Last week was supposed to be dull, dreary and rainy but not the case! We enjoyed many lovely days and we took advantage of them to enjoy some favourite picnic spots.

Whether we go by foot or by bike, we are still enjoying the extended spring. It’s lilac and dogwood season now. The lilacs smell so lovely and the dogwoods are very showy trees. Some can be very big, full of the big white flowers. The pink ones are beautiful too and you can see them from far away!

Yesterday we returned to Old Baldy. Not a long hike, but such a good return for the effort. The steep climb up of rocks and roots reminds us of many Adirondack climbs. But it has great lookouts over Shawnigan Lake as you climb. The lake edge is crammed with houses and cottages, and even this early in the year we saw the boat traffic. It will only get busier.

But the view at the top is wonderful and a great place for a picnic.

We always take the ‘easy’ way down; a much gentler gradient through the trees. The bright greens of new growth contrasted with the blue sky made us happy hikers! Such a nice way to enjoy a lunch hour!

With the longer days and the changing location of the sun, we are starting to see more of the spectacular sunsets we enjoyed so much last year. Sunrises are now too early for me to enjoy. We have some very distinctive trees visible from our deck that always make a great silhouette in the sunset shots. What surprised me this year is to see one of them (the dead one) a lot shorter than last year. It’s a sobering reminder that our surroundings are always changing!

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