Growing Groceries & Bouquets From Scratch At Dunsmuir Gardens

"We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it's our garden that is really nurturing us." - Jenny Uglow

I was struck by how well-cultivated the crops were at Dunsmuir Gardens, a community garden of 127 plots farmed by some 180 members, located at Blackie Spit Park in Crescent Beach, Surrey.

The remaining seasonal herbs, flowers, vegetables and fruits were flourishing thanks to their attentive caretakers who are not only putting healthy food on the table they are seeding a sense of their personal well-being in the process.

I could see that summer was softly but emphatically leaving and another season was stirring. My earlier visit at a different time of year HERE shows just where this garden is headed. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy my recent brief walk amid the blooms.

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Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

Hand-Painted Empty Shells At Sandy Trail

What resembled the painted toenails of a monster with big feet and too many toes (below) greeted me at the Sandy Trail stairs. The artistic works by preschoolers were placed on a row of posts for passersby to enjoy. These castaway homes of ocean dwellers were repurposed in a delightful way. Every shell had a tale to tell.

The one (below) looked like a ladybug settling in for a snooze after many adventures.

The creature below snuck out of the shell. Was it a frog or a crab?

The sailboat lazily drifted in a dark blue sea with clouds dotted overhead.

The shell shaped like a life preserver showed a bright sun rolling over the ocean.

The green-eyed monster below lingered in the moss and was ready to pounce.

The muddy gray creature was biding its time and camouflaging perfectly.

A brilliant star danced in the night sky, shining over our world.

The slug below with polka dot spots and a blue snout was dreaming about dinner.

Below, cotton candy pink clouds seemed to hover over another blue dot, planet Earth.

You might see it differently but the shell (below) covered in what looks like hieroglyph symbols shows a man with long legs running over a field of orange towards the sea.

As children learn to appreciate and recreate nature through art, they also learn that life as we know it on Earth is on the brink and needs our attention so that the home we all inhabit will not, too, become an empty shell. Here's one of many sites with a few suggestions. We can't do everything but we can do some things to help.

See OUR WORLD to explore sights from around the globe.

Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

Time Stops At The Beach In The Summer Years

Skirts flutter in divine fashion when the breeze sweeps softly along Crescent Beach shores. Visitors know what necessities and toys to bring on carefree cloudless days. Parasols and beach umbrellas replace rain umbrellas. Clocks have no place here.

I looked up and saw a people-less plane take to the skies during a recent walk.

Even the shark (above) with a big toothy grin took wing where eagles and seagulls fly.

Some folks huddled in tents to hide from the heat until the creeping tide trickled in.

Some dove into the deep sea ... others squished their toes in muddy shallow pools.

Whether building sandcastles, flying kites, swimming or tanning on gritty blankets and towels, a beach holiday in youth can lull us into thinking our days will forever be grand.

But now ... reflecting on my photos to the sounds of rain tapping on the roof, I know time stalled never stands still and the summer years slip through our fingers like sand.

Postscript, August 4, 2019: Violence in Texas hit like a thunderbolt robbing so many of their future summers and back to school years. It must be acknowledged that for them time stopped altogether and these awful repeated events could be prevented in a more proactive sensible world. “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself … . Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” - Author unknown but often attributed to D. Bonhoeffer

See OUR WORLD to explore sights from around the globe.

Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.