Link Ups, Vancouver Island

Desperately Seeking Glacier Blue

Retirement Reflections

This week, at #SundayStills, a colour challenge was posed: “Find and photograph glacier blue.”

According to www.classiccolors.com, glacier blue “reminds you of deep, arctic waters. Unlike warm, turquoise waters at tropical beaches, this blue water is light but looks cold. You could almost imagine the chunks of ice floating in it. This cool, greyish blue has a nice depth to it, yet it’s not too dark.”

Do you have this colour pictured in your mind? So did I…until a quick internet search yielded a diversity of options. The following paint samples were the beginning of ‘glacial blue’ images that Google flung out at me.

encycolorpedia.com

Confused yet? Me too!

Armed with my camera, I went out to capture clear, cold blues in which I could imagine floating chunks of ice. Being surrounded by Vancouver Islands crystal blue waters and stunning mountain views made my task a little easier, and definitely enjoyable.

(1) View of BC Coastal Mountain Range, (2) Peace Abide Nature Sanctuary,
(3) Parksville Boardwalk

For this challenge, I did not venture out to Vancouver Island’s five remaining glaciers (in 1970, we were home to 170 glaciers). You can learn more about them here. It is definitely worth the read.

In closing, I would like to wish my amazing mother a very happy birthday today. I’m every shade of blue that I cannot be with her in person on this very special occasion.

Thank you for joining me at #SundayStills.

Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

79 thoughts on “Desperately Seeking Glacier Blue”

  1. Hi Donna – Vancouver Island has sooooo much beauty – and so much water – you would have been spoilt for choice I’m sure with this challenge.
    Happy birthday to your lovely mum and I’m so sorry you aren’t together to celebrate it. So many things suck atm and that would be one of them I’m sure. Sending virtual hugs to you and one for your mum too xxx

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    1. Hi, Leanne – Erica recently asked me why I schedule my posts for midnight. I told her it was so that I could wake up to Leanne’s comments. No pressure at all! 😀
      You are right, Vancouver Island is stunning indeed. Richard and I are grateful to live here. But today, the long winter mountain pass between my mom and me (not to mention the pandemic restrictions) tears at my soul. Thank you for the virtual hugs. I need them!

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  2. SNAP!! I used a very similar quote…and will not be posting till later this week. What a lovely photo of you and your mother. I too am sorry you cannot be together. Denyse

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    1. Hi, Denyse – I think it’s great that we each used a similar quote for this challenge. You know what they say about great minds? Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to reading your post when you publish it later this week. See you there!

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  3. Lots of glacial blue where you live. I think the most amazing glacial blue I’ve seen was in Alaska, on a ship watching the glacier calf. The lost intense cold blue I have ever seen. Happy Birthday to your dear mom.

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  6. Donna, it’s wonderful you are near glaciers, but how dreadful that only five are left from 170! I love the sound of glacial blue and your photos are stunning! I feel myself reaching out for my scarf to warm up though! A very Happy Birthday to your mother. I understand that blue feeling, it’s my son’s 20th today … the first one away from home and although wonderful to video chat I miss those hugs!

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    1. Hi, Annika – Happy 20th birthday to your son. I totally get the feeling of being forced apart. Although I am grateful for video connections — they never are quite the same as IRL. I know that you and your son will be together in person soon (as will my mom and I be)! 😀

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    1. Hi, Kate – This past March my husband and I repainted the inside of our home. We painted both bathrooms blue (quite similar to Classic Colours Glacier Blue 304). 😀 It is the first time that I ever remember having any blue walls in my home (I’m kinda a taupe gal). It has been a refreshing change.
      Good luck with your upcoming move. I look forward to following along!

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  8. Your entire post is pleasing to the eyes, Donna. All of the beautiful blues! This may turn out to be an exercise like the gold or green dress from a few years ago. Wiki says the dress was confirmed as a “royal blue.” Happy Birthday to your Mom. A beautiful photo.xx

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    1. Thanks, Deb – So far, so good. My mom received her flowers, wine, chocolate and gift basket from me yesterday. The mailman also brought her a gift from my niece and brother-in-law and she received a free haircut from her hairdresser. So she has now decided that birthdays have their definite perks! 😀 Today she receives her cake and dinner for two. It’s actually dinner for four. Richard and I will be eating ours in Parksville, on the other side of her laptop screen! Have I mentioned before how grateful I am that my mom can use a laptop? I totally am!!
      Thank you for your friendship. It means a great deal to me.

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  11. If I ever leave Toronto, the moving truck is heading to Vancouver! Nice pictures and nice segue to your mom’s birthday 🙂 Happy Birthday 🎂 Hopefully, next year you can celebrate together 💗

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      1. I was on the island for an afternoon, years ago. Would love to go back when this Covid mess is over. Don’t think I’ll be moving though. A 5 hour flight from his grandchildren, my husband would freak 🙂

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  12. Oh you resemble your mom so much, Donna, happy birthday to her. Sorry you can’t be with her. Both my daughters’ birthdays are this month so I know how you feel! I loved your blue photos and I enjoyed the poll. I chose #3, but I could have chosen any of them. We hope to visit Glacier NP in Montana in the next 2 years.

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    1. Hi, Terri – Thank you for this lovely compliment. I’ve always been told that I look like my father (which is a definite win-win). Thank you for taking the poll. I haven’t taken it myself yet as I keep changing my mind about the truest ‘glacial blue’ colour. I like your choice of #3. Happy Birthday to your daughters. I look forward to following your trip to visit Glacier NP in Montana. That’s so cool (literally and figuratively)! 😀

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  13. Happy birthday to your lovely mother Donna, pretty as a peach (or a blueberry) and I love the blue umbrellas in the close background. I believe there are soooo many shades of blue, and metaphorical meanings to them. Like ‘feeling blue’. I remember a long time ago I wrote a post ‘Colour me Blue’ – I think I was feeling blue at the time. I’m thinking of introducing a shade of blue paint onto my study walls, something we were going to do around Feb/March last year but it’s been on hold for obvious reasons …

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  14. Happy birthday to your mom! So sad that you can’t be with her to help celebrate. Fun project! I am smitten by glacier blue. Cold though it might be, surely it is the most beautiful color in the world.

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      1. Hi, Laurie – It is very sobering. As soon as our current pandemic restrictions lift, a friend of mine and I will drive out together to see the glaciers in Courtney (less than 1.5 hours away). I truly can’t believe that I have not been out to see them yet.
        Thank you for the kind wishes!

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  15. Love your photos — blue is a lovely colour and you highlight it well here. Love how you turned the picture into a card with your mom. Nicely done. So awesome she can use a laptop — my mom is 95 and very blind so things like that are too much of a challenge for her. Hope you enjoyed the supper.

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  17. Hi Donna! I knew that your mom’s birthday was coming soon and I am not surprised to hear that your blues are prevalent today. I know how much you had hoped to be with her and celebrate. Please say happy birthday to her from Thom and I here in La Quinta. And hopefully when we come to Kelowna this summer we can hold a mini celebration with her (and you of course!) Just another way of extending this momentous occasion. ~Kathy

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    1. Thanks, Anabel – My mom and I have already phoned each other several times today. Some people would say that’s crazy…I’d say we’re survivors! 🙂
      BTW – I’ve never been much of a blue girl, but this colour is definitely growing on me!

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  19. Lovely shots of glacier blue Donna, and from your own area no less! What a beautiful place you live in. Happiest of birthdays to your mum today and I do feel for you with everything that’s going on that makes it just that bit more difficult to be together on this very special day. Hope things work out for you. I love that photo of you with your mum. Sending hugs from across the world. xx

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    1. Thanks, Deb – With our pandemic restrictions, extensions of those restrictions, and extensions of those extensions, I’ve needed to cancel my trip to visit my mom’s three times now. Missing her 90th birthday has been the hardest of all. I’ve definitely been feeling fragile. Our current restrictions go to February 8th. I’m trying to reside somewhere between hope, and not setting myself up for further despair. It’s a fine juggling act.
      I hope that all is well there. Sending you big hugs right back.
      BTW – did you notice your tag on Instagram? 😀

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  20. That sounds like the color of Lake Huron. It is always kind of a greyish blue, like your picture of the mountain range. Lake Michigan was always a brighter, tropical blue. More like your picture of the boardwalk.

    Your pictures are beautiful, by the way!

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    1. Hi, Bethany – I agree about the colour of Lake Huron! I grew up in Windsor, Ontario, and spent much time in surrounding areas in both Southern Ontario and Michigan.
      Thank you for your kind words about my photos. Even though I have two quality cameras collecting dust in my cupboard, I stubbornly stick with my Samsung phone camera. It makes spontaneous shots so much easier! 😀

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  21. Hi, Donna,
    I always love it when you share pictures of Vancouver Island. You live in a lovely part of the world. I love blue too! I took this picture of a thermal pool in Yellowstone last summer. the temperature is in the opposite direction of “Glacial,” but the colors are close enough. Have a great week! I wish my mom could use a laptop…

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  22. Hi Donna, Thank you for sharing your gorgeous photos. Wishing your Mom a very happy birthday! I hope the restrictions will lift soon plus vaccine rollout so you can see her in person.

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  24. Happy belated birthday, Donna’s mom! 🙂 I love your shots for the challenge – and the poll – Donna! I can see your having fun with all these new WordPress features. BC has a lot of really cool glacial lakes to fit the theme. My favorite is your first photo. Have a fabulous week!

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    1. Hi, Liesbet – Thank you for your kind wishes. They are not belated yet — my mother still has 5 hours left of her official birthday. I just spoke to her and she said that she has had a wonderful birthday despite the social distance and isolation. We’ve been on the phone together for much of the day and we tried to make it as if we were together while we were physically apart. I sent her and my stepfather a Skip the Dishes Birthday Dinner. It was my first experience with that company — and theirs too. It worked incredibly well and they both loved it. I also had birthday cake and wine delivered to them. Challenging times call for creative measures! 😀

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      1. Wow! What an amazing birthday you turned it into for her. I’m sure she was thrilled. You are soooo awesome, my friend. Funny thing… I wrote “belated” because I’m so far behind reading blogs, that I didn’t realize I picked yours out first and you actually posted it today, instead of days ago with the other blogs I am reading. Haha. Happy to be in time still! 🙂

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  25. I adore this colour palette – and know of a few pics for MZ I could use in this prompt, as well as last week’s pic of the pier. Happy birthday to your lovely mother. I adore the pic of you both.

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  27. Glacier Blue—this reminds me of those paint chips you get at the paint store. When I was teaching, I used to pick up a little summer work painting houses. I can’t tell you how many times I’d start only to have a customer say, “But this doesn’t look like what was on the paint chip.” One time a couple hired me and went on vacation without seeing the paint. When they got back, they decided they didn’t like the color, and I repainted the whole house in a different color.

    Happy birthday to your mom!

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  28. I like all shades of blue no matter what they’re called! After all, the names of colors are only there to entertain the sellers of paint and graphic artists! The rest of us just go with them. Lovely photos. Happy Birthday to your mother.

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    1. Hi, Ally – I have no idea why, but I’ve never been much of a blues girl. Until this past Christmas, I had owned only two pieces of blue clothing (other than jeans). I now have two more pieces!
      Working on this post made me appreciate blue more. I will now consciously try to expand my colour choices!
      BTW – According to Suzanne at Picture Retirement, those who are attracted to the colour blue are reliable and tidy. They tend to favour stability and solitude. They inspire trust, provide calm for others and are good listeners. That all sounds good to me! 😀

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  29. “Blue” was the perfect colour choice for this challenge – glacial or otherwise. I know how despondent you were that you couldn’t be with your mom on her birthday. Hugs to both of you 💕

    I didn’t know VI had glaciers! This beautiful island never ceases to amaze!!

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    1. Thanks so much, Joanne. My mom said that she had the best pandemic birthday ever! Once again, I am incredibly grateful for such a flexible and upbeat mother.
      About VI – we do have many surprising features here. You will need to come back this summer for further exploration! 😀

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      2. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’m feeling good about a summer reprieve. I have my fingers crossed. You should have been on the hike with Deb and me yesterday (we thought about you and knew you’d have a few fun things to say). 😀 Have her fill you in on the details!

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  31. I know that being unable to celebrate your mom’s birthday in person was hard on both of you. I’m sure she was able to feel the love from you even over the miles between. Blue is a favorite color of mine (you’d just have to look in my closet to tell that) and I love all of your pictures with different shades. Of course, I especially liked the one of you and your mother. Btw, I voted for #1.

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  32. Thanks, Janis – My mom and I have been discussing what we would do on this birthday for a very long time. Having to deal with the realization that I really wouldn’t be there in person was the hardest of all. But…due to modern technology, and to my mom’s positive and upbeat attitude, the day went very well. My mom said it was ‘the best pandemic birthday ever’. No wonder I adore her so much. She is honestly amazing!!

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    1. Hi, Suzanne – You are absolutely right — Vancouver Islanders have an incredible range of natural blues surrounding them. My difficulty was trying to figure out exactly what this colour was supposed to look like! I agree that they are all peaceful.

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  35. Hi Donna – colours are so different to us all … in my mind’s eye … I think about glacial moraine with snow around, and blue sky above … marine blue … the colours change so easily depending on the sky and clouds above. We have beautiful air here … ideal for painters … and blues vary so much – just glad the glaciers have receded pro-tem … interesting about your much fewer glaciers now. Congratulations to your wonderful happy looking Mum – with you … lots of happy birthdays ahead I hope. Stay safe – Hilary

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  36. So sorry to hear you can’t be with your Mom on this special day. Our Moms have experienced a great deal of isolation over these months. Hopefully we all can reconnect in person soon.
    When I think of glacier blue I think of our mountain lakes here which are turquoise from the glacial rock flour grinding below. The shade varies on the time of year depending how much melting is going on. The shades vary dramatically and I was surprised by the variety of paint sample swatches. All beautiful just different, much like the people of the world.

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  37. Donna, what a great idea to pair your photos with the paint chips and have people vote. That said, none of the paint chips quite matched the colour that is stored in my brain as “glacier blue.” I’m thinking of the cold clear ice blue colour you see if you peer into a glacial ice cave or crevice rather than the cool turquoise-grey shade of the ice flow.

    Jude

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    1. Hi, Jude – I like your vision of ‘glacier blue’. I was surprised how many different versions of this colour that Google has (and I only began to scratch the surface there). I’ve now learned never to walk into a paint store and say “I’d like glacier blue paint” without double-checking the actual colour first! 😀

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