Thursday, August 26, 2010

The PNE's 100th Aniversary

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking that many cities in Canada have their own version of a summer "Exhibition". Vancouver's summer fair is the Pacific National Exhibition, the 'PNE' for short.
There are rides, endless food vendors, games, concerts and just about everything else under the sun.
My buddy in crime, her charming younger son and I spent nearly four hours roaming the grounds under a relentless sun.
We watched a much-too-short "SuperDogs" demonstration with - to name a few - a trio of Pugs named "Snap, Crackle and Pop" and a floofy two-toned English Sheepdog by the name of 'Puff Daddy'.
We ate whale tails and 'those little donuts' you can only get at the PNE (I think). We tossed tooooo much money away along endless rows of those games-of-chance. But with Joe's talent we did come away with five adorable stuffed animals including my Dachshund in a hot dog bun!

Now all that being said, I didn't take a single shot of the rides, or milling crowds or the colourful stalls and 'atmosphere' around me in the brilliant sunlight. It was just too hot to. Instead, I opted to shoot indoors. I went in search of the farm animals. I shot in less-than-ideal lighting conditions while trying very hard not to get elbows or noses or arse holes wandering into my shot.
It was pretty easy to find the agricultural pavilion despite the bustling, sugar-infused crowd. We followed the pungent whiff of the manure and found our prize. Clydesdales, Llamas and

If looks could kill?
It was warm in there
his 'bangs' were all
frizzy.







pretty eyelashes!

  
Monkey on your
back kid?


Mmama LLama
The picture is all blown out but the
expression on her face just cracks
me up. It looks like she's about to
hook a huge loogie at the camera.















Bbaby Llama
And the Beatles were called
The Mop Tops..








The hugest most laid-back
cows ever.


And what is an agricultural
exhibit without piglets!
















We were hot, achy and tired after wandering the fairgrounds for four hours. We shuffled back to our car, waved good bye to the PNE and its 50 year old wooden roller coaster and headed home.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

A Sunny Sunday in Steveston, BC

Steveston, British Columbia. Once a bustling fishing village is now really more of a tourist attraction and a colourful but crampled backdrop for the grotesque amount of encroaching condominium developments crowded around it.





And before heading home from the crowded pier, we came across a dog training/obedience class in session - who can resist shooting adorable pooches! They all did their humans proud.

        


Zoo & Garden revisited | BC Highland Games | Stewart Farm

Multiple visits to the Queen's Park rose garden and petting zoo in New West are a given every summer and every time I go I'm fortunate enough to see things I missed the first or second time I dropped by.
Rose Garden | Petting Zoo

BC Highland Games
Slainte Mhath! Coquitlam's Percy Perry Stadium hosts the annual BC Highland Games. Where "gingers" rule and the haunting drone of the pipes moves the heart. World champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band attend. Highland dancers 'fling' their hearts out and the majority of the merchants carry 'clan-centric' goodies to tempt even the tightest of purses. See you there next year!



Stewart Farm
Built in 1894 by John Stewart, this beautifully restored Victorian-style farm house features a wrap around verandah. There is a vegetable garden, fruit trees, machine sheds and much more to explore.




















Friday, August 13, 2010

Tacoma's Point Defiance Aquarium & Zoo

WARNING: This post is very image heavy because I couldn't edit myself no matter how hard I tried. Meerkats people! And Leemurs.....and, and, and....
So, this Point Defiance Aquarium & Zoo has animals I have NEVER seen in real life! The grounds themselves are HUGE.........the enclosures themselves, uh, not so much. On one hand I was thrilled to see some of their 'residents'!!! But on the other, I was upset by the sadness some of the others seemed to give off. Yes, yes, I know I'm anthropomorphizing them - but that's how I felt looking at some of them. The elephants broke my heart and I just wanted to bust open the 'camel-ride' enclosure and set the poor things free.
But, but but, the smaller critters seemed relatively happy in their environments.

(just so's you know: there are no sad elephants or camels in this post)

The Lemurs






The Meerkats










Black Gibbon with White Cheeks


Walrus (he came to the zoo when he was 8 months old, he's 28 years old)


Seal (pretty blissful looking)


Sea Otter


Sea Anemone (in Pacific North West aquarium display)


Some decorative landscaping and plants



Big Cats

Clouded Leopard


Sumatran Tigers

The two tiger cubs lolling calmly in the midday heat had just been presented to the public that week.

Screech Owl

This teeny owl lives at the zoo because of an injury that left her blind in her left eye.

Puffins