November AND December Choices!

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish three or four photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite November AND December photos, some from 2016 and some from 2015. The printing deadline is closer than I thought so I am speeding up the pace. There are four to choose from today. Which TWO of these do you prefer?

Bear Hill

Songhees Point

Snow

The Inner Harbour Causeway and Legislative Assembly

Autumn Sunset

September was summery but With the advent of October it became clear that autumn has arrived. The air is thinner and the wind is cold and blustery. One is surprised by long shadows in what seems like mid-afternoon. Here Victoria's downtown catches the last slanting rays of the setting sun. This is the view from Songhees Point.

Inner Harbour Autumn

Though there has been a real nip in the air, the last few days have been so bright and sunny that it has been impossible to resist going out and enjoying the fall colors. This is one of my favorite views of Victoria, the Inner Harbour from Songhees Point.

Canada Day Fireworks

Canada Day would not be complete without fireworks! And like old barns and sunsets, if you have your camera in hand you can't help but try and take a few shots. I like this one with the totem pole silhouetted by the fireworks, it's a nice juxtaposition. -Fern

Skyline

Our weather has warmed up for the last few days with the return of the damp gray skies. Here's a shot from earlier this week when the sun was shining. This was taken near Songhees Point (that's the rocky point on the left) on New Year's day. Lots of Victorians were out walking around enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa

Victoria is a very tourist-oriented city so there are lots of places to stay, especially B&Bs and of course many hotels. Aside from the Empress I have not paid much attention to hotels on this blog since I rarely visit them. Here is one I pass often, however, on my way downtown since it is the first building on the Victoria West side of the Johnson Street Bridge and occupies much of Songhees Point, the beginning of the Westsong Walkway. It is called the Ocean Pointe Resort and I suspect it is quite a nice place to stay. It is certainly very convenient to downtown. Perhaps someone can tell me sometime why the word Pointe in their name is spelled with an e on the end. It would also be interesting to know why a building situated on Songhees Point is called Ocean Pointe.

Westsong Condominiums

Although I ride past these condominiums almost every day I tend to ignore them when it comes to taking pictures. For me there is something wrong with this area. The location is sublime, the buildings are beautifully finished and maintained but the neighbourhood is dead. It's a little like walking around in a graveyard. Perhaps this is because there are a lot of absentee owners and that there are no children. There are also no stores, post offices, shopping centers, playgrounds and most of the time, not very many people.

Songhees Point 2

Songhees Point is named for the Songhees Nation. During the early days of Victoria's history, the native peoples lived on the opposite side of the harbour from Fort Victoria. Now this area is occupied by an ever-increasing number of condominiums. The totems on Songhees Point as well as being objects of beauty in themselves also serve to remind us of the original inhabitants of this area and their rich culture.

PAH-lu-tsuss (Songhees Point)

This unusual object is one of seven placed around Victoria's Inner Harbour marking places of cultural significance to the Lekwungen (Songhees Nation). The carvings by Songhees artist, Butch Dick, are enlargements of a spindle whorl, a small disk traditionally used for spinning wool. The marker above is located at Songhees Point near the beginning of the Westsong Walkway, on a small headland called PAH-lu-tsuss, which means "cradle-board."

Traditionally, once infants had learned to walk, their cradles were placed at this sacred headland because of the spiritual power of the water here. More recently, there was a settlement here, and subsequently an Indian reserve, that traded with the fort on the opposite shore. This place is also known as Songhees Point.

Below left is a close-up of the marker. In the photo below right we can see another spindle whorl on the opposite shore of the Inner Harbour at Laurel Point. It marks a First Nations burial ground in use until 1850.The quote above and additional information about these markers can be found by clicking "Signs of Lekwungen." More information about Victoria's early days and relations between the Native Peoples and the European settlers may be found by clicking HERE.