It was a superb evening for a Canada Day party in Victoria, BC.
The crowd welcomed the First Nations blessing, and the mayor clearly acknowledged the contentious nature of the celebration. There was an impromptu demonstration, and that also went over well.
Here are a few photos:
I was keeping a hand over my lens in the crowd to protect it, and at one point it fogged up, producing a nice effect.
Getting some Beavertails to munch on during the fireworks
Midori visiting Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. We took her with us for the long weekend. She’s actually a great traveler, despite what turtle books say about changes of scene causing stress. She loves looking out the window when the car is moving. Dunno what the heck she sees. . .
NOTE: We’ve had ‘Dori for nearly 25 years, and we do not recommend turtles as pets. They require care and attention like any living thing, and because she’s a wild animal and not native to BC, we have permits from the government.
Yeah, I know, invasive red-eared sliders are all over the place, and that’s precisely the point. Either you take care of it for 25+ years, or don’t get one and then dump it, eh?
It was a lovely day for a crossing.
I had a one-day break in my schedule, so I took advantage of the last quiet week before summer holidays kick in for a night of camping up the Sea to Sky.
There something about the Pemberton area that often results in dramatic skies
Got the tarp up in preparation for a forecast of rain. Had a few claps of thunder in the evening, and a bit of drizzle. The rain kicked in more heavily early this morning, so I just rolled everything up and stuffed it into a heavy duty garbage bag to dry at home.
Raindrops keep falling on my tarp. . .
Rambling around Duddingston Loch in Edinburgh last month. Lovely walk, old stone walls, Dr. Neil’s Garden, Duddingston Kirk, and some geese, swans, and pheasants.
At one point when we were unsure as to how to get to one of the places we wanted to see, a friendly woman noticed our apparent confusion, opened a gate, and led us there. Wonderful!
Old stone walls that went on for kilometers
Remnants of a horse-drawn railway dating to 1831
When I saw this chain on the church wall I joked that it was for sinners. Turns out I wasn’t off the mark. . .
An oddity found in Edinburgh last month — a statue of Abraham Lincoln in a small, old cemetery we chanced upon. It’s dedicated to Suffrage, Emancipation, and Scots who served in the US Civil War.
The famous Naruto whirlpools and the Onaruto Bridge in Japan. These shots are from back in April this year. Unfortunately we missed the peak whirlpool tidal action by about half an hour.
As someone who is not that great with heights, this was quite the exercise in willpower for me 
.
Five Bridges tour in the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, Scotland, back in May.
Lots of wildlife and a sighting of Robert Louis Stevenson!
This inn appears in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Islets in the Firth have a range of fortifications dating from centuries ago to WWII
A pheasant on a stone wall shot from the bus
I drive the Sea to Sky from Vancouver to Squamish, or Whistler, or Pemberton several times a year.
Sometimes for camping, sometimes for photography.
Here’s a shot at Porteau Cove from earlier today.
The 1930-built sail training ship Nippon Maru permanently docked at Yokohama, Japan. Wow, can’t believe that a couple of months after our last Japan trip, I’m still catching up on photos to post! Also can’t believe how much this area has been built up and transformed since I first visited decades ago. . .
