I was invited to talk about my upcoming book 24 Sleeps Till Christmas at the Western Book Reps Association book fair in Victoria, British Columbia, so I hopped on a ferry for an absolutely stunning 1.5 cruise through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
It’s all too easy, when you’ve lived in a place as long as I have, to take it all for granted. I’ve lived in B.C. for almost 40 years now, it’s the only place I’ve ever really called home, and yet I’ve barely explored it. It’s a wild and wonderful place, and living in the city I don’t experience it in its natural form as often as I should.
While standing on the deck of the big boat, with the wind whipping through my hair, I spotted a smaller ferry heading to one of the many islands that dot the Georgia Straight. The ocean is famous for its ability to inspire poets, and I was no different.
Little ferry boat
Chug chug chugging through the strait
On its merry way
It was a whirlwind trip, with only a few hours to spend exploring Victoria and its surroundings, but thanks to the wonderful scenery and the perfect early summer weather, it felt like a little vacation, a perfect mini escape from the every day. I hope everyone is able to spend a bit of time in nature and experience a short reset from the stresses of the every day.
Ruth is hosting our Poetry Friday roundup this week!
What a BEAUTIFUL place to live!
Ahhhh – thank you for taking us along on your beautiful adventure, Jane! It’s amazing, isn’t it, how we sometimes forget to explore the wonders in our back yards. And congrats on the reason for your trip, and the book love!! — Robyn
Jane, your part of the world is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us. I especially liked this line in your blog: “The ocean is famous for its ability to inspire poets.” I can see why. Congratulations on your book presentation.
Congratulations on your book, and thanks for the beautiful ocean view!
Yay for your forthcoming book, Jane! And your chugging haiku is lovely. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words! Ferry boats just seem to have so much personality, especially the little ones.
Jane, I read your blog last night and commented but the message did not go through. Congratulations on the new book and thank you for the beautiful photos of your locale.
Thanks so much! I’m so glad my parents decided to move here when I was little, I’m very lucky to call this place home. 🙂
I love the image of the wind in your hair. I could almost smell the cool breeze. My daughter was recently in the Pacific Northwest and her pictures were paradise. Congrats on the book!
It’s such an amazing place to live. Pre-covid we used to head down to Seattle and the surrounding area all the time – hopefully after the next election we can start visiting again!
What pretty pictures. I’d love to be on the chug, chug, chugging along ferry boat too!
Ferries are so fun! We used to take them a bunch in Washington state years ago, visiting different islands. 🙂
Ferries are magical. I couldn’t believe we saw porpoises going from the Isle of Skye to Harris in Scotland last October!
Oh wow!! Scotland is totally on my dream trip list! I made it out to the Maritimes in eastern Canada, which definitely has a Scottish flavour, but hopefully someday I’ll get to see the real thing. 😉
So beautiful! Congratulations on your new book. Loved the chug-chug-chugging.
Thank you! And I love ferry boats, they seem to have so much personality – maybe it’s the picture book writer in me. 😉
I had the joy of kayaking and camping for a week off beautiful Vancouver Island years ago. Yes, wild and wonderful! What fun to return via your post and poem!
“The Island”, as we call it, is so incredibly beautiful, and it’s such a different energy there – so much more laid back and relaxed, such a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle of “big” city life (my home city is small by American standards haha but big for Canada).
My husband and I love the beauty of Canada and the niceness of the Canadian people. We grew up near Niagara Falls in Western New York and frequent trips across the border to many locales in Ontario. It’ll be six years in August when we visited Banff. It’s so beautiful! And I think, time for a trip back! I’m glad you were inspired by the ferry and congrats on your book.
Absolutely time for a trip! We’re not super keen on your president, but we’re always happy to welcome our neighbours for a visit! 🙂