Friday's Photo Journal of Thursday's Good Times

Many photos here.  An impromptu meet-up with Cory and Tupper, some David Lam Park scenes, a visit to Vancouver Art Gallery to see the Douglas Coupland exhibit, and a wonderful few moments with a green-haired girl and her friend left deep impressions on my day that I'd like to share with Melissa's Friday Photo Journal.  Many thanks to her for hosting.

All photos were taken with my smallest lens for the moment (300 mm).  I'm still waiting on the return of my 17-50 mm as it undergoes repairs.  I'm delighted that my camera seems to be working just fine though I continue to work on improving my skills to use it to best advantage.

Cory is unbelievably gentle.  She meets me when I walk out of our building, flies to a perch, and waits for me to offer her treats.  She takes them gently from my hand,

 gathers four or five (tiny salmon treats) in her mouth..

 and then (though I don't yet have a photo of this) delivers them to her kids.  Her kids are quite aggressive so I don't feed her when they are around.  She knows this and always finds a spot away from them for our short visits.

 Tupper followed me everywhere yesterday.  Her expressions underwent many changes and I took a kazillion photos.  

 She and Cory have an understanding.  They don't argue but it's clear Tupper..

 rules the roost.  Walking on that slippery railing is challenging..

but Tupper was determined to stay with me yesterday.  There were many comments from people asking if I knew a seagull was following Black Jack and me. 

 I loved this art along the side of False Creek.

 I don't think it was there on Wednesday.  There's a berry bush just behind the rocks.

 Each time.. 

 I thought.. 

 Tupper.. 

was leaving,

she would turn up again.

 These flowers..

 are thriving

 lately.

 Just time to get one more shot of them..

 and Tupper returns.

I walk over to the maintenance building with.. 

 the waterfall..

 and admire the light over the fence and trees..

 and the hydrangeas just across the path..

 with the eyes that I hadn't noticed before.

 There's Tupper again.

 Just time for one more scenery shot..

 and then she is so close, I can..

 barely focus.

 I leave that spot and walk along the path homeward.

 One more visit.  She knows I'm just about home now.

 Bye, Tupper.  See you next time.

 Our visit to the gallery stimulated a lot of thinking.  For today, I'm not going to go into most of the thoughts that roamed through my head as I roamed through the gallery.  It was wonderful to be permitted to take photos.  I'll put the info as we read it just under each photo for you to look at, or ignore, as best suits your way of absorbing art.

 

 Coupland was exploring what it is that identifies us as Canadian.  The link given at the top of this post includes a video where he talks about that.  Bill really related to this thermos.  He remembered that they were used for his school lunches and they always broke :)

 

I remembered these fabrics; I didn't like them very much and was embarrassed that my father had some pants checkered a bit like the fabric near the top left.  :)  That said, I loved this art.

There was no way to fit all of this into the photo with the 300 mm.  It took up about half the space in a large room.

 This next series and the information below amazed me!

 

These words left a deep impression as well.  It is so true that in the late 50's on into the 60's, it was my assumption that there was no where to go except up.  And there is no question that that assumption is no longer as clear in my mind.  That said, hopes like the one that has me unable to give up on finding a way to co-exist in harmony with our fellow man and with nature will not be suppressed, no matter how much common sense suggests otherwise. (Sorry for the convoluted sentence :)

 After the thermos, the area that drew Bill in most was the one with these words.  I do sadly (sort-of) acknowledge that internet has changed the workings of my brain.  Taking so many photos probably backs that up.  Those photos have allowed me to relive the gallery visit and to explore the many thoughts Coupland's ideas left in my head.

I was shocked and saddened by the words below.

More words

Loved this one.  Didn't go in the room to read the plaque.  Like Bill, it was the wallpaper that covered the entire room that made the photos so exquisite to me.  Most of you will be familiar with the Gumhead series, written about here.

 

I didn't spend a lot of time in the room containing this next image.  It expresses something of Coupland's response to 9/11.  The images on the wall were to come clearer with the use of a smart phone.  I don't own one and wondered if the same affect would be possible with my camera.  The thing about this moment that will stay with me is that I asked a young man, a visitor, if he could answer my question.  When I spoke to him, he didn't know about Coupland's intention for the images to be viewed with a smart phone, so he gave me an answer that didn't really respond to my question.  I figured that out, thanked him and moved on.  Here is the extraordinary thing.  Perhaps 15 or 20 minutes later, the young man found me, after he had realized what I had wanted to know.  He brought his iphone to me and took me around from one image to the next, showing me the difference between the image on the wall and the image in his phone.  I will never forget that beautiful kindness!

This next exhibit also left a deep impression.  I can't imagine the effort, the thoughts that drove the process, and the physical nausea that surely resulted as Coupland chewed the pages of his own books.

No plaque for this one.  Something about the nurse..

and the tractor and the little guy on the left that I can't identify that drew me in.

We didn't study every single exhibit.  As with all museum visits, there is a moment when my brain feels too full, and though I know there's more to see, I have to call it a day.  We walked outside, and this young girl was passing by with some friends.  I loved..  I mean, really loved, the colours in her hair.  When I asked if I could take her photo, I expected that she might refuse, or at best, grant my wish with little enthusiasm.  In fact, she was an absolute delight.  She and her friend were visiting from Quebec City.  Meeting them may have been the best part of the whole museum visit, and that is really saying a lot.  I've put a lot of photos here in the hopes that they may see them and enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

That's all for today, folks.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope some part of the post spoke to you.  Have a beautiful Friday.  Many thanks, once more, to Melissa for hosting Friday's Photo Journal.