Wildflowers in Spring

Shooting stars and satin flowers are popping up as spring arrives on Vancouver Island.

Dance class fun

Having some fun in our dance class...photo session with random jumping!

Red Carpet Oscar Gala at Oak Bay Beach Hotel

The theme is "the Great Gatsby" in honour of the Oscars.  In fitting with the 1920's Gatsbiesque evening, the images are in Black and White.

Time stood still for a long time...CUBA 2009...but things are changing!

Plastic toy camera, Cuba, and remembering little things

Five years ago this month, I went on an amazing trip to Cuba. The first ten days were spent with a great group of photographers in Havana, followed by a few weeks backpacking the country on my own...at least until I met up with other cool travellers. 

Along side my dslr, I brought a Holga 120N plastic toy camera and shot my first two rolls of 120mm film ever...it was also my first time using a toy camera.  It was also a toy camera that I decided to modify right from the start so what you see are the effects of unmasked images with multiple exposures and strange vignettes.  

The camera shy dancer

Sunny Friday and Foggy Saturday

What a great weekend to be outside...A super sunny Friday followed by a misty and foggy Saturday.  

Along the breakwater were several groups of California sea lions zipping by...I think I saw about 20 or possibly more...they moved too quickly to count and too stealth to video!  And at Mystic Vale, the fog was enchanting.

Learning to tap Bigleaf Maples on Vancouver Island

Learning about tapping with Tasha and Aaron (behind the lens)

If I could drink it all the time, I would....I love maple syrup.  

In elementary school in Ontario and later as French immersion student in Quebec I participated in some maple tapping and some fun times aux cabanes à sucre.  I remember it being fun to be outside but being cold enough that you had to defrost your eyelashes!  The cold was always worth it once the hot maple was poured over snow...I loved using sticks to lift up the delicious taffy.

What I learned over the past years is that people are tapping maples around the world even in places that are not sure cold as once believed necessary to get the right sap runs to make syrup.  In warmer climates, it doesn't come out as sweet, thick or as taffy-like, but is more maply (hmm is that a word?) and really amazing.

What's amazing is that maple syrup has great health benefits too...it's nutrient rich, a natural anti-inflammatory, is high in anti-oxidents...straight maple sap has been used around the world as a health tonic for many generations.

Backlund Backwoods Forest in Ladysmith offered a tapping workshop last weekend and I went with my friends Aaron and Tasha...we will hopefully get a chance to try this out soon!

If you are interested in Maple Tapping in the west coast of North America take a look at the website http://www.blmaple.net/  or find a copy of Bigleaf Sugaring: tapping thewestern maple, by Gary and Katherine Backlund.

Drill upwards to avoid water damage to tree after tap removal

You can taste it right away, use the straight sap to make tea or cook, or make syrup.

Small, coppiced trees work well for efficient collection.

Wet areas are the best.

It takes 40 L of sap for 1 L of syrup.

BC Style sugar shack!  It takes many hours and patients to evaporate the sap.

The tap holes heal over time and don't damage the trees in the long term.

Beauty of home

When I am away travelling or experiencing new places, it seems so easy to take photographs of anything and everything.  After being away for more than three months, it has taken a while to get used to being at home and my high volume photography has slowed quite a bit.  But here are just a few beautiful everyday home-like things that made me stop and shoot...handmade wool blankets, my lovely baritone ukulele, a tasty grilled cheese sandwich...

Victoria in January...where you can hang your Christmas decorations and laundry at the same time!