A very rainy May late afternoon at Aix-en-Provence

Various street scenes (taken on a rainy late afternoon in May)

Quiet restaurants on a quiet rainy Sunday evening before tourist season opens

The Mission Church

The oculus ("eye") at the top of the dome was quite dark, and I did not have a tripod. To salvage the picture, I have processed treated it as though it were a painting. I must return under better lighting conditions and take a proper picture.

Last summer we visited the historic city of Aix-en-Provence for one brief afternoon. Since the weather alternated--most unusually--between heavy and light rain, we were not able to see more than a gallery, one church, a restaurant and a few blocks of the city. There is much more to see and photograph. Since I did not want to get my larger camera wet, I used the little Canon G9, which can get 'noisy' in low-light conditions, but grainy pictures are better than no pictures. I want to return to the city in better weather and explore it more fully. I indicate that the restaurants were unusually quiet, but hasten to add that it is impossible to get inferior food in the many restaurants in Provence, whether visiting an establishment for the working class or the wealthy, one is never disappointed with the food.

We were intrigued with the story of St Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861, feast day is May 21st), the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (1826), which has now become an international order of some 11,000 missionaries/priests serving the poor throughout the world (e.g., South America, India). This focus preserves Eugene's special call to serve the poor in Provence. Even after becoming Bishop of Marsailles, he preached in the local dialect rather than in the more learned formal French, so that ordinary people could understand his sermons.

Long Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Young family walking on beach (click on picture to enlarge)

Sun starting to set (polarizing filter)

The evening's rising mists begin to hide the mountains

You often have to search to spot other people on these beaches in the fall

Fall mushroom in the rain forest

Unending sand ripples

Mineral patterns in the wet sand

Logging is British Columbia's No. 1 industry, and thousands escape

Kayakers end their labours

Low tide reveals underwater life

One of Canada's treasures is its Long Beach on the Pacific Ocean, midway between Tofino and Uceulet, B.C. If I ever manage to walk from one end of this complex of beaches to the other, I will need someone to meet me by car at the other end because the beaches stretch for 25 unbroken kilometers. These contiguous beaches include Pacific Rim National Park's Radar Beach, Long Beach (10 kms), Combers Beach and Wickaninnish Beach. You can simply refer to the whole group as the "Long Beach Unit". Since the Pacific Rim National Park is itself relatively isolated (only a single highway connects it with the eastern side of Vancouver Island), the beaches are always yours.

I stopped to watch some kayakers ride the waves, the occasional family take a stroll, surfers continue their unending search for the perfect wave, and to admire the wide flat beach of soft sand.

The Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, British Columbia, in rainy October

Children and adults love to mingle with the brave ducks.

A number of floating logs provide safe resting places for the ducks.

The Reifel sanctuary has numerous tidal inlets that are well protected.

Rain water from the roof, running down a chain 'spout':

Field near the Reifel sanctuary, covered with snow geese:

Nobody knows how many birds migrate along ancient coastal routes skirting Vancouver, B.C., but I always look forward to seeing various types of geese flying in formation. Although I know they are migrating, I have no idea where or how long the journey must be.

The Reifel family gave Canada a treasure of great value, their extensive coastal area which is to provide a sanctuary for migrating birds, where they can rest, eat and become rejuvenated for the next leg of the long. People can mingle freely with birds on paths or observe various types of birds on land or water from a series of excellent blinds and a tower.

I was happy to join Ken on his shooting outing (even though he is a Nikon man). The light west-coast October rain, which never let up, made the sky uniformly overcast in a dark sort of way which seemed to bring out colours. After several hours, a very helpful woman learned that we had hoped to see the snow geese which are known to migrate through the Delta area. Although there were none at the sanctuary today, she had just seen an enormous flock in a nearby private field that was freshly ploughed and seeded. She then scouted out the best places for us to go by car and was enormously helpful. I had never seen so many geese in my life.

Chestermans Beach, Tofino, B.C.

A late October sunrise (looking west from the living room windows)

Approaching the beach from the house through bushes which help hold the sand during the storm season.

The sand seems to stretch for miles as tides gently come and go.

The park has signs daily suggesting the relative danger from the waves to swimmers and surfers.

The setting October sun (rain came that evening)

The sun is nearly set (time exposure)

The sun draws attention to the wet sand as the tide recedes.

Kelp washed ashore. One artist weaves these plants into interesting baskets.

For more than a decade, we have tried to include an annual visit to Chestermans Beach just south of Tofino, B.C. Situated on the west coast of Vancouver Island, this is my favourite beach with dramatic tides, waves for surfers, and sand stretching out until it eventually gently drifts into the Pacific Ocean. The Wickanninish Inn is on the far northern part of this two-part beach, but is too expensive and reminds me of being in a big city hotel (but with far better views and access to nature). We prefer Judi's Seaside Cottage on the southern part of the beach. This rental is a quiet little secluded one-bedroom dwelling that gives absolute privacy, great views of the ocean through the trees (both from the deck and the living room), and immediate access by foot to the ocean (following a path through the bushes). We were there in late October 2008, during off season, so the beach was virtually abandoned, and on one beautiful sunny day the nearby 9-hole golf course had one other golfer, a bear and me (I wisely let the bear play through on the sixth hole).

The sunsets can be spectacular, colours depending on the constantly changing weather, but even sunrises can have interesting glows to the west as the sunlight plays off the mists rising from the ocean. The sand is constantly changing, sometimes being almost glassy-smooth, sometimes showing ripples from the ebb and flow of the tides. Washed up kelp reminds me that I know very little about the teaming life in our ocean.

Highway 4 from Parksville to Tofino, British Columbia

The only way to get to Tofino, British Columbia by car is to take the provincial Hwy 4 across the mountains, from Parksville, through Port Alberni and to the Rim Highway. I notice that this road has been enormously improved over the past quarter century, and a friend reminds me that he drove it when parts were still unpaved. Even today, with all its modern features, the road has hairpin turns, steep climbs, breath-taking drop-offs, and a sign reminding drivers that there is no petrol for the next 85 kms (and even that one was closed). By the time one hits the road, the two-hour ferry ride (plus lineups) has already postponed things and folks are usually eager to get to Tofino. Facing a three-hour drive can be a bit discouraging, particularly at night.

Last week I drove Hwy 4 twice, in very different weather conditions: bright overcast sky on Tuesday, and dark clouds and rain showers on Friday. Now that I am retired, we were able to leave Vancouver in the early morning (rather than after work) and drive leisurely, stopping at Cameron Lake and Kennedy Lake to take pictures. Given the terrain, stopping is often not possible or safe every time your eye catches a great vista, but attentive drivers can spot safe pulloffs (often unannounced), and it is worth the time to see these inland lakes, even though your heart is set on seeing the Pacific Ocean.