I love the conversations on this board -- thanks for providing us this venue, Marty, and to all of you for writing.

Yes, Xoe has big ears and knows how to use them! She's a great dog who loves to work, and has titles in obedience (4 so far, more to go). Our current new training project is sheep herding. She's from Czech and East German lines; quite a few of her brothers are K-9 patrol dogs, mostly in Vancouver. I am privileged to be "her person".

Xoe,
I loved your pictures! The ones of Ucluelet were magnificent, especially the ones with the light shinging through the trees. And the one with the dog. "Stairs to the beach". Oh my GOD! It could appear in National Geographic. I've never been to the west coast Canada. It's absolutely beautiful. I've never had the desire to go to a cold climate for vacation, but your photos has changed my thinking. You have a way with the camera. Are you a professional photographer? You should consider it. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Kris

I think that area is one of earth's most beautiful -- AND lightly populated. September is a fine time to go. The weather is usually excellent, moderate temperatures, PERFECT for hiking, and gorgeous trails.

I am a lifelong photography hobbyist, which started with a father who processed his own stills AND 16 mm movies in a basement darkroom. For a 5-year period I sold photo note cards in the Monterey Bay area of California, where we then lived. Since moving to Whidbey Island, WA, I just play around -- and enjoy every minute of it!

Wow! Awesome pictures! We just got back a month ago from San Pedro. Sniff, sniff I really miss it! But hopefully we'll be back again! The pictures of Ucluelet were beautiful. So is Zoe!
We were originally going to fly up to Seattle and that area and rent a car and drive down the pacific coastline. We've been wanting to see the redwood forest, but we opted to go to Belize instead. I'm glad we did, but your pictures make me want to head north next time. So many places to visit and just not enough time to do it in! Jobs have a tendency to get in the way! Thanks again for the pictures and the memories!

Perfect vacation schedule: in September, explore the Pacific Northwest, flying into Vancouver or Seattle, then heading for the west coast of Vancouver Island, where the Ucluelet photos were taken, or the gorgeous areas in the Olympics or Cascades, or maybe Whistler, north of Vancouver.

Then, Belize in the January-May time frame.

You could hardly find a a better combination of great snorkeling/swimming and all else that A.C. offers, and the most stunning imagineable scenery with marvelous uncrowded hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest.

Ah yes, jobs do get in the way, even though they do pay for those great vacations.