Cathedral Grove

Highway 4 cuts across the interior of Vancouver Island, twisting through the mountains.  It’s been twenty years since I’ve passed this way and yet, when the endless rows of trees open to reveal the stillness of Cameron Lake, with mountains in her backdrop, my reaction is the same:  the sheer beauty brings tears to my […]

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Driving up Vancouver Island

One tooth is repaired, and the other, accompanied by another prescription for antibiotics, will have to be pulled when we get home.  At least I can eat on the one side.  The dentist thinks the muscle spasms I was having in my face caused me to clench and the pressure broke my teeth.  Anyway, TMI. […]

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The Butchart Gardens

The sun has decided to grace us with its presence, and as it is our last day in Victoria, we have decided to visit the famous Butchart Gardens.  Visiting botanical gardens has become an interest of ours, as there is much to learn, and an excellent chance we’ll see birds. Ric is afraid that we […]

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La Push, WA

“It’s up to you,” Ric places the decision heavily on my shoulders.  “You pick; I’ll drive.” The choices are to drive two hours to Neah Bay, where if we are willing to trek over fallen logs and a bit of a rocky trail for a mile, we might be able to see whales; or to […]

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Olympic National Park, WA

“We’d need a month to see everything here,” Ric declares as we pour over a map of the area. We’re in the foothills of Mount Olympus, and the scenery here calls out to my spirit, begging for exploration.  It has been rainy though, and the temperature is not far above freezing. We decide to drive […]

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Driving to Port Angeles

We’re sitting in a trendy restaurant overlooking the water.  The atmosphere is funky casual, and Ric and the waiter are bantering back and forth, each one trying to outdo the other with corny quips.  Painted snow and surfboards decorate the walls, and I think my son would love this place. “They are all done by […]

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Redding, California

Redding is a mid-sized town with a population of 90,000.  Our camp is set atop a hillside, and the scenery is beautiful, with mountains as a backdrop and tall trees beginning to bud.  We have found spring. I have not quite recuperated from our trip to San Francisco, so we decide not to venture very […]

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Pacific Coast Encounter

We drive through San Francisco’s waterfront, noting the interesting architecture and impressed by the artsy feel of the place.  Like most big cities, San Francisco has its share of homelessness, and many officers on foot patrol can be seen talking to people in make shift tents, or others sleeping in cement flower boxes.  It is […]

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Turning North

It is raining the morning we pick up the RV – heavy dark clouds hovering overhead. Some days, it feels like my skin offers no barriers, for the damp weather seeps into my body and plays havoc.  And then, just as we ready ourselves for the road, the sun breaks through and a rainbow lights […]

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Writing Class #3

The prompt for this week is to consider the vulnerability of new growth and what it takes to protect it, tying it into nature.  Here is the edited version, after the instructor’s suggestions. Rebirthing It came in the peak of summer that most optimistic time, when sunshine equates with health and bodies glow with exertion […]

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