Who Could Resist?

This morning, just before dawn we made our way to Willows Beach, cameras in hand. We got there just in time to witness the most beautiful sunrise so you'll have to forgive me for today's very cliche picture, but I couldn't resist. -Fern

Ducks at Dawn

While the rest of you were still abed attempting to metabolize last night's debauch I was out in the crispy dawn. It's been freezing the last few nights and there's lots of frost on the grass in the early morning. Here's what my part of Victoria looks like on this first day of 2011. I hope you have as nice a day wherever you are.

Magic Time

I had wanted to post something a little more urban and seasonal today as a change from all the fungi and lichens we've been enjoying lately. The weather, however, has not been cooperating - not just cold and damp but raining heavily enough so that I am reluctant to take my camera out of its bag - real "Vancouver" weather. Whatever the weather, sunrise is a magical time and here's a shot from a little while ago taken very early in the morning. We are getting close to the winter solstice now and soon the days will be getting longer again.

Shoal Point Revisited

Here's a view we've seen before, in part because it is very close to where my street meets the shoreline, but also because I like it. It often ends up as the "test" shot when I want a sunrise picture because I find it difficult to get out of the house when it is still dark. Consequently, the earliest sunrise pictures I have are almost all taken from this spot. What I was particularly interested in here was how multiple polarized filters (2) affected the dawn colors.

High Clouds

Fair weather photographer that I am, the last few days have seen me taking my morning walk without my camera bag. It's been gray and damp. So here's a couple of pics from a few days ago when the sky was blue and nicely tufted with these puffy little clouds. Above, the Victoria skyline with the sun just peeking over the horizon. To the right, the view in the opposite direction a few minutes later, looking along the Westsong Walkway towards West Bay Marina.

Sunrise Over the City

A short walk east from where I took yesterday's photo, Sailor's Cove widens out into the broader reaches of the Inner Harbour and provides this view of Victoria's downtown. One commenter yesterday mentioned the fog that came down later in the day. At dawn this fog was little more than a low-lying cloud but it provided enough interference for the sun's rays to allow this photo of the sun as it crept above the city skyline.

West Bay Marina Sunrise

I still have a few bird photos from my excursion to Esquimalt Lagoon on the weekend but I thought I would break the sequence today with another sunrise photo, this one of West Bay Marina with its houseboats and sailboats. This marina marks the western end of the West Bay/Westsong Walkway, the eastern end of which is the Johnson Street Bridge in downtown Victoria. It's a beautiful walk at any time of day.

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Some of you may be wondering what the white stuff is on the rocks in the foreground. It's not snow or frost - it's broken shells. Seagulls drop clams and other shellfish onto the rocks here to crack them open for their dining pleasure.

Willows Beach Sunrise II

Cattle Point, where I took yesterday's bird and animal photos, marks the northeastern end of Willows Beach. It is the point of land jutting out on the left hand side of the above photo.

Willows Beach Sunrise

I've been thinking that I might get some better sunrise shots if I rode over to the eastern side of the city so I did that this morning. Though the mornings are getting chilly, it was well worth the trip. Here is the first of a series of photos of sunrise at Willows Beach in Oak Bay. Here we are looking towards Oak Bay, facing southwest.

Pre-Dawn

I'm not actually getting up any earlier. It's mostly that dawn comes later and later these days. This view, which we have seen in various moods before, is so commonly featured here because the street where I live meets the ocean at this point. One of the blessings of Victoria is that one is never very far from the ocean.

Gorge Sunrise

Sunrise over the Gorge here looks a little industrial but the silhouettes of the grasses and other shore plants make a nice counterpoint to the cranes and derricks across the Selkirk Waters.

Selkirk Trestle Sunrise

Residents of Victoria West, like myself, are lucky in that we have access to waterfront both to the north (The Gorge) and to the south (the Inner Harbour). Where I live is about equidistant from the two bodies of water. Usually I have been walking down to the Inner Harbor and along the Westsong Walkway since this offers more expansive views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the mountains of Olympic Peninsula. There is often a cruise ship or the Coho car ferry visible as well, while the Gorge is a little more domestic with lots of kayaks and canoes and our local rather diminutive mountains. However, the other morning before sunrise I went down to the Gorge and was pleasantly surprised to find that dawn is like the philosopher's stone that turns everything to gold. There's lots of beauty and interest in the Gorge's smaller scale. The above photo of Selkirk Trestle is nearly a reprise of one I took almost two years ago. This is where the Galloping Goose Regional Trail crosses the Gorge over what used to be a railroad trestle. The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is for pedestrians and cyclists only and is used extensively by a growing number of commuters who prefer to walk, run or ride on two wheels.

Vic West Sunrise II

Here's another shot from my recent foray out at sunrise. It's taken from almost exactly the same spot as this one, but looking a little bit more towards the east.

Vic West Sunrise

Once again, while the rest of you were still drooling into your duvets I was early-birding it before sunrise to bring you this morning's fresh photos. Actually, the doctor has ordered more exercise so I went for a walk early to get it over with and discovered all sorts of lovely things I have not shown you before. This sculpture is part of a beach installation by Rich Rico. That's the Shoal Point condominium in the background there, with Fisherman's Wharf just to the left of it. Below is a video of Rich Rico that shows a bit more of his beach creation.

A New Day

I've been feeling a little short of inspiration lately. I think it's inevitable after posting one or more photos of the same city every day for more than two years. It's not that the city has no more to offer but that I've got to see it anew or get out of my comfortable ruts. I have no idea how this is going to take place but as a gesture in the direction of new beginnings I offer this shot of my favourite Victoria skyline taken at dawn.