Some Blues and Some Fine Encounters for Labour Day Monday

The highlights of our day yesterday included some blues in the evening, some blossoms scattered throughout the day, and some encounters in the early afternoon with Crissy (a sculptress), Ginger (a Yorkshire Terrier), Cory (the crow), Jimmy (the seagull) and a thus far unnamed Flicker.  I'll show you the blues first, in honour of Smiling Sally's Blue Monday meme.  Six years ago, today, she began "Blue Monday" and that is a very special anniversary indeed.  My fervent thanks and hearty congratulations go out to her!

Bill and I changed our routine yesterday, going for a walk in the afternoon (with no camera!), and for a bike ride after supper to Olympic Village Park.  It had been a day with lots of wonderful encounters but rather short on blue, so I was happy to see some interesting shades of that colour in the sky and in many of Vancouver's apartment buildings as well.

 Bill spotted some geese and I managed to capture three of them. 

 Some contrasting shades of tangerines and..

 pinks over the mountains were imprinted on a pale blue background. 

 This water trough and pump by the children's playground is well used by humans and birds.

 It is at the top of a little hill..  we'll call it Mount Everest No. 2 :)  I asked Bill to climb it with..

 Black Jack and they made the ascent in record time (5 seconds).  I thought the pale blue..

  behind them brought out all of their finer points.  :)

 Mottled blues,

 stormy blues,

 blues behind the crows flying east to Burnaby to roost for the night,

 and shifting patterns of blue brought lots of drama to the surroundings. 

Avena Grass, also known as Blue Oat Grass, has been planted in several areas of the park, and its blues seemed to stand out last evening.

We stopped on the way home because the Olympic Stadium was a brilliant blue, but by the time we got off our bikes and took the camera out of its case, it had turned bright red.

 Then it turned yellow, 

 and then it was green and it seemed like such a long time that I wondered if I had imagined.. 

 the blue, but I'm happy to say, dear Sally, that we finally found the blue and I think it is a great way to wrap up the blue section of this post with my thanks and congratulations to you once again on the 6th anniversary of a much-enjoyed meme.  For any readers wondering how to make a magazine cover, you might want to hop on over to Sally's Blue Monday meme right now as she designed a cover to celebrate 6 years of blue and she generously shares that link with you in today's post.

The Non-blue Encounters in our Day

I noticed Crissy in the small square opposite David Lam Park early in the afternoon and asked her if she expected to be there for a while as I'd love to get some photos.  She was fine with that, and over an hour later, I returned with the camera.  She had chosen that little corner of the park, I think expecting that she wouldn't attract too much attention, but in this photo, she is responding to three passers-by who are curious about her project..

and at least one of them is also very interested in Ginger, her adorable Yorkshire Terrier.  Crissy told me she has been commissioned to sculpt Mr. Grinch for a children's event that will happen around Christmas time.  Her day job is with the film industry doing make-up and special effects that could include just about every realistic and/or fantastical creature movie makers conjure up for our entertainment.  Working on her day off, and with the sun making an appearance after a rainstorm, she had decided it was not an option to stay indoors.  I love that she brought Ginger with her, that she worked barefoot, that she was so completely focused, and most of all, that she cheerfully answered all questions from curious onlookers.

 I loved Mr. Grinch too.  He isn't finished.  I'm hoping I might get to see him when he gets his green hair and when all the finishing touches have been completed.

I adored Ginger and she warmed up to me quickly when she smelled the salmon treats in my pocket.  She seemed to be enjoying her time outdoors with Crissy, though I did..

 catch her yawning once or twice :)

 I've never had the opportunity to watch a sculptor at work before and the experience was not only enlightening, but a magical feeling came over me as Mr. Grinch came to life..

 in front of my eyes.

There was a tenderness in Crissy's contemplation..

 as she fashioned the features..  

 that would bring out.. 

 his personality.

Such a rich photography opportunity with Ginger's..

 expressions..

 and Mr. Grinch's expressions undergoing subtle changes from one second to the next.

Then I looked up to the side of the apartment building that Bill and I live in and saw Jimmy!  I wonder if any of you remember Jimmy.  I had only seen him once before and that was six weeks ago.  That was the same day I met Crissy, although I didn't know her name at that time and I didn't know she was an artist.  She and her boyfriend named him after another much-loved neighbour's dog.  They had been watching Jimmy for a while.  I hoped then to learn his story, but..

having lost track of him, the story had faded to the back of my mind.  I must surely find that apartment, knock on the door and ask the resident(s) how Jimmy came..

to frequent that particular windowsill.  

Back and forth my camera went, from Crissy..

and Mr. Grinch..

and then to this shot, my favourite of all.  Surely, Mr. Grinch is feeing happy under such care.

The sun was becoming warmer and warmer after the rain and the nearby flowers..

and bees..

were happy as well.

I felt quite sure of that.

Jimmy called out a few times, but always facing the window.

I wonder if he could see the person or people inside.

Crissy let her hair down, or perhaps it fell down as she lost sight of everything..

I was happy when Cory the crow paid me a gentle visit..  

and I was happy to get even this portion of a small bird high in the tree beside us.  All the while I watched Crissy, Jimmy and Cory, I could hear the insistent sound of what I was sure must be a Flicker.  I looked and looked, but only when he flew..

to the sidewalk, did I finally manage to see him.  I hope he stays around and that I may catch one of him in a tree, or even better, in flight soon.

The rest of the shots here are the non-blue ones taken during our evening trip to Olympic Village Park.  Black Jack running to me..

and in a joyous frenzy, back to Bill again.

A strawberry plant discovered at our feet by Bill, was all the more extraordinary, since it was outside the nearby community garden.

We also saw some roses; these new buds made me think of Haley, 

and these, also at our feet, came close to being missed, and that would have been a shame because they were truly beautiful.  

And who would have beieved?!  Bill discovered corn..  I've never before seen any growing in a park.  This too, was outside the community garden.  Perhaps, some seeds escaped.

However it came there, I was delighted to see it..

and thought the top of its stock as beautiful as any of the greenery we came across.

One last burst of colour before we got back on our bikes, and to close this post.  Many thanks to you for stopping by.  I hope you are having a wonderful Monday, whether you are on vacation for Labour Day, or whether you are celebrating the beginning of a brand new week.