Christmas in Portland

We stayed home.
We watched the birds.
We read new books and listened to music.

The House Wren found seed under the feeder.

The Northern Flickers found bugs.




The Robins ate berries.

We played cribbage while the fire crackled.
The Mujadarrah, lentils and rice with fried onions,
is simmering while I write. Brussels sprouts and carrots
with sesame seeds, are ready to compliment our Holiday meal.
Staying with gourmet cooks makes for delicious dining!

We leave tomorrow. We will miss these birds and the laughter.

Christmas Eve

My daughter and I walked
in her neighborhood.

We listened to the Robins.
We listened to the Scrub Jays and the Crows.

We laughed with the Gulls.
Merry Christmas Eve.

A different sort of bird

We took a drive in the rain.
We went to see the Spruce Goose.

The Evergreen Aviation Museum
contained many airplanes.



I did see birds.
Birds I do not know.




It rains in Portland, Oregon in December.

We are in the middle of a winter cribbage tourney.

We do not mind the rain.

Solstice

We flew south to go north.

We watched the solstice sun rise.

We flew over the snow and ice.

We arrived in Portland, Oregon.
We arrive to hugs, laughter and flowers.
We began the Winter Cribbage Tournament.
We celebrated the Full Cold Moon with mugs of Kona coffee.

We are having fun.

We are creating memories.

We are sharing love.

Time to pack

My husband ate wild blackberries
while we hiked in the woods.


Each morning and evening I watched the Swans.


At sunset the Swallows flew over.

We had a morning ferry to catch.
We packed our bags and said our farewells.
It was time to travel home.

Hike to the Lagoon

The Great Blue Heron flew in while I was resting near the shore.

A River Otter swam and feed.

A small flock of Sandpipers flew in

I think this shore bird is a Phalarope.
Witty's Lagoon was a very busy place.

A day in the gardens

Anniversary Dinner

Sooke Harbour House Inn
has a remarkable restaurant.

They also have remarkable organic herb gardens.
From the gardens the chef picks edible flowers and herbs
to prepare creative gourmet meals.

We arrived early so we could tour the gardens.

Although I did not see any butterflies
I was pleased to see lots of bees.

Many of the perennial herbs here are annuals in my herb gardens.
I talked with one of the gardeners.
She and I talked about companion planting and climate change.
I asked about butterflies. She said many butterflies come to the gardens. She did not know the varieties.
Dinner was sublime.
Each course was beautifully presented. Our meal was nicely paced. We ate flowers.
I left full and inspired.

The Light House

Near our B&B
the oldest light house on the
Pacific Coast of British Columbia
still warns ships of danger.


I was looking for butterflies.

I saw skippers.

A Pine White flew onto my shoulder.
I gently moved her to a flower.
Back to our room.
It was time to dress for anniversary dinner.

A crane fly greeted me on the balcony.

Great Blue Heron

I spent many hours watching

the Great Blue Heron.

A solitary hunter and a magnificent bird with patience.

Indoor gardens

The butterfly garden we visited is a habitat for
birds and butterflies
that are native to the tropics.

Here seed and berry eating birds live with the butterflies.

The Common Glass Wing is a resident of Pacific rain forests.

The Flamingos stayed near the water.

The Tailed Jays are green and black. Perfect coloration for the sun dappled forest they are common in.
I think I need to plan a trip to the tropics.

Butterfly Gardens

We saw a sign for a butterfly garden.
We stopped and asked for directions.

This indoor garden is the one I had read about.
Right away a Leaf Mimic perched on my hat.

Even when I took my hat off the butterfly stayed.
I think it liked my hat.

This garden also was home for a few tropical birds.
The Ibis did not mind all the attention.

The Atlas Moth of Southeast Asia has the largest wing surface of any moth in the world. When the wings are closed they look like a snake's head.
As adults they do not feed; they attract mates with pheromones.
The Luna Moths in North America also are non-feeders as adults and attract their mates with pheromones.

Butterfly World

A Large Tree Nymph came onto my shoulder.
She walked around with me while I greeted the other wonders of the tropics.



The Doris Longwing reminded me of our Monarchs.

The Blue Morpho dazzled our eyes.

My husband was patient and waited for the Blue Morpho to open her wings.
I was chatting with the other jewels.
I was so happy to see these darlings.

Tropical Butterflies

We stopped at a Tropical Butterfly habitat.

The large Tree Nymphs

the Zebra Longwings,

the Postman

and the Orange Julia were a few of the tropical wonders we watched.

City of Totems

We took a drive on our second day in British Columbia.

We stopped in Duncan on our way to see tropical butterflies.

This small city celebrates the First Nations.

I too have an animal totem.

My trip reminded me to honour my Totem.
I am inspired to build a totem.