Oh ... doe, ray, me

First I would like to apologize, I have not been doing much blog visiting recently because I have been painting. I have a solo show and a group show coming up in September and have been rather busy getting ready for them.

Today, I have a few more pictures to share with you from our trips to the Gulf Islands and the Okanagan.

Doe, a deer, a female deer (with fawns of course).

First more pictures of deer from our visit with friends on the Gulf Islands. We were sitting outside talking to our friends when a doe and her two fawns appeared; they slowly worked their way around the house as they grazed on salal and other bushes. They were cautious at first but seemed to realize that we were not a threat.

The deer on the Gulf Islands are black tail deer. They appear smaller than the deer on the mainland, perhaps because of their long isolation on the islands. 

The deer population  on the islands has grown; there are few predators and hunting is not permitted.
Some biologists think that the deer populations on the Gulf Islands have increased to the point where they now threaten the delicate ecosystem. This review looks at the situation and recommends looking at ways of controlling the deer population. (News link) Island residents say that the deer no longer shy away from contact with people and there are some reports of aggressive behavior by deer.

All very controversial I am afraid; all I know is that they are handsome beasts and caused no trouble during our visit.

Ray, a drop of golden sun.

Actually a perfect day, the sun shone brightly, the temperature was perfect for a walk. This bee was busy on the thistles.

 The petunias and lobelia were at a small nursery on the island. The orange flower was wild at the side of the road, sorry can't remember what it's called.

A pillow of thistle down:

These ponies were taking advantage of the shade along side the road, or maybe the grass is just greener on the other side of the fence.

 We walked through a meadow and them up this pathway into the sunshine.

In the meadow we found this skeleton, of a small deer I think, that had been bleached by the sun.

Salal berries

Me, well....

While we were visiting in the South Okanagan we visited a winery that had pygmy goats. I got some good pictures of them, but my friend Judy got these pictures of me. This little white goat loved having his head scratched.

In fact he also liked to chew, on my shirt, on my blouse and my camera strap. Below I have just noticed that someone is taking my picture.

This goat is fully grown, but as you can see he is not very big, but very cute.

Afterwards he reached up and licked my face.

I was telling you at the beginning that I had been busy painting this week. I finished this watercolour painting, inspired by one of the pictures I took on our recent trip to France. It is another poured painting.

It is 12.5" X 18.5", which is larger than I can scan, so I have taken a picture of it; not a great photograph I'm afraid, and not quite straight either, but I hope you get the idea. I think I might call it "Window on the World".

Well that is all for this week, thank you for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit.

Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week ..............

Island time

We have just spent a wonderful weekend on one of the Gulf Islands, a group of islands between the mainland of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. Reached by boat or by ferry, my husband always says that as soon as he gets on the ferry he switches to island time.

Island time is less hurried, time to just enjoy the scenery, catch up on reading, take a nap, listen to the wind in the trees, the waves on the shore and the sounds of the birds.

Welcomed by the patina on this bell near the entrance.

In the morning I sat by the shore, enjoyed my cup of tea, and watched the sun play on the water.

At some distance a heron was preening and watching, but in no hurry.

The sun bathed the trees and the plants and chased away the dew. 

 

These birds were circling in the sky, it wasn't until later in the day that we identified them as vultures.

Salal berries and salal:

Globe shaped cobwebs catching the early light:

Later in the morning a doe and her fawns visited; they munched on the salal as we sat close by watching.

Other visitors dropped by.

 

A trip on the water gave us some great views of the shore and shore life.

A closer look at one of the vultures:

Kelp and tube worms:

Creatures hidden on the beach and in the forest:

Arbutus trees are found in a narrow band along the south coast and on the Gulf Islands. They thrive in the dry rocky soil and are seen on sun drenched rocky bluffs overlooking the ocean. 

The light slowly changes and then starts to fade on a perfect summer day.

Golden light accents the details.

And the light slowly slips below the horizon.

I hope you have managed to slip into "island time" with me. A favorite film "Enchanted April" mentions that time seems to "slipping sideways", yes, I think it does.

Thank you for dropping by for my Whimsy Wednesday, until next week.....