Intrepid UBC goalies

Two intrepid UBC Women's Field Hockey goalies, Rowan and Gabby, on Sunday afternoon after  sharing the UBC defence against Vancouver Hawks (lost 2-0 but played well I thought).  Rowan played in goal the first half, Gabby the second.  This photographer is not so good on action shots … but a fine photo of the two friends.

Blood Moon

Except that it wasn't

2:15am this morning:
I struggled awake enough to get out from under the snuggy duvet and head for the bathroom.  My feet hit the floor and an orange light from the window above our bed hit me in the eyes (no glasses on).  The "blood moon"!  How lucky was that!  (I had half heard a talk on CBC yesterday by UBC astronomer Jamie Matthews on the eclipse of the moon - to be full at 3am.  I think he said that the "blood-red-orange" effect is from light leaking around the earth when the eclipse is full.)  I headed off toward my bedroom closet.  Oops.  I thought I was still upstairs in the ranch house, with the moon shining in the south window over our bed.  Doco woke, looked around and said "Actually, it's the street-light in the lane." With my glasses on and my location sorted, I had to agree.  Took photo #1.  My "blood moon".  We laughed till we cried.

Then Doco mentioned that, when he was out walking at 10pm, he had seen the full moon in the east.  It would now be in the south.  So, while I was at it, I climbed the stairs to see what the actual moon was doing.  Was it an odd colour?  No.  Perfectly normal moon-coloured.  BUT, back under the covers, my brain said "Hey, wait a minute.  That was no full moon.  That moon had a bite out of it!"  It was eclipsing, and I had nearly missed it.  Photo #2.  We laughed even harder.

Photo #1.  My "blood moon"

Photo #2.  The actual eclipse with the moon half gone

Photo #3.  I at least can still see a moon sliver

Photo #4.  No more moon

 Having got this far I had to get up again in 20 minutes.  Photo #3.  The moon was almost gone, but no blood.  In another 20 minutes the moon had totally vanished, but so had the stars.  Photo #4.  I sat on the front steps (scurrying inside as the Globe and Mail delivery car came down the street) until 3:40am.  I then decided that either the clouds had thickened or the ancients were right and the moon was gone for good.   Either way, I climbed happily back into our snuggy bed.  Clouds permitting, we'll see tonight if the moon is back in full.
………………………….
Update, at 9pm the next night:  It came back!

Ranch bewitchings

Even this petunia, neglected for a month then pelted with rain, was fetching

And the grounds around the old ranch house are as attractive as ever 

Logging is a scar, but the ranch remains

The Bosun Lake is again accessible

And aquatic plants return

Ian, Emma, Scraps, and Meo

Looking south, late afternoon, from Aunt Heather's tree

Is it clear why we are bewitched?
Doco

my very first ever harp gig!

At Mercado, the organic-food restaurant in Silverton BC, October 2, 2014

photo by Shelley

      Harpists should be neither seen nor heard.  You might think that I was just sitting at home, playing, and it did feel delightfully like that.  Doco and good friends chatting away as they ate.  Nobody really listening, but every now and then I could tell that somebody was.  Rather like an evening in the Old Ranch House, but I didn't have to cook!  And for Shelley and Jim Dobie, a full house.  Cunliffe and Mary Barnett, here for one night from Lumby.  Douglas' colleague Emma Cunliffe and her husband Ian Greig, on their second night of a two-month stay in the ranch house.  Lori Langford and Jeff Bustard from "Sweet Dreams".  Chris and Tia and Tia's son Mike.  Julia, Devon, Norbert, Norbert's brother Hans and his wife Friedrun from Smithers.  Jeff and Ana at the end, after their work-day.  Alan and Marnie and their 3-year-old Nava(?) who just happened to be there.  And one other fellow.  NOT advertised.  

      Hmm … it's more-ish.  Maybe again next year?

Harvest

Such bounty from the ranch!

Doco, the strawberry farmer.  A picking on Oct 1.

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Mick's carrots a-washing.  Chris, Christiane and Ana's sunflowers and onions a-drying.

Ian and Emma with our diggings from Mick and Ruth's garden - carrots, potatoes, and vole-nibbled beets, though mostly what you see is their large wooly dog, Scraps (trio here for 2 months).

Ian the happy washer of carrots.  Mick and Ruth the proud growers.
(Mick's Yorkshire mother and friend were at coffee in the ranch house. )

Ralph's sunflowers.  A present to Susie.

Betsy

Betsy in her new skin

Yesterday, I picked up Lori on her way home from looking after Helen Woods and we had a grand car-visit.  She said that as soon as Betsy became "theirs", Jeff got going on body-work.  Now people ask them if they have a new car.  Lori took Betsy up to Monica Meadows for a hike - the first time in 10 years that they have had a mountain-worthy car in summer.  As I dropped Lori off, I said I was heading to the Post Office in hopes of a replacement harp string.  I got it and Jeff and Lori joined our table at Mercado for my "harp gig".  Fun!

drunk robins

This is another of my famous "bird photos", not much improved.  I can't see it (the bird) either, but there are at least two robins in the rowan tree and another ten or so careening around in the air, drunk on fermented rowan berries.  Rowan-berry wine as a Bosun Ranch product?