Victoria British Columbia October 13, 2026

Distractions were plentiful on my way to go Whale Watching!  

I thought “just get there I can admire the sights afterwards”.  

I got there! I checked in! I patiently waited to board the boat!  It was cold, overcast and a tad bit showery.   None of that mattered, I sat outside anyway. We left the harbour at a slow pace yet the waves created were worthy enough of a photo. 

There was no worry about getting my sea legs, I was born and raised with them.  He took my photo.  He being from the couple I met at check in.  They happen to be from the same province, they happened to have sat across from me on the plane, they happen to be staying in the same home away from home as me and they happened to be on this same adventure as me.  

Hold onto your hat, have three points of contact at all times, the Captain is ready to rev the motor…..

…..and high tail it out to the middle of the Salish Sea!

We arrived to where we needed to be to see what we came to see!  I was not having luck with capturing nice photographs, it was a challenge to keep my lens dry plus my camera would not focus. It was foggy, it was cloudy, it was rainy, it was atmospheric.  Yet, how beautiful this all was!  I got a couple of photos.  I put my camera away knowing the Naturalist would provide us with a series of images she captured.  It was a challenge for her too.  I watched as approximately twenty or so Orca Whales were out there, spread out in all directions.  It was an amazing sight to see!  I didn’t know which ones I should watch.

I decided to pull out my camera and give another go at capturing special seconds in time! A Humpback Whale was in the vicinity.  Success!  Then that vicinity became…..

…..Holy Sh!! close!  There were two Humpback Whales that came to investigate us.  They swam back and forth under the boat, which had the thirty of us going back and forth which had the boat rocking back and forth. These are a few of the dozens of photos I captured. The experience was breathtakingly beautiful!  

The following five photos are from the series sent to us by the Naturalist.  

Time came to begin the trip back. On the way back we stopped to see the sea lions.

It was us and this boat only, so quite a quiet experience.  They were from Anacortes Washington.  We waved to them as they waved back to us.  We parted ways heading back to our home bases.  

As we were approaching the harbour area, the Norwegian Encore was leaving after spending the day in Victoria.  Many of the people were out on their private decks and the main decks.  We waved to them and they waved back.  I yelled out well wishes of various kinds but I don’t think they heard me!

The Coho left Victoria also!

 

The float plane left too!

The little ferry on its way to another dock!

Welcome to Victoria!  We arrived back!  The next thing I knew, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I turned to see the Captain standing there with a big smile.  He said we are back in Victoria, we are staying here, we are not going back out, it is time to debark!  I had been off in another world, already reliving this amazing experience.  He brought me back to reality, I scurried to the exit!

The black dotted line at the bottom shows our route.

Where we went!

This is where we went last year. It was nice to experience a different area for Whale Watching. Right now I am feeling this adventure was fulfilling enough I may not need to go out again.  After a couple of days, will I feel the same!

Victoria, British Columbia October 12, 2026

 

Good-bye Calgary!

Hello Victoria!

From the time the cab picked me up at my home, to getting to the airport, to printing my bag tag, to checking my suitcase, to going through Trusted Traveller security, to finding my gate, to purchasing a sandwich, to settling into a chair, only twenty nine minutes had passed.  Our flight left a few minutes early, it arrived a few minutes early and I checked into my home away from home early. Receiving a room upgrade always surprises me, this time I got a full suite, on a corner with two balconies.  A few minutes after entering my suite I was back out the door!

Yes!  Hello Victoria!  I gave myself a welcome with a happy hour beverage paired with a gorgeous view!  Of course fish and chips was part of the welcome too.  I wore my Norway jacket so I would be comfortable sitting outside.  I had the best seat in the house to watch the comings and goings in the harbour.

After dinner, I walked around to stretch my legs and see a few colourful sights.  I did not feel for dessert but could not resist admiring this food truck. I may not resist savouring something sweet another time.

Victoria is in full bloom with both flowers and autumn shades!

painting and naturing

🖌 painting 🖌

When I feel in a whimsical way, watch out!  I don't know where the ideas come from, yet when they come, I go with them!  This time the idea that popped into my mind was to give personality to an acorn.  How nutty is that thought!  Before putting paint to paper, I made a rough sketch on practice paper.  Between sketching the idea on practice paper first then drawing the faint outline in a journal, my erasure is now smaller.  I know from experience, once the whites of the eyes are added the subject then comes to life. That was the case with this project. I smiled when I looked at the finished product.  How nutty is it that an acorn can bubble over with personality!  

  

 🍂 naturing 🍂

If I want to catch the last of the local colours, I better get going!  With wind, cold and snow on our doorstep, it won't take long for more leaves to be on the ground than on the trees.  It was necessary to bundle up to brace against the autumn chill.  While I did move quickly at times to cover kilometres, there were many times I stood still to embrace these final fleeting sweet seconds in time.  Every trail offered up colour.  I followed a few!

The majority of the birds that are still here will probably winter here.  The odd sparrow flittered here and there yet no warblers were heard nor seen.  I did see the two Great Horned Owls again, both were sleeping.  I learned they will probably winter in the location they have been hanging out over the past couple of months.  The photographs I was happy with during this naturing event all have backdrops or frames filled with autumn shades.  

Black-capped Chickadee 

Male Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Robin

Female Down Woodpecker

🖌 Painting 🖌   &   🍂 Naturing 🍂

This morning I made a quick trip to check a little library, I am always on the lookout for small hard covered books to turn into watercolour journals.  I also wanted to get in a few rounds of walking the trails all before the flurries began to fly which did happen off and on while I was walking.  The wind was wild and it was hoovering around the freezing point.  I graduated to wearing mittens rather than gloves.  Well, I had success with finding a book and I also had success with.....

.....spotting one of the Inglewood Bald Eagles sitting at the nest!

This is the book I will turn into a watercolour journal.

The cover is such a beautiful green.

I did a painting of some naturing to come!

Stay Tuned!