Canadian Rockies

On a trip to the Canadian Rockies in 1991 with a friend the sheer beauty of the mountains, glaciers, forests, lakes and waterfalls stunned me. 

Now, more than 20 years later I travelled to Banff and Jasper with my parents and once again, the sheer beauty of the Canadian Rockies astonished me. 

 Sulphur Mountain offers a spectacular view of the Banff town site and Banff National Park.

Just outside of Banff is beautiful Lake Minnewanka

View of Jasper town site from Whistler Mountain

Medicine Lake - a lake that isn't a lake. During the summer, the lake is filled with glacial melt water which slowly disappears underground into a complex cave system. The water reappears further down in Maligne Canyon. 

The lake on September 6th, 2012

The lake on October 1st, 2012

Maligne Lake

Peyto Lake - one of the most photographed lakes along the Icefields Parkway. The lake gets its beautiful turquoise colour from glacial rock flour that flows into the lake in the summer.

A summer of volunteering

My first summer in Vancouver has been fabulous; I can’t believe how fast time goes by when you are having fun. When I signed up for my two volunteer jobs earlier this year, little did I know what to except and how they will work out.

One job was as Eco Ranger with the Stanley Park Ecology Society where we would go out with fellow Eco Rangers, walk around the park, educate visitors about the ecology and nature of Stanley Park as well as assist them with directions and tourist information. Stanley Park is with its 1000 acres one of the largest urban parks in the world 

Not only did I meet wonderful fellow volunteers, I also met some interesting and eccentric visitors and locals in the park. 

One of the challenges as Eco Rangers was educating people who were feeding wildlife with all sorts of human food about the impact of their actions on the animals. Yes, a raccoon looks cute but it can become quite aggressive and fearless of humans when it is being fed. At Stanley Park, more raccoons die of obesity than natural causes. One of my most memorable experiences was with a lady who was in the park with two little kids she was looking after. When I reminded her about the park's bylaw of not picking berries in the park, she started yelling at me, who I thought I was to tell her that, after all she had First Nations ancestors (she was blond, blue-eyed and definitely didn't ressemble a First Nations person) and that the white men took away all the land including Stanley Park from them. After trying to explain the purpose of us Eco Rangers to her she calmed down and after a long conversation with her, I gathered that she had some personal issues and just needed to vent. 

The other job was with Power to Be, an organization that offers adventure-based recreation activities for people with disabilities. I volunteered for their kayaking program that runs throughout the summer out of Deep Cove, a small town along Indian Arm just outside of Vancouver. Their kayaks are fitted with adaptive equipment (pontoons, paddle help, etc.) that allows youth and adults with various disabilities to go kayaking.  I have had participants with acquired brain injury, autism, cerebral palsy, paraplegia, eating disorder and mental health issues. Some participants actively paddle while others just enjoy the experience of being out on the water. 

It has been an amazing experience; first of all, I fell in love with kayaking and enjoyed being out in the nature, seeing the occasional seal and bald eagle or the numerous purple and orange starfish along the rocks during low tide. However, the most rewarding experience was to see the smile on a participant’s face that is just priceless. The participants wouldn’t be able to experience kayaking without organizations like Power to Be.  Thursday will be my last day kayaking for the summer and I will definitely miss it.

Since I enjoy recreational therapy I have decided to sign up with the Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sport organization that offers winter programs for people with disabilities, something to look forward to.

Tulips of the Valley

The Fraser Valley is known for its fresh local agricultural products and famers markets but in spring, the fields in the valley are lined with locally grown tulips. The fields in the valley are not as common and extensive as the ones in the Netherlands, however, the snow-capped mountains add a dramatic background.

One of the farms near Agassiz hosts a Tulip Festival each year and visitors can walk around their rainbow-colored field after paying an entrance fee of $3.00. Not being able to bike through the Dutch tulips fields this year, the tulip festival was a nice alternative and I got my tulip fix for another year :-).

Here are some facts from the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture relating to the flower industry:

B.C. is the largest producer of cut tulips and bulbs in Canada and within the province the tulip industry is a major player. Tulip market sales account for more than one-quarter of B.C.’s entire cut flower industry. In 2009, B.C. tulip growers hand-harvested approximately 21 million tulip stems. That same year, the entire cut flower industry contributed nearly $41 million to B.C.’s economy. 

·         Tulips are the main cut flower grown in B.C., with over 21 million stems produced in 2009.

·         In 2009, the cut flower industry contributed nearly $41 million to B.C.’s economy.

·         B.C.’s cut flower industry grows a diverse range of field and greenhouse-grown annuals, perennials, bulbs, ornamental grasses and woody cut flower crops.

·         Gerbera daisies are now the second major cut flower crop grown in B.C.

·         Other popular cut flowers grown in B.C. include alstomerias, spray chrysanthemums, daffodils, freesia, irises, standard roses and snapdragons.

Granville Street Photowalk

I have walked up and down Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver many times and depending on which direction you face, you can either watch the sun set over Granville Bridge to the South or enjoy the view of the snow capped mountains to the North.

The area closer to the Granville Bridge seems run down and sleazy with the occasional sex shop, tattoo studio and pizza place as well as a fair share of empty real estate space. Further up towards Robson Street, it turns into a pedestrian zone also known as the Granville Mall with department stores, shops, restaurants and bars. Granville Street is also a popular for panhandlers waiting for change given to them, while some just sit there with a cardboard sign in front of them, others actually are quite creative and recite poems or make music.

Apparently, Downtown Granville Street has been Vancouver's neon lit entertainment district for decades where cinemas and cinemas lined the streets along with pornography shops, strip clubs, pizza stores and arcades. Many of these businesses have been closed or replaced by bars and nightclubs as part of the city's "clean-up" in preparation of the 2010 Olympic Games.




















During a recent Photowalk with the Vancouver Photowalk MeetUp group I tried to capture some impressions of Granville Street as the sun was setting.

Stanley Park

During a recent photowalk with the Vancouver Photowalks Meetup Group, we discovered the beauty of Stanley Park.

Stanley Park, Vancouver's magnificent urban park, opened in 1888 by governor Lord Stanley, is great for hiking, biking, walking or running along the 8.8km seawall that loops around the park or along the numerous forested trails through the temperate rain forest. The seawall is divided into two sections, one lane is for cyclist and inline skaters and the other one is for walkers and joggers. On sunny days, it can get quite crowded along the seawall.

The park also has a couple of excellent beaches, ideal spots to take in the fantastic scenery and amazing sunset while enjoying a picnic.

Another great place for spectacular views is the Prospect Point overlooking the 'Lions Gate' Bridge, a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of the Burrard Inlet and connects downtown Vancouver with the North shore. Officially, the bridge is called the 'First Narrows' Bridge and the term 'Lions Gate' refers to two mountain peaks known as 'The Lions' north of Vancouver.



















Despite being Vancouver's main tourist attraction, it's a great place to relax and to spot the occasional wildlife such as blue herons, raccoons, seals, eagles, geese, squirrels and coyotes. Beaver Lake is a great place to spot waterfowl, beavers at work and the occasional turtle. In the summer, the surface of the lake is covered with waterlilies.



















There are also plenty of attractions for families and visitors in the park such as the Vancouver Aquarium, the horse-drawn carriage, the miniature train, the Second Beach Pool as well as several restaurants.

Granville Island

One of my favourite hangouts in Vancouver is Granville Island, an old industrial terrain along False Creek whose old factory buildings have successfully been renovated and now house artisan studios, arts and crafts shops, restaurants, cafes and theatres. On a sunny day it's a great place to sit on a waterfront terrace with a glass of wine listening to one of the many street artists and people-watching.

What draws me to Granville almost every week is the Granville Island Public Market, a food-lovers paradise with a fantastic assortment of stalls selling fresh local produce, seafood, meats, baked goods as well as international and exotic treats. Buskers are a regular fixture in and around the building and provide entertainment to the visitors. If you want to take your time and enjoy the market, come on a weekday when it's nice and quiet.

                        
                       

The market is not just a great place to buy food but also to taste it. There are many dining options on Granville Island, you can grab a bite from the small international food court inside the market or dine at a hip waterfront cafe or at a stylish restaurant. The choice is yours. 'Go Fish', a short walk along the seawall from the Granville Island entrance, is a popular seafood shack and is known as the city's best fish and chip joint. Their fish tacos, tuna sandwiches and daily specials - brought in by the local fishing boats - are also very tasty.

The highlight of my visit to Granville Island is the 15-minute ferry ride on the Aquabus back to Yaletown. Rain or shine, the ride along False Creek is always a pleasure and the ever changing light reflects on the high rise apartment buildings. Vancouver is just beautiful!

                      

Vancouver Grand Heritage Home

I have signed up with a MeetUp group that organizes photowalks around Vancouver. The organizer of the group was approached by a realtor to shoot a Tudor Revival styled home that was built along the Fraser River in 1925. The house was built by Willard Kitchen, a director at Pacific Great Eastern Railway, who raised three daughters here with his wife. Two of the daughters never married and the third one had a daughter who lived in the house until she passed away in 2006.

The house is now being sold for CAD$ 8.5 million and since it not considered a designated heritage property there is a possibility that it will be demolished.

Grand Heritage Home

Together with 30 other shutterbugs I had the opportunity to shoot this wonderful house with its amazing original details such as an intercom to call the servants, original light fixtures, an old safe and old bathrooms.

Intercom

Light fixtures with a touch or modern life

Attic room

The safe