History in Stone

The City of Victoria has a very short history, being founded only 168 years ago. Most of us become aware of it through our carefully preserved oldest buildings such as Helmcken House or Craigflower Manor or by means of archival photos or documents from the early days of the city. But if we want to get closer to the people who made the history, the best place to visit is Ross Bay Cemetery because many of those whose names adorn our streets and places now rest there. Above is a photo of the grave of Lieutenant Peter Leech who gave his name to Leech River and Leechtown, about 60 kilometers from Victoria. Lt. Leech was a member of an expedition for the exploration of Vancouver Island that discovered gold in 1864. The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush (1858) had such a dramatic effect on the mainland of the province that the discovery of gold near Victoria tends to be overshadowed. Leechtown and nearby Boulder City had a population of about 4,000 before the gold ran out in 1865. There is a good short biography of Lt. Leech HERE. He died here in Victoria in 1899.

Chevy Winner

Every year a local weekly news and entertainment paper, Monday Magazine, runs a photo contest. A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to win a second prize in the Black & White category.. This year my photo of a friend's restored Chevrolet Pick-up took second prize in the Photoshop category. The photo was processed using Photomatix HDR software. If you're in Victoria, pick up a copy of this week's Monday Magazine (or click the link) to see this and other contest winners.

Homing In

When I came out of the local swimming pool the other day I found parked beside my modest plastic fendered scooter a motorcycle of such stunning and immaculate shininess I had to get my camera out. And when I had gorged on the chrome and polished steel I looked up just as this tiny insect was zeroing in on the bright pink blossoms cascading from a hanging container above my head. Photography can be wonderfully satisfying. All these photos were taken with one of my favorite lenses, the Takumar SMC f2.8 105mm, originally made for Pentax film cameras. I have to focus and set the aperture manually but it's worth it for such crisp contrasty photos.

Autumn Blossoms

Yes, autumn's definitely here but here's another shot from my recent trip to the Abkhazi Garden where the blooms will continue until the first frost is on the ground.

Autumn

On a morning that started out looking grey and windy we were treated to a few beautiful moments when the sun managed to break through. Typical fall weather. This is another shot of the Lochside Regional Trail, this time from Island View Road, looking south across the fields. - Fern