Valentine's gifts from Mother Nature

I knew it was going to be a good day yesterday when the first thing I saw as I let the dogs out in the morning was an eagle greeting the morning sunrise:

Hey! Get up!  It's Valentine's Day!

I took Shiloh for her walk on the beach, then Mitzi.  And shortly thereafter, Bonnie and I took Eddie and Keaghan to Grace Road Park.  On the way, we had to stop while a large family of peahens crossed our path, likely from this same family that I saw a year or two ago:

Pea hens enroute to Grace Road Park

One large peahen had difficulty deciding whether to cross or wait, bringing a smile to my face.

A few minutes later a large, beautiful rainbow appeared to the north - our destination was  near the rainbow's end.  And while we didn't find a pot of gold, we certainly found scenes worth just as much.  Though we've had very little snow or rain, there must have been a lot more up high in the mountains for suddenly there wasn't just one waterfall in Grace Road Park, but several  cascading down the cliffs of Copper Canyon.

A new waterfall at Grace Road Park
It appears to come straight out of the cliff.
A new culvert under a logging  road, perhaps?

Water cascades down the cliffs

An outcrop of copper-coloured rock diverts the fall

Banon Falls is a torrent this time

And a golden prism of colour cut across
this sheet of water.

The dogs didn't seem perturbed by the higher-and-faster-than-usual river or falling water, though we took care to call them away from it.  Still, they were more interested in pee-mail and other interesting smells.

Gazehound Keaghan might have fancied he saw something in the distance, or maybe he was just enjoying the beautiful view.

I liked the shadow of a tall skinny tree against the sandy-surfaced canyon wall,

particularly near the top where the curve of the tree's shadow followed the curve of the rock:

On the hike back up to the cars, repeated gunshots across the canyon  unnerved us, and especially Anxious Eddie, but we made it safely to our cars and back towards home, accompanied by yet another large and colourful rainbow.

While Eddie and I were out, the other critters apparently amused themselves by making Valentine's cards for you:

Then Mother Nature gave us all one last Valentine's gift as we looked out the back door just as dusk fell - a rosy-red sunset reflected in puffy clouds above the ocean, islands and North Shore mountains.

Reflections of sunset
From my back yard

You don't have to be part of a couple to have a good Valentine's Day.  Sometimes loving life is the best kind of love of all.  Especially when that life is shared with a family of critters and Mother Nature.