Light, brambles, Egmont and recovering the adventurous son

Today I took a day off work. Last born, my son, is travelling with Mrs E. to the UK on Sunday. This meant that he was to miss the Venturer Scout trip up the Sunshine Coast to Princess Louisa Inlet. (Due West of Whistler). However, in a last minute rethink, they’d agreed he could go along, provided I collected him today from their return stop-off at Egmont, North of  Sechelt, and close to the famous (well, in THESE parts at least) Skookumchuk Narrows – famous for its tidal currents of around 30km/h!

So anyway, I set off at around 10am this morning, and returned home at 9:30pm, son safely in tow and both of us exhausted. I’d taken my camera and been in no particular hurry on the way there, since I was to meet them at “dinner time”. This seemed totally reasonable until I got to Egmont around 4pm to find that they were not at the public marina, there was no cell signal, and I was now against the clock to catch the relatively early last ferry back to the Lower Mainland. Having Bunbury’d around for an hour or so, I relocated my car nearer to the marina as I had some fresh groceries including heavy potatoes for the Venturers, and I didn’t want them to be unnecessarily carried. When I returned ready to take more photos of the marina, I recognised one of the leaders in the cruiser’s Zodiac, chatting to someone on the dock. It then turned out that the Venturers were camping about a kilometre away, just outside Egmont proper (and that’s only a couple of houses and a pub!) AND they’d been there since noon. Kizmet indeed! Had I gone elsewhere to take pictures I’d have been blissfully unaware they were so close.

So, I exchanged fresh food for the fruit of my loins and had a very pleasant journey back home chatting away to my son. Or at least the alien that had taken over his body. He seemed to be able to string whole sentences together now, was talking about healthier living habits, his kayaking adventures, waterfalls, leadership issues in the Venturer Company and how he’d like to suggest improvements. Things of this ilk. Most un-teenagerish. When we got home he had a bath, spoke courteously to his older sister then went to bed. I’m feeling ever so slightly worried how my real son is faring in the alien society that he’s been taken to in exchange for this pleasant young lad.

So anyway – I took 129 photos today it seems. I’ll not bore you with all of them. However, I noticed a few themes I seemed to have been following. Firstly, I had deliberately chosen to only use my 70-300mm lens. It had cost me a small fortune to buy, but since my newest 50mm purchase, it hasn’t seen the light of day. Or night for that matter. It’s a superb lens, and I wanted to force myself to select images it could handle. So that much at least was deliberate. The rest were subconscious.

One other theme was light/shade. It was blisteringly hot up the Sunshine Coast. I guess that’s why it’s not called the Rainy Coast. Despite that, it’s just as lush as the rest of BC, and there were quite a selection of images that had captured the effects of the light on foliage.

The other day I had had a discussion about Earth, life, Gaia, parasites and various other related topics. I was struck today with how some photos I’d taken of brambles were not unlike others I’d taken of power lines. Each seemed to spread out their tendrils and creep over the countryside and strangle other things out.

Finally, there was a theme I often find when I look back over my images – patterns. Lines, repetition, unusual angles. So here’s about half of my photos of the day. I hope you find at least one you don’t mind.

Horseshoe Bay – a boat on a boat.

All neatly lined up like the good Canadians we are.

Part of the mechanism in the ferry for raising the mezzanine car deck

I like a good shag. Or is it a cormorant?

Sea, gulls, shit.

Ouch! I bet that rattled a few fillings!

The approach to the harbour, and wonderful BC beyond.

I’m growing quite fond of the old teacloth now.

At least THREE people will survive a sinking then!

OK – three people plus whoever can get in the Zodiac will be OK if we sink.

We had to wait for the Queen of Coquitlam to sort her crinolines out before we could dock at Langdale.

I think this terminal is for loading Industrial Minerals (that’s a posh way to say “gravel”) into barges. The conveyor belt goes straight up the hill behind the town.

Sechelt pier – I thought this little collection looked a bit French, somehow.

Two cranes necking.

The guy in the cab is only wearing his shorts. It must be baking hot up there.

Ithought the hues here looked like a watercolour.

This old guy was fishing without his shoes on.

Lines, repetition, patterns. I love it. Under the Sechelt pier.

Bench, fence, shadows. I liked the progression of lines

A very vicious looking gate… that was always open. It’s the principle though…

Sharp teeth to keep you upright… or punish you for falling.

A cats cradle of lines to take you down to the floating dock

Scattered sun mixed with the reflection of the pier

All official, measured and proper.

Split cedar fence. Silver in the sun.

I’ve used this kind of framing before with the railway at White Rock. It appeals to me for some reason.

A block of condos overlooking the sea. I liked the repetition, and the light to keep everything square (except my camera :) )

This old stump is visiting Lily’s pad.

Heading up the highway. This stump is in Trout Lake.

Half Moon Bay. It was hard to capture the dank feel of this shady beck.

Half Moon Bay. Dappled light on the beck. I was really pleased how this came out and has the deep contrast I saw.

Salmon berry. These plentiful berries, along with the salmon whose eggs they’re named after are the reason the Coast Salish did so well in these parts. Before we Euro’s came and mucked everything up of course!

This tree looked like it had been hand-painted by an impressionist.

Here’s the tangle of human brambles I referred to

Half moon Bay. Is it just me, or do you want to swim out there too, and ask them to take you with them when they leave?

Not quite sure what this bird is, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t build that nest!

The bramble flowers are elegant and somehow reminiscent of simpler times.

Here’s a reason brambles get left alone by plant eaters.

Brambles – natural and man-made

The way the light hit these leaves caught my eye

Light and shadows

The light turns one green into many.

Dappled light on a glorious day

An infinite variety of shades as the gentle breeze moved the arrangement before my lens

I could have looked at the light patterns all day

A dark nook at Half Moon Bay. I liked the wood grain in the shadows

The cafe in Half Moon Bay. They were trying to get air to move.

At Egmont, looking East. I suppose that’s the Tantulus range. More man made brambles in the foreground

A view down the hill to the public marina at Egmont

The winch on the pier at Egmont. Ready to lift up your old granny, or lift down your beer.

I love the colour and scent of the many cedar buildings up the coast of BC

A view to the Tantulus range from Egmont

An old boat ramp across the bay

Kelp, just bobbing along

A simple design, and very effective.

The private floating dock (not like Sechelt) at Egmont. Perfect reflection.

The light’s shadow points the way

Mr Krabs takes a walk

This was one of the giant “prehistoric rhubarb” plants I’d seen at Minter Gardens last weekend. The leaves looked like elephant hide up close.

The colour of this truck was looking lush in amongst the trees.

Another human bramble. The deep blue sky and the foliage seemed to somehow resist the intrusion.

This leaf seemed to glow from within

Foxy gloves. Elbow length. Silken.

These kayaks were on a van with Maryland plates. Quite the trip! I just loved the tight collection of loud colours

An old beater parked at Egmont. The colours were peeling off in layers, but the flashing lights held firm as their anchor corroded beneath them

At last – I found the Venturers! After four days of solid rain, they’d decided to upgrade to cabins to let their gear dry out on their return trip. The forecast was good for the rest of the week, and I’m sure they’ll all have good tans by the time they get back to White Rock on Sunday.

About these ads