04 October 2015
Island Life 4 October 2015
04/10/15 08:21
The week started with the lunar eclipse. I wandered down to the beach off of Sebastian in Lantzville a bit after seven. The moon hadn’t come up yet so I found a good perch and settled in. Slowly people filtered in as it got dark. The sunset behind us was beautiful as we waited for the moon to appear. My friend Heather from the theatre and her family arrived after a bit and we chatted amid the gathering gloom. Finally the moon appeared. It was very dim. In all honesty, we’ve seen a number of lunar eclipses and this was by far the darkest. Some eclipses the moon has been just a coppery colour. Other times it’s gotten dusky and the edge of the shadow has been really sharp. This time though the moon was so dark it was almost invisible. I took a number of shots, all the way out to a 1, 3, 5, even a 15 second exposure in an effort to capture the scene. What I got mostly was WHY you don’t shoot that long an exposure handheld. A tripod and remote release would have been good.
But it was a fun evening.
Marsha and her sister Margaret were in Tofino on the west side of the island that night. Even though they were on the ‘wrong’ side of the island they did see the eclipse as well. They also got some pictures. Though they had one advantage over me. While I shivered on a rock on the beach, ankle deep in sand and seaweed, they got to enjoy the eclipse from their hotel balcony with a glass of wine.
Prior to the eclipse Marsha and Margaret went down to the beach. It was beautiful, sunny, people were surfing, and frolicking in the waves, and laying in the sun. Then at one point Margaret exclaimed “Oh my, Marsha!” Marsha turned and saw a man walking down the access road toward the beach. He was naked. Seriously naked. Not even flip-flops on. He did have one hand strategically placed to hide his…um…’naughty bits’, but other than that, nothing was covered. As he passed them Marsha did hold up her hand saying “High Five”, but he didn’t fall for it. (EDIT: I DID NOT!!, Marsha)
Life in the wilds of the Northwest is full of surprising sights.
Overall though, they had a great trip to Tofino. Margaret was a bit perturbed by Marsha’s ‘wild’ driving on the way back, but I think that was more the road.
Minnesota roads ___________
Vancouver Island Roads /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
We have twisty mountain roads around here, so I really don’t think it was Marsha’s fault.
The big project this week was painting. Actually that’s been the project for several weeks. The main walls are done. I’ve been working on the carport. There’s an amazing amount of trim and ‘fiddly bits’ around the carport. It takes a lot of time but not much paint. Wednesday I set the paint aside and pulled out the power washer. Couldn't paint the fence around the carport until the mildew and dirt was removed. Sunday it had dried out enough to start painting, something that will take a few days. Once that’s done then it’s the stairs turn. The new stairs our friend Dave built last summer. The wood’s treated but dry so it’ll take a couple of coats. Oh, and I also need to do the stairs in front so they match. And the shutters. And these little triangle bits at the top of the ends of the house. And with any leftover paint we want to do the shed so it matches the house. Oh and the second coat on the stair treads with sand in it to help with the grip.
I think I’ll be painting for a long time.
Doug & Marsha
PIX: 1: Rocky Mountains in Sunset. 2: Sunset from Lantzville. 3: This guy knew the best spot was the tip of the point and dammit as long as he has a wetsuit a high tide wasn’t going to stop him. 4: Max Eclipse at Lantzville. 5: End of the eclipse from Tofino. 6: Tofino Harbour. 7, 8, 9: The beach just south of Tofino.
But it was a fun evening.
Marsha and her sister Margaret were in Tofino on the west side of the island that night. Even though they were on the ‘wrong’ side of the island they did see the eclipse as well. They also got some pictures. Though they had one advantage over me. While I shivered on a rock on the beach, ankle deep in sand and seaweed, they got to enjoy the eclipse from their hotel balcony with a glass of wine.
Prior to the eclipse Marsha and Margaret went down to the beach. It was beautiful, sunny, people were surfing, and frolicking in the waves, and laying in the sun. Then at one point Margaret exclaimed “Oh my, Marsha!” Marsha turned and saw a man walking down the access road toward the beach. He was naked. Seriously naked. Not even flip-flops on. He did have one hand strategically placed to hide his…um…’naughty bits’, but other than that, nothing was covered. As he passed them Marsha did hold up her hand saying “High Five”, but he didn’t fall for it. (EDIT: I DID NOT!!, Marsha)
Life in the wilds of the Northwest is full of surprising sights.
Overall though, they had a great trip to Tofino. Margaret was a bit perturbed by Marsha’s ‘wild’ driving on the way back, but I think that was more the road.
Minnesota roads ___________
Vancouver Island Roads /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
We have twisty mountain roads around here, so I really don’t think it was Marsha’s fault.
The big project this week was painting. Actually that’s been the project for several weeks. The main walls are done. I’ve been working on the carport. There’s an amazing amount of trim and ‘fiddly bits’ around the carport. It takes a lot of time but not much paint. Wednesday I set the paint aside and pulled out the power washer. Couldn't paint the fence around the carport until the mildew and dirt was removed. Sunday it had dried out enough to start painting, something that will take a few days. Once that’s done then it’s the stairs turn. The new stairs our friend Dave built last summer. The wood’s treated but dry so it’ll take a couple of coats. Oh, and I also need to do the stairs in front so they match. And the shutters. And these little triangle bits at the top of the ends of the house. And with any leftover paint we want to do the shed so it matches the house. Oh and the second coat on the stair treads with sand in it to help with the grip.
I think I’ll be painting for a long time.
Doug & Marsha
PIX: 1: Rocky Mountains in Sunset. 2: Sunset from Lantzville. 3: This guy knew the best spot was the tip of the point and dammit as long as he has a wetsuit a high tide wasn’t going to stop him. 4: Max Eclipse at Lantzville. 5: End of the eclipse from Tofino. 6: Tofino Harbour. 7, 8, 9: The beach just south of Tofino.