Nice Bike Rack

The art of the Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast is world famous and of course we have lots of it around here but I thought this was an especially nice modern example of it on a bike rack at Fisherman's Wharf. I don't know who did the Orca design but it is very attractive.

Holland Point

Late this afternoon I went for a brief drive along Dallas Road and stopped to enjoy one of my favorite coastal scenes, Holland Point. I've photographed it many times but it's always different.

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf was busy over the long weekend too. That crowd on the right are watching the harbour seals, a popular attraction.

Shooting Stars

Here's another local wildflower that was blooming in the same meadow as pictured yesterday. These are commonly called Shooting Stars, one of many species of Dodecatheon.

Beacon Hill Park

Famous local artist and author Emily Carr wrote about her love for Fawn Lilies and whenever I see these in Beacon Hill Park, I imagine that she must have been thinking of this particular meadow. Indeed, her house is only a few minutes walk from where I took this photo on Tuesday.

Cherry Blossoms

One more before the season's over. Our weather is still too cold and cloudy to seem like spring but blossoms like these make it seem a little warmer.

Kiteboarding

On sunny days if there is any wind at all you can almost always find kiteboarders in the bay that lies off Dallas Road between Clover and Finlayson Points.

James Bay Community Market

I had a pleasant time last Saturday checking out the James Bay Community Market. There's all kinds of interesting crafts and homegrown goodies to buy, food to eat and music. Last week the group playing was Knacker's Yard, a great local band. The market happens every Saturday throughout the summer.

Time Machine

We were walking to a friend's house the other evening and when we turned onto the street where I grew up I felt like we'd gone back in time. My mom had a yellow bug and there it was parked on the road just down from the corner store where we bought our bread and milk (and as much candy as I could buy with my weekly allowance). - Fern

Something Strange Is Going On In James Bay

This tree on the corner of Oswego and Simcoe has some new 'limbs' and it certainly was a bit of a surprise to come across. Is this a experiment with GMOs by a mad scientist? - Fern

Fisherman's Wharf

Though I feature photos of Victoria's Fisherman's Wharf fairly often I usually focus on the colorful houseboats. Fisherman's Wharf is also home to many working fishing boats and fresh seafood of all kinds is readily available at the fish market on the wharf or sometimes directly from fishermen themselves. In this photo you can see the colorful houseboats in the background on the right and some of the fishing boats in the foreground.

Fisherman's Wharf

Sunshine earlier this week lured me over to Fisherman's Wharf. It's not a difficult segue from the most recent posts of Songhees Point since the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort and the old Blue Bridge are visible (on the right) in this photo taken from the southern side of the Inner Harbour where Fisherman's Wharf is located. Some of the colorful houseboats that are a Fisherman's Wharf trademark can be seen on the left.

Carr House

It's been several years since I visited the house in James Bay where Emily Carr grew up and spent much of her adult life. When I stopped there last Sunday, however, I discovered it is only open during the tourist season from May until September. A National Historic Site, it's well worth a visit. It's a lovely old house still looking as good, I'm sure, as when our most famous artist lived there.

Light and Dark

When the sun hits the wet pavement the reflected light is intense. - Fern

Spanish Civil War

This monument near the Legislative Assembly Building commemorates Canadians who fought against Fascism in the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939. You can read the details on the plaque in the photo below. The phrase slightly cut off at the bottom reads "No pasarán." It's taken from an inspiring speech given during the siege of Madrid in 1936 and means, "They shall not pass!" The siege was broken in 1939 and followed by 35 years of Franco's dictatorship. About 600 Canadians died before the civil war was ended. Many of the 1,000 who returned to Canada then joined the Canadian army to continue to battle Fascism during WW2.

Part of Our Working Harbour

Fisherman's Wharf is well known for it's houseboats and fish-n-chips eateries but it is still home to a fleet of fishing boats and I always love to take a stroll along the wharves to have a look. Just be sure to keep a close eye on where you're walking! - Fern

Red-letter Day

A couple of days ago Fern and I went to Macaulay Point at sunset to capture the full moon rising over the city. Unfortunately the rising full moon was hidden by a low bank of cloud. Nevertheless, the sunset was dramatic enough to make the trip worthwhile. But what really made the day for me was the little dim, blurry photo to the right, taken after sunset. It's not a clear photo but it's clear enough to enable identification of a bird that is new to me. This is an adult male Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata). Despite the poor quality of the photo the distinctive head markings identify this bird clearly. When even the Surf Scoter was no longer visible I turned the camera to the skyline to capture the lighted dome of the Legislative Assembly Building towering above the houses of James Bay.

Ogden Point and the Juan De Fuca Strait

Can you feel the weight of those clouds? I can. - Fern Long

Gazebo #2

Here's another gazebo. This one is located in Fisherman's Wharf Park, a newly refurbished park that overlooks Fisherman's Wharf in James Bay. We'll have a closer look at some of the other features of this park next week.

James Bay

Friends from out of town are staying at the lovely Oswego Hotel on the seventh floor and have this beautiful view looking out toward the Olympic Mountains. -fern