It’s been less than two years since we were last in Victoria B.C. but there were more construction cranes than I can remember seeing before. Tomorrow I’ll show you what this one was working on. It was pretty interesting.
Victoria skyline
Category: Beyond the Olympic Peninsula
Spring break
Last week we went to one of my favorite places, Victoria B.C. It’s a lovely, welcoming city and there’s plenty to do and see. We had two days and kept to a narrow itinerary with eye candy at the top of my list.
A change of scene
We headed north into Canada last week to shake off winter doldrums. Spring isn’t much further ahead than here but it was a good place to go for previews.
Stay tuned and I’ll take you along on our adventures.
Sunday churches
It’s Sunday. I thought I’d repost a couple of churches that I especially liked in 2018. This one was in the Skagit Valley, north of Seattle.
And this one was in Borrego Springs, California.
Waiting
I saw this belted kingfisher as we waited for a ferry. I zoomed in closer but the view was better like this, framed by timbers and wire.
Bloedel Reserve finale
Prentice Bloedel’s focus on textures and shapes is evident in many of the views around the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. It is a visual feast at many turns. Volunteers encouraged us to return during other seasons; rhodendrons are spectacular in spring; fall colors are brilliant.
I took the last of my day’s photos at the classic Japanese Garden. The day was warm (85F/29.4C) and it was time for lunch and a cool drink. I do hope to go back again…and again.
Further explorations at Bloedel Reserve
A walkway zig zags through a marshy bog at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. I didn’t consult my guide while I was there but later discovered that a healthy cluster of nearby plants was, as I thought, carnivorous. They are in the middle crook of the walkway and you might make out their oval heads.
While not exactly a rain forest, parts of the Bloedel Reserve resemble rain forests in Western Washington and are rich in lichen, mosses, and ferns.
The forest walk opens onto the first of several ponds created by Prentice Bloedel as he developed the reserve. Although his fortune came from the timber industry, Bloedel initiated conservation practices in the industry and carefully created water features at the Reserve only where the natural high water table permitted. He was an interesting man. Read more about him here.
The nearby Bloedel Residence is used for exhibits, cultural events, and administrative offices. It is on a bluff that overlooks Port Madison Bay and Puget Sound. A lawn in the back opens onto a gorgeous water view.