Soames Hill - Feb 22, 2010

Heaven on earth. This was my thought today as I basked in the warm sunshine atop Soames Hill with beauty all around. Simply amazing...I could have stayed for hours ( I did stay 1 hour).

I can't believe I waited this long to make this hike. Honestly, I was a bit intimidated by the description of 205 wooden steps to the summit. When I first moved here, I wouldn't have made it to the top. I was in such poor physical shape.

Today I made it up those steps in about 20 minutes...breathing hard, but not tired. Then it is just a bit farther up the trail to the summit. So worth it! I will be back the next sunny day with an extra hour for a workout.


Today was another spectacular day. Glorious sunshine on a warm day. Flowers are blooming and pollen is in the fresh air. It feels like April or May...not February.

The sun was so bright that these first pictures miss the vibrant colour. These are looking south toward Gibsons...what a beautiful village by the sea. In the distance you can just make out Vancouver Island, but it was easy to see in person.


Keats Island. The tug made its way through Howe Sound and home to Gibsons Marina. Think how smooth the water was to create a wake like this from a slow-moving tug boat.

The vibrant blue and green really stand out in the photos facing east and not facing into the sun. Keats Island is in front and Bowen Island is in the distance.

Paradise only 5 minutes from my home....ok 5 minutes and then 30 minutes up to the summit. I hope to spend many more days atop Soames Hill on BC's spectacular Sunshine Coast.

Gibsons Landing - Feb 8, 2010

Today was an absolutely picture perfect day. The sun was shining, the air was warm (53F/11C), and the excitement around the 2010 Winter Games is building. 4 day to go!

I took the opportunity to wander through Gibsons Landing. You can see that our local shops are getting into the spirit. There are Canadian flags everywhere. You can't see it well because the sun was so bright, but everyone has red and white Christmas lights up.




What a wonderful town to call home. Don't forget to go inside and shop! Lots of new spring merchandise in stock.

I LOVE the red maple leafs in front of The Landing Gallery. This gallery displays the work of local artists. One of them got into the spirit and created little wooden maple leafs and "planted" them with the red & white flowers. The new show is great too. Canadian and sport themed pieces highlight the current exhibit.

Olympic Torch Relay - Feb 4

Thursday was just an amazing day.
The Olympic Torch Relay started the day at the far end of the Sunshine Coast in Powell River.

Pender Harbour, Sechelt, Roberts Creek & Gibsons all had community celebrations as the Torch passed through.

This is our celebration in Langdale. Members of the community started arriving 2 hours before the Torch, just to be a part of the excitement. Many took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and walked down to the celebration.

The yellow ponchos are the 100+ Langdale Elementary students. As we planned the event over the past month, we were very concerned about rain or snow for the big day. We wanted the kids to be dry & we also wanted to be able to identify all the kids. We tried for red Canadian ponchos, but couldn't find enough so yellow was the winner. The television photos were great with the swarm of yellow poncho kids following the flame down the ferry ramp. Great images and they made the National CTV broadcast!

The event was just fabulous. We had people of all ages from our local community, many dressed in red for Canada. Our raven from Rababoo Puppet Theatre shown here was loved by the children. Music, games, clowns, prizes and pictures kept the crowd excited as we awaited the flame's arrival.

Bill McCormick was the final torchbearer on the Sunshine Coast. He is a BC Ferry employee and fittingly brought the flame through the terminal and onto the Coastal Renaissance for its trip up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Squamish.

The kids followed the Torch down the ramp chanting GO CANADA all the way and waiving the flags they had made. It was a very special moment. You can see me in the background on the left...the really tall person. (ok, I am standing on a barricade so that I could see)

Once on board the ship, Bill lit a cauldron which carried the Flame across Howe Sound to Horseshoe Bay.

Last photos as the Torch sails away.

Everyone went back to Langdale Elementary for treats...red & white cupcakes and cocoa. Yum! The kids had a great time and all of us had a very memorable day.

Howe Sound - Feb 3

It was a gorgeous afternoon on Wednesday. I had the chance to go for a long walk for the first time in a while. Good excercise with a purpose...I was posting flyers for Thursday's Torch Relay celebration right here in Langdale.

It had been a very foggy morning, but the sun came out and burned through the clouds. Only this whispy strands were left by mid-afternoon. I love these days....Howe Sound has a mystic quality sometimes.

These shots are from our Grizzly Bear balcony because I forgot the camera when I headed out on the trek.


You can see there is lots of snow to the left but there is very little to the right. Cypress Mountain is just to the right of the picture...not much snow there either. Just a patch where they will have the freestyle skiing & snowboarding events.