Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Going back to Mother








                                                          Now I Lay Me Down

Many things have touched me deeply,...none comparing with the others, but this fallen Totem on Nootka Island's Friendly Cove Vancouver Island B.C., being taken back to it's Mother by the rain forest, has touched the roots of my soul in such a way that stands aside from all that has touched me deeply. Put me in no box when I resign, just lay me down in the forest to return to my Mother. Nearby was the Totem Carvers workshop, where he worked passionately on a Totem for a young girls grave, head banging rock music filling the sky with the energy he needed to get through the emotional task. The finished product was a reverent piece of spiritual art.

~J~moonmango            8/1/12

8/1/12

  





The Newly carved  Gravesite Totem
   two years later (2010)
Bookmiss perhaps? 



Stroking the nose of Brother Bear    

Brother Bear, my favorite                                 


Sunday, February 19, 2012

Above the Inlet & beyond

This blog has gone by the wayside for a spell as somehow my focus has veered. With my motivation to explore feeling a bit dampened today, my mind wanders to past explorations, soooo, thus this post of my hikes along a favored logging road leading towards Tahsis Mt that takes one high above the inlet with views of the estuary, the Narrows, Nootka Sound and all who pass by float plane or boat. Each year I made an adventure out of this road, trying something new each time. Usually was just me & the bears.
This one makes want to head North! It is not the logging road, but the Maquinna trail above the Inlet as well. What a day Brenda & I had! Two women above it all!
 Conversation between Brenda & I while riding bikes one day: Brenda- "That's a nice bike". Me: "Yea, I like it, but I want to take the stickers off". (Brenda looks at me like I'm a martian) "It just seems too decorated." Brenda- "Oh, you mean decals!  Do you guys say rufers? you know for fixing the roooof?" Turns out Candians don't speak the same language as Americans!

Blue Heron on the way to the road
Whit Pine butterfly



Uchuck comin' in, taken from above
A new logging road heading to Tahsis Mountain
will make it easier when I return to get there!

Nootka!

My always destination!


Cold Tahsis Mt. runnoff always felt great after bushwhacking through new growth Hemlock on a hot day hiking up, up, up...




Looking down on the Estuary, Village of Tahsis in the background



  












Bearie pie

The Narrows with boats
Fireweed
Mama Grouse (chicks nearby tucked away)
Wild onion & wildflowers
Young bear
Look closely and you'll see the bear that was eating the blueberries I was after!
Runnaway Bear
Bear print on the path


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Dorian; an old friend


For some reason this post has given me trouble. I started it in December and put it aside totally forgetting I hadn't finished! Something to do with updating something or other during composing made it funky weirdo, so I am doing as i sometimes had to do with the horse and stopping on the best note!

Cheers hey!



Black eyed Susan's near the Dorian at the end of the inltet.



 



The boat The Dorian hat I have mentioned in my Tahsis Year one post as an old Friend quickly became one of the first things I wanted to check when I arrived each year to Tahsis. Knowing that the storms had been fierce during the winter months gave me an anxiousness about seeing her. Low tide and high tide, I never passed by her on bike, foot or in car without checking her. I wasn't the only one to appreciate Dorian as I have seen paintings and photographs of her by local artists.


don't seem to have pics for 2008 & 2009 after she got battered.




Fall 2004
                                                 The Dorian high tide








This boat the Dorian became like an old friend to me as I returned each year.


Piece of  her hull
Her Hatch



Chunk of the Dorians hatch



The Dorian low tide




Here she is Summer of 2005






Dorian 2005 semi low tide










Daisy across from Dorian







                                        Fall 2006









No pics of her in low tide for some reason this year.









Nootka Roses on Estuary trail






The storms were fierce the winter of  2006/07 and took out some chunks of road that made it impossible to get in or out of the village. The first battering of storms happened just after I was safe at home in Mariposa County California! I knew the Dorian might not be there when I returned, so even though she was thrashed and broken to bits, I was happy to see her pieces.

                     Summer 2007





Dorian's battered pieces







Her skeleton







A gear among the seaweed







More bits & pieces







I tried to imagine Coffee on The Dorian










Bear crossing in front of Dorian's remains. 








I almost ran into this bear on my bike and don't have the telephoto lens on! Glad I looked up...


           




Spring 2010 Dorian's remains & my final farewell to her.










What's left







Tiger Lily across from Dorian's remains




High tide The Dorian's hull


                         Dorian's view up inlet
















































Monday, December 26, 2011

Tahsis Year Two Visitors 2005




This year in Tahsis was probably the most joyous for me. It had its hardships with work on the cottage and being away from my backyard near Yosemite for four months, but the exploring, making new friends were great and having visitors come from home was awesome. Exploring and bushwhacking the rainforest alone had its challenges. The terrain is so different from Mariposa & Yosemite! The ferns can be above ones head and holes that drop into the unknown including caves can be under those ferns. My leg dropped into one once all the way to my hip! Cougars are hungrier there and when bending over to harvest a shroomie it is common to feel watched by one. Constant warnings from the locals wouldn't keep me from exploring. I have to explore nature and if a cougar enjoyed her meal at my expense, I wouldn't find that a bad way to go.I did bump into a bear in the bushes one day though! Good neighbor Brenda was about the only one who was up for the adventures I enjoyed and she was not often around. Our limited treks together were always a gift.

Ann & Ralph came up from Mariposa!
There were no tortillas to be found, so Ann & I made them for Ralphs fish tacos


Ralph brought home dinner







Me & Ann making dinner or something in the "whimsical" kitchen






























Ann & Ralph at Coral Caves






Alex & his Dad led us on a trek towards Rugged Mt.











Caver Ann









Dead Whale at Beano Beach

Clay & Silvie took us to their surf camp at Beano Beach where we stayed in tree houses and saw this dead whale









Ralph going in the tree house 

Mike & Ralph












Mike and Virginia Mountain took us on their Zodiac to Nootka Island Otters were clustering on the kelp as a storm was brewing       


















Hillary & Ross came all the way from the Bay Area California) 


At Friendly Cove, we met Mounty Rick























Hillary & Ross                                              




These are his boots!Sigh...



We took the Uchuck to Frindly Cove for a salmon roast
The boys in the band

Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nations

Dancing
Inside Church
Roasting Salmon

Preparing to dance
         Friendly Cove is a 
very spiritual place.
I will do a post on it later on.
 So much beauty.

Hillary & Ross








Bro (Steven) & Julian came from Montery bay area



Kayaking in the giant orange marshmallow

   Around the bend a ways, Julian & I saw a huge bear, golden, not black as the usual Tahsis bears are, ridge along his shoulders. Recently they have found that there are Grizz in the area. You tell me!
Funny book?

                           

 I did a bit of bushwhacking to get to this swimming hole scarfing berries of 14 types along the way.
Sad with friends and family gone and no sign of heading home to Life in My Backyard. Made some wonderful friends there in Tahsis though. I'll feature them later!