Adoration

In New Westminster, we heart our picnics.

Picnic

Soon it will be the time for these picnic shelters to be teeming with families. For now, it's just cool enough outside that they remain quiet.

Arena

Queen's Park Arena was built in 1930, and apparently has a rather famous wood lacrosse floor painted green.

Vagabond

Tucked amongst the trees in Queen's Park is the Bernie Legge Theatre, home of the Vagabond Players.

Thorny

The rose garden isn't much to see right now, just a whole area of thorny twigs about half a metre tall. Soon it will be the prettiest place in town.

Treats

It won't be long now before this concession stand is teeming with families ordering ice cream, hot dogs and soft drinks.

NWDP on Vacation - Vancouver Island

This is the last image I'll post from the forests and trails of Vancouver Island before it's back to the more urban nature of New Westminster.

NWDP on Vacation - Vancouver Island

In a few of the smaller logged areas are these, bleached out stumps of what was deemed to be not viable wood. They seem rather ghostly.

NWDP on Vacation - Vancouver Island

This photo comes closest to giving the sense of a west coast temperate rainforest and its colours. The soft wood of the rotting western red cedars (the ones that grow big enough to make four or more large single family homes), the charred stumps from lightning-struck trees, the moss...oh, the moss. Interesting that no giant swordfern ended up in this particular shot despite its ubiquitousness.

NWDP on Vacation - Englishman River

The greens I see in the woods never translate well into pixels. Pity.

NWDP on Vacation - Englishman River

Inside the park is a suspension bridge. It's made entirely of metal, with sides made from chicken wire fencing high enough that to scale it and jump would be near impossible. This photo was taken whilst holding the camera above one of the shorter sections of wall fencing, hence the rakish angle. Great erosion of the rocks by the river!

NWDP on Vacation - Englishman River

Along the left side of the Englishman River a series of large dead trees have been laid down to create shaded areas for fish spawning. Heed the warning signs - this river runs fast!

NWDP on Vacation - Englishman River

Another information sign at Englishman River Regional Park, this one outlining the specifics of the Steelhead recovery program.

NWDP on Vacation - Englishman River

I'm currently away from New Westminster, so photos for the next few days will be from the area around Parksville, on Vancouver Island. This is approximately 100km from New Westminster, although the wildness seen here is similar to that found nearer to this blog's home.

This picture shows one of the many information signs dotting the trail in the Englishman River Regional Park. It's a great place to spend an afternoon.

L'il one

Another of New Westminster's many heritage homes. I'm always too shy to walk close enough to see the plaque where it says for whom and when this house was constructed.

(B)Lock

A couple of old buildings sitting at the corner of Royal and 10th. They've been well-scaffolded for a while now, so hopefully with spring on its way they'll look much spiffier soon. This block is apparently the oldest standing apartment block in town, according to one source. The heritage house at right was relocated from another site, and is being converted into smaller apartments.

Shocking

The local substation has this awesome graphic on its door.

Urban Vista

Columbia Square. Grocery store to the right, pizza joint dead ahead, fabric shop below with a few other usual shops thrown in: pharmacy, dollar store, pet supplies, insurance and...booze. There's even a SkyTrain in the distance! Behind those tall tower blocks beyond the metro is the Fraser River.

Saintly Sunday

Another church sporting the 70s era jewel-toned glass windows.

Glow

Sometimes there's the most amazing light hitting the buildings.

Flow

Umbrella

I'm not quite sure if these are apartments or not. I get few clues from the windows as I walk by, and have actually never seen a person entering or exiting the building. Love the trees, however.

Green Garage

The most unique parking spot I've seen yet.

At the Edge

Signs

One of the signs that the long winter is nearing an end - a mass of crocuses blooming on the median.

Blend

Some old, some new. In front, the side of the Salvation Army shop. Behind, another of the many blocks of condos popping up...everywhere!

Lock

Another decorative utility box, this time with the old Telford Lock building as backdrop.

Mountain view

What you see when looking east as you take the SkyTrain from Surrey into New Westminster. Not too shabby...

Vane

I love the weathervane on the roof of this house. The turrets too, of course.

Alley

Typical view up a back lane. So pretty streetside, so blah otherwise.

Theme Day - My Favourite Part of Town

No surprise here - my favourite part of town is the Quay: watching the river flow past, the boats working and playing, seeing mountain views like this off in the distance...

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