A Christmas-centric Post

Another Christmas Season has swept through leaving the dazed and confused in its wake. Even I was swept up in the fever for a while before I came to my senses and stepped back and let the craziness pass me by. 
But it came to my attention that we were holding to our quiet seasonal tradition and headed out first thing to find a coffee shop that might be open. If memory serves me, I believe this is the 8th or 9th Christmas that we've done this.
We headed into the brilliantly bright sun to find a McDonald's that was indeed open and shared a pleasant and pleasantly low key Christmas breakfast. He with an English muffin, me with a bagel. And fresh coffee as good as any trendy coffee shop can offer. A few random shots that came out of the madness referred to as the 'Happy Holidays'. 

Handmade ornaments that didn't get sold at a local Christmas Craft Fair.

Still no-takers.

Oh well, they were fun to make. :)

My ever present side-kick keeping an eye on me from behind the monitor.

It really did snow here. Proof. December 17th, 2015.

A true Christmas present. Spotting a patrolling coyote.

Heading home from our peaceful Christmas morning coffee.

Maybe one or two more posts to end up the year then we wipe the slate clean and try it again for another 365 days. To coffee: the fuel that fills this blog.

One of many downpours to come

I'll need to invest in waders if we're going be going out in the unpredictable weather for the next few months. The winds whipped, skies opened up and no one was spared.

We retraced a few of our tracks to see just how high the water was in the the creeks and streams we'd found on previous Sunday excursions. It was indeed elevated and rushing by at a fair clip!

The season is upon us once again.

Gutter working overtime!

Swollen creek.

Flooded path.

Keep it clear.

Aging bridge railing.

Being replaced on Monday.

Rushing water.

Smoothing out the rocks.

Pounded.

Keeping an eye on the swift current.

My constant companion.

...and now we keep an eye on the weather forecasts to make proper wardrobe decisions.

Bridgeview a little corner of Surrey BC

It was a dark and stormy morning....but that didn't keep us from going for coffee and a random drive. This Sunday we roared over the aging Patullo bridge over to Surrey.

We briefly revisited The Brownsville Pub & RV Park. Not the freshest looking property but its recent state just seems to adds to its personality. As for the residents; you're either right down on your luck and barely hanging on or you're more resilient than you thought you were since you're managing to hang on in there.

From the RV Park, we weaved through the streets of Bridgeview in the blowing rain, taking in dangerously swollen ditches, outright flooded front yards and a mixed bag of houses. Some pristine with elaborate wrought iron gates on one corner to virtual shacks being held together by planks of warped plywood hunkered down by the curb. And a smattering of rusted out classic cars up on blocks or forgotten under sagging, rotten tarps.

All in all another fascinating drive that was less than fifteen minutes from our front door.

The neighbour's frosty roof outside my 'studio' window.

My supervisor who keeps me company until the kibble runs out.

How slow is the mail delivery in this neighbourhood anyway!

The Brownsville Pub & RV Pars is situated beneath the Skytrain bridge.

The owner of this little gem has not been seen for at least four years.
Moved on? Dead? Who knows.....

What is it with abandoned things that drives people to destroy them?

The park's pad rental $560/month. Wonder how they're collecting on this one.

The Pub. We stopped in for a beer a handful of summers ago. Loved it!

Looking at the Fraser River from the Surrey side.

Tannery Park. Plunked in the oddest place below the Skytrain footings.
There's a beach near by too.

A bright green blanket to keep out the chill.

Obligatory close up of something.

I debated about posting this but not all is as it seems.  We had to skirt this disgusting display of ignorant behaviour to get shots of the area and the river. Disgusting!

Zooming  back over the Patullo in the rain.

Frost and Fog

There's no limit to the beauty right in our back yard! The recent post have been taken (and will continue to be taken) less than a half an hour's drive from our front door - or should I say from our Sunday Starbucks' front door. 
And despite the misconception that the world around us is kind of blah and ugly this time of year - the beauty is there all year round. You just have to find it.

[don't be alarmed by the images spilling over the edge of the column - just giving larger format 'thumbnails' a try on the post page]
 

my 'studio' blinds at an angle for Pixel to reach the window ledge without destroying said blinds

the roof of the house that my 'studio' window looks out on

there was a crow perched outside our 2nd floor office window the other day

the Starbucks' parking area early on Sunday mornings - with the added bonus of frost and fog

snapped right off like a match stick

back lit by the sun through thick fog

frosty tips trapped in ice

you can't come in and look at all the pretty back there

across the street from all that caged nature

crispy

drained of summer's colour against the asphalt

frost covered road that looks like an satellite shot of the amazon or something?

so serene

looking like a cactus

dripping sun warmed frost

foggy reflection

soaring overhead

hidden culvert

stairway to heaven?

weeping with rust

coral reef?

waiting for the sun

what is actually stored in these monsters?

giants marching into view

a murder of crows

could he be the kingpin?

their cyborg soldiers

plotting?

heavenly beams from above

the engineering brilliance of the Port Mann Bridge

boring shot except for that leaf caught in its decent into winter

almost like a painting

a gathering of trees at the base of the bridge

the Port Mann is massive with concrete of architectural quality. a piece of engineering art

Port Coquitlam Search & Rescue team practicing

the scene was eerily quiet as they zipped about in their mock emergency

to infinity_and beyond

laid to rest at the base of the bridge. there wasn't a shard around, just this bottomless brew

an abandoned spider web looking like a knitting project gone horribly wrong

blue sky and sunlight were fighting for dominance

could be a futuristic aliens attacking earth sci-fi set, yes?

safely across the river and off you go

where does the troll under this bridge live?

maneuvers over, recapping their moves

job well done

blue beginning to seep into the sky

we've seen better days haven't we, lads?

The sun and fog and frost was stunning and I was so very very fortunate to be out in the thick of it shooting like a mad woman. Thank you to my dear coffee buddy for his kind patience and encouragement! See you for coffee.