Harvest time

Steve and Miranda's green beans and tomato plants look ominous in this arty shot, don't they? The deer ate the first fledgling crop of beans, so these leggy replacements may not have time to reach maturity before the grim rainy reaper of autumn strikes a fatal blow (I seem to have mixed a few metaphors here--obviously not in school mode yet)! Roll on September!

Bowfeast!

These photos of Miranda and friends are similar to one that appeared in "The Undercurrent," our local paper here on the Island, this week. I was in town working that day, but Nana Lorna and the girls had a great time at "Bowfeast," a local fair showcasing products and produce on Bowen.

Carry on camping

I had to pirate this photo from Steve's regatta trip--it actually is a place we also passed through on our camping trip--Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. Among the items I forgot to pack were camera batteries (along with an egg-flipper, lawn chairs, and many other necessary items). Great weather, though... and excellent swimming at China Beach!

Vancouver from the drink

Here's the fair city herself, from an undisclosed offshore location.

Aye, Billy, have ye ever bin to sea?

Steve and I are both enjoying re-reading CS Forester's "Hornblower" series, detailing the (brilliantly fictionalized) 18th century exploits of the British Navy. Of course, Steve gets all the sailing stuff much more than I do. I'm nonetheless struck by all the words and phrases that come from naval lore: for instance, "three sheets to the wind" comes immediately to mind... Aye indeed! (Steve's fellow sailors in the photo are Jon and Clive--the three jolly rogers headed to Cowichan Bay for a regatta, leaving behind hearth and home, ball and chain, life and livestock, etc.) Ahoy there, mateys!?!