HAPPY AUTUMN SOLSTICE

There's truly something weird about how fast the days go by! Here it is Friday again, and I had every intention of posting all week!

First of all, a few more pics of our month of fun... this is Michael swimming in the ocean on September 10th (it *has* been unusually warm!) ...

 ... and this is Michael saying 'I can't believe I just did that.'  :)

 The same day, we saw this creature swimming with the jellyfish in the water...

I think it's probably a nudibranch (Google that word in Google Images, and you'll see some amazing species!) but doesn't it look like some kind of underwater mini-alien to you?

I have another little story about our mini-holiday, too. The night before we left, we got a call from Susan's son, Rennie. He and his sister Rose were planning to move their sailboat from Victoria (in our old marina, where it's been for 5+ years) up closer to where Sri lives in Qualicum, and were calling to say they'd like to stop in to Fulford for a visit. When we said we'd actually be on Pender Island, they decided to come there instead. Here is 'Pippin' arriving in Bedwell Harbour while we were anchored there...

We had Rose and Rennie over for dinner on the Wind Walker that night ... it was SO good to see them! Both amazing young people, Susan would be so proud of them. It's almost 3 years since Susan died, and we've seen the kids a few times (in their late 20s now, but we've known them since pre-adolescence!) -- but this time was just a wonderful visit!

 They spent the night in the harbour ... here's Pippin with the lights of the resort in the background...


After they left the next day, we had a bit of a drizzle ... I took a few dozen pics of this rainbow, but it was too close to our boat. I think the pot of gold was in our dinghy, but I couldn't find it!

(We're actually driving up to Qualicum tomorrow ... Sri is getting married again, on the beach there.)  :)

The other night Michael and I went for a long dinghy ride to cool off after supper, and ended up out at Isabella Rocks on the south side of Salt Spring ... it was so pretty! 

There was a lovely midden beach... 

... and if you look closely at the those 'rocks' on the left... they are actually two seals back-to-back that surfaced right in front of us ...

 ... a gorgeous evening, gorgeous scenery...

 ... and gorgeous skipper! :)

Yesterday morning when I opened the curtains at sun-up, this is what I saw... 

Apparently smoke from the forest fires in Washington is causing that halo effect and bright red sun... and this morning, there's fog in the harbour on the first official day of fall.

More Welcome Wagon work this morning, and then I'm taking a few days off!
*