Mom-Day Adventure: Tsarina at Swan Lake

Hello, my friends! I'm thrilled to bring you another Mom-Day Adventure today. We spent some time walking at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, and I have oodles of pics to share. 

But first, the outfit! It's been cold (between 0-5 degrees, brrrr!) and foggy, which is the perfect weather to debut my Tsarina vest that I picked up on the weekend in Powell River. 

I layered things up heavily. Like an iceberg, there's more hidden than shown in this outfit! 

• Sweater - Karl Lagerfeld, consignment; last worn here in December 2021 for New Year's Eve
• Vest - Buffalo by David Bitton, consignment, Powell River; purchased here for $59.99
• Flamenco skirt - handmade, consignment; last seen here in October 2021 with my Snake Jacket reveal
• Floral boots - Doc Martens, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) for a walk back in March 2020 (a week before the pandemic started!)

This was my foggy view of the Castle in the morning. 

So mysterious! 

Before we get to the outer part of the ensemble, I'm wearing wool leggings, thick socks, a vintage silk thermal top, and a hole-y cashmere sweater underneath all this. 

I really wanted to wear fancier footwear (these boots) but as we were possibly going to be near mud, I didn't want to risk them. I also walked home from bussing to town after our adventure, and needed comfier boots. 

Besides, my Docs matched the embroidery of this magnificent vest! 

Gosh, that is just so pretty! 

Here's the outfit without it. 

I always like to make sure my look will work without the coat/topper. I did take the vest off while we were having lunch.

This sweater gets worn with my more unusual outer layers due to its ginormous ruffled sleeves, which do not fit well under coats.

Vest done up to the waist - I like it best like this, as it's easier for walking. 

Masked up. 

That is a goofy pose, but it shows off the inner shiny tan lining of this swooshy flamenco skirt. It's very swirly. 

Done up all the way. 

This is very cocoon-like and snuggly. 

With my outerwear accoutrements. 

This would be perfect for one of our outside park gatherings. 

And with my cross-body purse. 

I'm ready for adventure! 

Accoutrements: 

One of the reasons I love long leather/suede gloves is that they cover my lower arms/wrists completely when I'm wearing a top/coat that's not full-length. 

• Fur scarf - thrifted
• Leather/cashmere gloves - Club Monaco, consignment
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

An assortment of goodies that no one but Mom saw. 

• Purse - Roots, thrifted
• Belt - thrifted
• Brass/copper cuff - Karen's
• Brass/leather cuff - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Bronze ring - vintage mall, purchased here for $15.00
• Earrings - thrifted
• Necklace - Plum, c. 2008

Boots: 

I alternate these and my white Doc Martens for walking to and from work - they aren't really tracked, but I've worn them hundreds of time in the 10+ years that I've had them. 

Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary

Mom picked me up and we drove to Swan Lake, which is a two-part nature sanctuary. We visited the lake portion - the Christmas Hill section is across a busy highway. I haven't been to Swan Lake since probably the 90s, although I've been in the area as Vero lives really close. 

Read more about Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary here (all links 'cause I love). 

As you can see, the fog lifted and we had that cuttingly bright January sunshine. It made for a beautiful - but cold - day. 

It was pretty quiet - we didn't encounter too many people. 

We walked up to the lake and followed the path over the "boardwalk" and back, and then visited the dock that extends out into the lake. 

If you've ever driven the Pat Bay Hightway to the Victoria airport or to the ferry terminal to Vancouver, you've driven past Swan Lake. 

The area that we walked along has all been recently restored, with new walkways put into place. 

But first we strolled along the trail. 

Mom's doing well with her walking poles. 

And she's showing off her own pair of Big Boss Lady Pants, which are soft bamboo fabric.

I was very excited to see a Turtle Crossing! 

I was watching for turtles, but didn't see any.

The sun coming through the bare branches. 

No dogs are permitted in the sanctuary, so birds are hopping around everywhere. 

This is the new walkway over the marsh. 

On either side, the water is covered with algae. 

The mallard ducks were also plentiful, mostly paired up and likely looking for nesting areas. Mom said that there are a lot of ducklings in spring here. 

Two lady ducks. 

They were not shy, squawking away at us. 

This section of the walkway goes across an bay in the lake. 

You can walk all the way around the lake - it's about 8km. 

This dock just floats on its own. 

The marsh grass is all dry and dull. 

The gentleman in the side area was taking pictures of the trees behind us. 

And we'd seen a few folks craning up at the trees, but couldn't see what they were looking at. 

Oh, this is a better angle. 

It's an eagle nest! By the white head, that is definitely a bald eagle. 

Look at this beautiful duck. 

She's sexy and she knows it. 

There are cat-tails/bullrushes. 

They always remind me of hotdogs on sticks - ready for roasting over a campfire. 

This is the tree where the eagle nest is.

As we crossed over the bay, Mom gasped. 

A heron! 

He was watching us. 

What a lovely fellow. 

This duck is a Hooded Merganser (link here).

I didn't actually know this - the Swan Lake website links to this awesome site for listing all birds seen by birdwatchers.

And our gent here is a Great Blue Heron (link here).  

There was another heron about 4 meters along from this one, but I couldn't get any good pics of her. 

The sun on the lake. 

You can just hear the cars on the highway from here. 

Mom. 

That's Christmas Hill directly behind her. I was sad to see that giant apartment building on it. There used to just be a few houses dotting the hill. 

I found a feather dappled with dew. 

Totally a duck feather. 

Mom and I walked to this bench and sat for a while. 

We enjoyed the feel of the sun on our faces. 

This tree was towering over me. 

I like this pic of Mom. 

It was so good to get out again together. 

Walking back.

The afternoon sun gave us long shadows.

My coat is blowing open there. 

Red berries. 

Such blue BLUE sky! 

Mom called this a "dancing tree."

I get that. 

More ducks. 

Beautiful green heads. 

Ducks are one of my favourite birds. 

We walked in front of the Nature Centre. 

I love that they've restored so much of the natural vegetation. 

There's a myriad of paths, stairs, and areas to explore.

We walked to Founders' Wharf. 

It's a great spot for views. 

We were worried we'd ruin that photographer's shot, but he was looking at something above us.

It's our eagle! 

My little camera did pretty good on that zoom. 

This is a lovely spot. 

We were not the only ones taking pictures. 

There's the walkway at the bay across the lake. 

More ducks. 

Mom did really well with her walking poles. 

She's set a goal to walk around the lake by summer. Love it. 

Bald eagle again. 

It's quite mature, over 4 years old. That's likely an established nest that they use every year. 

From the wharf, we walked up to the Nature House. 

However, it wasn't open due to staff shortages (thanks a bunch, pandemic). 

I was able to peek inside and take a couple of pictures. 

Ooh, taxidermy. I see a racoon, an otter and a heron. 

I also spotted a garter snake in an enclosure. 

That lamp looks warm. 

On the other side of the room, a turtle was scoping me out. 

Finally! A turtle! 

A selfie in the car window. 

And we headed off for lunch at White Spot (a western Canada restaurant chain). 

Mom showing her lovely sweater and another gorgeous necklace. The white marks on her face are from the sun streaming through the wooden shutters.

We had a lovely lunch of burgers (yum!) and then I caught the bus home. 

Thanks so much for the wonderful day, Mom! I really needed a day outside. 

And a day with my mom. Love you! 

I hope you enjoyed our adventure, my friends! Thanks for reading!