Beaver Dams and Godwin Farm Biodiversity Preserve Park

First day of September and the feel of fall is in the air. But I think we may be gifted with a magical Indian Summer for the next week or so.

Today, we visited a little creek just off a busy parking lot this picture perfect Sunday morning that had not one but two healthy beaver dams on it. The different water levels before, between and beyond the dams was amazing to see. Like a lock-system. Industrious little critters. Beautiful to see.

After checking out the dams we stopped in at the Godwin Biodiversity Farm Preservation Park. There is a Douglas Fir reaching over 53 metres (175 feet) that stands in the Park. It is over 180 years old. and was given 'Heritage' Status in 1997. It is one of the over 200 Heritage Status Trees in Surrey, BC

The park came into being when, in 2015 through the 'Federal Eco-Gifting Programme, it was donated to the city to protect it in perpetuity as a legacy for the Godwin family.

Photos from the day:

The morning sky around 7:30 a.m.

Cauliflower clouds.

Beaver dam backed up water.

Beaver's work in progress.

The left overs.

Our theory: they fell big trees for easy and steady access to the branches.

Stunning trees in the godwin park.

Done for the seasone.

That must have been some party.

Backlit moss.

The moss grows on the north side of trees, right?

Smooth as glass.

Some of the local residents.

Reflections in green.

Shadows stunted by a giant.

Peaceful meandering path.

The 180 plus year old Heritage Douglas Fir getting a walkway.

The plaque.

Vibrant.

On a mission.

A couple of weekends worth of this 'n' that

I miss uploading two Sundays of shots, so I'll put two posts into one. 

Burnaby July 24th, 2024

Surrey August 26, 2024

Where to next week . . . ?

Burnaby Art Installations 1. Canoes. 2. Coiled Trees

Art installations can be thought provoking, inspiring, whimsical or just plain weird. It's all in the eye of the beholder. Last two weekends we found two worth shooting. First a tangle of canoes. The second the future of forestry?

The Canoes:

The Coiled Trees:

 Plus a Dog:

New West's Tipperary Park and Friendship Garden

There is a beautiful canopied area in New Westminster that surrounds City Hall called Tipperary Park.

The Park was established in 1908. In 1889, the city began hiring men to work on street construction, and it soon became a squatter’s camp for these labourers and some families - until an order from the province had them all evicted in 1892.

In 1963 a beautiful Friendship Garden was developed in the park to honour New Westminster's sister city of Moriguchi, Japan. The Garden is a tranquil space featuring ponds, stepping stones, meditative mini waterfalls, beautiful trees and natural plants.

We popped in at the Quay before going to see one corner of the park and before heading home, we stopped in at a local Starbucks.
We were surprised at the volume of traffic at 7:00 a.m. on Canada's birthday.

Here are some shots on this quiet Canada Day morning: