Happy Earth Day

The photos here were taken yesterday as Bill, Black Jack and I walked along False Creek and through the streets of Yaletown.  It is letter "O" week for ABC Wednesday.  It is also Earth Day 2014.

These are at the entrance to David Lam Park.  David Lam was the 25th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and he felt a deep connection to this land.  His offering of a space for the community to enjoy is something I often think about when I enter the park.   

 The flowers are just one of the ways that people around us "mamook okoke town kloshe nawitka" (make this community good indeed).

I think of the ocean and of the circular direction of our lives. 

A pair of American Coots have moved into a spot behind those bushes.  Bill looked around, hoping he might discover their nest.  We didn't find it, but the awareness that little ones will be hatching soon makes us conscious of the garbage that is often thrown over that wall. 

I was looking for "O" shapes when Science World caught my eye.  Now I am thinking we must visit soon.  Understanding more about our earth and ocean translates to greater caring.

We gave Black Jack the opportunity for a run in the grass, but had to cut it short as many dog owners had not picked up, and there was other garbage in the grass as well that unfortunately called to her.  

This was part of an ad for a new high-rise under construction.  Some say apartment-style living is more gentle on the earth than single-family homes.  An encouraging sign, perhaps, is the recent trend to eco-friendly tiny houses.  But it is the word ONE that was uppermost in my thoughts.  We have one earth and we are one people.  We must take care of it and of each other.  As Mahatma Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." 

Round shapes, watermelon image (noticed by Bill), cyclist (he gave us permission to take this photo), earth-friendly way to get around.

 I saw greenery.  Bill saw little faces with moustaches.  Two minds equal one smile :)

 I used iphoto to encircle these blossoms within an oval shape.

 This Rhodo was the only one to have opened in a cluster of buds.

 Another round shape.  Just a lamp, but it looked to me like a globe with trees reflected and a basket protecting it.

Hard to describe this.  We walked down some steps that we have taken before, but I looked up and saw ivy draped over a building I hadn't noticed before.  The ivy had died but was beautiful, and the blossoms were framed in a circular entrance-way.

"Ring Gear" is a circular piece that I love.   Yesterday, my big lens caught its lower half.  In the background is just the faintest hint of a bike path that leads over the Cambie Bridge.

Just a bird that sang his Ode to Joy to me yesterday.  This flash mob performance of that wonderful music took place in Spain.  It says much, I think, about Beethoven's hope for the brotherhood of mankind.  And, if you have a half hour to spare, you can listen to a BBC performance of the 4th movement conducted by Daniel Barenboim.  The youth choir is extraordinary.  Full of energy and joy.

 Just a few more photos of some..

 of the beauty..

 all around us yesterday.  Perhaps each of us could do one small thing for our earth today.  

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts and photos.  Happy Earth Day, everyone!