A Mother's Love

(+3 insets!)

I'd like to apologize for not being around ipernity for the past couple of days. I have been totally distracted by an all-encompassing project that's seems like idle fun and entertainment but it's actually very important. Steve and I will soon be going on our longest trip yet--6 weeks--and we'll be traveling all over Vancouver Island! Our campsites are all reserved now, thanks to Steve's diligent hunting, internet surfing and hours of phone calls. Planning worked out much better this time because we made sure there was a lot more time before our trip began. We still had to contend with a couple of holidays but it all worked out in the end and our itinerary is all set now!

My job is Activity Director and it's been my task to discover awesome stuff for us to do…hikes, mountain bike and paved paths to ride, places to go fishing, lovely drives, cool towns to visit, festivals and events not to miss…it's a dizzying amount of stuff to look up and organize. Directions are needed, pdfs need to be downloaded, dates must match the times we'll be in the area, and I also have to make sure it doesn't take too long to get to various places that look like fun.

Some of the highlights will include hikes to lovely waterfalls and one that will take us to a crashed airplane from 1945. Another adventure will take us on a quick ferry ride to Newcastle Island for a grand afternoon of bike riding with amazing views. We'll go to the world-famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria and the nearby butterfly gardens--this is where Steve will have to drag me and my camera away or we'll never leave! :D We'll go fishing for trout, salmon and bass in lakes and streams--maybe even some ocean beach fishing too! One day we'll float lazily down part of the Cowichan River in a pair of innertubes. We'll go on a long drive to see many areas we'll not be able to stay, and one place we'll drive to is the Pacific Rim National Park and many, many provincial (state) parks too. There will be trips to mountain bike riding parks and strolls along quaint harbors. Though we'll be eating our own food most of the time, we'll certainly make room for world-class sushi at least a few times! :) With so many days for us to explore this beautiful island, we're hoping to get a really nice experience of all that Vancouver Island has to offer!

All that being said, I still have a lot of work to do finding cool stuff for us to see and do! So I wanted to let you know that my time is short and I hope you understand! There's just not enough time in the day for all of the things I'd like to do!

Today's pictures are my last few that I've processed from Diamond Lake, though I have piles yet to do. My main picture is not going to be a favorite of arachnophobes but it's pretty darn special and I just had to feature it for my leading image.

The day that I went on a macro stroll, I wandered down to the creek that leads out to Diamond Lake. The water in the creek was moving very slow and it was a lot more like a log-jammed pond than a proper creek. The mosquitoes there were absolutely ecstatic by my arrival and they seemed to think they were very clever with their joke, "Have you arrived for lunch?" Hardy har har…but the joke was certainly on me because they dined heartily while I was forced to ignore them. Why would I let myself become lunch!?

Honestly, I just couldn't help myself. I found so many incredible flowers and grasses to photograph, and as you saw the other day, damselflies too! As I rounded the edge of the stream to go on the other side, I looked down when I saw a round, light-colored something moving very quickly right at my feet. It could only be one thing--a mother spider carrying her egg sac behind her! It was something I'd never seen before and wow was I excited! The spider stopped stock-still just below, partially hidden by some blades of grass. By shifting very slowly, I was able to get a pretty clear view of her and with virtual fingers crossed, I clicked away, gradually leaning in closer and closer until I felt it would be too alarming if I got any closer. Stepping away to give her space, I was satisfied by my series and hoped I'd have something I could use. As you can see, I *WAS* successful! I am over the moon with joy to get this picture of a hunting spider (not sure of the exact species) with her lovely egg sac. WOOT! :D

I also have three insets to share. One of them is another picture of the creek from the other side that I got with my Sony later that day…it's just such a cool looking creek with all of the logs in it! The second inset really pulls at my heart. On my way back to our RV I encountered this majestic old beauty of a dog. It wanted to very BADLY to come up to me for some attention but I needed to get away from the feasting mosquitoes so I only paused long enough for this picture. What a dear, dear doggy! And finally, a picture of our truck and trailer at our campsite! I've been taking a picture at each campsite and some day it will be fun to put them all together into a massive campsite show! :)

Pam, I had to shake my head in horror to read that there are mosquitoes that make your joints swell…that's horrendous! I have read from others--Ruth especially--that some folks are badly allergic to mosquito bites…what a terrible situation. :( I do know that insect bites vary from bug to bug and person to person…who knew that mosquitoes could be so toxic? I mean, of course MALARIA but in the US…I'd just not thought they can be so bad! *SENDING BIG HUGS YOUR WAY!*

Explored on 7/13/19; highest placement, #3.