From Thursday to Sunday

THURSDAY

A short walk at midday did not turn up any Lawrence or Olivia sightings, so I looked around the shoreline at low tide. I have looked at this cement structure many times, and still have no idea what it is.

Shells, barnacles, stones, seaweed (and many more unnameable species/objects) on the shoal.

Jonny flew by, very high in the sky.

He caught a fish,

and took it to Jewel, who was calling insistently. (didn't catch the picture of the delivery)

Baby geese foraged for food along the riverside.

On the way home, I stopped by Stanley Park to check on the herons. Sue continues to sit quietly on her nest. I have not seen Stanley for weeks, so cannot update their situation. This chick, with a face that even I might describe as ugly (not really), was pestering its harried parent.

Two chicks here, and, to my eyes, an overworked and harried parent.

It is amazing how quickly the chicks grow. It is also amazing to me that they develop into such beautiful birds.

FRIDAY

I have not seen Olivia since last Monday, but Lawrence continues to work hard on the nest. Here, he is about to grab a stick.

He struggled with this huge, waterlogged one.

SATURDAY

Black Jack and I left around eight in the morning, and walked from Point Grey to North Vancouver. That wasn't a plan, but just sort of worked out that way.

My first photo was of this flower somewhere along 5th Avenue.

We stopped at Tatlow Park, along Point Grey Road, and I took this picture of Black Jack that I like.

At MacDonald Street, we walked down some steps to the beach, and went along the shore to Vanier Park, where we hopped the Aquabus over to Beach Avenue. This heron was fishing along the beach, and I realized it had probably flown across the water from the heronry in Stanley Park. (You can see the park (green area) and West Vancouver behind it, in this picture.)

Black Jack and I sat on a rock for a while, watching the heron.

It flew to this rock, and finally, headed back to Stanley Park. I didn't see it catch any fish, and imagine there was quite a protest if it arrived empty-handed at the nest.

Just before arriving at the Aquabus, we watched some policemen search this empty container. As far as I could tell, they also left empty-handed.

When the boat dropped us off at the Aquatic Centre, I looked back, and took a picture to show where we had come from. I think the sails you see at the right of this picture are from the Jericho Sailing Club, not far from where I live.

We walked along Beach Avenue, and stopped at Stanley Park. We checked on the herons, and then continued on to the lagoon, where we saw this turtle.

We continued on, crossing the Lions Gate Bridge, walking through the native reserve on the other side, and talking with a kind man who helped us find our way through a small trail. The next stop was at the pet store on Marine Drive, where Black Jack had an excellent lunch and a tiny bit of water. She drinks very, very little water. I'm not sure why. Then, on to Starbucks where I bought a green drink, and Black Jack had a somewhat longer drink of water. We were both exhausted, and very happy to be picked up by Bill on Fell Avenue.

When we reached the osprey nest, I was disappointed not to see Lawrence, but we enjoyed watching this Merganser climb up on a log.

Black Jack is an amazingly strong dog. She was happy to explore the beach,

and swim after shimmering objects,

although Bill kept a very close eye on her, as one otter made an appearance.

This cormorant caught the biggest eel-like creature I have seen by the osprey nest yet.

Bill followed Black Jack over the rocks, and I marvelled at their energy.

SUNDAY

I road my bike to Stanley Park in the morning, where I again watch a few heron chicks.

Then I continued on to North Vancouver, where Bill and Black Jack met us. We watched these two seagulls. To me, they seem like a very close and loving pair.

A crow agreed to pose for a couple of shots.

Lawrence showed up, after quite a long wait.

This fellow unfortunately scared him away. I asked him the nature of his work, and he said he was securing the logs to the post.

We decided to go for a latte and some lunch. I've forgotten the name of the place, but will mention it in a future post. Delicious! Just before we left, this seagull showed me its tonsils. (Do they have tonsils?)

When we came back, the mother goose and her two chicks swam by. I have been watching them for a few days.

We were both really happy to see Lawrence come back. The next ten pictures are all of him working on the nest. I really admire his energy too. Sometimes, it seems he has the same intensity in his eyes that I see in Black Jack's. This first picture, however, shows him with his third eyelid closed. At least, that is what I will call it for now.

The tide was the lowest I have ever seen it, and Black Jack had a wonderful time digging her way to the other side of the world.

A helicopter went by, and I took a guy shot for Bill.
My friend, Dianne, came by with her dog Haley. I took this sailboat for Dianne because she admires it so much.

This isn't my best picture of Haley but I like it. She is a bit past middle age, but climbs those rocks with such grace.

This last shot is of Tia. I've posted about her before. I loved her dandelion necklace.

There was much more to the weekend. Bill prepared a beautiful supper Friday night, on Saturday evening, we attended an absolutely breathtaking concert by the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and on Sunday evening, we had supper with our friends, Jock and Kitty and Kitty's parents, Donna and Bill. So much I could say about these times, and about other thoughts, but time has run out. My thanks to Bill, and to Phyllis, his sister, for sending me (in the mail!) a beautiful story that I hope to post about soon, and to you for taking time to read my blog. Have a wonderful week!