The vertical Canada/U.S. border in Oak Bay B.C.

Sometimes when exploring Gonzales Hill or Anderson Hill Park in Oak Bay our cellphones give out a discrete "beep" and message welcoming us to the U.S.A. It's indeed a dizzying feeling to have one's head in the U.S. whilst one's feet are still firmly planted on Canadian soil.

A difficult winter

Winter can be quite a hardship for our wild birds. Many people will provide a bird feeder in their backyard to help. However, in this case, a Good Samaritan has extended their assistance in the form of a bird feeder in a public park.

FAN•TA•SEA•ISLE

FAN•TA•SEA•ISLE is a wonderful piece of driftwood art created by folk artist Rich Rico that is located in Esquimalt in Greater Victoria's westside. Rich met up with some american visitors who posted a video of him on YouTube which can be seen HERE.

Dog of St. Patrick's Day

Sadie, a nine year old Irish Wolfhound, decked out in her St. Patrick's Day greenery and quietly watching the passing parade.

At first shy to have her photograph taken,
she eventually became quite interested in my camera.
I admit to a weakness for terriers.

The aluminum tree

We Westcoasters harbour a great appreciation for our forests and trees, so, it's understandable why we might immortalize a tree in aluminum –right down to the detail of the woodsman's chop near its base.

Dog of the day

"Echo" a Border Collie, has a unique stick trick which is only used when he has an audience. He doesn't bury it, he doesn't fetch it, instead he creates Expressive Reverse Sand Calligraphy. In this example he began on the far right and wrote his way backwards to the far left. Though not quite finished, we wondered what his message was.

Esquimalt shines a light – 3 ways

This lamplight along the public shoreline walkway in Esquimalt (a westside community in Victoria BC) is powered by wind, solar, and mains energy. This is the only example we've seen of a lamplight that will not fail.

Considerations

On our daily rambles we often see a mitt, glove, scarf or some other found item carefully placed in a prominent spot. This is done by a passerby in the hope that the owner will likely retrace their footsteps and the lost item will be reunited with its mate.
The fact that someone has decided to stop and and take the time to perform this small but important gesture contributes to the enjoyment of our walks. It creates an atmosphere of thoughtfulness and consideration.
And they are fun to find.