Orange in Paintings, People, Dragonboaters, Buildings and Flowers.

I had little appreciation for the colour orange until joining Orange You Glad It's Friday.  Now, I see it everywhere and feel its warmth.  We go to Harrison Galleries a few times a week, enjoying the people, the lattés, the treats, the art and the cheerful brick walls.

The rain was relentless yesterday, but we were cozy as we sat in one of our favourite corners sipping coffee, munching cookies and doing the crossword puzzle.  We also enjoy the wonderful energy in Bill Schwarz's art behind us.   

I believe it was on Wednesday, that I walked into Harrison's with my big lens still attached.  This barista has been serving us now for several months and we enjoy her for many reasons that include great service, a friendly smile and a unique sense of style that included the perfect t-shirt to celebrate orange.  I didn't tell her I was taking this but caught it from across the room as she prepared our lattés.  She gave me permission to post the photo..

as did Mrs. Harrison yesterday when I begged her to model this vibrant..

orange that she had happened to wear on the most perfect of days.

Here, she laughs good-naturedly about the fact that cameras make her shy. I understand this as I am much more comfortable behind than in front of the camera myself.  In fact, I deleted the photos Bill took of me yesterday.  Mr. Harrison laughs with/at her.  I'm not sure that he realized he was in the photo too :)  He took over the gallery from his father and continues through struggling times to brings its pleasures to so many of us.  It has become one of our favourite places for sure.

I am sorry I cannot tell you the name of the artist or title of the work behind Bill, but I like the orange reflections flowing through its centre and of course, the wall that frames it.  As for Bill, he is celebrating the second newspaper..

crossword to be fully completed in our (fairly) short crossword history.

He makes me laugh and the focus is a bit fuzzy but the enjoyment is crystal clear.  The mandarin shades behind Bill come from Olaf's work.  You can find out more about him here.

The rest of the photos in this post come from walks over the past few days, some of them in sunshine.  This one was near the community centre by Science World.

The dragon-boaters were training hard, I guess for upcoming competitions.

Bill brought my attention to this buoy along False Creek.  We both struggled to put a name to it, feeling just a bit inadequate that that was so difficult.  I finally looked it up here and feel less silly now.  Just in case you don't have time to go to the link, I will quote a bit of info from that site: A lifebuoy, ring buoy, lifering, lifesaver, life donut, life preserver or lifebelt, also known as a "kisby ring" or "perry buoy", is a life saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in the water, to provide buoyancy, to prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activated lights, to aid rescue at night.  No less than nine possible names appear.  No wonder we were confused :)

These orange cargo cranes seem to appear no matter where we go.  When I was teaching in North Vancouver, they were part of the view from the classroom windows.  They were just as clear from False Creek on Tuesday. 

I love the colours of the Science World structure.  There are so many shades of orange..

and each one of them seems to be given space..

within the many lines and geometric shapes that catch my eye.

Finally, just some flowers..

along False Creek..

and in the neighbourhood..

that bring good cheer..

and beg for inclusion in Orange You Glad It's Friday this week.  In case you are in need of just a bit more brightness to your day, you can find lots more orange at the link.  Happy Friday, everyone!