From My Bubble To Yours ... Baubles, Critters & Hugs

Holiday hug from Penelope Puddle by Maria Pavlik

As the holiday approaches, here's a hug from my "bubble" to yours via a watercolor my daughter painted when she was small which I later digitally formatted ... much like the safe hugs we give nowadays. An online program helped place the art into an animated snow globe that fit the mood of an upcoming Christmas season in a global pandemic. 

If pleas from the health experts are heeded, people won't be gathering in droves but they will decorate the inside and out of their homes.

I still haven't put up a tree and not sure if I will but someone I know did a fine job sprucing up the one shown at (left). 

The snowman in the globe is the only snow I've seen as yet this year in my southwest corner of B.C. so walking is easy and so is picture taking of places I go.

Pretty baubles have been building instead of snowflakes day by day. 

Unexpectedly, alongside train tracks at Crescent Beach, I saw men were working to ensure no First Nation's skeletal remains were buried in land primed for development. Dizzying when put into motion, a closer look shows the earth being carefully sifted.  

Taking the beach path below, I saw a sky that sometimes is crystal blue but on this day had a smoggy pinkish hue. Although my photo failed to show the majesty of the surroundings, I was bedazzled by the sunlit sea on the horizon.

Later, I saw the iconic large painted boulder (below) in the small City of White Rock.

People and birds love to gather and play along the shoreline. 

A colourful beak suddenly appeared. A patch of white feathers created a heart shape on the black bird diving in and out of the water. It made a pretty picture.

 

Dogs were also out and about ... some with a lot of extra fur.  

Two Alaskan Malamutes were on the pier despite a "no pets" sign at the entrance.  

The pier was seriously damaged during a winter storm and repaired thanks to community support and donations from far and near. People bought planks to rebuild. I like to think it's the Canadian way.   

 

Seagulls ruled the skies but there was also a flag waving from way up high. 

I saw an artistic hug in the cloudy blue, too. Blades of grass embraced a dewdrop in the 17 foot tall sculpture Coastal Cradle (pictured below) by Andy Davies. The orb reminded me of bubbles and baubles, crystal balls, snow globes and the world. 

Back from the pier it was clear, despite local objections, high rises continue to grow.   

High rises are a source of income when tourism is the main industry of a seaside city.

Most folks on mild weather days head outdoors to where there are many spacious paths to wander. I am grateful to have had many such wonderful walks in the outdoors during this strange and stressful year. But I look forward to breaking free from bubbles and, arms wide open, to blanketing someone outside my sphere in a big warm hug.

Explore more scenes from OUR WORLD, find the artistic side of life at Paint Party Friday, and enjoy discovering non-human life at Saturday's Critters.

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.