sunny afternoon in Victoria BC

Dear friend Paula and me on a jaunt around the quaint Victoria waterfront near our penthouse.

in those deep, dank mountain woods

I had stepped off the trail to shoot some orange grasses alongside scarlett huckleberries when I almost stepped on this one.






The fly agaric with its fiery red cap and white warts was found hiding in the deep conifers off the trail. What a spectaular mushroom, amanita muscaria.

October light

Took off yesterday morning with Gus and Mona with no destination in mind and ended up on the trail to Park Butte Lookout. Quiet, serene landscapes surrounding Komo Kulshan. More rock showing right now than I have ever seen before. The easiest fording of the mountain runoff and many drybed creeks. Saw a black bear across a meadow finishing up the last of the huckleberries. Scooted up the trail past him quickly so the dogs never noticed. This was my birthday gift to myself. Hope I can still make it up there when I am 70 or even 80! At 60 it was like falling off a log. But I looked up at the summit where I climbed in my 43rd year and had no interest in hiking that far.