Camouflage & A Card That Glitters

WOULDN'T WE ALL like to camouflage at times the way this pet does on a beach at Davis Bay? Staying in the background can be comforting and feel safe when uninspired or simply tired and searching for a word that begins with the letter "C". As a teenager I certainly didn't want to be conspicuous and did my best to blend in with the rest.

But a closer look reveals no stone is commonplace when the tide washes color onto the gray. So if unnoticed or seen only by chance a glimmer of hope to step out of the shadows and to make a ripple need not be tossed away. My Penelope Puddle greeting card tells overlooked dreamers what they deep-down already know: "You're a special little pebble on the beach of life."

When I've lost my glow, I tend to dab a little extra glitter on the cards that I craft. Whenever I'm absorbed in creative projects, photography or the wonders of nature, some specks from a greater cosmic sparkle tend to rub off on me.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "C". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, visit ABC Wednesday.

A Puddle Free Day At Kitsilano Beach

RAIN WASHED AWAY any lingering snow from the Kitsilano Seawall area where I walked with my daughter recently. At first glance the horizon was colorless as we strolled puddleless paths barely dampened by an earlier soaking.

Although southwest BC can get dreary this time of year, the winter rain cleared the air and mellowed the beach scene at Kits Point overlooking English Bay.

A soft silver hue, dipped in shades of blue, glowed through a dull curtain of gray. Pinkish-purple twigs blushed a promise of early blooms.

Sea vessels were anchored in the harbor while on land ...

soggy moss was firmly attached to a knobby old tree.

My daughter pointed out this rock carving of a duck splashing in the only puddle I noticed that day. She and I are not the only ones who find magic in the drops that keep Vancouver green.

On the stone's opposite side, we discovered an inscription by Vancouver author Regan D'Andrade who in December of 1999 expressed what many locals feel. Her sensitive message is as powerful as the rock in which the beautifully crafted words were etched.

It was a delight to pause a moment and read the writer's thoughts aloud in the outdoors:

"Vancouver is famous for its rain. It can rain here for weeks on end, but it does not usually bother me. However, several years ago I found myself coming close to being thoroughly disgusted by the rain.

"I walked home from work one evening in the pouring rain, mumbling under my breath the whole way that this weather was only suited to ducks. The building I lived in was large and square, and it surrounded a brick courtyard. I came around the corner into the courtyard and there, to my amazement was a beautiful Peking duck in a huge puddle in the middle of the courtyard, quacking and splashing with obvious delight. I had to smile, glad that such joy could be found in the gray wetness of such a day.

"I have often thought that we do not have nearly enough words for rain, especially as this was once a rainforest. There is booming rain, whispery rain, rain that lulls you to sleep, and rain on the leaves which sings you awake; there is soft rain, hard rain, sideways rain, rain that makes you instantly wet, and rain that leaves soft kisses on your cheek, like the wings of a butterfly.

"Rain brings us all the shades of gray, but it also brings us the wonderful greenery that surrounds us and blesses us all." - by Regan D'Andrade

Postscript, 2026: This decade-old post was a perfect place for Penelope Puddle's new song about loving the rain. I hope you enjoy it.

Bus, Bed & Boys At Davis Bay

MY SUMMER MEMORIES are a nice break from the winter chill and happen to contain several words beginning with the letter “B”. While driving to my brother's home in Sechelt last August, we saw various creative seating options at bus stops on the highway. The office chair is one of my favorites.

Along the way we also saw a bed planted in the front yard of a Bed & Breakfast establishment.

There was no vacancy. But across the street there was another spontaneously placed chair by a bus stop with a view of Davis Bay.

Davis Bay is a small waterfront town in the District of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. By most accounts, the sun does shine a little brighter in this part of the mainland accessed by large ferries that transport vehicles and people along the Gulf of Georgia to difficult-to-reach havens in southwest British Columbia.

You would think the sea was no more than an oversized bathtub to play in the way these boys gleefully leapt off the wharf with fearless abandon. The boy (above) was a second away from taking a backward splash into the bay.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "B". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, visit ABC Wednesday.

Snowy Caps & Gulls Shop In White Rock

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

From Powdry Puffs To Sloppy Slush

SNOWFALL TURNED INTO slush overnight before I could capture its pristine beauty. The light dusting of powder didn't last long in the rain. Although there wasn't enough wintry white to make a footprint (photo taken last winter), I was glad this first flurry of the new year melted fast. Driving on icy streets is a challenge. And I didn't want to bring out my cobweb-covered snow shovel.

I imagined the Semiahmoo Library near my neighbourhood looking much the same as it did last winter (above) when I took this shot. Content to stay indoors after a short walk I did my reading online and made no plans to visit the other side of this building where frost was no doubt confusing the early bloomers planted on the library wall.

Fragile sprouts encouraged by recent mild weather were less likely to survive this icy surprise than the tough evergreen shrubbery hunkered outside my door. Picturesque and harmless as white puffs of fluff seem to be I have to agree with the unknown author who said: “Snowflakes, like people, are all different and beautiful, but they can be a nuisance when they lose their identity in a mob”.

When not being a nuisance, however, fresh flurries incite mobs of skiers, sledders and snowmen to gather on the snowy slopes. I suppose it is good news for them that although this current wonderland has thawed, forecasters see new flakes coming in the near future.

To view more sights from around the globe visit Our World.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Giving Crescent Beach Waters A Swirl

IT WAS A HANG ONTO YOUR HAT blustery afternoon when I took a walk recently along the Crescent Beach shoreline to find the bay area was unusually animated.

The wind whipped at my face as it surfed the soaked edge where I wandered. If the weather had been less chilly, I would have kicked off my shoes and dug my toes in the silky sand that the water was softening.

The sun cast a silver glow as bouncy waves rushed in and out of the shore ...

spilling beaded water like strings of pearls on the spongy floor.

Bubbly blankets of foam rolled over the pebbles and made swirling designs.

I was tempted to stay but had to pull away from the ebb and flow of the sea that danced like we do to life's rhythms.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

All Sorts Of More Of The Same

Linked to Wordless Wednesday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Suddenly Scattered At Kwomais Park

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Predictions Brew In My World

WE READ THE WEATHER like tealeaves wanting to know what the future will hold. But the changing skies that hang over my personal pathways are seldom that clear as I peer into the gray and sometimes shimmering patterns.

I like to peek into my tomorrows for hints of what I should wear when I venture outdoors … although boots and an umbrella are an easy guess this time of year. I also welcome the sweeter forecasts that are often tucked inside of fortune cookies to ponder longer term goals.

But looking too far ahead drains color from the day. And predictions are never as black and white as they seem in the plot of an old movie. With my crystal ball of hindsight, I know what true dramas unfolded for the people who starred in the classics. I prefer the chapters in my own life to remain a mystery.

Is the future written in the stars or yet to be determined as we make choices along life’s way? I tend to believe the latter but perhaps it is a wizard's mix of both. Whatever the brew, it seems joyful surprises can be revealed around any corner and inspiration concealed in the ups and downs of the weather.

An insightful message can even be hidden in a 1999 computer game called The Longest Journey bought as a Christmas gift over a decade ago. I treasure these words from a character named Cortez who says to the heroine: “You see, señorita, mystery is important. To know everything, to know the whole truth, is dull. There is no magic in that. Magic is not knowing, magic is wondering about what and how and where.”

To view more sights from around the globe visit Our World.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Renewing The Wonder In My World

THIS FRESH START to a New Year got me thinking that vexing problems and challenging times can easily rob the joy out of life. There is wonderment to soak in at nearly every corner ... even if within the parameters of one's own mind. A mystic moment can be sparked by a deep inner knowing or a simple reflection of tree branches tangled in paper decor pasted on the window of a community hall. Nothing is as it seems and reality is limited by the ability to perceive it.

What a miracle that no two of us are alike but all are made of the same stuff as snowflakes and stars.

Daily woes and worries are thieves distracting from magical pathways of the imagination that sometimes just sit there uninspired ...

when they could be glowing ...

or fluttering in and out of windows softly opened to new realms.

To view how others around the globe started their 2012 visit Our World.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms