COVID-19 may have put the crimp on many of our out-of-country travel plans this summer – but it didn’t stop us from exploring – albeit of a more local flavour. We swam in lakes, kayaked on rivers, biked back roads and watched sunsets from the comfort of our back deck.
Some people, like Rebecca Frost, who works in the Bishop Mountain Hall cafeteria, weren’t able to travel at all. “I spent my summer painting. If you can’t go there, you can always paint a picture of it,” writes Frost. “This is my painting of Ambleside Beach in West Vancouver [right]. The original photo that I worked from was taken by Paul Warburton who gave me permission to do a painting of it. It’s a driftwood view of the beach.”
The Reporter’s annual vacation gallery (below) is proof that you don’t always need to travel far and wide to find fun and adventure.
We received submissions from students, staff, faculty and administrators, who provided the captions. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to include all the photos (some were too small and vertical pictures don’t work for our photo gallery).
Thank you to everyone who participated!
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"Initially was prepped to explore Asia this summer in anticipation of my Japan internship... instead became a tourist in my own city, Vancouver, BC! While following local social distancing regulations, I was able to explore and hike to Evan’s peak, went blue berry picking to support local farms, and went floating in Squamish. Make the most out of what happens."
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Mille Iles River looking towards the historic site of Ile-des-Moulins. Pedestrian Bridge crossing from Ile-des-Moulins to Ile St. Jean. Vieux Terrebonne
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Backyard sunsets, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
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"Son Charlie with homemade rod and reel in Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin (and that’s a caught fish, not bait)"
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Parc National des Hautes-Gorge, Charlevoix
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Bud Martin went into the summer with a long to-do list of home repairs. “All I managed was replacing the rotting tongue-and-groove decking out back,” he says, “but it’s very satisfying to watch the rain bead on the new pine. It’s basically my Sistine Chapel.” Bud adds that the project required renting a three horsepower air compressor, which he found “unreasonably exciting.”
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"I got a SECA grant from the Faculty of Science to enrich my science education so I used it to learn about wild mushrooms. Here I am collecting my first edible amanita mushrooms and finding my first chanterelles.
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Lac du Diable, near Mont-Albert, Parc national de la Gaspésie
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What life looks like to a 9 year old. Sunset swim at Sandbanks Provincial park
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"I made cheese curds for the first time with cream from my parents’ Jersey cow herd in Ormstown. This was just over 5 lbs of cheese! (It was SO delicious)"
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"This summer, my daughters and I took the time to watch the sunset while relaxing at our small, hobby agricultural business. This is a picture that I took at my farm."
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"Monster moth in Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin campground"
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"A ride and picnic with my son along the Corridor Aerobic bike trail."
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Trail-side pond, Parc national d’Aiguebelle
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Milles Iles River near the bridge crossing from Ile-des-Moulins to Ile St. Jean. Vieux Terrebonne.
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Hiking in the Parc du Fjord du Saguenay
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"One of the many gorgeous sunsets seen from Senneville on my daily evening walks. I have roughly clocked over 600 km in walks since the beginning of April. Great time to relax, enjoy nature, and listen to an audiobook, as long as you keep an eye out for skunks, raccoons and snakes. Mostly skunks (lots of close calls!)"
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Emily Chen spent the summer at her home in Massachusetts while interning remotely with Energie Baden-Württemberg Asia Pacific, which is based in Taipei, Taiwan. While she initially expected be in Taiwan for the two months of the internship, spending time on the back porch pictured here was quite relaxing and a great “outdoor” work spot!
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La castorière (beaver pond), Parc national d’Aiguebelle
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" Daughter Molly feeding giraffe a banana at Elmvale Jungle Zoo (Ontario) – feeding encouraged"
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Bike and Buddle ready to embark upon solo biking-camping trip
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The Buddle campsite - home sweet home
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Baie-Éternité, Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay
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"Initially I was prepped to explore Asia this summer in anticipation of my Japan internship... instead became a tourist in my own city, Vancouver, BC! While following local social distancing regulations, I was able to explore and hike to Evan’s peak, went blue berry picking to support local farms, and went floating in Squamish. Make the most out of what happens."
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Sunset on lac Gauvreau
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"I went with friends to a u-pick flower farm (Au Beau Pré) in St-Anicet, and selected these beautiful dahlias and some other colourful blooms. They are open select weekends in September too."
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"Son’s girlfriend Eva with perch in Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin"
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Wine tasting tour in Ontario's Prince Edward County
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Coucher de soleil Charlevoir : Beautiful sunset at Base de plein aire du lac Nairne
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View of the Mille Iles River from the walking path on Ile St. Jean. Near Vieux Terrebonne.
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"Enjoying the cotton-candy clouds that were the backdrop to some of my family’s dairy herd in Ormstown."
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Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin
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Lac-Chigoubiche, Réserve faunique Ashuapmushuan
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The boy contemplating a dip in the dark waters of Lac Rose