Parts ofthe trail are visibly difficult to navigate as the “beaten-path” seems to run in all directions. It’s not until you come to old dilapidated board-walks that you know you’re headed in the right direction.

About halfway along the trail you cross a elevated suspension bridge that appears to cross through the tops of tree that grow up from the Peter Wolfe Creek below. If you’re a little squeamish of heights you will do well to cross when no one else is on the bridge; having other foot traffic will tend to cause the bridge to bounce around.

Much of the trail is covered with bare tree roots which appear to come alive under your feet. You need to watch your footing in many areas as the tree roots make for an easy tripping hazard. So look down when walking and stop before looking up & around.

When you final get to Mystic Beach (hopefully at low tide) you will see a spectacular towering cliffs, smooth soft sand and a 25 foot water fall.

Spend sometime exploring the beach before heading back - it is worth the journey.

Some years the garden does better than others. This year the heat and lack of rain took it's toll. The beans were a big disappointment but the tomatoes held there own. 

The tourists are starting to leave the Island and things are slowly getting back to normal. Even the seagulls are enjoying the slowly moving swells of the evening ocean. 

I'm excited to have one of my photos on the cover of the Parksville Qualicum Beach 2018 Discovery Guide...and a few more inside. To see the full guide click here.

The plus side was that it made for some great photography.

I've kept this one quiet for the last year, but it's finally complete.

I was lucky enough to be the lead photographer on an exciting project that allowed me to be a tourist in my our town - and at the same time help the Oceanside Division of Family Practice pull together a brochure to help recruit family physicians to the Parksville/Qualicum Beach region of Vancouver Island. The heavy lifting was done by Shelly McNeil, Project Manager with the Oceanside Division of Family Practice and Crystal Sawyer, Art Director with Trivini West Communication & Design. I had the easy job of running around with my camera taking photographs.

The highlight for me was working with both the Mayor of Parksville, Marc Lefebvre and the Mayor of Qualicum Beach, Teunis Westbroek, as well as the physicians & their families who took time out of their personal schedules to be photographed.

You can see the entire brochure on Issuu along with the rest of my photographs.

Just in case you were wondering - all of the photographs on the golf course were photographed in November/December. Now you know why I live here!

It has remnant pockets of old growth 400-year-old Coastal Douglas fir along with Western red cedar, Hemlock, Grand fir and Sitka spruce. It is relatively undisturbed by recent human activity. Very little of the Coastal Douglas fir zone forest is protected, which makes the Heritage Forest even more significant. 

The Heritage Forest provides habitat for bird and animal life indigenous to this region, and contains a number of endangered and rare plant species. This protected area provides locals and visitors the opportunity to learn about and appreciate nature as well as being a legacy for future generations. This is a unique nature preserve in the heart of Qualicum Beach.

I will be speaking on “Using Textures in Your Photography” at the June 1st meeting of the Oceanside Photographers Club. The presentation will cover texture overlays as well as using textures with displacement maps. I will show some examples of each and if there is enough time I'll walk through both type of examples using Photoshop.

The meeting starts at 7:00pm at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. Presentation will start at approximately 7:45pm.

Time: 7:00pm
Date: June 1, 2016
Location: Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, 747 Jones Street, Qualicum Beach, BC

• The first time I drove in off the interstate and saw those majestic red rocks.
• Watching the sun set over Cathedral Rock from the vantage point of Red Rock Crossing.
• Hiking up Doe Mountain and being the only two people on top of the mesa.
• Making it to Chicken Point even though we wanted to give up halfway there.

I guess the fondest memory I'll have is climbing up Cathedral Rock with the help of Cowboy Kenny. Then finally reaching the vortex and seeing that grand vista of Sedona below - I'll never forget that view!

The view looking west from the Chapel of the Holy Cross (Cathedral Rock in the background), Sedona, Arizona, 2016

Twin Nuns along Little Horse Trail on the way to Chicken Point, Sedona, Arizona 2016

Boynton Canon Trail, Sedona, Arizona 2016

The view from the top of Doe Mountain, Sedona, Arizona, 2016

Cowboy Kenny on top of Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona 2009

Cowboy Kenny and his sidekick at the vortex on Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona 2009

Meditating among the Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona, 2009

Where else in Canada can you go golfing in December. Well maybe in Toronto this past winter, but you won't find a view as stunning as this one. This was taken from the club house at the Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island with Mount Arrowsmith as the backdrop.

Each year the curators over at Lenscratch put out the call to their audience to submit their favorite photograph taken in 2015. This year there was over 8 pages of submissions. See if you can find mine.

My thanks to the team over at Lenscratch for pulling this all together.

I've been working on a project here in Oceanside where I get to play a tourist in my own town. Hopefully I will be able to share more in the new year (fingers crossed).