Totem

A small totem I stumbled upon one day in Queen's Park. Many local parks have totem poles in them, ranging from the height of an average person to, well, tall!

Read with Pride

New Westminster is gearing up for Diversity Week, a variety of Pride-related activities. The library has caught the Pride spirit - this is the display inside the New West library door.

Crossed wires

A meeting of various wires outside several homes and apartment buildings.

Old Oak Trees

Cool shade on hot days can be found in Moody Park.

Slope

New Westminster sharply slopes towards the Fraser River, starting at Royal Avenue. Many buildings, such as this one, are at ground level at the front yet 2nd floor by the time you get to the back. This is the former Federal Fisheries and Indian Affairs building from 1906.

2010

This sign sits just inside the main entrance to Queen's Park. Last year it was planted with "150" (as it was the 150th anniversary of New Westminster's incorporation as a city). This year it has this large sign to represent the Year of Biodiversity.

Saintly Sunday

Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Parish church.



Front door detail

Play ball!

Opening ceremony for a Little League tournament in Moody Park. This was being covered by one of the local tv stations, which was very interesting to see!

Patchwork Road

Interesting road construction near the intersection of 4th and Agnes. As far as I know, this is the only street with these bricks on it.

Condo Life

This is part of the residential community lining the New Westminster Quay, filling up the space between the river and the railroad tracks.

Standin' Around

S

A few of the people painted on the wall outside of the Lafflines comedy club.

Stately Manor

One of New Westminster's beautiful houses. This one was built in the 1930s. Many historical homes in town have a plaque indicating the year they were built, and who lived in them at the time.

Des Fleurs

Bouquet display outside of one of my favourite dollar stores.

View from Above

To get to the New Westminster Quay, people climb a set of stairs to an overpass that takes them over the railway tracks. This photo was taken from the top of the stairs. It is overlooking the Fraser River, the Quay where the outdoor stage and food booths are set up for Fraser Fest (buffalo burgers! salmon barbeque! ice cream!), as well as the Fraser River Discovery Centre building to the left.

Wooden Toy

Fraser Fest was on today down at New West Quay. Up and down the boardwalk were kids pulling behind them these little wooden boats they had made at one of the craft booths.

Old & New

Further documentation of the changes around the old Salvation Army building. If the facade is being kept, I wonder if that includes this beautiful rounded corner.

River Music

I went for a walk along the Quay this evening, and ran into the Royal City Concert Band playing a concert at the river's edge.

Mercy

I'm really happy I took this photo as some more local history has bit the dust. This mural is now sitting in pieces at the base of the former Salvation Army store building. I spoke recently with someone working for the architecture company creating the complex at this location, and only the facade is being kept. This mural was on the back wall, facing the SkyTrain station (from where I took this picture).

Fiery

A couple more cars from the Show & Shine (perhaps I'll move on tomorrow; however, I love all of these cars!). The paint jobs on these two were stellar, and I love the happy face balloon just hanging out there. Seeing these two little cars with their fiery flame paint job sure made me smile!

Woodie

Early in the morning well be startin' out
Some honeys will be coming along
Were loading up our woody
With our boards inside
And headin' out singing our song
-Beach Boys, "Surfin' Safari"

Another great car from the Show & Shine show yesterday. The sign in the front window says, "Look and Touch. I don't give a S**t", a nice change from many of the other cars with their "Do Not Touch" signs on them.

Crayola Cars

The annual Show & Shine was held today. Columbia Street was shut down to moving traffic, and filled with stationary classic and collector cars from way back when until less way back when. Last night was the temporary drive in - an inflatable screen was installed in the parking lot on the quay, and showed, naturally, "American Graffiti".

Haus

I have always loved this trompe-l'oeil on the side of this restaurant. Someday I will have to dine here and find out if the food is just as charming.

Succulent

According to the New Westminster Parks & Rec website, in 1956 a sunken rose garden was planted in Queen's Park. The garden follows the formal pattern of a Shakespearean garden, and contains 1100 hybrid and floribunda roses. In 1981, the garden was dedicated to Mr Herb House, a prominent New Westminster resident who served the community in many ways for over 50 years.

Lacey

According to the New West Parks & Rec website, Irving House (built at the time by Captain William Irving, a shipping magnate) was once described like this in the "British Columbian" newspaper, April 1865:

"…the handsomest, the best and most home-like house of which British Columbia can yet boast..."

It's now a museum showing off what was once the best in Victorian and colonial British architecture of that era.

Ta!

There's a great shop called Sherlock's Cafe that sells all sorts of British food products, everything from packaged sweets to drinks (Irn-Bru! Ribena!) to fresh meat pies and tea (in the cafe). This is where soccer (football) fans can get their Chelsea mugs or Arsenal school rulers and pencils.

Kaboom

This one of three cannons guarding this area of town. Watch for the others in a future post!

Regiment-ed

The Royal Westminster Regiment Historical Society and Museum on Queens Avenue near City Hall. The Royal Westminster Regiment is an active Army Reserve battalion, with units currently stationed in Afghanistan.

This is the regiment after whose mid-19th century soldiers the world's largest tin soldier at the New Westminster Quay was designed.

Got keys?

Detail of the old lock on the gate to Queen's Park at 1st and Vancouver streets.

Bridges

View of the SkyTrain suspension bridge, the Patullo Bridge, and the railway bridge (which opens to let boats through). The road running parallel to the Fraser River is Front Street. Just beyond the bridge is the confluence of the Fraser and Brunette rivers.

Tugs and more tugs

Once again at New Westminster Quay. These tugs are immense!

July Theme Day - Reflections

City Hall's Japanese Garden makes another appearance on this day of reflections.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants