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 ..............