the beach I was shocked by how much driftwood had piled up from the storms that had gone through during the last few days. Then as I looked around I was delighted to find that those strong currents had also brought heaps and I do mean HEAPS of the shells that I love to collect and polish. Where the usual shell collection on a normal day is a couple of handfuls this is what we collected on this beach walk!

A basket full!!
 It turned out to be a great walk and a beautiful night there.

The more time I spend on this island the more I realize it is a little piece of paradise and I thank the universe for placing me in this lovely spot.