West Bay Marina, Light Gardening

Canon S3 IS, 1/1600 sec., F/5.0, focal length: 6.0mm, on Sept 25th, bright, sunny day. The West Bay Marina is home to the Victoria Harbor Ferries, to some fabulous house boats, as well as big yachts.

Blogger is very busy so I will load my other prepared photo later.

I cleaned up my light garden, fed and watered the plants. It took me 4 hours to do this. It looks better, for sure. I see that 3 of the dendrobiums have tiny buds, so they should appreciate the food.

A couple of days ago we drove to the Songees development and walked to the West Bay Marina to see the house boats. There was a big caravan meet in the camp site just above the Marina. Huge million dollar motorhomes. Its a different world down there in that little corner of town. We had lunch at the Fin and Gill (quite good) and walked back, past Spinnakers to our van, with waterfront all along the way. A lovely day.

I got a couple of okay photos. I am slowly getting more comfortable with my new camera. Love the long lens. On the same card I did a black and white and a sepia, also a vivid colors all in camera. The black and white is very nice. The sepia is not bad. I wonder if there is a way that I can make the sepia or black and white look like IR. Maybe in Photoshop. But that's for another day.

Model T tour, house painting

Model T - Camera: Canon S3 IS, 1/800 sec., F/4.0
Click photo to enlarge

Rust - Camera: Canon S3 IS, 1/1600 sec., F/7.1, exposure comp: -0.67, totally zoomed on the 12x lens from a distance of about 400 feet

We are having the outside of the house and the garage painted. I had to cut down all my plants that were around the garage - the evergreen clematis, the grape, a rhodo, and the jasmines. Hopefully they will all grow again. The jasmine and the clematis are both very fragrant. But these plants are high maintenance over the garage, since I don't do ladders. Perhaps if they regrow, I can make them go up over the roof. The guy who did the roof said the plants would not hurt it. I found someone to haul away the pile of twigs and clippings for $45.00 & gst.

Trevor the Painter, from Home Depot, is doing a very thorough job.

I got the lawn mowed yesterday. I shall get some hedging cedars and/or burning bush shrubs, as well as a couple more heathers. The front is going to become lower maintenance and less messy looking hopefully. I should get a big bag of bark mulch to cover the wretched violets that spread everywhere. Pam said she liked them, but I find them way too invasive. They are good in a confined area, like my Bishop's weed is contained. I must get rid of the daylilies on Parmar's sidewalk and move the montebretias to the front rectanglular beds.

Anacortes, Washington, USA

click photo for larger version. and click again for even larger.

A picturesque stump I found on our way to view more beautiful scenery in the Anacortes area. Used my Canon S3 IS.

Some scenery in the Anacortes area - S3 IS.


I am learning all the things my new camera (Canon Powershot S3 IS)can do. High ISO produces some pretty bad noise. I made a sound clip from within the 'play' mode. Still have lots to learn. When we get back from our trip I think I will order the extras - lens hood, converter, extra telephoto and maybe the wide and the macro. I still have much to learn about it.

This Can-Am Model T Ford tour had some excellent scenery to learn. The weather was sunny and bright. I have photos for my "rust" "hydrants" "landscapes" "sky" "boats" "bridges" "Travel - West Coast USA 2006" and some good ones for the "travel - Model Ts" albums on my page.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were given a room with a sitting area, huge bedroom and nice bath with jacuzzi tub, fireplace, kitchenette. Was grand. We are so lucky.