Crocus!

So I went down to Beacon Hill Park today to see if I could find anything to photograph and look what turned up. It's a bit early but maybe these crocuses know something we don't. In any case it was a joy to see. Oh, please notice the smooth unfocused background in this photo. That creamy bokeh is thanks to that little lens I mentioned yesterday, the Helios 58mm.

Helios -44-2 58mm f2 Lens

We're having very blustery, changeable weather lately. Victoria has a weather pattern of cloudy/rainy mornings followed by clear, sunny afternoons and lately we've seen some ramped up versions of this with very cloudy stormy mornings followed by brilliantly clear windy afternoons. I took advantage of this weather yesterday afternoon to try out a little lens I got some time ago, a Helios 58mm f2 screw mount lens about 50 years old. This is a Russian made lens, all manual. I am impressed at this $10 item. The photo above has got lovely color a is very sharp - the 100% crop below will give you some idea of how sharp this lens is. It also has a beautiful and unusual bokeh I'll show you next week.

John Sebastian Helmcken

Just behind St. Ann's Schoolhouse that was pictured here yesterday is the house that belonged to John Sebastian Helmcken, probably my favorite amongst all our founding fathers. He was a medical doctor and in the statue above is pictured as he was probably often seen, leaving his house with his medical bag in one hand and his stethoscope around his neck. His house is the oldest house in the province that is still on its original foundation. He built it in 1852 next door to Governor James Douglas, whose daughter he married. You can find out more about him by clicking HERE.

St. Ann's Pioneer Schoolhouse

This modest little building on the Royal BC Museum grounds probably the earliest schoolhouse in the province. Below is information from a wall plaque on the site.

St. Ann's schoolhouse was purchased by Bishop Demers for the four sisters of the order of St. Ann who came from Quebec in June, 1858, to teach in Victoria. It is believed to be the oldest building in Victoria which is still in use, possibly built between 1843 and 1853. It was moved to its present site from the grounds of St. Ann's Academy in 1974.

Belmont Building

While we're downtown I thought we might take a look at another interesting building in the downtown core, the Belmont Building. It was opened in 1912 and briefly, at 8 stories, was the tallest building in Canada. But that was the beginning of the skyscraper era and it was soon topped. It sits opposite the Empress Hotel on the northern corner of Government Street and Humboldt and, despite its age, continues to contribute to the Inner Harbour Causeway ambience.