merganser parade

there's a parade

in the cove

today

led by red-headed

momma merganser

twelve chicks

three days old

follow behind

and climb on 

momma's back

Oystercatchers!

visitors 

on the island

this morning

four 

oystercatchers

orange beaks

loud shrieks

and then 

they flew 

away

Oystercatchers!

heron

there's a heron
  in the tree
    outside my window
I tiptoe around
   hoping he'll stay
he sits for awhile
I make coffee
    and watch him

        gaze at the world

Queen of the Olympics

Guess who had the most fun at the Olympics?

Most PotLuck Dinners +

Most Out-of-Town Guests in Condo +

Most People dropping by Quatchie House on Seymour Street +

Most Beer in Fridge +

Queen of the Olympics = Josie Cowan

Olympic Reflection

today
we who live
in Vancouver
are back at home
sitting still
realizing
how tired we are!!

looking back over
the blur that was the Olympics

17 fantastic days 

of celebration 

and partying 

and learning something new
about ourselves

I was in the river of people

on Granville Street Sunday 

after the hockey gold medal win

and it was something 

never seen

before on Vancouver streets

A throng of people

families with strollers

kids on their shoulders

A sea of red and white 

flags waving

People of all ages

teenagers

old folks (like me)

cheering

wahoo-ing

 pushed along

jostled to Robson
a tide of people
moving and swaying

we carved our way

out of the crush
and headed to
the Closing Ceremonies

feeling sad
does it really have to end?

The Olympics was so very 

very 

very much fun!

We Vancouverites 

have just had 

THE BEST party ever!

And looking forward 

to more ...

Olympic Family Photo

Kyle Colleen Scott Ian

bundle up early

 catch the Olympic bus 

see Scott on Ski Patrol at Cypress Mountain

watch Alex Bilodeau win the gold

what a start to the Olympics

Olympic Torch comes through Belcarra

This morning

we woke up 

just before our alarms

as often happens

when one is getting up early

and grabbed some toast

and coffee

donned our red mittens

and scarves

hopped in the car

and went to Belcarra Park

where the torch was lit 

way out on the pier

and one of our Villagers

George McRae

who looks quite like

Santa Claus

with a real beard

ran through the park

in the dark

calling out

Good Morning Everyone
What a Wonderful Village We Live In

and I ran after him

not wanting the good

feeling to end

and I see it didn't

as my friend emailed to tell me 

she caught it along 

Ioco Road

and then we all 

went back to bed

and got the rest of our sleep

and guess what

right now as I look out my window

I see

It is SNOWING ON THE MOUNTAINS!!!

books...of course

oh yes
I have a few books
ready to go
on blurb.com

check them out
if you like...

Minnekhada Walk December 2009

December Minnekhada walk

P1210906
Originally uploaded by youwhocolleen

a heron sits
at creekside
reflected in the
still water

belcarra morning

big log just sailed by

loaded with

seagulls

the aquarium boat
is on its way to

train sea lions

there's a big raft
of winter ducks
out front

crow is coming
for bread

such a great Belcarra

morning

morning moon

the moon's

still awake

this morning ~

good morning

moon

Goldeneye Ducks back in Vancouver November 1 2009

like clockwork,
the Goldeneyes are back
in Vancouver

It's November 1
and the Winter Ducks
have returned to Burrard Inlet
and Indian Arm

We cycled around Stanley Park today
and discovered a huge raft of winter ducks:
Barrow's Goldeneyes
Common Goldeneyes
and Scoters
putting on a show just off
Siwash Rock
circling
flying
diving
doing all their duck things!

come on down and see them!

three crow babies

here's our resident crow

with three babies

this year

dug the clam

out of the sand

flew to the rock

dropped it

pried open the shell

and fed

the squawking babies

then went back

for more

Diana's Seagulls

High on a rooftop

somewhere

in Vancouver

there are seven nests

and lots of seagull chicks

Here's a few pictures

of them

ps - click on picture to see the whole set in Flickr

seagull chick

Newly hatched

and ready

to fly

Cycling in Turkey

top of the hill

an exhausting climb

looking down over the bay

our boat awaits

cruise down hill

we did it!

(click on pix to see the whole set)

gossip

went for a walk
today
got caught up on
all the
gossip

there’s a great horned owl
near the tennis courts
spotted last week
might have a nest

the Barred owl is about
this year’s eggs
might be hatching
any day

there’s a couple of
house finches
watching the walkers
along Marine Avenue
you might see them
when you go past

two kinds of chickadees
are up there
in the cedar tree
looks like they’re fighting over
a territory

--what was that noise?
oh – that’s a crazy bluejay
quite unusual
(I wonder if that’s
politically correct these days)

the chickadee stump
seems to have disappeared
maybe came down
in that last wind
big one, wasn’t it?

there’s a seagull nest
near Twin Islands
and a pigeon guillemont nest
further up the inlet
and there’s the goose nest
on Whiskey Cove Island
and others about
and don’t forget the eagles
looks like the juveniles
are building this year

yup –
lots going on
in the neighbourhood
these days

keep your eyes open
for that owl
won’t you?

swans on the bay

there's a flock of swans

across the bay

sixteen of them

bright white

against the charcoal water

we stand at the window

watching

through binoculars

their long necks stretch

heads wave

as they float

clustered together

surrounded by seagulls

it's the first time we've seen

more than two swans

on the inlet

a whole flock 

-- do you think they're on 

their migration north?

-- they must be

a whole flock

sixteen

-- wow

--that's a lot

the flock lifts and turns north

- there they go

-- they're on their way

they lift

higher

silhouetted against the mountain

they turn

-- looks like they're making a V

-- there they go!

and the they sift

and head back 

towards the cove

mirrored against the still water

they land again

we watch for awhile

then get busy

making toast

pouring coffee

a dash of white

catches my eye as

the flock lifts again

and heads north

we watch

until they're out of sight

and then

they are gone.

23-03-2009

cormorant

cormorants dive deep

to catch fish

and need to 

dry their wings

Indian Arm, BC

follow your dreams

farron's snowflake

Farron looked out her window at the snow-covered world. Her eyes followed a large
snowflake as it swayed and circled

down

down

down

and disappeared into the icing sugar lawn.

"Where do snowflakes come from?" she asked her mother.

"Well,” Mommy began, "they come from the clouds. The clouds gather moisture and . . . "

Farron wondered what was on top of the cloud. Mommy's voice went on "... and when it gets
cold rain turns to snow..."

Maybe someone lives up there, Farron thought. She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into her pillow as Mommy's voice faded.

Farron opened her eyes and sat up. Where was she? Everything was white. In front of her, beside her, above her. Everywhere. A face peeked out from behind a white tree: "Hello Farron. My name is Serena. I hear you want to learn how we make snowflakes."

Farron nodded her head -- yes.

"Well, come on!" Serena led the way through the cloud. Faces appeared in the mist.

"Hello everyone. I’ve brought Farron to see how we make snow."

Out from the clouds popped workers covered in snowflakes. They had snowflakes on their
clothes, snowflakes on their heads, and even their boots were covered in snowflakes.

“Farron,” said Serena, “everyone is busy today making snow, but you can watch them work
and ask questions."

Farron went to every part of the snow cloud. She watched as raindrops burst into snowflakes. Each one was different. There were double-diamonds and pointed stars, small clusters and large lacy snowflakes. Buckets of snowflakes were stacked at the edge of the cloud ready to be tipped and scattered. Farron watched the buckets tip and snowflakes fall over the side of the cloud.

Farron peeked over the edge. "Mommy, I'm up here," she called out.

"I don't think she can hear you," Serena said to Farron, "but you could send a note to tell her
where you are."

Farron reached into a bucket and picked a snowflake. She wrote her name on a piece of paper and tied it to the snowflake with gold thread. She threw it over the edge andwatched as it fluttered and swirled

down

down

down

to the ground.

Feeling tired, Farron sat down and rested against the white cloud bank. It reminded her of her big white pillow at home. Her eyes closed. She felt like she was floating

down

down

down

just like a snowflake.

Her eyes opened. She sat up. There was Mommy, right beside her. "Where's Serena?" she asked.

"Who's Serena?" asked Mommy.

“From up on the cloud. That's where they make the snow. Serena took me there. I saw it.” Farron jumped off the couch and peered out the window.

"Mommy, where's the snowflake I sent you?"

"Snowflake?" Mommy asked.

"The one with the note," Farron frowned. "Oh, it must still be outside,” she jumped up. "Let's go get it."

"Farron, you must have had a dream when you fell asleep. A snowflake can't have a note on it!"

"Yes there is! I wrote it. I saw how they make snow!"

Farron pulled on her boots as her mother got their coats. They went out onto the front lawn. They looked all over.

"Where is it?" worried Farron.

"Well, Farron, I really don't think we're going to find a note."

"No, no, it IS here. I wrote it. I threw it down."

Mommy started walking towards the house. Farron plunked down in the snow. She rolled on her back and looked up. On the sagging branch of a cedar tree weighted with snow, a sparkle caught her eye.

"Mommy, come here." She reached her hand out towards the glint. It sparkled again.

Farron pointed, "Mommy -- LOOK!"

It was tiny and hard to see, but there
... tied with a glint of gold thread to a snowflake was a note:






...............................................................................................................................© Colleen MacDonald 2006

seabus seagull nest

Now that's prime real estate -- right beside the Seabus at Lonsdale Quay

crows' nest

Have you ever wondered how crows build their nest?

They even do it to music, electronic funk, no less!

and here's some words about these busy crows:

a pair of crows
built a nest
this week
they flew past my window
sticks and branches
in their beaks
over the rooftop
and into a cluster of trees
next to the house
I followed their path --
trained a telescope on the spot
and watched as the nest was formed
nestled in the boughs of a tall cedar.

I found my digiscope
and attached it to the telescope
fitted on the camera
and started filming.

day by day
the nest grew
the crows added more sticks
bits of moss
a piece of paper
and a plastic bag was tucked between the layers of sticks

and then one day the building stopped
and the sitting began
excited,
I waited anxiously
for the eggs
to hatch

and then one day I was out in the garden
and heard the deep krawk of raven
circling nearby
and heard the frantic cries of the crows chasing
it off
not our nest
I hoped
looking high into our tree
as raven swooped in
and the crows screamed
and then just as quickly
the raven flew off
and through the telescope
I watched as the crows tossed out bits
of shells
I hoped there was at least one egg left
but the crows flew off and never came back to the nest again

dog talk

Dom & Kyle's Tree

Here's

the first

very Unique

and useful -- I'd say

Christmas Tree from

Dom

...

I like it!

o christmas tree !

a

fun

crazy

unique

modern

creative

different

humorous

kind of tree!

I'm searching for different kinds of Christmas trees. Maybe you can help?

If you see one, please send a picture to colleenmacd@gmail.com and tell where you saw it

or found it.

I'll post the best on this blog.

Fun!

.

.

.

another day, another hawk

I see hawks
often
surprisingly
a reminder
I think

hawk

a hawk sits
against the setting sun
watching
waiting

moss

bent trees
downed in storms
covered in moss
like an old man's beard
sixty years of growth
hugs branches

think

I type
and type
and type

don’t push
send

just don’t push
send

I
pushed...

send

stop
drop
roll

gone

they’re cutting down trees
today
hundred year old firs
and hemlocks

the steady buzz of the saw
annoys
upsets
dismays me
like the constant drone of a bee
persistent
never ending

trees that have stood here for years
reduced to a pile of rounds
pierced open scent in the air
an empty space
where once stood
a presence
majestic
it’s boughs almost touching the ground
swaying
bouncing in the wind
gone

why –
so the tree won’t fall
on your house?
the house that was built long
after the tree stood there?

why --
so it won’t fall
on the telephone wires?
we can live without a few hours of power

and what if the tree wouldn’t have fallen?
what if it stood for another hundred years
long after you and I were gone
what if it stood for generations yet to come
for our children
and their children
to look up at
and marvel at its height
and the fact that it could live longer
than any of us.

but it’s too late.
it’s gone.

ducks coming home

As the last leaves
fall from trees along
the inlet's shores,
the winter ducks
are leaving their summer
nesting grounds and heading
for Indian Arm

I look out the window
every day
hoping to catch
a glimpse of the black and white
Barrow's goldeneyes...

any
day
now.

One Red Paperclip Kid

Here's Kyle's Vancouver book signing schedule and a bit about the book for all you have asked. Yes, it is fun being Kyle's mom! (and Scott's mom, too!) Hope you enjoy the book!

One Red Paperclip

Kyle MacDonald will be in Vancouver signing books at
Chapters Coquitlam 7:30 pm Fri. November 9
Chapters Granville 2:30 Sat. Nov 10
Terry Fox Library PoCo 7-8pm Thurs. Nov 15
hear him on CKNW with Christy Clark 2:30-3 Fri. Nov9

Books are available at most bookstores and online (Christmas ideas ???)
or you can reserve signed copies by emailing colleenmacd@gmail.com

more information: oneredpaperclip.com
......................................................................................................................

About the book (from Random House):

One Red Paperclip
or
How an Ordinary Man Achieved His Dream
with the Help of a Simple Office Supply

by Kyle MacDonald


Kyle MacDonald had a paperclip. One red paperclip, a dream, and a resume to write. And bills to pay. Oh, and a very patient girlfriend who was paying the rent while he was once again "between jobs." Kyle wanted to be able to provide for himself and his girlfriend, Dominique. He wanted to own his own home. He wanted something bigger than a paperclip. So he put an ad on Craigslist, the popular classifieds website, with the intention of trading that paperclip for something better. A girl in Vancouver offered him a fish pen in exchange for his paperclip. He traded the fish pen for a doorknob and the doorknob for a camping stove. Before long he had traded the camping stove for a generator for a neon sign. Not long after that, avid snow-globe collector and television star Corbin Bernsen and the small Canadian town of Kipling were involved, and Kyle was on to bigger and better things.

In One Red Paperclip, Kyle takes you on a journey around the globe as he moves from paperclip holder to homeowner in just fourteen trades. With plenty of irreverent and insightful anecdotes and practical tips on how you can find your own paperclip and realize your dreams, he proves it's possible to succeed in life and achieve your dreams on your own terms. Quirky and inspirational, this story of a regular guy and a small, red, now-legendary paperclip will have you looking at your office supplies-and your life-in a whole new way.

a mink ... I think !

look who’s living
in the rocks
at the water’s edge…

it’s a mink !
this I think

(click on any pix to see the Flickr set - Mink)

Three mink at Whiskey Cove, Indian Arm, Belcarra BC August 24 2007

one red paperclip

once upon a time
a little boy was born
and lived with us
and grew up
to find a paperclip

which he traded for a house
where he lives with
the best girl in the whole world

... did you say he traded a paperclip for a house?

and he wrote a book about it
a very funny book

... did you say he wrote a book?

uh-huh!
and you can get a copy
and read about it for yourself
... if you want!

Here's the link to Amazon...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307353168?tag=oneredpapercl-0&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0307353168&adid=0PXHSFJYBK3R6331G3Z4

and you can also ask your local bookstore to order one for you.

Happy Reading...

(proud) Mom!

.

.

.

merganser momma

there’s a new family
in the cove
this morning

they clamber onto the rock

dig for mussels

dashing
darting
swimming
diving for fish
riding on momma’s back

a brand new dozen
fluffing downy feathers

shaking off the rain
hiding under

umbrella momma

.

Between Forest and Sea: Memories of Belcarra

Belcarra lies between forest and sea on Indian Arm, a fjord near Vancouver. Like Raven, poking on the seashore, we sought to find and tell the stories about the area. More than a history book, Between Forest and Sea tells of the people and changes in Belcarra from the early days of the Coast Salish, to Judge Bole, Baron von Alvensleben and Wigwam Inn, Harbour Navigation boat cruises to the Belcarra picnic grounds, summer cottages, and the emerging village community. Loaded with a wide collection of photographs and maps, the book brings the history of this community alive.

To order an author signed copy send $22.43 plus $1.57 GST (Total: $24.00 per book)


Drop by the Belcarra Village Hall (604-937-4100) and pick up a copy or please add $6.00 for shipping.

Send cheque or money order for $30.00 to:

The Village of Belcarra

4084 Bedwell Bay Road Belcarra BC Canada V3H 4P8

.

.

.(ps - Jamie we have been trying to reach you!)

poppy

in my garden
poppies grow

spider sprawl

a batch of spiders
arrived today
on the window
beside my desk

sleepy
lazy
tiny
spiders
they wait for the wind
to send them
on their journey
the cluster spreads
wider
as they tumble
away

the next day
I look
and
they’re

gone
.
.
.

Duck Tails !

Have you spotted any Barrow’s Goldeneyes with a transmitter tail?



There's a new fashion statement this spring for the Goldeneye ducks on Indian Arm. Twenty of our winter residents are sporting radio transmitters.

Drs. Sean Boyd of Environment Canada and Dan Esler at Simon Fraser University and Pacific WildLife Foundation, are leading a research team studying Barrow’s Goldeneye. In February twenty birds were captured in nets in Belcarra and Bedwell Bay. They were fitted with a radio transmitter, and released back into Indian Arm. Over the next 1-2 years the team will study the data from these transmitters to learn more about the migration and geographic distribution patterns of these interesting winter residents.

Scientists concerned about declining sea duck populations are working together to describe abundance trends and migration patterns, identifying coastal and freshwater habitats and determining what contaminants, disease and developments might affect these ducks. For more information, visit the Sea Duck Joint Venture at www.seaduck.org


... Male and female goldeneye ducks in Indian Arm - March 2007

and two male Barrow's Goldeneyes in Whiskey Cove - March 2007

Two kinds of Goldeneye Ducks winter on Indian Arm. Common Goldeneye males are black and white and have a quarter moon-shaped patch below the eye. The Barrow's Goldeneye male is the same coloring, but has a full moon circle patch below the eye. The female goldeneyes are brown. They are named for Sir John Barrow, an English explorer who traveled in the Arctic.

Their fast wingbeat makes a loud whistling sound in flight, giving them the nickname Whistler. They make hoarse croaking sounds -- “krawk” as they cluster along the rocky shore and around docks feeding on mussels, crustaceans and plants.

Sea ducks are a large and diverse group including Mergansers, Scoters, Harlequin Ducks, Bufflehead, Eiders, and Goldeneyes. There are fifteen North American species and 4 distinct races -- Pacific, Northern, Hudson Bay, American. Adapted to sea and land, they winter along marine coasts and return to breeding grounds in freshwater lakes and rivers in northern latitudes. They nest in tree cavities or on the ground.

Sea ducks are biologically different from other groups of waterfowl. Scientists don’t know much about them yet, even some of the most basic biological facts. Several species have been declining for years, and they want to know why.

...Goldeneye Duck with the sporty transmitter tail- March 2007

March 15/2007 Update Sean Boyd says, "The birds transmitting are still in the Indian Arm area. Some birds have moved a bit (10km or so) but most are still around the area of capture. Interestingly, we marked a male goldeneye at Riske Creek (near Williams Lake) in May 2006 and that bird has been in Indian Arm all winter and lately in the same area as our more recently (winter) marked birds, perhaps hanging out with other birds with antennae."

The Barrow’s Goldeneyes will be leaving our area in the next few weeks. If you see a duck with an antenna like a long tail, you will know it is one of the ducks that are part of this study. If you get a good photo of the ducks, please forward it to colleenmacd@gmail.com. I will continue to keep you informed about the study.

May 2015 Update: Barrow’s goldeneyes (BAGO)

Barrows goldeneyes from Indian are (BAGO) are nesting in the BC interior between the Coastal Mountains and the Rockies or east of the Rockies in Alberta and the Alberta-Montana border.  It appears most birds have returned to their regular nesting sites.  There is a close connection between Indian Arm and Cardinal Lake, Alberta -- just west of Lesser Slave Lake.  Scientists have discovered that Cardinal Lake supports the highest number of molting male BAGO in North America with 6,000 ducks each fall. 

february storm

clouds dash
  against the mountain
  painting it white
rain smashes
  at the window

on the rock
  waves crash
  dash into tidepools
  and swirl back
    into the pounding waves
whitecaps dance
the wind howls
  in hemlock boughs
a dock creaks
  straining against the constant sea
a busy
gray
day

spring weather

a splash of sun
warms my back
then cools as
a cloud slips over
the house
darkening the room
hail pings on the roof
then pounds
drumming on the deck
a covering of white
but
it stops
and
a burst of sunshine
lights up the cove
a dash of blue
parts the clouds
above
the jet black mountain ...

... spring weather


...

oozing...

slip off the sandals
and step in
up to my knees in mud
squishing between toes
oozing
oozing
mud
in a rice paddy

walk along
carefully
sure don't want to slip
and fall
in the murky water
with polliwogs swimming around

workers laughing
crazy cycling tourists
no one ever climbs right in
a rice paddy!
they laugh
we laugh

and then we get to work
picking sorting placing
rice seedlings
ready to replant
in the next waterfilled field

now that's not
something
you do
everyday...



(click on the pix to see the whole Thailand set...
choose Thailand 2007, Slideshow, set time to 1 second)


...