Saturday Afternoon on the Dyke

It was a balmy and sunny Saturday today, so after lunch I decided to go to the Boundary Bay Dyke and see what sorts of photos I could get. The sky was a brilliant blue, the breeze was easy, and there weren't too many walkers, dogs, or cyclists around. There weren't any horses, either, although I saw fresh evidence that some had been by earlier.

Here's part of the dyke path as you round the turn and head north towards the mountains, although they are obscured by the clouds. As you can see, there is a line of clouds where the weather changes substantially south of the city of Vancouver. It isn't called "Sunny Delta" for nothing.

You can see that the tide is way out here. On a clear day, you can see Mount Baker in Washington State. I'll try to get another shot some other day when the mountain isn't shrouded in clouds.

This is looking south towards the area of Tsawwassen and Point Roberts in the United States. The only way Americans can get in and out of this area is by driving through Canada and around to the border crossing at Blaine. Children who live there have to be bussed every day to school.

Here I'm looking east towards White Rock, which is an area where there are wonderful beaches and restaurants right on the water. It's a popular attraction in summer, both for tourists and locals alike.

As I ambled along, I came upon a private residence (I know the owners as I taught all three of their children) that has a beautiful setting. It's surrounded by water and lots of lovely landscaped land. Ducks seem to know the place, too, because they're always there floating in the quiet and safe waters.

Here's a closeup of what I've dubbed "Duck Island." If you look very carefully, you might be able to see the heron that has joined the ducks for the afternoon.

Here the ducks peacefully float around.

And another shot through the trees.

As I turned to head back (west), I noticed the reflections of the trees in the ditch on the side of the pathway.

And on my side of the ditch was evidence of moles. I've never seen such huge mole hills before! There were scads of them beside the ditch.

The air was full of birds and I tried to catch them in flight. However, I wasn't quick enough and every time I clicked the shutter, all I got was empty air. There were seagulls, huge black starlings, hawks, and lots of bald headed eagles. On the drive home, there was construction on the road so I had to detour through some farmland. I stopped to take the following photo when I saw flocks of seagulls swarming towards this flooded area. Look closely for the small airplane on the cloud and other seagulls in the air.

I had to take a shot of this barn, too. I wish I could have gone exploring inside. It looked like it would have been a haven for adventurous kids at one time.

Finally, I just HAD to show you what the sky looked like with the moon hanging in mid-air. I really lucked out in getting this shot.

I took lots of other photos, too. However, I will save them for Friday Skywatch and next Saturday's Photo Hunters as the theme is "wooden." I have lots and lots of shots showing all the driftwood that is forced into the bogs of the dyke area due to the tides. Hope you enjoyed these photos of my walk along Boundary Bay Dyke.