A Walk in the Woods to the Ocean

I stand still. A leaf falls, slowly twirling downwards to land on a fallen log. A cool wind sighs in the treetops. The sun streams through the branches, but it cannot completely warm the air any longer.
 

We arrive at McKenzie Bight. Light filters through tired green to sparkle on the water.  One hardy soul swims around the point. "He must be crazy," we think. "Or very brave."
 

Mosses and grass flourish now. A bit of rain works wonders although the waterfall is still dry. The filtered light beyond the moss captures the palette of this late September afternoon.
 

A toadstool springs up from under a dry leaf. On such a golden day it would have been a crime to stay indoors. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith of Lavender Cottage, and with Through My Lens, hosted by Mersad.

Beauty in the Rain

Not every day of our boating trip a few weeks ago was sunny. The day we planned to go up Toba Inlet was more than drizzly. Rain fell in hard splatters on the boat. Visibility was limited. Still, in between gusts of wind and clouds of rain, I managed a few photos. 

The sides of the fjord rise steeply from the water and fall equally steep below the surface. 
 

 Mist hung heavy in the valleys, but lifted occasionally to reveal muted greens of forest and sea.

We anchored in Brem Bay where the river joins the inlet. Grizzly bears live here and we saw one cross the river. It was a good morning for sipping on hot chocolate while we waited for more bears. They never showed. Perhaps they, too, were hunkering down somewhere in the rain.
 

When the rain stopped for a bit, we took the dinghy and went up river a little ways. The landscape looked almost tropical with hanging mosses and lush ferns. 
 

After deciding the bears were not going to cooperate, we headed further up the inlet to see the waterfalls we'd heard about. What is it about water falling over rocks and splashing into the ocean that is so appealing?

I took a lot of photos. Tim went back and forth with the boat while I tried out different settings. Most are overexposed. Also, it's kind of hard to take a level photo when the waves lift the boat up and down. 
  

In the afternoon we returned to the marina where we spent the night. The sky was clearing and a watery sun peeked through. Smooth, soft water and the promise of a sunny day to come.

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith of Lavender Cottage. 
This week I'm also linking up to Through My Lens, hosted by Mersad Donko.