Camping at Dilberry Lake

It's been a long time since we camped in Alberta--five years to be exact. Our condo was too hot, and we needed a change of scenery.  Dilberry Lake Provincial Park on the Saskatchewan border fit the bill, and the lake was actually swimmable.

This park features knob-and -kettle terrain, a landform of small irregular hillocks (knobs) and shallow lakes, (kettles) formed by receding glaciers. A few of these small lakes made up the park, the largest being Dilberry Lake, the one with the sandy beach where families liked to enjoy the hot weather.
I enjoyed my swims, too! At first my muscles and bones were creaky after my fall seven weeks ago, but by the second day I could do a modified breast stroke. The water was so refreshing, and fairly clear.

Foam churned up through wind, sodium, or organic substances

We drove to an ecological reserve area that was supposed to have sand dunes, but never found it.  Then we thought, "Maybe we are on the sand dunes; and they're grown over."  Most of the vegetation was grasses and shrubby aspen trees and smaller silvery-leafed wolf-willow bushes.

Elaeagnus commutata

As we hiked around the campsite, and the next day around a five km loop around two smaller lakes, we were surrounded by these trees and saskatoon berry bushes.









We avoided the poison ivy!

Leaves of three, let it be!

We were amused to find that the trail around the lakes was actually a swath cut through the grassland!
The trails through the campsite were gravelly sand, not quite comfortable for my Townie bike.

Western Goat's Beard or Yellow Salsify

I'm not sure I was supposed to pick the saskatoon berries, but I thought the deer wouldn't mind sharing a few handfuls.  They were much more closely clustered together and prolific than this picture shows.  The juiciest saskatoon beries I've ever tasted! I certainly filled my antioxidant quota for the day. A great mid-morning snack!  Good thing they grow in and around Red Deer, too, so I can make jam.

                                                                                   Chokecherries were still green on the stem, and prolific as well.                                                            

Amelanchier alnifolia



Terry was amused that one side of these steps was Alberta, and the other side, Saskatchewan, according to the map.  

Food tastes better in the open air.                                              

Dilberry Lake is an important bird area, and we totalled nearly 70 species. Terry was excited about the cranes that flew overhead, and was convinced they weren't the regular Sandhill Cranes, since they had black heads. We'll never know for sure, since we couldn't document them with a picture. Here's one of my favourite birds, the Wilson's Snipe. I used to see it sitting on a fence post as we would drive to school,

Life was slow paced in a natural setting. We chose not to be connected to power, and the neighbours were not too close.  I felt refreshed, and didn't really want to go home.  It was time, though; we ran out of interesting food and on the last night the Coleman lantern sputtered and died to night-light mode, too dim to read longer.

A peaceful end to a long, satisfying day.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,

Till all our strivings cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress,

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace.

J.G. Whittier

Birthday Lunch Date

Ellis smiles in his car seat on the way to his birthday lunch with Grandma and Grandpa B.  Thanks, Grandpa, for transferring the car seat, and for driving.

 The card I made him shows a pirate looking through his spyglass with the words  "I see you have a birthday."

Ellis is four years old today.
He never knew his great grandmother, but he was born on her birthday. She would have been pleased. His brother's birthday is two days from now; his cousin's is tomorrow, another cousin's was four days ago, his uncle's was yesterday. It's quite the birthday week for this family.
His great-great-grandmother's  and great-great-great-grandfather's birthdays also cluster around this date. Interesting how this happens in families!

This pirate puzzle requires concentration.

 It's finished before the food comes.

Fish and chips goes well with the informal pirate theme. "Don't pick pancakes," we told him.  "That's what you chose for your birthday dinner with the family!"

At times the overhead TV screen was a distraction to conversation, 

just as it is with the other Burnett boys.

Ellis chose a beautiful shiny ring with a pink "jewel' from the treasure chest at the door. Pirate treasure!

Too full for the chocolate cupcake, so we brought it home.
 Birthday party time with his brother in three days.  Wonderful to have summer birthdays with a big back yard.

Friends

Meeting friends was one of the joys of being on Vancouver Island. I grew up there, so had a base of people from which to draw. We met new people, too!

Myrtle and Bentley opened the gate for us at the camp 

Marilyn, friend since Grade Four 

 Marilyn treated me to the play Pride and Predjudice at the theatre in Chemainus. We also had dinner at Arlene and Nelson's from Port Alberni school days, but I forgot to take a picture.

Peter and Marion, from Camp Columbia and UVIC days

Jerry & Tricia from Fort Nelson teaching days

We had an awesome lunch at the Rocking Horse Pub in Nanoose Bay with Peter and Marion, and a lovely day with Tricia and Jerry at their seaside home in Campbell River, plus a walk around Buttertub Marsh, Nanaimo, and lunch another day.

Ted from Fort Nelson teaching days. 90 years old today!

Lana from New Denver days. 

Ted was happy that we came to celebrate with him on the way home. It was good to stay a couple of days with Lana and Rob near Kelowna.
On the way down we had a long overdue visit with Joan in New Denver.  Again, I forgot to take a picture of this dear friend.

Goddaughter Rachael with sons Kyle and Cody in Nanaimo

My brother, Ed, and his wife, Heather, had a new summer home built by the ocean in Chemainus. We're looking forward to spending more time there in the future.

Dianne, niece of our former doctor in New Denver

New friends, Wally and Julia from Saskatchewan

Ed and Heather, taken last year

So fun to "randomly" meet Mary-Ann, who contacted us after seeing me on the street. We didn't know she lived on the Island, but we had fun catching up.

Our student, Mary-Ann, some 40+ years later

One sad note: I spoke on the phone with Tom, the husband of my first neighbour and playmate in Port Alberni. He explained that Colleen had died nine years ago!
Friends, new and old, made up for the loneliness of being the only SOWERs on this Canadian project.

The Best and the Worst

Our SOWER project this winter has been opposite of the norm. Instead of warm, dry weather, we experienced cool, rainy weather. It was a challenge to pack, not knowing if we were to see an early Spring, or a late Winter.

What were the best things we packed for two months on Vancouver Island?

1. Our own duvets. These have been the best all-time bed coverings. We love the way they drape over us as we snuggle down in bed. By the way, I say 'duvets' in the plural because in Europe we got used to each having our own.
   
2. Raincoats! Who knew that a Vancouver Island winter could best be described as 'showers!'
3. My three favourite Ecuadorian wool sweaters were perfect to layer under my raincoat, one at a time, that is, or to wear separately. Why three? Just for variety.
4. Long underwear/leggings. Perfect for layering under warm pants for bird-watching when cold winds blew off the ocean.
5. My bicycle. It was fun to ride around the camp to go back and forth from the laundry room, or to check out the shoreline.
   
   
   
6. Space heater. Our little heater was Terry's lifeline, sort of like sitting by a fireplace.
   
   
   
7. Books. We brought a stack of books each, and then bought more at two library book sales.
   
   
   
8. The laptop computer. Of course! The WiFi wasn't always steady, but we were connected to the world when there weren't a lot of people around. Plus, I used it a lot to continue writing up our family's story.

What were some of the least useful things we packed?

1. Terry's bicycle. I thought we might go biking together, but it didn't happen. It was easier to grab T's bike off the porch for a quick trip to the laundry, being lighter, but I had to remember to wear a backpack to carry the laundry.
2. Our bulky SOWER binders. These contained songs and other information a group leader is supposed to have, but our 'group' ended up not coming. The other couple had a medical issue, so chose not to come.
3. Summer clothes. Just in case there was a really warm day. Ha!
4. Bathing suit. Just in case someone asked me to go swimming somewhere.
5. Insulated lunch bag. Any picnics we had did not need insulating, and besides, we ate in the car. Any groceries brought home from the store didn't need insulating either.
   
   
   

When we pack to go home next week, there will be a few more things to add to the pile. Why is it that we always seem to collect more stuff?

We felt at home at Nanoose Bay, that's the main thing.

A Picture Tour- Nanoose Bay Pentecostal Camp

A quick tour around the camp.  The snow we had last month is gone, and the surroundings are much more Spring like.

A summer camp for children on Vancouver Island

Snowdrops and Primrose, mid-March

Notch Hill on the other side of Nanoose Bay

Early morning burst of sunshine

Pond where Red-winged Blackbirds sing

Progress on dorm construction as of March 15, 2017

Terry cutting siding

My exercise gym

Tabernacle (Chapel), a widened quonset from down-Island

Heather in bloom

Taking it up a notch

To take something up a notch means, according to the English idiom, to increase the effort or intensity exerted in a situation.

Today we didn't do a simple walk along the beach, but a 'real' hike. A real hike means, to me, a walk that requires going uphill.

This morning's snow 

Terry and I climbed a small hill today. Notch Hill is accessed off Powder Point Road in Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island. My idea of walking for exercise was taken up a notch as I walked the first part of the trail which the map calls “steep”. I guess I'm not as fit as I think I am. First my gluteus maximus muscles pulled, until I really got going. Then I had to stop for breath several times, listening to my pounding heart. Then I shed one of my layers, that heavy sweater I knew I shouldn't have worn.

Finally the ground levelled off, sort of.

We listened for birds, but didn't hear anything until we broke out of the gloomy conifer forest to moss covered rocky outcrops and arbutus trees. Terry's binoculars were trained on a high tree with a tiny bird on it. Probably a Dark Eyed Junco. I looked behind me and saw a man standing quietly on the path. I wish I had taken his picture; he was just like a gnome, at home in the forest.

The view was worth the climb.

Looking towards Nanaimo

If it had been summer, we could have sat on the rocks and admired the bay and the views down Island for a lot longer than we did. We did see a Bald Eagle, and Terry was glad to add a Turkey Vulture to his trip list. But his hands were cold and white, and he was uncomfortable, so we completed the loop and meandered down again.

Red-barked Arbutus tree

 So many more trails to explore in the area!  

Garry Oak

Real Christmas holly!