Eternal Renewal At Elgin Heritage Park

WHAT WAS and soon will be spilled out amid river, pond and stream at Elgin Heritage Park where last year's foliage was quietly stirring. Lovely muddles of plant life, past, present and future, coexisted simultaneously throughout the nearly two mile trail. Birds searched for vacancy signs and buds were escaping the remnants of a long cold winter. Here are the pictures I took during my visit.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Cracked But Not Broken

THE EARTHQUAKE last Tuesday in Italy is yet another example of the fragility of existence.

I created digital art (left) for Earth Day and am re-posting it now, suspecting but not knowing to what degree humanity plays a role in agitating earthquake prone zones.

Warring factions disregard how interconnected the planet is and how exploding bombs in one area can destabilize the underground in another. In this age of conflicts, our earthly home can seem as breakable as an egg shell being tapped by a multitude of spoons. (Postscript September 3, 2016: See how fiddling beneath earth's crust to produce oil and gas also plays a role HERE.)

The loss of precious life, and the historic buildings that survived the ages yet now crumbled into ruins, is heartbreaking. A tourist in Italy once, I was awed by its beauty, historic importance and strong resilient people. May they find strength now and support from around the globe.

Later in the week I took a solitary walk through Kwomais Point Park in South Surrey to clear my thoughts. Birds were chirping in the forest and, for the moment, everything seemed right with this part of the world.

Boundary Bay is at the path's end. The sun brought sparkle to the water that recently changed from gray blue to greenish and more tropical aqua hues. Perhaps this has something to do with warmer sea temperatures and how algae is growing. You can read about it HERE.

A sweet lingering fragrance from a forgotten bouquet was at a railing overlooking the scenery. People like to get married at Kwomais Park this time of year and I wondered, since relationships can be fragile too, if the bride and groom together will find the integrity, compassion, humor and resiliency needed to withstand the challenges sure to come their way.

I visited Elgin Heritage Park with my husband at the end of the week. This was a great place to to see the seasonal changes. Summer is clearly on its way out and autumn is beginning.

A sailor who found no breeze to move his boat pedaled rather than paddled along the bordering Nicomekl River.

A spider caught in a sunbeam was rebuilding its web yet again.

Continuing our walk throughout the park it seemed to me that, yes, there are cracks in life but the spirit does not have to be broken.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

After The Rain At Elgin Park

THIS WAS NOT a shy bird but rather a fastidious bird fluffing its feathers after a refreshing rainfall at Elgin Heritage Park where my husband and I recently went for a walk. The road to Crescent Beach is undergoing construction so the drive to the park was a nice alternative.

Ever alert ... the robin interrupted its grooming at the smallest sound.

Droplets of water stuck to the newly washed wild roses.

Wooden planks over the marshland were damp and slippery.

Lupins were bouyed by the rain that had fallen. Leftover drops (below) shimmered down leaves and cupped into crevices. Sparkling like jewels, the rain seemed more precious than diamonds.

It would solve so many world problems if rain could be turned on and off like a faucet. I welcome the wet weather that southwest BC is known for but rain clouds seem to gather less often here nowadays. In northwest BC, there have been dozens of fires already, mostly due to dry weather and the carelessness of humans. The reckless (and now illegal) act of tossing a cigarette out a car window likely caused some of the fires.

It sounds like wishful thinking but wouldn't it be amazing if nature could be nudged to produce rain wherever needed? If the phenomena of cloud seeding were perfected as a technique, it could be a powerful fire fighting/prevention tool to save all living things, including little creatures like the robin. Perhaps catastrophic events such as the recent massive forest fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, that destroyed 1,600 buildings (many of them homes) and displaced over 80,000 people will be prevented by science in some not so distant future.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Matters Of The Heart

SHUFFLING through my archives in search of hearts for Valentine’s Day, I found this picture of the symbol carved into a fence at Elgin Heritage Park. I am not on the fence about heart shapes. I like the artistic representation that I assume is a simplistic replica of the physical version. The beating heart has long been written about as the centre of human emotion and love.

I remember my mom helping me cut out paper hearts, complete with cute sayings, destined for fellow classmates in elementary school. Some children got more hearts on their desks than others causing embarrassment to those who were less popular. It was all about the numbers then and, a bit like in the current digital age, a gathering of followers.

It became clear in later years that Valentine’s Day was largely a commercial venture compelling people to prove their love for one special person on one special day.

But "where there is life there is love" said Gandhi who showed how paper-thin passions can evolve and grow like flames on candles lighting dark corners.

Although the jaded heart might say there is little love left in the world, there is plenty of evidence it is still around and that a heart found matters. My dad who passed away when he was relatively young gave me a trinket that I attached to a bookmark I made. His meaningful gift from decades ago is an inspiration to believe in love.

This post is linked to GOOD FENCES.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

The Oohs & Aws At Elgin Heritage Park

THE MOSSY green dress on an old tree enthralled my husband who wore his “little boy blue” outfit to Elgin Park. The tree and he seemed have a heart-to-heart moment. Woodchips covered the muddy earth floor where we stood.

Large mossy stones hugged the ground. We heard busy rustling sounds of animals scurrying in the shrubbery. The plethora of birds chattering and singing made it seem like early spring, despite the chill.

A heron blended in with the scenery. There is nothing this bird could not hear or see and it likely took note of the excited school children on a field trip.

The children brought razzle dazzle to the silvery-beige and brown shades of the terrain with their colourful warm jackets and enthusiasm. They oohed and awed when wildlife appeared, not in the least blasé about the environment.

They stopped to gaze at bulrushes ever-transforming in the marshland.

We joined their little parade for a while and noticed that many children came with binoculars. Everything needed a closer look. Barely a ripple appeared on the horizon where sailboats lounged on the glassy edge of the Nicomekl River.

Aside from the mountains, the southwest coastal area has been snowless this January. But flakes could fall in February as they sometimes have in the past.

There were ponds in the park, creating both clear and murky reflections.

Broad cloud strokes dipped in the water as if by an artist's hand.

The forest was serene from a distance but drama was beneath the surface.

Furry and feathered creatures were on the hunt for their next meal.

Some flew in from distant shores and rested like fluttering leaves on twigs. The nearby green bench (below), draped in willow branches, looked restful.

Although we came to the park for exercise and to ooh and aw like children at the wonderful sights, the bench enticed us to pause a while and quietly listen.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms