Last Day on the Island

Can you believe it?? Today is our last day on the island!! How did that happen? Five months went by beary quickly.

We went for a nice long hike today - on a new set of trails that we found. They look complicated!

At least they are well marked... I think we'll go to the viewpoint!

Yup, that's a lovely view all right!

And it's nice and warm and sunny today as well.

You might think that I am standing on a meadow... well... not quite.

It's a meadow of moss!!

That's because the bedrock is beary close to the surface and nothing else can really grow there. This is the trail... it's easy to follow!

Bye-bye arbutus trees!

And another way-station... where the heck are we? My goodness... we are far from the truck!

Alright people... let's go! Let's sing a song... "We're off to see the Wizard! (la-la-la... la-la-la)"

Seaweed by the Seashore

That's better... the tide is way, way, way out today!!! There's always so much more to see when it's like this.

I wonder what I'll find today?

Oh, some red seaweed... this is called... ummm... red seaweed.

Oh and here's some more...

This stuff is like soggy lettuce, so I'll call it Lettuce Seaweed!

Ummm... not sure what this thing is... looks like a branch but not quite.

Oh... and here we have tonnes more seaweed.  Mama says it's a type of Wrack Seaweed... but I really think she's pulling my leg because what sort of a name is that???

And more of this funny stick-like stuff.

Oh and tiny purply-red seaweeds. Did you know people out here gather the seaweed? Some if it they eat and some of it they use for garden fertilizer. Apparently seaweed makes the BEST fertilizer!

Huh... a skinny weird stick-like thing.

Hey - what are they doing?? They look like the three monsters from the blue-lagoon!!

Space aliens? Water aliens??

Nope... snorkellers!! Dressed up in their cold-water wetsuits...

There they go. I wonder if they'll see the sea ameno... aneom... those things... under the water??

I wish I could go snorkelling too!!

Here we have some little turban seashells

And a huge pile of driftwood.

And... what the heck?? More of that funny stick-like stuff...
 

But it's not a stick! It's a huge, huge, long thingie of... something.

There we go! It's bull kelp... they attach to the bottom with the skinny end and then they have a bigger bulb with long leaves that floats near the surface of the water... Ummm... let me find a picture off the web...

http://www.kwakiutl.bc.ca/land/use/bullkelp.htm

That's them...

Anyhow... that concludes our tour of the seaweed by the seashore!

Reflective Bear

We were down at the beach again today... but I was a bit bored because it was high tide.

Ohhh... then I found this..

It's not just a drift-log... it's a drift-log with a whole in it.

And not just any hole... it is a magic-looking-glass-time-warp-vortex hole! Is that Ben in there???

It sure looks like Ben! Except where is his fleur-de-lys pin??? Maybe I should try going into the magic-looking-glass-time-warp-vortex hole???
(at which point Mama came along and scooped Sandy up before he lost his balance!)

A Towering Hike

(Editors Note: Sandy's chronological adventures are a bit mixed up right now... that's what happens when you prepost things! He's still in Edmonton but wanting to wrap up his Salt Spring adventures first!)

I get to go for a hike today!!! Yay!!!

First we had to drive a fair distance... well... 20 km... which is quite a distance on a small island!!

Then I had to hike up these stairs that climbed over a fence. I guess they figured sheep can't get up these stairs. Hmmpph... a little bear could barely make it over too!

And we're off!!!

It's nice and mossy here... but I stick out like a sore thumb with my red jacket. Can you see me way out there?

Yoo-hoo!!! I have to wave my red jacket sometimes so Mama can see me better!

Whoa... some seriously thick moss here!

And the branches are covered with it too.. Wheeeee, I'm flying!!!

Oh hey... something to climb... that's always fun. But it's getting warm out, so better leave the jacket behind...

huff'n'puff... scramble... scramble...

Ta-dahhh!!! I made it!! That was fun!

Mmm... now it's just how to get down! Going up is always easier than going down!

Luckily there was a nice thick moss cushion at the bottom to catch me.

Climate Change

I was beary tired after our whirlwind trip to Vancouver. When Mama got up super early on our last morning, I grumbled a bit and snuggled deeper into her backpack. I know from experience it is a long trip home-bus, skytrain, bus, ferry, car, etc. So I happily snoozled away, dreaming of tubs of honey!

Finally, I woke up and stuck my head out of the backpack and... well...

 What the heck is all the white stuff!!??? We got snow while we were away??

 Ummm... that would be an awful lot of snow for our little island! Is this climate change???

Oh my goodness... this is not island snow - it is light and fluffy! And it is beary cold here too! Toto... I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

Definitely not on our island. There are no hills. No smell of the ocean. And the trees are small!! Are we back in flatland????

 Mama showed me a picture she took from the plane - yup... that is definitely flatland! But apparently we aren't in Calgary, but farther north, in Edmonton. Mama says this is an "unexpected" trip. No kidding!! I wasn't expecting this at all!

There is a tonne of snow here - at least 4 feet on the ground. Apparently they had a Clipper come through which dumped a foot of snow on the first day of spring... sigh...

I forgot what all the snow is like! It's fun to play in!!!

Except it is so light and fluffy, I keep sinking past my armpits! I could become a little snow tunnel burrower! But Mama yanked me out before I got soaked. Oh well... Beanie had a snowstorm in Lilles, Sullivan had snow in Holland, and I think Buttons and Jerry & Ben are still digging out too! Tis the season for late winter storms!