Rainy Weather Walks

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." So says my husband. 

Sunday afternoon. Pouring rain eases to a steady drizzle. We shrug into raincoats, pull rain pants over our jeans, and put on waterproof shoes. 

We're the only humans at Tod Inlet. Dozens of gulls perch on old pilings, impervious to the soft patter of droplets on the water. One gull rises, flaps to another perch and forces the gull sitting there to move on. He, in turn, chooses an occupied perch as well, in spite of quite a number of empty spots. Fun to watch.
 
 

One raindrop trembles on the end of a bare branch just beginning to swell with the promise of growth. 
 

Tim's on a week of vacation. Nothing special is planned, but today we drove up to our house in Parksville. The one we couldn't sell two years ago. It's been rented, but it's on the market again. 

Rain poured down as we drove. The rain thickened - a mixture of rain and snow. Splat, splat went the wipers. 

Before turning homeward we went for a walk along Englishman River Falls. Mud squelched. Rain dripped off the trees. Water rushed over the falls. Such a variety of water sounds.
 

Bright emerald tiny ferns poke up from the moss. In spite of the cold wet and the snow lying in the forest, spring is on the way.

A Snowy Walk

About the time we headed for bed on Saturday night I heard hail on the skylight in the bathroom. Curious I peeked out the window to see hail pelting down. By morning we awoke to a snowy white world. When Tim shoveled the driveway he said that the texture varied in the levels of snow - with some of it hard pellets. 

What better place to enjoy the snow than outside (since the temperatures were hovering just around freezing)? Boots and gloves donned we drove to Englishman River Regional Park, just below the falls we visited a week ago.

The road to the parking lot led down a steep incline for about a mile and we gave nothing more than a fleeting thought to driving back up. 

The trail meandered along the riverbank, where snow-laden branches brushed our heads. Blue sky beckoned above and melted the snow high in the trees, causing it to fall like rain on our heads.

Crunching footsteps. Gurgling dark water. Stark beauty of skeletal trees highlighted by white. Sunlight filtering through the forest.

 Scenes like this swell my heart. So much beauty to absorb. God's creation offers much to soothe the soul. 

Two unsuccessful runs up the hill and we put on chains. They didn't help much. Our progress was painfully slow as Tim rocked the car, tires spinning. Little by little until we were stopped short of the crest of the hill. Both chains (very lightweight) snapped, rendering them useless. Tim pushed and I drove the short distance to the top of the hill. A little adventure to end our walk.