24 Hours in Tofino

I was on the island for work, so Leonard and I decided to head over to Tofino afterwards. The drive from Courtenay to Tofino was incredibly foggy, but it cleared up as we hit the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Once we arrived, we were eager to get to the beaches, so we headed to the #1 rated attraction on tripadvisor: Chesterman Beach. The beach was flat and glassy, and the fog was so thick that I couldn't see very far in front of me. 

  

The skies were clear and blue in the town, however.

We went to Tonquin Beach at the end of our walk around the town and were pleasantly surprised to see that the fog had left the beach.

Then we drove down to Cox Bay for the sunset. I was so intent on taking photos of these dogs that I didn't see a wave coming and I ended up with wet, cold feet.

The next morning, we went to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and walked through the forest to get to the beach.  The trees were giant!

The trail ended up at Schooner Cove, which was stunning in a beautifully quiet way.

Mid-island, we stopped at Cathedral Grove, which was also very impressive with its massive trees. One of the trees is (much) taller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

We were way ahead of schedule, so we were able to squeeze in a bonus before boarding the ferry - Englishman River Falls, near Nanaimo.

We even had time for a carwash, as my car was filthy after the 500km of driving.

All in all, it felt like a real vacation even though it was only for two days. Tofino was pretty great!

An Island Weekend

Pam and I went to Vancouver Island for the weekend to visit our friend Kieran, who is doing his internship in a pharmacy at Qualicum Beach. We saw some goats on the roof at the Coombs Old Country Market,  went for a walk around some old-growth 800 year old trees at Cathedral Grove, and hung out at Kieran's oceanfront patio on Qualicum with some beers. We stayed in and had taco night at his place for dinner. It was a great idea, not only because it was fun and delicious, but also because it meant we were all settled in just in time for the 8pm showing of The Hobbit on his cable tv! (We promptly dozed off during the movie because we had gotten up at 6am and the bed was too comfortable.)

Swinging in the Autumn Air

I was restless after being cooped up in my bed since my surgery. But finally! Finally today I was able to go outside without experiencing pain from the light. I went to the school near my house and hopped on the swings for a good half hour. It was exhilarating, and the feeling I had - resulting from the crisp autumn air, the sun warming my back, the leaves swirling in the wind, Beach House's dreamy music playing in my ipod, the rush of swinging as high as my legs could pump me - I just felt truly happy. There I was, grinning like an idiot, on the swings by myself, and I didn't care. I couldn't stop smiling because of the enthusiasm I had for life at that moment. I smiled at the trees, at the sky, at the gardener using his leaf blower. I feel as if there were so many exciting things ahead for me in life. Having perfect vision is just a part of it.

131: SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS

Sun. Bike. Warmth. Grass. Bliss.

51: CYPRESS WOODS

I went snowshoeing in Cypress with my coworkers. It feels so pristine up there with all the fresh snow blanketing the trees. Sometimes I am just in awe of how beautiful nature can be.

290: TAKE A WALK

Today, I arrived at work at 9:30 on the dot. I thought I was right on time, but when I walked into the pharmacy, all I got were confused looks and "Why are you here? You're not supposed to start until 10:30" comments. So I went for a walk to take pictures instead.

I saw a woman throwing bread and crackers out of her plastic bag to feed the birds. I caught her in action, with the bread flying from her fingers.

Then I watched in amazement as she dumped the whole contents of her bag onto the ground. 

I saw Jamie during my lunch break and he let me sit on his motorcycle!  Here I am wearing his helmet and gloves...

284: BRANCHING OUT

Such a beautiful day today - too bad I was stuck indoors at work, discussing genital herpes with old men who don't own computers.

Colour, or black and white?

280: AUTUMN FOLIAGE

246: TOP OF A BRIDGE

The composition is a bit weird, but I liked the wispy clouds on the upper left corner.

I also saw this on my way home today. I like how it looks almost tropical.

228: TALL TREES

At the park in New Westminister. I went for a walk during my lunch break, which was a big mistake - I should've stayed in the nicely air-conditioned store instead!

219: GREEN

In the jungle known as Victoria Drive.