That’s what comes to mind when I see this.
But! There is something else in play. It’s been there since I moved to Victoria just over a year ago. I wonder. ….
hmmm
Miscellaneous
Stand out
For better or worse, in every group, there’s at least one member that stands out from the rest.
If you can be the good one, do that.
Head on
Ever notice how birds always face the weather head on. One reason is that the air flows over their feathers and keeps the feathers flat, trapping warmer air under the feathers to keep the birds warm.
Standing the other way, with their backs to the wind, just results in ruffled feathers and colder birds.
There’s a lesson about life to be learned there….
Camouflaged doors (or sort of)
A Clover Point phenom
At Clover Point in Victoria, there’s a pumping station with some doors that appear to match the rock wall that surrounds them – sort of.
The doors are quite a bit darker than the walls, and they are plastered with signs pleading for people not to climb on the walls. Still, it’s a good effort to camouflage the doors and make them fit in with the wall.
Here’s a closer look at the doors. Can you see the hinges, the lock and the handle?
When advertising jumps the shark
<rant on>I get it. Generating a news paper costs money, and advertising pays for it. But paying for the paper does too, doesn’t it?
Why, oh why, when I buy a news paper, do I have to break through ads to get to two, not one, but two of the sections to get to the news; one of which, I might add, is the front page of the damn paper. Grrrr.
Wikipedia definition: “use some type of “gimmick” in an attempt to keep viewers’ interest, and which is taken as a sign of desperation”.<rant off>
Above: the paper today in Victoria – on the left, section C1; on the right, the ‘front’ page. The ads had to be removed to get to the news.
Twins leaving harbour
Last month, I saw these two, almost identical boats leaving Victoria for ports unknown.
I wondered what their story was; going home? rentals finished for the year? close friends off to another port? strangers who just happened to cross paths?
Perhaps it’s best left to the imagination, and accept the peaceful feeling it leaves me with when I look at the photo.
Cat sitting
I took care of sister’s cat for 10 days or so back in July. That was quite a milestone. I’m mostly a dog guy, after having 2 dogs for over 15 years, but it went well, and the cat seemed a lot friendlier after that.
In fact, I got invited back for a replay. Sister and her hubby had a conference to go to in Vancouver, so they asked if I could drop in for a bit and cat sit. They left Thursday night, I arrived at their place on Friday morning and stayed through Saturday morning. They’re coming back tonight.
How did it go? Well, did the cat ever have a lot to tell me! She mewed and mewed pretty much constantly, from when I got there until I left. In and out, in and out. Mew mew mew mew, in and out. It got so bad that last night I just had to tell her that I was ignoring her, because she wouldn’t shut up and I had no idea what she wanted.
The strange thing was that she shut up and had a nap after that. Weird, eh?
Guess they know more than they let on.
You know you’re getting old when
you’ve outlived a bridge ;-(
I just realized that crews have been blasting away the remnants of the old Port Mann Bridge that used to crossed the Fraser River.
The new one, under construction on the left in the photo below, opened in 2012 and is quite a 10 lane marvel. The old one, seen on the right below, opened in 1964.
Guess I’ll have a few years on either side of the old one. Amazing how time flies when you’re having fun.
Frustration strikes
How frustrating. I was out at a local park taking photos for an hour or so. When I got home, in over 30 shots, there were only one or two that weren’t blurry.
I’m use to a few garbage shots when I get back. That’s the nature of the beast, but holy cow, it was like the image stabilization system had turned off.
OK, perhaps it was just too much coffee.
Better luck tomorrow.
(Note to self: cut back on the coffee, my friend)
Cha cha cha changes
After a couple of weeks house/cat sitting over on Vancouver Island, I’m back. My sister, her husband, my nephew and his partner all headed off to Europe for a family holiday together. Nice, and I’m glad I could help out while they were gone.
I also did some house hunting, and found myself an apartment in Victoria’s James Bay neighbourhood. I’ve heard good things about the area, so I’m looking forward to moving there over the next few weeks.
Yes, it’s time for a change. And yes, in the future, I guess I’ll see more ferry stacks, like the one in the photo above of BC Ferries’ vessel, Coastal Experience.
I’m looking forward to some photography around the western most coast of Canada, and to exploring a more mediterranean climate around Victoria. According to Wikipedia, the area gets around 25 in of rain a year, compared to Surrey’s 55 in. Victoria is a little warmer too.
Mind you, just up the west (wet?) coast on Vancouver Island, Henderson Lake (the wettest place in North America) gets 261 in/year. A big difference across a small area.
As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, this has been and still is a big project. I’ve actually spent a lot of time over the last few months getting rid of stuff so I wouldn’t have to move it. It’s truly amazing how much you can accumulate over 20 years in the same apartment, so it’s well past time to downsize and become more of a minimalist. Ha, like that’s ever going to happen ;-), but the load is lighter now.
Still lots to do, but the big hurdle of finding a new home is over. Just a few more balls to juggle and we’re done.
donsca 