December 24: Winter on the Coast

It's been a long time since we've lived on the wet West Coast. The times we've been back to visit at Christmas, the weather's been pretty reasonable. This year, however, has been a pretty wet winter so far. The moss on my mother-in-law's driveway is about a foot deep and the lawns are permanently waterlogged. Lucky for us, we were missing the -30C cold snap at home in Lethbridge!

One of our favourite walks nearby is Todd Inlet, which is close to Butchart Gardens. There are lots of old building foundations that look vaguely like a coastal Angkor Wat.

Saanichton's version of Angkor Wat. About 8 centuries younger...

Note all the moss. A classic temperate rainforest.

With the cloudy weather and low light conditions, Cedar was moving too fast to get any great shots. She loves this walk, too - racing through the forest, the skunk cabbage swamp, swimming in the Inlet (after some ducks she saw, and we had to call REALLY HARD to get her to come back) and running with dogs she met along the way. She sat still once:

Ditch that stupid cane, Mum, and give me a snack! I 'got in' nicely and can't wait forever!

The temperate rainforest is full of neat surprises, including some culturally modified trees (CMTs). These are cedars, from which strips have been harvested by First Nations people for a variety of products (including baby diapers!).

Two large CMTs

By far the best part of the walk (according to Cedar as well, as it means SWIMMING), is the inlet itself. A quiet place for boats to moor while visiting Saanichton and the Butchart Gardens.

A cormorant dries its wings on the pilings in Todd Inlet

Closer view of cormorant.

We'd hoped to meet up with Cedar's siblings Olive and Jax on this trip, but it didn't work out. Too much to do, too little time - and a looooong drive home in less-than-ideal road conditions. Hope we can all meet soon - maybe in the spring!