A Drive Along River Road

Yep, another beautiful sunny Sunday and our routine coffee 'date'. He wouldn't call it a date, it's just something we happen to do (on a pretty regular basis) every Sunday morning. This Sunday, we just pointed the car down River road and drove until we wanted to stop and look at things aka take pictures of things.

Our first stop -none of the locations are really identify-able- we just pulled off the road and roamed around. The first little gem was sort of a mini-park. It has a horseshoe pit. Is that what those boxes with a spike sticking out of them are called? It had a few picnic benches and it had an odd pier-like thing jutting into the river. It also had a pretty little beach off the adjoining path.

Our next destination was arrived at by blatantly ignoring the well displayed 'do-not-enter', 'private-property' and 'authorized-vehicles-only' signs. At first we weren't sure where we'd 'snuck' into. I speculated that it was all contaminated land and the pipes sticking out of the ground were to monitor toxic gas emissions! I confess I may have jumped too easily into 'conspiracy theory' territory.
It turns out we were motoring along the elevated path between cranberry fields and the *suspicious* pipes were for when they flood the fields come harvest time.

*1st note to self: go back at harvest time.*
*2nd note to self: find out when that actually is!*
*3rd note to self: invest in a polarizing filter!*

There were canals(?) all along the fields and in them beautiful lily pads.

I believe a view of Burnaby over the field.

One of the most exciting thing for me on this trip was stumbling across a "portable?" apiary. These guys were strapped to pallets and were open for business. There were countless bees going about their day and all seemed quite pleased with their stacked digs!
I'm no expert on all things bee but I do know that there is a growing concern for the bee population in BC and all of Canada actually. I know that it takes a shitload of bees to make honey but that's not all bees are important for.
They're the main reason we have food on our tables. With their numbers dwindling we're risking a food shortage/crisis. So, if you have a garden or access to outside dirt - plant plants and flowers that honey and or bumble bees can use.
Bee-side these two most common bees there are also; sweat bees, mining bees and hairy-belly bees. The sweat and mining ones don't 'hive' they live in the ground. Hairy-bellies 'nest' in natural 'cavities'.

Taking a moment here to also give a shout-out to the other hard working pollinators out there: the hummingbird, butterflies, things called 'flower flies', flies, beetles (not Beatles) and why-do-they-even-exist! wasps.

We gotta keep these industrious critters fed or we won't be!!!
So I was excited to see these hives stacked here in the middle of the cranberry fields. They were hopefully enjoying the hollyhocks that were flourishing in the fields as well as the cranberry plants themselves. Happily pollinating their little bee hearts out!

So, we got as far as we could before we ran out of unblocked road and had to turn back. At 'that' end of the road was a great view of the Alex Fraser Bridge with Mt Baker somewhere in the hazy background.
(note: remember- buy that polarizing filter!)

And the second exciting part of the Sunday morning was finding we were basically under the flight path of arriving airplanes. If we were closer to the airport in Richmond, they'd have been even lower in the sky over our heads!
I'm now obsessed with planes and want to go and hunker down at the end of the runway and wait for the birds to fly over head. And he tells me that there is an aviation museum out in Langley......

These aren't spectacular shots by any means but to see them fly right over head and able to get that close to them with my telephoto was such a thrill!

At the turn around we - well *I* - managed to *not* scare off one of the many heron we saw along the cranberry canals (I'm going to copyright that term) and got a passable shot of one. (don't look too closely the focus is kind of soft)
And a bunch of Canada Goose footprints in the sand. Oh and a work vehicle of some sort that was 'run off its feet'.

Wonder where we'll end up next Sunday.......

Annacis Island is a manicured oasis, who'da thunk it

Another early Sunday morning coffee run. Another stellar summer-like day already in full bloom. And a quick 'look-see' at Annacis Island wrapped up a lovely Sunday outing before we headed home

Paraphrasing Wikipedia; Annacis Island is mostly industrial now. Its name comes from "Annance's Island", named for Francois Annance, a Hudson's Bay Company clerk who traveled with Chief Factor James McMillan to found Fort Langley in 1827. Hmmmm, this sounds like a great time to take a trip out to Fort Langley, me thinks!

From what I can figure out, the 'Corporation of Delta and both cities of Richmond and New Westminster seem to all want to lay claim to the island hunkered down in the Fraser River. I guess it depends on what end you're standing at.

I was always under the impression that Annacis Island was a hot steaming pile of industrial discharge or at best looked like the horrid strip of King George Blvd coming off the Pattullo bridge into Surrey. Sorry Surrey, but it's hard to make a good first impression with *that* as the gateway into your sprawling city.

But I digress.....

Annacis Island is downright dignified and pristine and damn it - manicured!
These honking huge factories or warehouses or distribution companies or whatever the heck you call the companies existing there have professional landscapers maintaining their grounds. There are practically topiary hedges lining the streets. We didn't see a speck of trash accumulating along the curbs and their fleets were parked in near-military precision.

It was a little weird to see actually.

There is on top of this manicured beauty, a trail system that runs around some sections of the edge of the island. It hugs the fenced-in properties and it's like a completely different world just a few feet on the other side of the overgrowth. We were on a time restraint so we only followed a small section of the trail.

You want blackberries? The trail was walled in by their ginormous bushes. It was like an explosion. Everywhere you look - blackberry bushes! All in the process of  becoming full-blown berries.
If you want to make jams or preserves or pies or any other blackberry related delicacy - head over to Derwent Way or Clivenden Avenue and follow the trail. You won't miss them.

Let's follow the rabbit deeper into the woods.

Never try to cage nature.

Ooh! Pretty! And then I ate it.

 

A wooden bridge.

Sun dappled trail.

What's an industrial park without a rogue pallet trying to make its way to a DIY project.

Catching five on the curb.

These monsters are HUGE close up!

It would take a step ladder to get in this baby!

Anybody else thinking of "Maximum Overdrive"?

Worn out but still covering the miles.

Strap it down.

Ready to hit the road.

Ripley takes Sundays off, this is her friend - never been named.

Back home - early morning light through the living room windows.

My little cluster of house plants.

And now I google my driving directions to Fort Langley.

A River Runs Through It

Almost every Sunday we head out to the Starbucks on Marine for our 'Sunday Morning Coffee' routine. To my delight, our last two Sundays have had photo outings tacked on as bonuses. This Sunday we went over on the other side of the Fraser River to have a look at how that half lives.

It is wonderful to see the beauty that surrounds us literally mere minutes away. Literally minutes. I am torn now between 'that' side and 'this' side of the river as my new 'neighbourhood' (once I've made the final decision to leave my beloved 'Denis House' apartment...oh, that and come into gobs of cash!)

So, "The Quay" on *this* side of the Fraser River is heavily built up and has too many high rises for my liking. Don't get me wrong, it's still a gorgeous area down at the bottom of the hill right on the river's edge and I'd move in in the blink of an eye if an affordable place presented itself.

"Queensborough" on *that* side of the Fraser is connected to the rest of New Westminster by the Queensborough Bridge and has turned into a delightful tree lined community. Houses have a heritage-come-cottage feel to their design and despite being 'row houses' all have individual charm and appeal. Goodness, this is starting to sound like a real estate blurb. Safe to say, it's a gorgeous little community.

So let's have a look at what was on my memory stick this time.......

The way the light is falling on her makes this shot look like an old painting to me.

I love shadow and light. The address over the Starbucks door.

A good place to sit and watch the tugs bustle by.

A friendly four legged resident.

The anti-slip tiles on the ramp down to a boat launch.

He looks a little startled by our company.

Plenty of vegetation to keep the air clean.

Decorative grass. Is it 'Fox Tails'?

Rebar - the newest complex is starting to go in.

One of those bustling tugs.

Another great view from one of the many benches along the walkway.

Walkway detail.

Under the train trestle that passes through the neighbourhood.

The Fraser's famous silt. Looks like a cuppa weak tea. Must be bursting with nutrients - there are trees sprouting from stumps.

Haven't a clue of the name but the lighting gives it an old painting feel.

Another very friendly four legged resident.

Can I have this one please?

'Poplar Island' smack in the middle of *this* side and *that* side.

Another cool vantage point along the walk.

White picket fence nestled in the overgrown shrubbery.

Snow? Nope. Fog maybe? Nope. Aerial view of clouds? It's actually Cottonwood fluff.

I absolutely LOVE the "Arts & Crafts" style of architecture and it sure looks like the Queensborough designers did too!

Why am I picturing Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer and paint brushes?

Calla Lilies? Not 'tack-sharpest' focus but amazing to see them growing in someone's front yard.

Pristine 'back alleys' w/garage access and substantial 'backing-out' space.

Ornamental lawn doo-dad with moving parts.

Orange Tiger Lillies this time in a front yard.

Waiting at a light heading back to apartment life.

The keys to my world.

 I'm looking forward to next Sunday's morning coffee.