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Waves of Gratitude

A week by the ocean with my daughter

By Tineke Ziemer

March 13^th, 2018

12 hours of beauty

My daughter and I were fortunate to take an amazing mother/daughter trip to Vancouver Island last week. We knew it was a long drive and catching the ferry is always unpredictable, so we left at 4am. Keeping my eyes open on the empty, dark roads was proving to be a challenge, but as the sun started coming up, we were greeted with spectacular views. We hit the Fraser Canyon during morning light. They'd just had a light dusting of snow and mist hung low in the sky. It was breathtaking, and despite our rush to catch the 1pm ferry, I couldn't help stopping to capture this once-in-a-lifetime view. The HDR panorama below took 27 photos to create.

My daughter hasn't been to the Island since she was a little girl, so it was almost like her first time seeing the ocean and going on the ferry. She was absolutely delighted, and despite the temperatures being less than ideal, she wanted to spend the whole hour and a half out on the top deck. The sun made an appearance so we soaked up as many rays as possible while oohing and aahing over the stunning ocean vistas.

"Fraser Canyon Panoramic" created by combining 27 photos

The wind was frigid but this girl was a trooper

a cottage by the sea

We arrived in Sooke, BC to 10 degree weather (which felt amazing compared to the -15 back home. Seriously, we rolled down the windows) and no snow in sight! Hallelujah!

We rented a charming cottage with our own private beach for a week of rest and rejuvenation. It was adorable, with so many delightful little touches that gave it character and warmth.

Check it out here. Highly recommended!

A nest filled with sea shells on the patio. So pretty!

our first walk on the beach

After unpacking and cooking dinner, we were giddy to explore the beach. Dusk was setting in and the air was cool. It was absolutely magical. Finding purple sea shells scattered over the rocks was truly the icing on the cake for my purple-crazed teenager. We combed the beach until the skies grew dark and our fingers were numb. My favourite discovery was the driftwood swing nestled in the crack between two massive rocks. I spent many happy moments there during the remainder of our stay, swaying with the rhythm of the waves.

My mom asked Mikayla to hug the ocean for her

perfect moments

Day two began with a delightful show by a playful seal right outside our deck window. We watched him catch his morning breakfast with great fanfare and showmanship. Then, morning devotions and a vigorous workout in the ocean air before hitting the beach for some more time on my favourite swing. We even snuck in time to jam out some new tunes together. Simple, breathtaking, perfect moments with my girl.

Enjoying morning views of the sunrise and our friendly neighbourhood seal

Working out with this amazing view was the highlight for me!

sooke potholes

I'm not much of a scenic nature photographer, but if you throw an old building in the mix, there's not much that will stand in my way. While researching some hikes in Sooke, I came across photos of an old resort on the edge of a river, built in the 80s and then decommissioned when funding fell through. All of the stonework, including an incredible staircase, have been left to the elements and the local graffiti artists ever since. I was practically salivating.

Much to my dismay, when we reached the area, the old resort was completely surrounded by fences and warning signs threatening legal action for any trespassers. With double-barbed wire across the top, these guys were not joking when they said STAY OUT. I was pretty much heartbroken. I even found a hole in the fence, but my aggravating law-abiding daughter refused to let me climb through it, so I was left with no choice but to get a couple of pathetic pictures through the chain-link. It was a sad, sad day. The only salve to my wounds was the cute little waterfall we found near the road that was surrounded by moss-covered rocks and trees. A little piece of fairy-land with vibrant green as far as the eyes could see. Okay, I guess that was worth the trip.

dreamy days

Our days at the cottage were spent reading, eating, soaking up the incredible views and working. My online photography class had water theme that week, and with 4 feet of snow back home, it was necessary to travel somewhere a little warmer to demonstrate the art of capturing moving H2O. While Mikayla read novels for hours on end, I created teaching videos for my students, planned out my course material for the week and taught my online class with an ocean view.

I was frequently disrupted by this child yelling, raging and/or falling in love with this book. That's how you know it's a good one.

Preparing my course material for Faithography

Teaching class from this location was pretty okay. haha.

Teaching online has wonderful benefts! I could bring my students with me to the ocean and teach them how to capture it.

sharing the adventure

The only thing better than a week beside the ocean is a week beside the ocean with friends! After spending the past few months getting to know a friend from her online school over Skype, Mikayla was able to meet him in person on our trip. The cottage was filled with rambunctious laughter as they played games, made youtube videos and chatted up a storm. We were treated to amazing food and conversation with his family over the week and we very much enjoyed fellowshipping at their church on Sunday. Everything is better with friends, and making new ones is even sweeter.

Playing beanboozled because they are crazy!

whiffin spit

There is nothing more enjoyable in all the world than spending endless hours combing a beach for treasures.

our last day

As always, time goes by far too quickly. After a wonderful brunch with our new friends, we spent the afternoon of our last day soaking up the sunlight at French Beach. We stopped at our favourite grocers on the way home for a treat from the bakery and ate it out on the rocks at our cottage, even though it was freezing and our teeth were chattering with every bite. It was time to pack up and go early to bed, for another 4am wake up call was ahead. But our long drive home was full of sweet memories and scents of the ocean lingering in the air.