Keen observers will have noticed a big change on the Gulf Islands Photos web site in the past few days. Of course the main difference is the theme I am using with Wordpress. I updated to the latest version and decided a theme update would work well at this point as there are so many new features available. The site also works well with my other British Columbia Photo site Cowichan Valley Photos which uses the same design. This should make for seamless switching between the sites as the areas are closely related in imagery.
The photographs section should be updated later today.
One sign of spring in the Southern Gulf Islands are the beautiful wildflowers that bloom in late March and early April. On North Pender Island, Roesland in the Gulf Islands National Park is know locally for its amazing display of Fawn Lilies. This year was one of the best that I can recall with hundreds of the gorgeous lilies in a number of large clumps. Words don’t do them justice, photos do!
Fawn Lily (Etythronium oregonum), Gulf Islands National Park, North Pender Island, British Columbia
Fawn Lily (Etythronium oregonum), Roesland, North Pender Island, British Columbia
Fawn Lily (Etythronium oregonum), Roesland, North Pender Island, British Columbia
Every once in a while you see something that makes you realize your day could have been a lot worse. The Victoria BC schooner Robertson II had an unfortunate encounter with a reef while heading to the Canada Day celebrations at the Saturna Island Lamb BBQ. No one was hurt but now 6 days later the classic vessel is still stranded with less hope of recovery as every day passes by.
The 130-foot schooner was built at a Nova Scotia shipyard in 1940. It worked as a fishing boat in Maritime Canada through 1974. Brought to the west coast, the schooner served as a training vessel for SALTS until retired in 1995. The boat has been in private hands since 2003.
Below: Robertson II at dock in the Malahat – 2006