Successful failure

I wanted to get a photo of the comet, but it's down near the horizon, and the reflected light from the town faded it out. So I drove to the centre of the island, far from any human light sources. Sundown caught me on the shore of Buttle Lake.

Last rays of sunlight on Mount McBride, 2083 m.

This was at 9:26 PM. But from this vantage point, the mountains were too high to see anything, even if it were pitch dark. The comet would be behind Mount McBride.

View towards the top of the lake. 9:27.

Dusk lasts forever in the island summer. I returned to a viewpoint over Upper Campbell Lake. The sky was still orange.

I came back to Campbell River and joined a group of comet watchers on Tyee Spit. By 11:30, the stars were out, but down where the comet lurks, a sort of haze faded them out. Before midnight, most of us had given up and gone home. No comet.

But it was a nice evening drive, and I saw three young deer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quería ver el cometa y tal vez lograr una foto, pero aquí la luz de la ciudad la escondía. Decidí buscar un lugar lejos de luces artificiales.

A la hora de la puesta del sol, a las nueve veintitantos, me encontré en el centro de la isla, a las orillas del lago Buttle.

La primera foto es del monte McBride. La cometa estaría directamente atrás de la montaña. Y de todas maneras, el cielo seguía iluminada.

El crepúsculo, aquí en el norte, dura y dura. Por horas.

Regresé a un lugar al lado de Upper Campbell Lake; allí las montañas no cortan la vista, pero el cielo seguía de color anaranjado.

A las once y medio me hallé otra vez en la ciudad, en la peninsulita Tyee Spit, con un grupo de otros buscadores de la cometa. Sí, se veían las estrellas directamente arriba, pero allá donde se debe ver la cometa, una neblina la ocultaba. Antes de la medianoche, la mayoría nos habíamos dado por vencidos. A casa. Sin cometa.

Pero el paseo al atardecer fue lindo. Y vi tres venaditos.

Sometimes I'm lazy.

Sometimes I just sit and look out the window. And there's nothing there; just sky. And the plants and bits of glass on my windowsill.

In the afternoon, when the sun is behind the house, my kitchen window stuff is silhouetted. The cats are metal, with glass eyes. Chia, the real cat, prefers to sit in the gap in the centre, in front of the glass elephant. I like the way the green lawn (where the sun still shines) is reflected on the ceiling above the window. Photo taken from my favourite chair, while I was being lazy.

And then I remember I haven't watered them today. So I do that; then there are the flowers outside that need water, and the dog that has a ball she needs thrown, and the car that ought to be washed after my last trip down a logging road, and ...

End of lazy spell.

Tree lace with eagle

My pocket camera collects random photos, often taken through the windshield, then forgotten. I found this couple hidden there, taken I don't know when or exactly where, but obviously this winter.

Eagles seem to prefer broken branches

I wonder what he's thinking, sitting so quietly, watching the world turn.

On a short drive this Monday, I counted another 10 eagles in about 15 minutes, all but two in pairs, all but two just sitting, watching.

Better late than never

I was running late. I didn't get started out for my Sunday afternoon drive (in the rain) until shortly after four. And by then, it was so dark that the colours had leached out of the trees. I set out with the camera, anyhow. I could at least watch tree silhouettes. And maybe see some wildlife, a deer or two, maybe.

Alder against the sky. 4:41 PM The camera sees more light than I do.

Chutes and ladders. And a pair of trees. 4:45. Quinsam Coal Barge Terminal

Crooked tree. 4:46

Looking out over Menzies Bay. 4:52 The bit of colour in the foreground was from my headlights.

As for wildlife, I saw four eagles, and a pair of moths in my headlights. No deer.

But Chia was waiting for me at home, and she's sort of wild.

Chia and her shadows. 10:15.

They're promising us rain for the entire week. I need to get some rain gear.

A Skywatch post.

Not quite silhouettes

Fog isolates, showing up shapes I've passed dozens of times without ever seeing them.

Weeds on the rocks

At the boat launch, Stories Beach

Light along the shore

It's been a while since I've been to Tyee Spit, mostly because there's no shade, and this summer has been hot. But suddenly, it's wet and cold; time to go looking for mushrooms. Tyee Spit is a good place for them.

And for watching the light over the water. I walked the shore a couple of hours before sundown, facing the dying light.

Stumps along the shore

Distant loon. The shore plants are broom (grrrr!), Oregon grape, and blackberry.

Just grass

More shore "weeds"

Turning to face away from the light. The tail end of the Spit from a new viewing platform. Grey weather, but it's not raining, for now.

Today's spider for Arachtober is a pensive jumper.

Green fangs!

#Arachtober

Eagle and four crows

Through the windshield while I waited in a line of cars for the light to change.

Tree skeleton, holding a dozen or so yellow leaves still. And the birds.

And then the light changed and the car behind revved his motor. Get a move on!

Leap into the sky

Heron weathervane, Beach Grove.

Silhouette, facing the sun

Un-heron-like colours. Must be made of copper, with a few iron fittings, all corroded. The two round balls look like recycled toilet-tank floats.

A Skywatch post.