Lake Washington Ship Canal

W is for Lake Washington Ship Canal

Between the southeast end of freshwater Lake Washington and the salt water of Puget Sound there's a man enhanced connector called the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

Using this waterway boats and other watercraft can make their way from freshwater Lake Washington, through the Montlake Cut to Portage Bay and Lake Union, through the Fremont Cut to Salmon Bay (which is a mix of fresh and salt water), and finally through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to Puget Sound.

A cruiser heading through the Montlake Cut.

Wayne and I visited Seattle to go to the University of Washington for NCAA women's softball regionals and a WNBA Seattle Storm vs Phoenix Mercury basketball game at Key Arena.

Brittany Griner and the Phoenix Mercury vs Seattle Storm.

We walked a lot and enjoyed the Lake Union Ship Canal Trail from the UW campus down to Portage Bay. Rather than following the traditional southern route, we used the northern side to reach the Aqua Verde Mexican food restaurant for dinner one day, and lunch the next. I highly recommend them. There's a great view and I had the best chili rellano ever!

All along the Montlake Cut there are benches and picnic tables. We relaxed after our lunch one day watching kayakers leaving the Aqua Verde Paddle Club and geese and ducks enjoying the fresh grass and flowers.

Two families of Canada Geese enjoying a Portage Bay park.

There was even a beautiful Laburnum tree in full bloom.

Beautiful Laburnum Tree in bloom and I-5 in the background.

On the way back to the UW campus for a game we passed the university's oceanography dock with it's hefty research boats waiting for another expedition.

The UW research vessel dock at the end of the Montlake Cut.

Seattle has many areas to explore, but for us the University District is a favourite. What's yours? Do you have any recommendations for restaurants and places to explore?


Thanks for visiting part of my world this week. For more great posts from Our World Tuesday, click here.

And also a meme called Through My Lens by Mersad.


For ABC pictures from around the world, stop by the ABC Wednesday blog. This is the twenty-first round of the meme originally established by Denise Nesbitt. It has now being maintained by Melody and her team. -- Margy

"The Golden Spruce" by John Vaillant

One place I want to visit is Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). This island archipelago is 90 km (56 miles) by ferry from Prince Rupert on the northern British Columbia coast.

Speaking of ferries, I get some of my best books about BC in the gift shop on the ferry between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale on the Sunshine Coast. That's where I found The Golden Spruce (Vintage Canada, 2006) by John Vaillant.

The Golden Spruce was a 300 year-old yellow-coloured Sitka spruce located on Graham Island in Haida Gwaii. It grew from a minute seed that sprouted around 1700 into a massive tree "sixteen storeys tall and more than six metres around." This amazing biological wonder was the result of a rare genetic mutation that thrived along the bank of the Yakoun River in a rich, fertile lowland called a "spruce flat."

Vaillant likens the Golden Spruce to the bumblebee which can miraculously fly despite having less than aerodynamic characteristics. With limited chlorophyll in its needles, the carotenoids (the same substance that makes fall leaves turn red, yellow and orange) shine through. Not surprisingly, this unique tree had special significance to the Haida First Nation. It also made it a prime target for Grant Hadwin, a former logger turned environmentalist. The Golden Spruce is the story of the tree and its demise at Grant Hadwin's hands in 1977 and so much more.

John Vaillant artfully weaves together the history of Haida Gwaii's discovery, Haida inhabitants, logging practices in British Columbia, and the life of Grant Hadwin. The author is a master at blending facts and background information into a story that grabs the reader. I enjoyed it very much even though the event itself was a sad occurrence. If you are looking for a book that gives an unbiased depiction of logging and life in remote areas in British Columbia, I highly recommend The Golden Spruce.

The story of Grant Hadwin and the Golden Spruce was also made into an award winning film called Hadwin's Judgement in 2015.

Have I piqued your interest in Haida Gwaii? You might also like a book that is a favourite of mine, Gumboot Girls by Jane Wilde and edited by Lou Allison (Caitlan Press, 2014). It's a compilation of memoir vignettes of adventurous women who lived in Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert in the 1960s and 70s. You can find out more about these women on their Facebook page Gumboot Girls.


I was featured on Stone Cottage Adventures for Words on Wednesday for writing tips, stories, book reviews/tours, poetry, blog posts, current events/facts, and publishing books. - Margy

Tofino and Ucluelet, BC

T is for Tofino

Yvonne on a cliffside trail in Ucluelet.

I took a spring trip to the west coast of Vancouver Island with my friend Yvonne Maximchuk. It was partly for work with lots of time for play.

Yvonne is an author and artist. She needed to drive to several galleries to pick up paintings that were on display and take them to the Filberg Lodge in Comox for a show on Mother's Day weekend.

We stopped in Port Alberni and purchased lunch makings to use for hikes and beach visits.

Our first stop was Long Beach in the Pacific Rim National Park. It wasn't a sunny day, but still the long hard packed sandy beach was beautiful.

Long Beach in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

We were surprised to see hundreds of thousands stranded Velella Velellas (By-the-Wind-Sailors). Some were fresh and others had already reduced to their chitonous structure.

A stranded Velella Velella.

Marina view from the dockside pub,

We spent two nights in Tofino at the Tofino Resort and Marina. It's totally remodeled and has a wonderful restaurant and pub down by the marina. I enjoyed the view of floating homes across the bay.

We had a queen suite with two separate rooms, one with a comfortable sofa bed. The large deck was where we spent our evenings with glasses of wine and snacks before and after dinner.


The second day we went to Ucluelet to a gallery to pick up paintings. While there, we walked a portion of the Wild Pacific Trail. There were magnificent views of the rugged coastline.

A trip to Tofino wouldn't be complete without a visit to Chesterman Beach to watch cold water west coast surfers.

Here I am at Chesterman Beach on a misty day.

The trip ended in Courtenay so I could help Yvonne set up for her art show and sale at the Filberg Lodge in Comox the next day.

The historic lodge made their wall available to display her art for visitors throughout the weekend. The lodge was the home of Robert and Florence Filberg. Robert was Superintendent of the Comox Logging and Railway Company and the home is beautifully positioned on the bay.

Yvonne with a painting at the Filberg Lodge.

Here's Yvonne with one of her paintings inside the magnificent lodge.

Outdoors there are gorgeous gardens with lots of flowers, shrubs and trees. The grounds and lodge are open to the public and very popular with locals and visitors alike.

Come visit Vancouver Island and be sure to put Comox, Ucluelet and Tofino on your travel list.

You can learn more about Yvonne, her books and art at her website. She's also on Facebook.


Thanks for visiting part of my world this week. For more great posts from Our World Tuesday, click here.

And also a meme called Through My Lens by Mersad.

For ABC pictures from around the world, stop by the ABC Wednesday blog. This is the twenty-first round of the meme originally established by Denise Nesbitt. It has now being maintained by Melody and her team. -- Margy

Ode to Bro

When Wayne and I came to Powell River in 2001 our first friend was John. You can't be friends with John and not love his dog Bro, Brody if you are being formal.

Bro lived a long, well traveled life. If John went anywhere, Bro was always at his side. That ended sadly this month when Bro left this earthly world to go meet his maker.
As Bro would say...

I was living in a shelter on Vancouver Isle,
When John and his family came to visit awhile.
I used my best Black Lab attitude,
And soon enough they were wooed.
We took a ferry ride to Powell River,
to a loving home that would last forever.

During my eighteen years with John,
I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been to...

Theodosia
Last Chance
Powell Lake
Mahoney
Goat Lake
Duck Lake
Princess Louisa
Lund
Last Resort
Giovanni
Goat Island
The Head
St. Vincent
Khartoum
Olsen's Landing
The Eldred
Frog Pond
Rupert's Farm
Rainy Day
Useless
Hole in the Wall
Our Float Cabin
And Best of all
My Westview home!

And many more, man.
Many, many more.
I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere.

Thanks John for the best life
a Black Lab named Bro could ever imagine.


Thanks for visiting part of my world this week. For more great posts from Our World Tuesday, click here.

And also a meme called Through My Lens by Mersad. -- Margy

Always FREE Kindle "Up the Lake" by Wayne J. Lutz

The book that started it all!

Up the Lake

Coastal BC Stories

from

PowellRiverBooks.com

Head up Powell Lake to experience life in an off the grid float cabin, take a boat to world famous Desolation Sound, ride a quad into the back country and fly overhead for a unique view of this incredible place. Read Up the Lake by Wayne J. Lutz and see how much fun it can be.

Print for $9.95
Kindle for Free
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(prices may vary in Canada)

Visit PowellRiverBooks.com 
for more information and 
additional titles in the Coastal BC Stories series.

The Sunshine Coast is BRIGHT!

Powell River, British Columbia, is located on the upper Sunshine Coast. The city rises from the waters of the Georgia Strait, giving almost everyone in town an ocean view across the water to Vancouver Island. Here are two of my favourites.


 No matter what time of year, we get bright and beautiful sunsets.


If you are new to my blog I invite you to stay awhile. While I see beautiful sunsets from condo balcony in town, I spent most of my time up the lake at my float cabin.You can read more about that by clicking here. -- Margy