Canada 150

As part of the Canada 150 celebrations a very large CANADA 150 sign was installed on Ship Point Pier and quickly became a popular jungle gym for kids.

Mather Hewison

I was happy today to catch a performance by Mather Hewison, a veteran causeway performer. Mather plays vintage rock 'n roll with gusto and it's always a pleasure to listen to him. (Today was really HOT and BRIGHT - for me it was the first real summer day.)

August 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 August 2016 photos. There are four to choose from today. Like July, August is a good time to get out and enjoy the outdoors and these photos reflect the fact that Victoria is like a giant theme park in the summer. Two of these photos are of the Inner Harbour - after all, it's the heart of the city and is where most people hang out in the summer. The other two are both of Hatley Park. Which of these do you prefer?

Sunset on the Inner Harbour

Italian Garden - Hatley Park

Hatley Castle

The Inner Harbour after Dark

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.

From Songhees Point

As I was downtown after dark on the weekend I thought a few night shots of the Inner Harbour might make a nice break from all those delightful mushrooms we've been seeing recently on our forest walks.

Bijoux Du Bayou

I've got lots of old favourites among the street performers but I'm always happy to see and hear something new. The group pictured here describe themselves as a "Cajun-Zydeco Swing Dance Band" but seemed to be capable of playing anything and giving it their own unique style. I'm not familiar with Cajun music and I really enjoyed getting a taste of it.

Shipshape 2

When the last bit of rope has been flemished and all is shipshape, it's time to relax.

Shipshape

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "shipshape" means clean, neat, and tidy : organized and in good condition. I wouldn't go so far as to say all the Classic Boat Festival boat owners are suffering from OCD but I am always impressed by just how perfectly everything is taken care of, down to the last tiny bit of brass. It reminds me of those beautiful classic cars that we see from time to time - every last nut and bolt is gleaming, every last little detail is taken care of.

Classic Boat Festival 2

The Classic Boat Festival is one of those events I admire in that lots of people come and enjoy showing off their beautiful boats and lots of Victorians walk around the docks and enjoy looking at the beautiful boats and it's all free. Many of the boat owners will even welcome you on board and give you a tour.

Classic Boat Festival

To continue with our discussion of the "everything" photo, here, representing the Classic Boat Festival, is the kind of photo that seems to be the opposite of the "everything" photo. Although it is still quite busy it is pretty clearly focused on that weird ventilation pipe. To me this kind of pipe always brings up nautical associations though I know such pipes are also found on the roofs of tall buildings. However, in this photo, the canvas wrapped lifeboat and the signal flags in the background affirm the nautical nature of the photo. I also like the many geometrical shapes and diagonal lines in this photo, most of which are in dynamic opposition to the ventilation pipe and its uncompromising upright stance.

Mix and Match

There is always some interesting music on the Inner Harbour Causeway and one of the reasons is that the musicians often jam together in various combinations. I've not before seen the trio above, for instance, although I've often seen them playing with others. From the left, playing the big stand-up bass is Cairo Kennedy, who often often plays with his sister Autumn and father Caleb. He also plays in a local group of young musicians called The Colts. In the center is Harbour Nolan, who also plays with the Colts, generally on drums but here showing his skills on ukulele and harmonica. On the right is Jaime Nolan, Harbour's father, who often plays the causeway as a one-man-band - guitar, harmonica and foot drum. The music was good but perhaps what was most enjoyable was the fun this group was having while performing.

Night Market - The View

As well as music, the night market on Ship Point Pier has all sorts of crafts and arts for sale and services like massage too, but whether you buy anything or not, while you browse you can enjoy the view. It always looks pretty good but is especially magical just as the sun goes down and the lights on the legislature begin to twinkle.

Special Occasion

Friday night was a special occasion on Victoria's Inner Harbour Causeway. August 12th marked the 60th birthday of the city's best-known busker, veteran blues musician Dave "One-Man-Band" Harris. The date also marked Dave's 40th year as a busker here in Victoria. In celebrating his birthday Dave was joined by a large crowd of friends, fans, and fellow musicians and buskers. Many of his fellow musicians joined him onstage.In the photo above the musicians are (from the left), Landen Shaw (guitar), Charles Gates (snare drum), Mike Kraft (banjo), Dave Harris, and Clark Brendon (bass). Dave's wife Jane somehow provided cake for everyone in the happy crowd to cap what was truly a memorable celebration. Happy Birthday Dave!

A Little Later...

...in the evening after the photo posted yesterday.

BC Day

Today is BC Day and seeing as I took this nice postcardy view of the Inner Harbour and the BC Legislature a few days ago in the early evening this seems an appropriate day to share it.

Copper Cowgirl

Here's another perennial performer on Victoria's Inner Harbour Causeway, the Copper Cowgirl. Her mime never fails to amuse and entertain passersby, especially kids. While other mimes here generally cover their eyes with masks or sunglasses, Copper Cowgirl makes good use of a pair of striking blue eyes.

Colour Explosion

Last nights sunset was really quite spectacular and so of course there were many folks out, all with cameras in hand. - Fern and Rosie