Lunch Break meeting

It occurs to me as I put together some pictures from a great lunch break on Tuesday, that we can't always know what is going to work out well for us. When my employers bought the property in North Vancouver, I was really upset. I had been living a twenty-minute walk away from the previous school building, and the thought of commuting to North Van from Kitsilano was daunting, to put it politely. As it turned out, the bike commutes from even further (I moved later to Point Grey), and the site of the present building, have yielded more pleasures than I would ever have predicted. That move was a good one for me, in many, many ways.

On Tuesday, I went outside for my lunch break. In a short time, I saw this beautiful black dog, Haley, and her humans, Dianne and Dorin. They are Newfoundlanders, as was my mother and her family, so that made for a special connection, but I only found that out at the end of our conversation. I also saw ducks, eagles, and seagulls.

But first, Haley. I'm not sure of her breed. I'm guessing a long-haired Shepherd, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Whatever she is, she's alert and happy and clearly having one heck of a good life. I can't help but think of Ruby Isabella Jones' last blog entry, and couldn't agree more with her, that black dogs have something going for them.

Beautiful Haley

Close-up shot

Dorin is something of an expert on birds, and Dianne happily pointed that out as I talked with two other ladies who were trying to identify some water fowl. I had been wondering about these black and white ducks for the past week or so. I've seen them under the Lions Gate and now by the school. The women recognized that they are Goldeneyes, but weren't sure if they were Barrows or Common. Dorin explained that Barrows Goldeneyes have a kind of white bar on the side of their heads, whereas the Common Goldeneye's white spot is more of a circle. (I hope I remember correctly.) I'm thinking this picture, taken on the little river by the school, is of two Barrows Goldeneyes. (You can click on the picture for a larger view.)
And I'm thinking this one may be a Common Goldeneye, since the white spot is more circular. What do you think?
The first thing I heard when I went outside was Bald Eagle calls. That sound always gives me a thrill, after having watched the web cam on Hornby Island in 2006. After hearing the sound, it took me some time to locate them on a log-loader ship (Bill's best guess after seeing the picture). My 18-zoom got a fair shot of them.
Here is the long distance view of the boat. The eagles are just specs on top.
I always find the seagulls fascinating and beautiful, too. Here's one lovely fellow (or girl?).

Dorin also pointed out this Osprey Nest. It's just across the little river, but I had never noticed it before. Thanks, Dorin! Very exciting. I'll be watching to see if a family takes it over soon.

A really enjoyable lunch hour. Thanks to the birds, and especially to Haley, Dianne and Dorin!