Trip Through The Rain To Sunshine Coast

UNLIKE THIS cute little guy outside an ice-cream shop at the Langdale Ferry Terminal, I left my sunglasses at home.

I did not need them last rainy Tuesday when I drove along a busy wet highway and sailed the sea to eventually visit with family in Sechelt.

Clouds shrouded the treed hills surrounding Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver when I parked my car and walked onto the BC Ferry that would take me to Langdale.

It was easy to forget as the vessel glided from the Horseshoe Bay shore that I was not heading to one of the Gulf Islands but to another part of the Mainland that is difficult to reach by road.

Although the area is known as the Sunshine Coast there were no rays anywhere except for a small brave glow from some guiding lights.

Reflections in widows mingled with the charcoal hued view. Light fixtures on the ferry caused rectangle shapes to hover like spacecrafts in the sky.

A woman on board told me that when she was a little girl (before ferries were equipped with radar) she and her mother would clang spoons on metal objects so that approaching vessels would know they were there.

I noticed an axe (one hopes to never need one) bearing the ship's name Queen Of Surrey. There are currently 35 vessels and a proud albeit controversial history to the BC Ferry fleet that you can read about HERE. They carve a fluid trail in the Howe Sound waters that quickly disappears but perhaps leaves a mark environmentally.

The fleet now run as a private company has linked family, friends and businesses along the rugged BC coast for decades. These vessels have transported millions of people over the years as well as increasingly larger vehicles … many of these carry goods to hard to reach places.

When the ship arrived at the Langdale harbor ...

I saw another vessel across the way that looked much like the one I was on.

Thanks to the showers flowers were brightly blooming.

It took almost two hours to drive to Horseshoe Bay from my home and another forty-five minutes to get from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale where I was warmly greeted by family waiting to take me on a forty-minute drive to Sechelt.

We shared hugs, good conversation and a delicious meal upon arrival at a restaurant with a nice view of the steadily falling rain.

Because I had things to attend to back home it was a short but distinctly sweet visit. A seagull stretching its wings expressed what I felt.

My drive to Horseshoe Bay to catch the ferry to Langdale put me off balance a little because of the heavy rush of traffic and ongoing road construction along the way. So I felt a sense of accomplishment ... as though I had stretched my own wings when I set off that morning away from my comfort zone.

And although my traveling there and back was relatively simple with no need for airplanes or a passport, I related a bit to what travel writer Paul Theroux once said, “You define a good flight by negatives: you didn’t get hijacked, you didn’t crash, you didn’t throw up, you weren’t late, you weren’t nauseated by the food. So you are grateful.”

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

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Drapery In The Backyard

THIS DRAPED PANEL of shimmering fabric fluttered in the breeze as it shaded a backyard patio in Sechelt last summer. My word for the letter “D” is drapery and all the descriptions that it brings to mind. This once discarded, deliciously orange, delightfully delicate, drifting piece of silky material got a second chance to make a splash. The dangling curtain dressed in ruffles prettily twirled, dipped and danced on the day its demise was denied.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

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

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.

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.

Floating Windows With A View

ENTHRALLED BY THE SCENERY, my husband was enjoying the view while I took photographs from the BC Ferry windows.

We were leaving Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to visit family in Sechelt this past August.

The sun gave sparkle to the Howe Sound and Georgia Strait waters. Sky reflections painted the sea a deep blue.

Patterns formed around rugged and evergreen rich islands.

A winding path trailed behind us as we sped to our destination.

Foam rippled and churned as the vessel pushed its way forward.

The forty minute trip passed quickly and soon our ship reached the Langdale shore from where we drove to Sechelt.

Along the road, there were windowless places where people waiting for buses could watch a flow of vehicles go by that had come off the ferry.

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

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Gathering August Clouds

THESE GHOSTLY CLOUDS followed us down the road as we sped home after seeing the Rise of the Planet of the Apes movie when it opened in Langley, BC, earlier this month. Big and billowing, the floating army chased us all the way into Surrey without seeming to change its shape.

I recognized similar "snout" formations on the conjoined clouds over Jericho Beach in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver when I visited there this month.

These clouds in Sechelt, BC, were harmless but their funnel shapes reminded me of the dark and dangerous tornadoes some eastern parts of North America recently experienced.

Their numbers seemed to multiply in the bright blue summer sky.

From another direction, Sechelt clouds swirled into circles that reminded me a little of the milky way.

These clouds were framed by the Granville Street Bridge that hovers over Granville Island in Vancouver. I took the photograph earlier this week when I met blogger Stephanie who was visiting from Comox, BC. I will write about our meeting at a later date.

Also framed by the same bridge at Granville Island, this cloud picture was taken at the start of August during my meeting with talented and prolific Vancouver photographer and writer, Carol, from bikesbirdsnbeasts.

Clouds filled the skies throughout the month. They gave the horizon delightful moods, painting the sky with picturesque and sometimes "scary" textures.

You can see more skies from around the globe at Skywatch Friday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Wheee!!! Diving Into Davis Bay

SWIMMING FROM PIER TO pillar was a joy for these kids but nerve racking for the onlookers who saw the dangers. Although such activities can cause accidents, these haphazard dives into Davis Bay were pure fun.

We watched youngsters leap in the air without a care during a recent trip to visit family in Sechelt that started with a BC Ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Langdale from where we drove past the Davis Bay pier.

The pillars were like a jungle gym with clusters of kids climbing up them.

Pier reflections glistened in crystal clear waters.

Pebbles gleamed on the beach floor.

The water mirrored its environment, from sky blue to forest green hues. Heading back from the wharf we saw the shore and ...

grasses prettily bordering the walkway.

There was a sign (click on photo for detail) with information about Davis Bay Wharf in the early years when children then, too, likely jumped off the pier with carefree abandon.

You can soak in more sites from around the globe at Watery Wednesday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms