The Saanich Inlet shimmered like blue silk under a vast and cloudless sky. Mount Baker rose stark and white above the receding swathes of evergreen that were the Peninsula and the Gulf Islands beyond. Perched on a driftwood log, Lydia watched the tide roll in far down the pebble beach. The two dogs led Tyler, Drew and Cecily through the shallows, searching for shells and crabs amongst the tangles of seaweed. Lydia smiled as, with each new find, their delighted cries carried over the near-empty beach. On the shore, Scott stood watch over them, his foot cocked on a piece of driftwood.

From Dogwood Summer, my first novel.