Colourful winter walk home

We aren't knee deep in snow out here on the coast and we're not even getting any of the endless, dreaded rain that is the west coast version of the white stuff.
Walking home on a mild overcast December after work ended up being quite colourful when normally it would be quite drab, grey and featureless.

From swishy winter grass and vivid bouquets to a mossy sign and a warm sunset.

Sunny Christmas day

Merry Christmas, 2009

Worked a 5:00 a.m. shift on Christmas Day which meant I was out of the office by 12:30. My friend picked me up after my shift and we drove out to look for things to photograph. Christmas 25th, 2009 turned out to be an unbelievably sunny and gorgeous day! He drove out to Mission along Lougheed hwy and I drove back along the #1. I think he got the better deal. (not really, I didn't want to drive right after work. I was enjoying being a passenger)
Our day was incredibly sunny and clear so it was quite a surprise when we came back into New West and the place was blanketed in fog. It was magical and peaceful.
(no images of the fog however because I was the one driving)
Hopefully there'll be other foggy days ahead.

sunny winding road
Mount Baker from Mission
a gull and his shadow
birds on a wire
Pixel's toes in Christmas lights

Pixel poses and bird watching

This (not so) little guy is going to figure prominently in blogs from time to time. He's my sitting-around-the-house subject to shoot when he sits still long enough to get the camera aimed and focused on him. He enjoys perching on the cat tower to take in his kingdom and occasionally I am in arms length of the trusty Nikon D60 to shoot him. I'm learning ISO, shutter speeds and white balance taking pictures of his lordship.
(thank you Pixel)

There is a house on my walk home that has a birdhouse hanging in a riot of branches right outside what I think is their dining room or kitchen. Two adorable calicos were parked on the sill the other day watching the recently replenished feeder. I will have to stop again (when my white balance is correct) and get more shots of the birds feeding, the cats watching them and the chubby squirrel that manages to get up there to partake of the suet and seeds.

Burnaby Village decked out for the holidays

Burnaby Village is a combination of heritage and replica buildings site depicting life circa 1920. Period costumed 'townsfolk' greet and entertain visitors. We wandered around the 10 acre site in the on again-off again rain for four hours. We watched the carousel and its pretty painted horses. We stopped in such places as the schoolhouse, the newspaper office, the bank and the general store. We met Santa Claus and did some experimenting with shutter speed and exposure.
(no tripod was used in the making if these images)

New Westminster's Festival of Lights Parade

Shortly before a clear December dusk, the City of New Westminster held its "Festival of Lights" parade on a crisp cold Saturday afternoon to the delight of the hundreds of spectators that lined the parade route down along Columbia street.

Some of New West's finest
We made the news.
The top brass?
Blow your own horn
Santa Paws

That's not a reindeer
Behind every great man is an even greater woman.

Happy Holidays to you and yours from me and mine.

Harbourview Park, North Vancouver. Revisited

I had an opportunity to revisit Harbour View Park in North Vancouver recently and walk all the way to the end and watched the SeaBus cross from Lonsdale Quay over to Waterfront. We met happy friendly dogs of all kinds of shapes and sizes with equally happy owners in all shapes and sizes.
The sun was brilliant in the nearly endless blue sky overhead. Seagulls churned and soared above the pilings as the wind whipped anxious little waves against the rocks.
The vivid edges of razor wire topping the fence around the CN lot looked stunning in the sunlight. And a riot of graffiti colours on overpass pillars looked alive in this amazing December light.








The next day walking home from work I couldn't not take pictures in the incredible light of the late afternoon sun. Vibrant moss clinging tightly to a stone wall, the sun silhouetting fuzzy buds on a dormant bush and plump little moineaux taking delight in what looked like a very chilly bath.