Monday Catch-Up

Some blogger and camera difficulties have kept me away for a couple of days.  Here's the catch-up.  Some photos lack blue, but there is still a lot of it throughout the post, so I'm hoping Smiling Sally will be okay with linking to her Blue Monday meme.  

Friday

Thank you, dear Nikon D90, for giving me 229,000 clicks before deciding any more pictures are out of the question.  Our favourite camera guy, Henry, of Broadway Camera, tells me you were designed to do 150,000. You have been good to me and owe me nothing.  I can't quite give up on you, so will keep you near just in case you feel the urge to come out of retirement.   

Welcome, D7100, to life with Carol and Bill.  You know manual-study isn't my strong suit, but Bill is encouraging me, because we both realize the time investment will bring out your best.

In the afternoon, we visited Harrison Galleries.  Bill smiles, even as we decided to give up on a crossword that made both of our brains hurt (and hopefully expand). 

In the evening, we attended the final concert in Paul and Michael's Summer Sonata Series.  I've posted photos of these windows in Grace Memorial Church before.  I guess just about every colour comes through in them, but for today, I am noticing their vibrant blues.

It was so good to see Bill with his sister, Phyllis, and her husband Barrie (left) at the concert. Both Barrie and Bill struggled with health problems this year but their smiles tell me they are thinking positively for the future.  (There are more photos of this event at my facebook link)

Saturday

After lattés and treats and a difficult crossword (this time completed in record time!)..

we biked to Stanley Park.  The blue herons were being attacked by an eagle, so these..

are not happy photos.  I wasn't able to catch any eagle or flying-heron shots with my new camera but I was happy to at least be able to record the moment. I don't know if the eagle got any chicks.  They are quite large, some as big as their parents (not sure if the one I photographed is a juvenile or a parent), and many are very close to taking their first flight.  I'd like to think that the sheer volume of their screeches drove the eagle off.

A nearby crow ignored the heron-eagle drama, happy to have scored a slice of bread.  To those who feed birds bread, perhaps this quote: "While a very small amount of bread may be acceptable to feed birds, large quantities are poor, unhealthy food with little nutritional value. If you want to augment your feeding station with bread, opt for healthy bread such as whole grain varieties, and make a “sandwich” that includes peanut butter, suet, seed and other appropriate foods instead of offering plain bread" taken from this site will give you some "food" for thought.

The gardens at Stanley Park are in their prime right now.

Black Jack always wants to check out this hollow stump.  That's surprising to me, as a skunk sprayed into her eyes and face from that very opening a few years ago.  Bill checked first..

 and then let her satisfy her curiosity.  I think Bill and I were more traumatized by that "skunking" than was Black Jack :)

 I thought of Smiling Sally immediately..  

when I saw the..

hydrangeas.

 We walked in a quiet and lush spot with bamboo trees that..

towered over Bill and Black Jack.

This one red rose, I thought, came close to Haley's favourite.  She is the granddaughter of ChrisJ (the author of a blog that delights mind and eye), and was recently diagnosed with a devastating illness.  Happily, she is doing better now but I continue to think of her and send positive thoughts.  She described a deep red rose as her favourite of all flowers, so whenever I see one that comes close, I feel compelled to photograph it for Haley. 

 Before we left the park, we took Black Jack into the fenced play area for small dogs.  She was the only one in the enclosure, but..

 she was quite happy to play with us.  I thought the many positions of her tail..

 were fun to observe.

 I love these (blurred) shots of Bill welcoming Black Jack..

and then sending her off again in my direction.

Sunday

It had been three days since a Tupper-sighting, so we were delighted to see her on the lamp outside our balcony at lunchtime.  Thank you, Anni, of I'd Rather B Birdin', for linking up to Tupper's story in this post. 

 We rushed outside to give Tupper some salmon treats, but Shadow, one of my favourite neighbours, thought he would like a few as well.

 Shadow and his human, Pamela, must have special qualities, because Tupper normally..

rejects our advances when other humans or critters are present.  However, she stayed and accepted her treats, only flying away when she was sure we had no more to offer. 

 We biked after that along a new route.  It still amazes me that Vancouver has done such an excellent job of planning bicycle routes.  We went from Yaletown to the West End, and then down to the waterfront as far as Canada Place.  We at no time had to leave the bike path.  What a treat!  These are perhaps more purply than blue..

 but I again thought of Smiling Sally :)

There was a pond with lily-pads..

 and some dear little baby white-crowned sparrows..

 with parents nearby watching..

out for them.

 We could see the Ironworkers' Memorial Bridge with a railway bridge behind it,

and could even see my old school (I'm now retired from teaching) all the way across the water in North Vancouver.  

"LightShed" by Liz Magor is well worth several posts on its own.  If you have the time, this is an excellent article to give you a small taste of the richness to be gained..

by spending some time with it.  For today, just a few close-ups to highlight some features..

 and one to give you the fuller picture.

The waterfront area has a little bit of everything, including large spaces that were perfect..

 for Black Jack to run..

 and for me to try to figure out..

 how to get some action shots.

  (I'm still working on that and will be for a while.)

 Afterwards, she and Bill rested in a shady spot..

 while I tried to capture some of the beauty..

 around us.  Bill and Black Jack moved to the park bench..

 and we sat together, watching seaplanes land and take off. 

DeDutch restaurant was celebrating The Netherlands advancement to the Fifa semi-finals..

 and I was celebrating the power of reflections in general.

 The orange cranes, visible from just about every lookout in Vancouver, showed up in the windows of Canada Place,

 and looking around that amazing structure brought a myriad of planes, levels and greenery.. 

on which..

  to feast our eyes.

 The blue skies,

 the elevator to the sea plane terminal,

 and the variety of structures made it hard to stop taking pictures.

 I looked up to see these people, beautiful in their colourful native dress, and was graciously given permission to photograph them. 

 I walked to the level above and saw that there were many more people celebrating..

 but took only a few minutes to photograph Douglas Coupland's.. 

 "Digital Orca" and two young.. 

 and very kind..

 people sitting at its base.

 On the way back down the ramp, I took a quick shot of the Olympic Flame structure..

 and a perspective shot of "Digital Orca"..

 before meeting Bill and Black Jack.  We had begun the return trip home when Bill suggested I photograph one more sculpture.  I posted about it before but realize there..

are many more ways to look at it.  

Inges Idee, one of the four German artists who created it, is quoted in this article, an excellent one, I think, to describe some of the ideas behind the work.

 I looked around me, happy to see so much that will be well worth a return visit soon,

 but Black Jack's look told me it was time to put the camera away.  Thank you for dropping by to share in our past three days.  If you are craving a little more blue, I think you will definitely enjoy Smiling Sally's meme.  Until next time, Happy Monday!