Ski-s the Day …

Had my list written
the day all planned
Rain was called for
but what is this …. ?
Blue skies,
morning sun bouncing off the snowy mountain.
Gotta seize the day …
might be raining tomorrow.
Pick up the phone,
“Spontaneity check … want to go skiing?”
How could we not?
laugh all the way to Grouse.
The city stretches below us
Sun on our faces
Snow is soft and fast, lots of it.
Wahoo – look at us!
Down the Peak, up the chair
From the top we see
freighters in the harbour
sunshine glistening on Georgia Strait
islands in the distance
over to Blueberry, down Blazes
every run open
every run awesome
found places we’d never been before

… What list was that?


© Colleen MacDonald 2006

Morning Window

Out my window, Mount Seymour catches

the first rays of morning sunshine.

Fresh snow covers the trees.

Glimpses of blue sky beckon.

I wonder if it's a good day to get up to the snow?

Birthday Thanks

Thankyou for

another year

friends and family

laughter and love

hopes and joy

and dreams that really do come true

. . . fun !

Seal and Salmon

Out my window I spot a sea otter pulling a salmon up onto our rock islet. It drags the fish onto a ledge, and tears it apart.
Seagulls and crows hover nearby.

I run for my camera and dash down the stone steps, snapping pictures.
The otter sits up and looks at me, then slides down the rock and into the ocean.

The water is as clear as a swimming pool. The otter glides towards where I'm standing on the dock and slips underneath.

Seagulls and crows land on the island and attack the fish carcass.

An eagle swoops into the cove and clings to the tall fir tree, weighing down the branches.
The sea otter climbs back onto the rock, finishing its catch.

The eagle circles above the otter. The otter looks up then slides away, and the eagle lands and rips the salmon apart. Seagulls and crows scream and swoop overhead. The eagle looks nervous and takes flight. Seagulls chase it in circles around the cove, then out of sight.

Looking out my window at Whiskey Cove.

..............................................................

Bonne Annee

Bonne Annee
Happy New Year
en Quebec

white snow everywhere
blue skies
reflected sunshine
icicles reaching the ground
snow sliding off roofs
looks like a furrowed brow

words swirling in french
grab the occasional word
get the jist
... or not

quebecois christmas trees
no needles or leaves,
sparkling branches

a visit to Grandmere's
homemade donuts
maple butter
-20 outside

lots of relatives at the New Years party
traditional Quebec songs
Dom's aunts singing and playing the spoons
tortierre
Oncle Piero cooking rabbit
and jambalaya
and fruit fondue with maple sauce
a different kind of new years for us
but not for them!
fun to glimpse into another world

and looking forward to coming home
and seeing our world again

Bonne Annee et HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006

Fog lifts

I look out the window...
the fog has lifted slightly
revealing the forgotten shoreline.
A crab fisher drops traps,
drifting in and out of the mist.
Loons circle in the cove.
A mystical morning.

Night Owl

Shakespeare – Belcarra’s Night Owl

We have an owl living in Belcarra. When walking at night its calls echo against the rock cliffs. It is often seen sitting on the gravel near Midden Road or perched in a nearby tree. We’ve named it Shakespeare, as it is a Barred Owl.

The other night we went looking for it ... binoculars, flashlight and camera in hand. We looked for awhile and couldn't see it, but on the way home -- there it was – on a tree branch near Turtlehead and Belcarra Bay Road. We stopped and gazed at it for a long time then it spread its wings and flew high up into a tree.

We bumped into neighbours who were out owl-searching and as we talked, the owl swooped down low over us and we had to duck our heads. It landed in a tree, 10 feet away from us, seemingly as curious about us as we were of it. It wasn’t afraid at all -- it gave us a good show of his head-turning capabilities.

Keep your eyes open, slow down a bit and maybe you will have a chance to see it one day soon!

Wahoo -- or is it Whoo-hoo?

The Barred Owl is a medium-sized gray-brown owl streaked with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. It has a round-head, brown eyes, and yellow beak. It is a nocturnal bird and hides in dense foliage during the day, usually high up. The Barred Owl is a highly vocal Owl giving a loud and resounding "hoo, hoo, too-HOO; which is often phrased as "Who, cooks, for-you? A Barred Owl can sometimes be seen hunting before dark for mice, squirrels, bats, and birds.
picture and information from: http://www.owlpages.com/

A boat full of parents.

Now that's funny! Colleen and Ian in a dinghy.
Originally uploaded by youwhocolleen.

Colleen and Ian
in a dinghy
at Belcarra
on the way to the Raven
near Deep Cove
... fun!

blogcouragement

Hy mom, this blogging thing is super-easy to do.

I think you'll have FUN using this for your stories about birds and seals and fun.

It's easy to put pictures up too!

I can change how it looks for you and the URL address too - everything really.

All you'll need to do is write stuff down and send it to a special email address.

anyhow, call me when you're ready to start writing stuff...

kyle

PS
this is a great place for you to post some of your children's book ideas

The Colleen MacDonald Blog

Welcome to Colleen's Window...

The Official Blog of Colleen MacDonald

aka The Colleen MacDonald Blog 

ps. 

I hope you 

enjoy 

one or two

and

maybe a few