from when I lived in Zhuhai, China for just under a year, and this was one of the condominium common area pool. I had lived sitting at this bench to just absorb the view, despite there being a street just in behind it. So lush, my favorite colours
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Pic1: The faces of those who make up the annual gathering at Frenchman Coulee… ages range from 45 to 70+. The shared laughter, stories, and new experiences.
2: The ever windy trek over the Vantage Bridge
3: Dana, my fur friend
4: View from above the plateau down into Sunshine Gullies
5: View down onto Frenchman Coulee and the basin to the right where the camping area is. You can see my orange tent in the top right corner.
6: View from Frenchman Coulee over to the Columbia River basins, and see if you can spot the baby marmot on the rock nearby.
7: The morning after 18hrs of terrible winds, which also blasts silica along it (free facial micro dermabrasion anyone?), still gusting and storm clouds move in. We’re in a traffic jam, waiting for crews to clear the road debris from an earlier accident.
8: Snow fall on Snoqualmie Pass.
9: our rain set-up
10: Glorious sunshine and misty morning. And envying camper vans.
This trip’s experiences included a few firsts, such as seeing the landscape so lush as never before, seeing marmots up close and having their babies come out to hang out while we tested nearby, the crazy winds actually made us retreat back to the PNW and rain for the last night, witnessed the aftermath of what the wind gusts can do to a tractor trailer (unfortunately 2 lives were lost), encountering snow driving through the Snoqualmie Pass while making our way to camp out the last two nights in Birch Bay State Park, and camping through 12 hours straight of rain from noon till midnight… Awaking the next morning to sunshine.
I made a dog friend, Dana, whose family travelled from Creston, BC to climb. She’s a Aussie Shepard mix and she made her rounds with every campsite, choosing to hangout even longer during dinnertime, lol. She was so awesome though, very obedient as she followed my commands, and a food hound (no handouts from us) with a wagging nose! Too cute
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The abundance of flora from the cooler and wetter spring… Mother nature replenishes the landscape post wild fires from the year(s) before.
It was a beautiful contrast to see the new lush growth surrounding the black burnt trees left behind… For the first time in the many years I’ve done this annual trip, we saw lush green lawn-like grass growing! All the grass nibblers were enjoying the tender growth.
I had never expected in this climate to see mushroom growth, but they were plenty, esp. flourishing in thr small holes dug by either wild rabbits or marmots. The variety of lichen and in technicolour patterns were interesting and such eye candies. The wildlife was in abundance too… We’ve spotted at least 3 marmot dens with wee ones foraging, heard many coyotes with young ones yelping and howling at night. Had many a cute desert mice running our feet, including juvenile one which took their time to be curious. Otherwise plenty of mice, we also heard owls out hunting after the mouse came out at dark. Rich and abundant wildlife, a lovely contrast to two springs ago when it was so quiet, with very few wildlife sightings. So happy to have experienced this lush spring in an otherwise arid landscape
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One of the reasons why I love living in a 4 seasons zone is getting to see the change of colour schemes of the natural environment, so viscerally pleasing… With snow in they city, it’s like monochrome black and white; a rare treat, all the more special
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📍Qina, Yunan, China. {4 pics}
A remote rice farming community nestled in between the Yunan mountains. I visited at the beginning of rice harvesting, photos here document the drying of bundled rice stalks, then when dried, the removal of grain with use of. Simple machine with a rotating correlated drum which helps to beat and pull the grains off. It looked so idyllic and romantic in a way, while it is back breaking work, from the repeatative work, scything, bundling bushels, set to dry, then harvesting the grains. Honest hard work, honest salt of the earth people.
The people there are diverse, a mix of upto 26 of the 50 something ethnic tribes of China, and are admirable examples of multiculturalism and coexistence. I found people there to be more accepting of others and are more laid back, gracious, hospitable, and spirited. Simply beautiful human beings.
I was fortunate enough to have been invited for a stay with family acquaintances, in their traditional home, given the best room, and they had so much empathy that they even had the shared communal outhouse of 5 households scrubbed down and bleached in preparation for our stay, as my bf at the time was deemed the foreigner’s foreigner, lol. I was so touched for their gestures and actions. More pics to follow in the days to come
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A lovely break from the rain… Alone at a pond created from permeated ground water through the mossy landscape, sponge-like surface. 💚 Beauty here often has me speechless. So pure.
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📍Iceland
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Fond memories from 8 years ago… The second time I left a piece of my heart on this lovely island full of ❤️
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. 📍 Varadero, Cuba
⏲️ January 2011
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Waiting for the train, the nostalgia
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A lovely and quiet evening walk…
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📍White Rock Beach Promenade #604
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Despite being inside a fog or grey days, you can still find beauty. Such is life. Some days are dark days for our souls, but all we need is to look up and outside to seek beauty, it’s there. I was 6-7 months into grieving for the passing of my father and the ending of my role as a caregiver and champion for his well being, feeling a bit lost. A road trip in a foreign land was exactly what I needed to process and grieve… Everyday was new and different, with many challenges and rewards. There were views that brought me to tears, and others that took my breath way and made me smile. Feeling all the emotion was so healing Solo Road Trip adventure in Iceland 2014
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Wishing everyone a peaceful and safe Xmas Eve
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