This is the fourth in the series of volcanic blog posts comparing our experience in the Hawaiian and Chilcotin shield volcanoes. Originally, many millions of years ago, spores released into the wind from a fern in Southeast Asia were carried by air currents high into the jet stream, where they drifted eastward. Eventually they settled […]
photography
Water Eroding Old and New Volcanic Landscapes
This is the third in the series of volcanic blog posts comparing our experience in the Hawaiian and Chilcotin shield volcanoes. After hiking over a very recent lava flow that added about 4 sq. km of land to the Island of Hawaii, we reached the coast. The following three images show ocean waves pounding this […]
Two Distinct Lava Features: Hawaii and the West Chilcotin
This is the second in the series of volcanic blog posts comparing our experience in the Hawaiian and Chilcotin shield volcanoes. One day, Rita’s aunt, Ruth Beauchamp (who lives in Hawaii), took us to visit Lava Tree State Park. It was like walking through a lava forest. When the Kilauea eruption sent red hot lava […]
Exploring Two Volcanic Landscapes: The Chilcotin & Hawaii
Nothing excites me more than hiking and exploring a volcanic landscape. In 2010 I published a major natural history coffee-table book on British Columbia’s volcanic plateau titled Motherstone. The most exciting explorations were within the three great shield volcanoes of the West Chilcotin; the Rainbow, Ilgatchuz and Itcha volcanoes. Last month, my partner Rita and […]
Real or Imagined?
In most cases, we are more concerned with the material life as opposed to the spiritual or the imaginary life. This image is of a wood splitter. Most people see it in terms of its functionality in everyday life; others may look at wood splitters in an imaginative way. Artists, for example, might look at […]
Now it’s Physics that Excites me!
As I walked along the road looking down on the lake, I was so intrigued with the shapes. How did they all come to be? I could hear the ice creaking and groaning; sometimes the sound of a high-powered rifle would send a fissure travelling across the entire lake. I presumed the heat from the […]
Why do I get so excited about Line!
Continuing my walk , the contrast I was looking at yesterday (previous blog post), also revealed lines. Lines can be curved, straight, diagonal, or oblique, and each evokes a different emotional response. Light also plays a role in our response; direct light creates a different feeling than diffuse light. You can check this out by […]
On a Walk with my Dog, I saw Contrast!
Three days ago I was walking my dog along a small lake not far from our home when I noticed lines of contrast streaking across the lake. I had been looking at them every day for a week, but the beauty in these lines just didn’t register until three days ago. Contrast is the first […]
Farwell Canyon in Autumn
Two days ago I drove out to Farwell Canyon with my camera. It was the first time I had been there in a year; ever since I visited the area immediately after the wildfire of 2017. The area is as beautiful as ever. You wouldn’t know there had been a fire. The Chilcotin River winds […]
Celebrating Rain!
With wildfires burning throughout the province, an air quality advisory from environment Canada was posted for most of BC. Vancouver was ranked as the 5th worst major city in the world for air quality. One source said breathing that air was the equivalent of smoking 5 cigarettes a day. Breathing has been difficult up here […]