Down by the Sea...

A little tired and short on enthusiasm last Friday, I chose the sea as my destination... To shorten the distance I drove to the head of the logging road that heads down toward the sea. Heading cross-country in the general direction of another known road, I hoped to make a quick hike of it...It wasn't. The land separating me from the sea was once a poplar plantation. Having been cleared of trees, it is fast becoming a thicket, criss-crossed with 4-wheeler tracks and ruts and mud... I was not enthused when the track I chose took me on a detour in precisely the opposite direction I wished to be heading! This seed pod was a welcome bit of beauty on an otherwise dreary trek...

But at last, I hit the road to Gibson's Beach and headed downhill to the sea.

It is always a refreshing sight.


The tide was out and I had the beach all to myself, except for this heron...


He was busy fishing and eyed my intrusion with suspicion, but stayed put in his pool while I wandered by...



Looking for an alternate route home I espied a little trail heading into the bush, highlighted by this little wonder!



And what a treat I was in for-- a freshly renovated trail running all along the seaside just inside the edge of the woods. Looked like it had just just been worked on. Fresh sawdust, bright little bridges, freshly cleared
salal... I do love a new trail--so does Louie, note the happy eyes ( :

Suddenly the day was brighter and the walk not such a plodding affair--a fine reward for the effort of getting out on a lackluster day. You just never know where your feet may take you once you get them moving!

Try it and see!

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Ps. 16:11

Dandy!

There are signs that the cycle of seasons has not gotten lost in a fog but is on its way. I found this little wonder near my herb garden bed poking through the half frozen topsoil in all its glory.
Thanks Nola!

My snowdrops are celebrating the lengthening days too!

The sun lured me out today to hike up Scout. It was a bit of a trick because it was quite cold and windy despite the sun's brilliant invitation.
Along the way I spied the year's first dandelion! It grows here predictably each Spring, the first of its kind, in the protection of the roadside drainage ditch. Not a glamorous spot or a particularly glamorous sight but a bright spot nonetheless. Blooming where it's planted.

There's not much new along this familiar trail today, but change is just around the corner! The buds are swelling lending a reddish cast to the alders' branches. The sun is still bright in this wood, for now. This will soon be a very shady path. I've taken this photo in hopes of following spring's progress here with my camera...

On the final ascent to the top of our little 'Scout' I found winter still hanging on. No wonder I was so cold!-- it's freezing up here still. Will these be the season's last icicles?

Today wasn't one for long meditations on the mountain... too shivery. Rather than retrace my steps I went down the other side of the mountain. Coming down a small ravine I was delighted with this contrast-- a wall of dancing ferns above and beside me.

They had caught the afternoon sun and put it to good use.
Hard and cold as ice or dancing in carefree abandon-- I guess it's all a matter of where you stand in relation to the Sun.
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus washes us clean from all our sin...
"God is light, pure light. There's not a trace of darkness in Him."
I John 1:5 The Message
Wishing you the joy of His presence in your days...
-Linda