Waiting to be released...

Waiting to be released

when the key is discovered.

Campbell Valley again...maybe the last visit in 2019

The weather report didn't look too promising for the next few days or weeks so we decided to take advantage of today's sunshine and walk through Campbell Valley park. The air was so fresh and cool. Most of the tree limbs are bare, exposing mossy trunks to the sunlight. Our visits to the park are about a combination of experiences. The exercise is good but the laughter that we share is uplifting too when a nervous squirrel accepts a peanut from John after rejecting one from me. The fleeting feeling of tiny chickadee claws clinging to our fingers while they peck seeds from our hands. Sometimes three or four vie over the sunflower seeds at the same time. Other times one little bird has time to pick through the seeds in search of the prime piece! 

The latest lock...

...conceals aging whispers.

Honouring Langley's veterans

The City of Langley honours its veterans

with a display of red street banners.

A vivid reminder of the local lives 

that were lost during warfare.       

Halloween walk

An afternoon walk on October 31st introduced me to several of Langley City's inhabitants. 

My first stop was at Penny Pincher Thrift store to examine the volunteers' costumes.

They were entertaining each other while sorting through

the huge mounds of donated clothing.

As I carried on down the sidewalk I greeted Mike, our resident street artist. He began quizzing me about Christmas with questions like "Do you celebrate Christmas?" and "Do you put up decorations?" I replied that we "sort of" celebrated Christmas and that we do not put up decorations anymore. He seemed distressed with this news and handed me one of his paintings to decorate our home!

"You guys are always so supportive!" he exclaimed..."I want you to have one of my paintings."

I was not sure what happened to the elf in the painting and didn't want to ask Mike in case he told me that Santa had killed the elf!

As I was leaving he said that I should pop in to see Crazy Bob because he was wearing a skirt today!

So...I wandered into Crazy Bob's to discover that he was indeed wearing a crinoline over his pants and he was happy to pose for a photo. 

While we chatted about his renewed interest in drawing he showed me a recently completed colored sketch that he decided was homo-erotic! Hmmmh!

I love this town!

Ferry trips

We have been busy! On October 18th we hopped on a ferry to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast for two days of the "Art Crawl"...an annual event where artists open their studios to the public. It was a fun, interesting and totally wet weekend. We didn't let the constant downpour stop us...visiting 15 diverse locations in Gibsons and Roberts Creek. On both nights we shared delicious homemade meals at my sister-in-law's home that overlooks Howe Sound and were introduced to Ringo, her new puppy.

On the following Wednesday we hopped on a different ferry to Vancouver Island for a five day visit in Comox with Heather and August. Our son-in-law was in New Hampshire performing in a 25 year reunion gig with his band that was hugely successful.

The weather was undecided on Thursday morning but soon turned to cold sunny days after some strong winds tore most of the leaves from every tree in their yard. We were busy raking on Saturday and woke up to frost on Sunday.

Beautiful bark on a tree in Marina Park

Heather, August and John at Filberg Park

Filberg Park is one of our favorite spots to walk around in Comox. The trees are gorgeous, no dogs are allowed, the grounds are pristine and this time we wandered through Filberg Heritage Lodge. The rooms reflect a time of opulence when the residents shared meals that included many courses served on fine china. Most of the china and glassware on display has been donated and is available for sale. There are even some items left outside the entry that are free to anyone!

It was a great visit that included delicious food, trivia contests and UNO competitions!

Autumn days

It was such a beautiful day yesterday that we decided to stroll through Campbell Valley Park again with our pockets stuffed...sunflower seeds for the chickadees and peanuts for the squirrels. They were all very hungry!

Did he have a question or is he just saying thank you!

The colors are so vivid

as nature releases her hold

in time for a winter rest.