Showing posts with label Mount Douglas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mount Douglas. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

View from the Top

Last week I posted a series of photos of one of Victoria's more famous landmarks, Craigdarroch Castle. However, I didn't post at that time any photos taken from the castle, especially the lovely little circular room that occupies the topmost tower (see photo on the right). In her later years Mrs. Dunsmuir liked to spend time in this room and the view over Victoria and Saanich is still very attractive though the close surroundings, formerly gardens, are now solidly residential. Above we are looking north towards Victoria's two little mountains, Mount Douglas (left of center) and Mount Tolmie (right of center). Below left is the view looking towards the modern city of Victoria

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Fall

It seems hard to believe that from this......comes this....But this glorious carpet of maple leaves beautifully illustrates why we call this season "fall." Yesterday it seemed all the trees in Mt. Douglas Park decided at once to let go their leaves. It was like driving through a blizzard with big brown and yellow snowflakes. Leaves whirled into waves and drifts along the roadside and winter's black branches stood out against the sky.

Awards!


There are a couple of blog awards floating around now that people have kindly passed on to me, not realizing that I am hardly capable of getting out of the right side of the bed in the morning let alone following the rules governing the various awards...6 nominees...5 followers...list of happy things...links to...gasp...choke....

However, my thanks first to Rob at Trieste Daily Photo and to niamhphotography, who has two blogs about the Spanish cities of Sitges and Barcelona, for presenting me with the "Blogging Friends Forever Award."And thanks also to Nobu of Tokyo Snap Photo and Funabashi Daily Cell Phone Photo, and to Snapper of Gabriola Daily Photo for presenting me with the "Kreativ Blogger Award."I cordially invite you to visit the blogs named above for beautiful photos as well as intimate insights into other cities and cultures. Really! I visit all of the above blogs regularly and always find something interesting.

Now, I am supposed to pass these awards along to others but I will save that pleasure for tomorrow.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Squalls Over the Strait

Looking down on Victoria from Mt. Douglas today one can see the rain on the Olympic Peninsula across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
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I've been a bit busy lately so, to all the kind people who have been giving me awards, thank you again for the honor. Tomorrow I will respond appropriately.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Elderberries

Here's another image from my afternoon in Mount Douglas Park, elderberries. I suspect this is Pacific Coast Red Elder but there are a quite a few varieties of elder and I am never sure. Taxonomists please feel free to correct me. When I lived in the interior of BC we used to gather wild black elderberries and make a fruit syrup from them. Delicious. It seems the red ones are poisonous but I find their color combination of scarlet and purple very attractive.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Mount Douglas Forest

Today I went to Mount Douglas Park, but instead of ascending to the top I checked out some of the forest trails at the base of the mountain. I discovered these large-leafed plants in boggy glade. The earth beneath them was black mud, freshly inscribed with the delicate hoofprints of deer.These are Salal flowers. Later they will develop into small edible berries. This plant is widely found all over the North Pacific coast of America.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Mount Douglas

About a quarter hour's drive from downtown Victoria is Mount Douglas Park. Although it is only 213 meters high it provides spectacular views of Victoria and the surrounding seascape.

Mount Douglas is named after Sir James Douglas, the factor of the Hudson's Bay Company who founded Victoria when he built the first fort and trading post. He later became the governor of British Columbia. Victoria's main street, Douglas Street, also bears his name.