The water turned turquoise, the colour you would see on a tropical island with white sand.
The fishing boats emerged by the dozens. It seemed in some spots you could almost walk from boat to boat without getting wet.
The birds were going nuts, clamoring for their turn in the hundreds.
And this was just in one spot out front of the beautiful waterfront in Qualicum Beach.
The herring spawn is on, and the action is furious. What a spectacle for locals and tourists alike, and an important time of the year for those who make their living on the sea and for the sea creatures above and below the surface that time their life cycles around this event.
What's more, Mother Nature decided this incredible event would be all the more enjoyable with steady sunshine.
Yes, Sunday was one of those days that leave us in awe about where we live.
Friday was a bit like that too, in a different way.
Parksville honoured its community leaders Friday night at The Glassies. The Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce does a superb job organizing this important community event.
While there can only be one winner in each category, all of the nominees deserve our thanks — they make our communities better places to live.
We are also continually impressed by the readers of our newspaper. Many of you take the time and make the effort to write letters to editor that challenge, celebrate, question and generally contribute to the healthy discourse of a community.
We've received so many letters of late, we have been adding extra letters-to-the-editor pages in recent editions, including today's paper. The letters pages always have high readership and we believe they are an unofficial town hall forum that happens twice a week.
We encourage you to continue sending your letters to us (editor@pqbnews.com). You have a voice in your community, a place to debate the issues of the day or to pat someone on the back. That place is the letters-to-the-editor section of The NEWS, and we are more than happy to provide space for this kind of healthy back-and-forth.
You honour your community, yourself and us when you submit a letter to the editor. Thank- you, and please keep them coming.
— Editorial by John Harding