Shangri-la

Ruth took me to see Emily Carr's home last evening. Unfortunately, I won't get to see her art, most of which is in Vancouver, but having read her autobiographical writings, I was appropriately awed by seeing the home where she was raised. I only wish someone hadn't parked a big red car in front of the doorway, which spoiled the picture. We also drove down back roads to see commercial tulip fields, which are nearly depleted and even so, very colorful.
A few more twists and turns and we were at the site of the oldest Anglican church in B.C., a tiny building set among ancient stone crosses in a rural setting.
Now I understand why I've heard such wonderful things about Victoria and Vancouver Island. Ruth took me around the Victoria and Sidney areas last evening and I was captivated. The gardens everywhere are magnificent, currently featuring enormous rhododendrons, dogwood, and flowers and shrubs of every color and description. There's no way to adequately describe the lush vegetation here. It's hard to believe that I'm in the Northwest--it reminds me of Hilton Head, South Carolina, in the spring, without the humidity and palmetto bugs. Ruth is a good tour guide, having moved here twenty years ago from Ontario. In fact, most of the delightful students have come from somewhere else, including Newfoundland--now that's a looooong way.