RETURN TO SHELTER BAY

 POST # 608

There was a large crowd gathered for the afternoon Amtrak train, one week ago today at Vancouver's Pacific Central Station.  Normally, I'm near the front of the line, but I arrived a mere four minutes after the stated boarding time of 3:30 pm and the line was already very long.  As I stood in line, I began to wonder what kind of seating arrangement I would get after I boarded the train.  Thankfully, I found a good seat, which helped to make the journey more enjoyable.

It was a beautiful afternoon, as we rolled past the famous white rock, in the city of White Rock, the last city prior to arriving at the border crossing.  The train comes to a complete stop at that point, and we all have to remain in our seats, in anticipation of the border guards coming through the train to collect our customs declarations and check our passports.  I debated whether or not I should try and take a photo during this process, but I decided to go for it anyhow.  Timing was everything.

The process only takes about ten minutes or so, and then we were once again on our way, with the first stop at Bellingham WA, which is about a half hour journey south of the border.  A short stop there to load/unload some passengers, and we then continued our journey to the next station at Mount Vernon, which was my stop to disembark.

Mary and Dora-dog were there to greet me, and we made our way back home.  My travel day was now complete.

The garden has certainly grown, since my last visit, as you can see by the sunflower plants.  They were barely out of the ground the last time I was here, but with all of the sunny warm days, they are very happy indeed.

This coming week, the three of us will be travelling to Spokane for a few days, and the place we will be staying at requires that your pet has a "crate" to sleep in.  As luck would have it, a friend who works at the local thrift store, told us that there happened to be one available, and so we got there right at opening, and so now, Dora-dog has a new place to sleep.  She appears to be happy with her new "home".

So that just about sums up my most recent journey here to Shelter Bay, and on my next post, I'll no doubt have something to say about our trip to/from Spokane.  Until then, I will remain...

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FROM CADBORO BAY TO CORDOVA BAY AND BEYOND

 POST #  607

As you can tell from looking at the above map, the distance from Cadboro Bay to Cordova Bay is a short one.  I arrived earlier in the week, and settled in.

Of course, this meant saying so long to Blanca, but as you can see, she seemed to be pretty chilled about the fact that her house sitter was once again saying goodbye.  Our paths are meant to cross again in the new year, so we can renew our friendship at that time.

 

It didn't take long to settle in at Cordova Bay with Jackson.  He knows me from before, and he's so relaxed, that he's easy to spend time with.  I was here just over a year ago, and that was when we first had time to spend with one another.  Who knows if furballs remember humans or not, but Jackson was eager to be friendly, and that always makes for an enjoyable house sit.  As you can tell by the photos, he certainly is not a stressed out furball.

The house is located on Abbey Road, and just like on other visits here, I  had hoped to run into the remaining two Beatles, Paul and Ringo.  They were nowhere in sight.  Perhaps it's a different Abbey Road?  But there was no harm in keeping an eye out for both of them.

Yesterday was the departure day for me, and as I was getting ready to head out the front door, Jackson was giving me the look.  "Why are you leaving me so soon?" he seemed to be asking.  Oh well Jackson, all good things must come to an end, but with any luck, our paths will cross again sometime down the road, and that would make me very happy indeed.

After saying so long to Jackson, I boarded a ferry to head back to the mainland.  A nice view of Mount Baker in Washington was enjoyed along the way.

And Washington is where I'll be heading to later today, to spend time with Mary and Dora-dog.  

My journey continues.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BLANCA'S WONDERFUL LIFE

 POST  606***

Part of our daily routine is to head off for our morning walk to Cadboro Bay, which is a short ten minute walk from home.  As I mentioned last week, the weather has been spectacular, so it's very easy to head out on our morning journey.  I like to take a few moments to stop along the beach, and enjoy the view of the Olympic mountains on the horizon.  That's if I'm lucky, because Blanca keeps me busy as she chases these little gecko-like creatures that seem to have taken over the beach.  She loves to try and catch them, as they scurry under various logs, but so far, she has been unsuccessful in her quest.  It's certainly not from lack of trying though.  She would probably spend the entire day at the beach doing this activity, if given the chance.

But eventually, we make it to the end of the beach walk, and back up onto dry land, in readiness for our return journey home.

Eventually, the sun has risen high enough in the sky to shine on the back deck.  With her walk completed, and breakfast consumed, Blanca heads out to find one of her favourite spots on the deck to have her mid-morning nap.  Chasing all those gecko-like critters has tired her out, so she settles down in the sun, and drifts off to sleep for a while.

Once the deck gets too hot for Blanca, she sometimes shifts to the cool grass, and settles in there.  Blanca has a wonderful life.

And her wonderful life gets even better later today.  Because that is when her owners return home.  I'm looking forward to Blanca's reaction when that moment arrives.

Tomorrow, I'll be heading out to my next sit, just up the road from here.  I'm looking forward to that, but I'll certainly miss Blanca's company.  I hope she will miss mine as well.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

***For whatever reason, the hashtag symbol that I normally put in front of the number doesn't want to work on my computer.  Hopefully, I'll get that working for next week, but we'll see.

MY RETURN TO CASABLANCA

 POST # 605

Just over a week ago, The Thoughtful Wanderer once again arrived at Casablanca.  Who knew that Casablanca was situated right here in Cadboro Bay, on Vancouver Island?

But the above photo is the proof.  There is Blanca, standing in front of her house (casa).  As she originates from Mexico, it seems rather appropriate to call this place, Casablanca.  After all, casa is the Spanish word for house, and even though she is now transplanted to an English speaking country, she probably still retains some words in Spanish, and I imagine that casa is one of those words.  

It has been a very relaxing week here with Blanca.  She is such an easy bonehead to spend time with, so we have enjoyed our time together.  The weather has been sunny each and every day, so it's wonderful to get outside and take Blanca for her daily walks.  There are two different beaches within walking distance, and we make sure to spend time at each one, every day.

Here is Blanca spending time at one of those beaches, Telegraph Cove.

Of course, we can't spend all day at the beach, so after that is done, there is plenty of time to relax out in the backyard.  After all, she needs to relax following all of those walks.  And she certainly knows how to do that.

She looks happy, and so is The Thoughtful Wanderer.  It's a real pleasure to spend time with Blanca, and I'm looking forward to doing that for another week, here at Casablanca.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer