HI folks! Let me just say going without Internet for over a week left me a a little twitchy, but overall we had a great trip. Our destination was Whistler, British Columbia, home of the 2010 Olympics. It was really interesting to see all the work being done to get ready for the Olympics, like the Luge track and ski jumps being built, along with all the other infrastructure needed to host such an enormous event.
I’m not one for crowds, so most of the activities we did were out in the big outdoors, hanging with the locals.
The setting was rich with earthy smells and the sound of running water and fluttering leaves.
I found myself enjoying the smallest of things–patterns of moss, burls on trees, the springy carpet of pine needles beneath us.
Of course, hiking through such fabulous scenery I couldn’t help but think of the Setting Thesaurus, and so I tried to soak in everything I could as we walked.
Helen, a writer friend of mine, drove up from Vancouver and joined my family for the hike. It was great to spend time with her and talk shop. Her shoe is on the left.
And speaking of shoes…
My kids had quite the fascination for the slugs and snails! Where I live, the slugs are just tiny brown things, perhaps an inch in length. In Whistler the slugs come in all colors from black to vomit yellow to booger green. I’m sure this guy was on steroids, and I KNOW I heard him gurgle something about world domination in between bouts of maniacal slug laughter.
We hiked out to Lost Lake and had a picnic lunch. Some of the pathways were closed for the migrating toads, but we found we liked the more rugged trails, anyway.
How scenic is this?
We just missed the hot weather, and so with mist or rain every day I was unable to get shots of the mountains. Still, I hope you enjoy the ones I did take. Whistler is a beautiful area in any season and worth visiting.
How was your week?
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
We’ve got slugs like that here, and mucous-yellow spotted ones too, though most of them tend to be black as jet. I saw one climbing our stairs the other day and I could have sworn it was a strip off an old tire.
My week wasn’t anywhere as pleasant or relaxed as yours, but I had quite a few of those slugs!
That is some beautiful country. And it seems we have all been sucked into your slimey slug story. Maniacal slug laughter indeed! What a hoot, err, squish.
Slugs on Steriods, yep! OR, maybe Zombie Slugs on Steriods…muahahaa.
I totally want to see that spotted slug, Angela!
Thanks Courtney. How many more sleeps until I can get my hands on your book?? *squeals*
Oooh, thanks for sharing your slice of vacay. I’m jealous! Love the photos!
Beautiful pictures. I love the woods. I think there should be a PB called Slugs on Steroids.
love the pictures. Sounds like you had a relaxing trip.
We just had a very long spotted slug visit us at home.
Pictures will be posted (sometime!)
They did, thanks! Both kids had a good first day, had buddies to sit with and liked the teachers they were assigned.
We’ll see how long that lasts, lol…
Great pictures, thanks for sharing! Hope your kids got off to school okay. 🙂
Well, I’m only guessing, but I think it’ll be a bunch of raggedy, beaten-down humans in chain gangs, toiling in mulch pits while slug oppressors give them a taste of the lash.
All the humans will hear is the sound of their own doom–evil, wet-sounding laughter delivered from millions of tiny throats.
But hey, just a guess. 🙂
I wonder what the world would be like if the slugs were in charge? Thanks for the laugh!
Maniacal slug laughter!! Glad you’re back, woman.
My week was pretty good- threw a party for Labor Day at the house and the house still isn’t cleaned up from it, but there you go…
That is some slug! Yikes!