Happy New Year!

Here's what Victoria looked like on the last day of 2016. This is the view overlooking the Matson Lands across the Inner Harbour towards the city. We extend our greetings to everyone who visits this page and wish you a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Snowdrops!

Well, these are always the earliest of spring flowers, but I was surprised to see these when I went for a walk today - a beautiful sunshiny day. I've just checked previous years' photos and I don't generally see these lovely little blooms until mid-January or later.

Jeff Maltby - Public Works Mural

Here is the final Maltby mural in the little retrospective we've been having. This one is on the side of a building in the City of Victoria's Public Works yard, only a stone's throw from the recycling mural viewed yesterday. It's another of Maltby's time travel murals with the older scene on our right and the modern view on the left. The title is "Public Works Through the Years". When I look at these paintings as a body of work, what comes to mind is Diego Rivera's many murals in Mexico City. Although Maltby's murals lack that revolutionary fervor, in their own quiet way they too tell some of the story of this place. Would that there were more of them.

Jeff Maltby - The Ellice Recycle Mural

This Maltby mural dwarfs the ones seen so far - it's 152 Feet wide (46 meters). Though we tend to think of recycling as a modern practice, in this mural we are reminded that people have been recycling for a long time. Perhaps we just do it a little more conscientiously now. As usual there's lots to see in a Maltby mural.

Jeff Maltby - Chinatown Murals 3

Above is a detail from Jeff Maltby's third Chinatown mural just a few steps away from the two previously posted. I like this detail because these kids just look so nice, especially the one on the right looking right out of the picture at us. Below we can see the whole mural - a tour de force trompe l'oeil.

Take few steps back to see this amazing mural in context. Some parts of it, like the sign for the restaurant on the upper right are actually real.

I think it's a tribute to this artist that although these paintings are right at street level and you can walk right up to them and touch them they (and the other Maltby murals) remain free of graffiti or other gratuitous damage and these are nine years old.

Christmas Day Walk

After all the holiday rush and excitement it was nice to take a walk and enjoy the crisp and quiet day. As we were heading home we came across an empty lot where there were frozen puddles and there is nothing more satisfying than the crunch and crack of ice underfoot. This photo was taken by another photographer in the family, Molly as I was apparently having too much fun stomping around. - Fern

Merry Christmas!

Here's our tree, moments before we fell on all those gorgeously wrapped packages. I hope your Christmas was as merry as ours and that you have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Jeff Maltby - Chinatown Murals 2

Just around the corner from the painting I posted yesterday, in the passageway leading from Pioneer Square to Fisgard Street is this interesting mural. It takes us on a little voyage through time with the three children running towards the Chinese Public School, the distinctive steps of which can be seen in the background. The picture fades from black and white to color from left to right as history progesses with the first little boy wearing what may have been a school uniform of 1909, the year the Chinese Public School was opened. The little girl is dressed in '50s style - look at those saddle shoes. And the little boy on the right with his skateboard and crash helmet is definitely from the modern era. The way the painting is hung, the children are running towards the Chinese Public School on the opposite side of Fisgard Street as they may well have done through this passageway years ago.

Jeff Maltby - Chinatown Murals 1

On Fisgard Street, Victoria's Chinatown's main street, there are three Maltby murals. The one pictured above may be found opposite the Chinese Public School. It is a group portrait of the Lee Mong Kow family of Chinese immigrants in 1905. Maltby always manages to bring his characters to life with thoughtful, friendly expressions.

Jeff Maltby 4

Here is the triptych featured in the last three days' posts in its entirety. On the left is a photo of the artist, Jeff Maltby, taken in 2012 by Globe and Mail photographer, Chad Hipolito. We'll have a look at Mr. Maltby's other murals over the next week or so.

Jeff Maltby 3

Here is the third panel of the mural triptych on the corner of Fort and Langley Streets downtown. I would have found this less accessible than the other two panels were it not for an article in the Globe & Mail that describes it as, "...three people shouting from a window, an homage to a scene from the movie It’s a Wonderful Life." Click the link to read the article - it has some good background information on Mr. Maltby and his murals.

Jeff Maltby 2

Here is the center panel/window in the Jeff Maltby triptych on the corner of Fort and Langley Streets downtown. Among the many features I love about these Maltby murals are the details. For instance, you have already glanced at this photo but did you notice the hummingbird feeder? And the hummingbirds? Click the photo to make it larger to pick up on the details. There are also some bubbles in the air - look at the mural photo I posted yesterday and you will see the kids are blowing bubbles.

Jeff Maltby - Victoria's Muralist

When I was downtown on the weekend I chanced to park near this Jeff Maltby mural, one of three on the side of a nearby building. I was struck again by the remarkable skill of this artist and our great good fortune to have such talent displayed freely on our downtown streets. Mr. Maltby has been commissioned several times to create murals in different parts of the city. Most of them have been featured in this blog over the years and I plan to do a little retrospective over the next week.

Homeward Bound

It was an act of real discipline to go out on the deck yesterday to snap a few hurried pictures before my hands froze. It is always beautiful sailing through the gulf islands, no matter what the weather. - Fern

Bard & Banker in Christmas Ribbons

While downtown yesterday visiting the mall I couldn't resist taking a photo of one of my favorite heritage buildings on Government Street, the Bard & Banker, looking Christmassy in red ribbons.

Mall Time

I spent the morning in a kind of place found in pretty well every city and town on this planet - the mall. Victoria has a half dozen of these and this one, the Bay Mall downtown, is my favorite Christmas shopping venue. It wasn't too crowded this morning but on the weekend it will be packed.I hope you have all your Christmas shopping done!

One Flock of Flickers....

...and a partridge in a pear tree. A Flock of Flickers is not in the old Christmas carol but it sounds like it could be. It seems that Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), though I've only seen single birds or couples in the spring and summer, like to flock in larger numbers in the winter. There's only one visible in this photo (upper right) but there were four of them altogether foraging for insects in the Matson Lands above the West Bay Walkway. Like other members of the woodpecker family Flickers seek out insects in tree bark but they also forage for bugs on the ground. Perhaps that's the reason we see more of them in the city than other members of the family. (NOT the greatest bird photo but I didn't have a telephoto lens with me that day.)

Powder-puff Clouds

Yesterday just as I was leaving the West Bay Walkway I turned back and saw this view towards the West Bay Marina. Actually it was the clouds that caught my attention. Those soft, fluffy, cotton-batting clouds always make me think of warm winds and summer days even though the temperature was hovering around freezing.

The View from Swallows Landing

It was a brisk and sunny day today so I took the opportunity to take in one of my favorite views of the city, from the terrace at Swallows Landing, just above the Matson Lands in Esquimalt. As you can see, our snow has gone just as quick as it came.

Whee!

Well, that snow is gone now, though we may get some more before winter's over. Victoria doesn't get much snow - I don't think we had any last winter. But when we do get some, Victorians like to get out and enjoy it as much as possible. This was the scene last week in Banfield Park in Vic West.

After the Melt

Victoria had an exciting week of snowy weather but it wasn't until today that I had time to go for a walk and sadly the beautiful blanket of white is all gone. Most of the year this house with it's steepled roof is almost completely invisible behind a screen of trees but with the leaves all gone, it reappears looking a little spooky. - Fern

Snowman's Best Friend...

...is a Snowdog!

More Snow

We had about 3 inches more snow last night but it's melting pretty fast.

Pioneer Square Christmas Tree

This giant Sequoia grows in Pioneer Square right next to Victoria City Hall. You can't see it in the daylight but it is festooned with Christmas Lights at this time of year and the square is the scene of other seasonal activities. There is even a Ferris Wheel. That white stuff on the ground is snow, real snow.

White Stuff

Well. I walked outside the other morning and this is what I saw. Where is global warming when you need it?

2017 Bluesville

The above trio are a Victoria-based blues band called "Slim & The Deuces". They contacted me last week and asked if I would like to take some photos to use on their latest CD. On Friday I spent about an hour with them down on Store Street in old town Victoria. One of the cuts on their CD is entitled "Store Street Shuffle" and they wanted some photographs to include the street sign if possible. Above is one of the many photos I took that day. From the left, band members are John Hunter, Dave "Slim" Harris, and George Fenn. For me it was a great opportunity to try some new techniques and work with interesting, congenial people. Below is a little taste of their music from a live recording made on Canada Day 2016 by Dave Harris.The song is the "Store Street Shuffle" by John Hunter. For the CD, the band is still in the studio and the CD will be released in early 2017, entitled "2017 Bluesville".

Esquimalt Celebration of Lights Parade

I always think of parades as events that happen in the spring or summer but I've just become aware that Victoria has as many parades in winter as at other times of the year. There's the Santa Claus parade just a few days ago, the Lighted Trucks parade on Saturday and pictured above and below are some of the sights from the Esquimalt Celebration of Lights parade. It also had lots of lighted trucks and young spectators were treated to lots of free candy and even free pizza. Though it was dark and cold I think it is safe to say that a great time was had by all.

Fan Tan Alley

One of Victoria's landmarks, this narrow alley runs between Fisgard Street (Chinatown) and Pandora Street and is full of interesting shops. It got it's name from a popular chinese gambling game called Fan Tan Guan when gambling and opium dens where around in the 1940's. It's always been one of my favorite spots in the city. - Fern

Rock Bay Mural Project

Over the last year or so a small bay off the Gorge called Rock Bay and the nearby shoreline area has been cleaned up. The area is now fenced and the fence diplays a large number of mural paintings from local First Nations artists and their youthful assistants. Above and below are a couple of samples from this attractive project. The project is called the Rock Bay Mural Project and you can find out more about it by clicking HERE. The work above, entitled "Horsetail Herb" is by Darlene Galt. Below is a design by Butch Dick called "Grandfather Sun".

Ho Ho Ho

Goodness! It's here again already! Here's how old I am: I remember going out to the bush with my father to cut down our Christmas tree. I was wearing felt boots, breeches and a parka and the bush, somewhere outside Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, had about two feet of snow on the ground. Nowadays all Christmas trees are designer trees from farms. Trees like those pictured above are a little too perfect. I kind of miss the skinny, stunted Christmas trees of yore that always had lots of space between the branches. (Or maybe it's the felt boots, breeches and my own little hatchet that I miss....)

Daniel Kingsbury

Here is a new mural I only noticed recently. It is a memorial for a young musician and environmental activist named Daniel Kingsbury, who died last year, aged 28. He founded and was the director of The Jellyfish Project, an organization that uses music to help educate schoolchildren about the environment. The mural is located on the wall of the Ageless Living store on Johnson Street downtown. You can find out more about Daniel Kingsbury HERE and HERE. The mural was painted by artist Ian George.

Janion Hotel Update

The Janion Hotel pictured here was one of old town Victoria's most derelict buildings until recent renovations. Below is what it looked like a few years ago. Above you can see that while adhering to the original style they have made some additions and improvements. The work is not finished yet but I am quite happy with the makeover of this heritage building.

Grindstone Cafe

Regular visitors here will know that I like to see murals on our buildings rather than ads or blank walls and here's another that I have not featured before though I see it several times a week. It's on the walls of the Grindstone Cafe on the corner of Herald and Store Streets in Victoria's old town. The artist is Mario Labonte.

Mushrooms Again

Here's the last of the mushrooms I collected on my visit to the forest at Royal Road University.

Architecture

This has become my calling card; the photograph of nothing. But it is something, it's that nondescript architecture from a certain era that is slowly disappearing and be replaced by condominiums. And it's the composition, I love the balcony and the shadow which mimics the shape. - Fern

The Belmont Building

The Belmont Building is probably Victoria's oldest Office Building, though it was originally planned as a hotel when it was built in 1912. I always enjoy the mural on the side though I have been unable to find out anything about it. There is another similar mural on the eastern side. The Belmont Building has a prime location on the corner of Government and Humboldt Streets, facing the Inner Harbour and the Empress Hotel.

Frankie's Modern Diner

I had the good fortune earlier this week to sample the fare at one of Victoria's newer restaurants, Frankie's Modern Diner. It's right on Government Street a block's walk up from the Inner Harbour Causeway. The menu is extensive and varied and the food and service both were very GOOD. The restaurant is on the second floor and overlooks Government Street and many of its heritage buildings.

Perfect Picnic Place

All those geese from yesterday's post were looking out on this view over the West Song Walkway - what I always think of as the perfect picnic spot, especially if you've got a couple of kids who want to explore the shore.

A-ten-SHUN!

Welcome to Esquimalt

The sign in the upper left marks the place where the West Bay Walkway crosses the border between the City of Victoria and the Township of Esquimalt. Generally when I write of Victoria I am referring to "Greater" Victoria, which includes much of the southern tip of Vancouver Island. However, strictly speaking the City of Victoria only occupies a small part of this area. Esquimalt lies to the west and a number of other communities lie on all sides of the city proper. What really interests me in this photo however is the way the low winter sun shines through the grass, making it glow.

Stormy Weather

Victoria is usually a sunny place but lately the weather has been pretty much as pictured above. This is the entrance to the Inner Harbour, Work Point on the right and the Ogden Point Breakwater beyond the rocks.You can see the people out for a Sunday stroll on the breakwater when the rain let up for awhile.