A travel day

We are on the ferry to Vancouver to get the bus to the Canada Line, which will take us to the airport where we'll get on a flight to Maui for a week.  This little trip is an indulgence before the Christmas rush, well maybe even an avoidance of the Christmas rush.  We're staying with friends Aaron and Laura who have a timeshare there.  Looking out the window of the ferry at the slate blue water whipped into whitecaps by an icy wind, it's hard to believe that tonight we'll arrive in a place with warm turquoise water.

It's been more than 20 years since I was last in Hawaii and the thing I remember most of all was that warm swimmable water.  I'll post a few photos from Maui--and I hope it doesn't make you too jealous.  This one is from google images of the water off of Maui.

Quail in the garden

Our winter bird feeder's been up on the grape arbor for a month now, and it's very well attended by sparrows, finches, juncoes and other small birds.  But the other day we had a new visitor gleaning the dropped seeds from the grass below--a big fat quail.  I don't know enough to say what kind but it's very identifiable by the little curl on top of its head.

Just a day later Harry spotted a few more in the yard.  In fact there are four regular visitors now.  I think there are two males and two females.  They usually come together and wander around among the other birds scratching and feeding on the ground.

They're very shy so I can't get a good photo.  Even a shadow of movement at the window and they start running across the grass with their heads high and their curls bobbing.  We feel so lucky to be able enjoy watching these visitors from our kitchen window.

Sidney by the Sea

Just 15 minutes north of us on the way to the ferries is the little town of Sidney.  They call it Sidney by the Sea now to attract tourists I guess, and it really is by the sea.  The main street heads right down to the wharf where you can buy fresh fish.  And to each side of the wharf there are walkways along the water.  We took the dogs there the other day for a little walk and here's the view.  

These are definitely winter skies and water but aren't the colors lovely?  I really like the leaden colors, especially when contrasted with the horizon of pink.

There's lots to see along the walkway; for example ducks of many varieties and driftwood transformed into art supplies to mark the location of the local arts council.

Why are these sheep running?

If you don't look closely you might wonder why these sheep are running.  But the tip of the  black tail of the border collie behind the gate on the right hand side tells you what's happening.  It's a herding dog at work.

The other day we happened on a field where a young man was working with his lovely border collie.  I think the dog is in training as it took him a number of tries to get the sheep going in the right direction.

 Here the dog is in the classic border collie stance--slightly crouched, head down, walking slowly up behind the sheep.  But every time he'd get close to the gate he'd get excited and come in faster.

Then the sheep would veer off, and the trainer would whistle another command.  The dog would move off in a different direction to try again.

Below you can see the collie moving fast on the outside to try outflanking the sheep to turn them.This happened several times as they kept getting away.  But the dog was enjoying every moment of it.  Just look at the huge smile on his face.  

Finally everything went right and dog was able to drive the four sheep through the gate.  You can see the boy opening the gate to let them in.  Here the dog is in a "down" and the sheep are moving well.

I so enjoy watching border collies work this way.  The connection between the handler, the dog and the sheep is like a dance done with incredible focus.

If I'd had the time and money I would have loved to do this work with my dog Geordie.  He has a strong herding instinct and we did spend a weekend learning the basics a few years ago.  Sadly, without land or sheep it would only have been an expensive hobby and I decided not to pursue it.  But it's wonderful to watch it when the chance arises.

By the way, Geordie loves sheep, but my other dog Maggie doesn't even seem to notice them.  For her it's all about the tennis ball or the frisbee.

Even in December

December brings its own beauty in the woods and the garden, even above the 49th parallel.  Although  though the trees have dropped their leaves and the garden is going to sleep, new things appear.

Like the lovely snowberries that glisten like Christmas decorations in the woods...

And the delicate viburnum flower, budding here in my friend's yard.

I'm linking these to macro monday at Lisa's Chaos, where people post closeup shots once a week.  Check it out for other macros.  

Opals in the gutter

What beauty lies along the side of the road if you happen to look down.  These tiny leaves each held shimmering shimmering opals of rainwater.