Spring is busting out all over!!

Last Sunday I went back to St. Stephen's with my mother.  It was as quiet and serene as the first time that I went there with the Y Walkers.  This time I was able to delight in the flowers that were out.  The pictures tell their own tale.  We particularly liked the notice explaining why the lawn won't be mowed!

On Tuesday, another lovely sunny day, we took another drive along Dallas and through Uplands and again we feasted our eyes on the spring flowers.  Victorian's make the most of their property and will grow flowers anywhere they can!   I couldn't resist getting out of the car to take the picture of the tulips on the roof. 

I felt at home in Beacon Hill Park on Sunday by finding the Trilliums shown below tucked in a moist woody area. Yep, without showing many of the other blooms and flowering shrubs Spring is definitely busting out (even though the temperature isn't up to par these days!)

Lilies and Fibre

Friday I went with a friend to the West Shore Arts Council's 9th fibre show in Mechosin.  Apparently, for the first time the show was held in the picturesque historic St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church which can trace its history back to 1873.  The church is no longer in use for services but it and the graveyard are well maintained.  Many people make a yearly trip to St. Mary's just to see the lilies that carpet the graveyard in April.  The trip is often partnered with a trip to My-Chosen Cafe (which we did!)  Another great day in  Victoria and vicinity.  The only downside was the drive to and from Mechosin.  It is a busy drive and when there is construction it is even slower. 

There were many wonderful pieces in the show. Fibre pictures, dolls, cards, scarfs, clothing, broaches, and wall handings to name a few.   Fibre creations and art are coming into their own.   I certainly picked up a few ideas on how to add fabric or thread to photographs and other card ideas.  I just need to follow through!!

According to website Islandnet.com (http://www.islandnet.com/~bchap/methist.html) "The origin of the name "Metchosin" dates back to the time when a dead whale was cast up on a local beach, causing the Native peoples to refer to the area as "Smets-Shosin", meaning "place of stinking fish" or "place smelling of fish oil". Two vertebrae, allegedly from the whale, are on display in the Metchosin School Museum. "

Lilies in the graveyard

Inside St. Mary's - fibre show

Ruckle Park Hike, Salt Spring Island

Went to Salts Spring Island yesterday with a friend and hiked the shore trail in Ruckle Park.  Wonderful day that included taking the local ferry from Swartz Bay to Fulford Harbour and having lunch in the Tree House Cafe.  We sat outside.  It was a little cool but it was worth being outside in the sun.  The food was really good.   It is easier for me to link to the photos on Picasa than add to the blog -  but here is one of them!  Picasa link https://picasaweb.google.com/103340800887993076561/RuckleParkHikeSaltSpringIsland?authkey=Gv1sRgCLr7mbPDgKmfpgE#

Up Island Explorations



Bald Eagle, Kyle Bay

Fishing Fleet, Comox

Headed up to Fanny Bay for a family get together in early March.  There was a lot of excitement in the area as March is the time the Pacific Herring return to the coast to spawn.  Females can lay up to 20,000 eggs which are feterlized when they are laid. On contact with water the fertilized eggs turn the ocean a milky white in the spawning area.  This is  the signal for the swam of commercial fishing vessles to put out their nets and for the gulls, ducks, bald eagles and California and Stellar Sea Lions to gather and feed on the bounty.  I missed the actual spawning event but saw the boats, sea lions, gulls, ducks and eagles in various locations along the coast..

California Sea Lions, Fanny Bay Wharf

The Sea Lions gather annually on the log booms at the Fanny Bay Wharf and spend their time when not feeding by sleeping, barking, jostling each other and posturing.  In the local community there are those who really enjoy the sea lions and those who despair over many nights of lost sleep because of the barking.  I could hear them from my room across the bay through closed windows but because this was a novelty for me I enjoyed the sound.

Fanny Bay is well known for its oysters.  Everywhere one goes there are sights and sounds of oyster industry whether it be large piles of oyster shells outside processing plants, oyster boats out in the bay or by the wharf, commercial oyster beds, or trucks picking up the oyster harvest from fishing vessels

Oyster harvesting, Fanny Bay (California Sea Lions on logs in backgroun)

Oyster shell, Ships Point oyster bed



Rainbow, Fanny Bay Wharf



On another day, I drove further north to the small village of Sayward (with its 400 residents) which traces its history back to  the 1890's and the beautiful Kelsey Bay.  Sayward is sustained by both logging and tourism and would interest anyone who enjoys being outdoors and photo enthusiasts.  I was lucky enough to see a harbour seal in the bay but it was too soon for the whales, salmon and bears.

Kelsey Bay, Sayward

Train ride and Point Ellice Bridge

The snow has all gone. It took three days but apart from a few slushy sections in the wooded areas there is no sign of the blanket of snow Victoria had a week ago. 

Sunday was a trainride up to Fanny Bay for a family visit.  The train consists of two railcars and runs once a day from Victoria to Courtney and return.  In the summertime visitors will take the train to Chemanious or Naniamo, do whatever they have planned and then catch the train back to Victoria.  The train station in Victoria is very small and sits on the Victoria side of the "blue bridge".  In a couple of years the "blue bridge" as it is called will be replaced by a new bridge that will be seismically sound and guaranteed to last for 100 years.  There was a great deal of debate about refurbishing or replacing the current historical bridge but replacement won out.  The train station will no longer exist and we will probably have to get the train on the Esquimalt side of the bridge. 

Victoria Via train station with "blue bridge" in background

It generally takes about 2 ½ to 3 hours to drive up to and 4 ½ hours on the train.  It took an hour longer because a cable activates the lights at road crossings was broke (I think that is the mechanics of it all) and we were delayed in Nanaimo for an hour.    All was cool – I had a book, water, munchies and NO responsibilities!!  I actually got off the train at Buckley Bay.  There is no train station at Buckley Bay. It is just a whistle stop in the middle of nowhere and reminded me of Petticoat Junction; however, the train conductor (is that what they are called these days?) asked me if I was taking the ferry to Denman Island.   The Denman Island ferry dock is just across the road from the BB whistle stop and residents and visitors use the scheduled stop to get over to the island. 

Tuesday was a Y walking day.  During the walk we sighted hummingbirds.  What amazed me was that the hummingbirds didn’t fly away when we gathered below to look at them.  No camera!!!   My new bird book tells me that the species is Anna's Hummingbird.  It is a "residential" bird and spends year round in southwestern British Colombia.  Apparently, during short bouts of severe cold weather, it converts more sugar to fat or lowers its body temperature to enter "torpor idormacy".  This explains the more than four sightings I have had of hummingbirds over the past months and why people hand out hummingbird feeders (a foodsource).  Anyday now we will have the return of the Rufous Hummingbird.(1)

Our elevenses rest was within sight of the Point Ellice Bridge.  According the the information tablet and Wikipedia the bridge has a sad history.  The existing bridge is the third to span the gorge.  The second bridge collapsed May 26, 1896 when an overcrowded streetcar crashed throught the Point Ellice Bridge into the Gorge Waterway.   The streetcar was carrying  well over the passenger capacity: a total of 143 holidaymakers who were on their way to attend celebrations of Queen Victoria's birthday.  There were only a few survivors with 55 men, women and children killed in the accident and many severely injured making it one of the worst disasters in British colombia history and the worst accident in Canadian transit. 

(1) Cannings, R; Aversa, T; Opperman, H: Birds of Southwestern British Columbia (2009)

Schizophrenic weather

What a difference a day makes!!   Jack Knox from the Times Colonist today (Feb. 24th) says: "Went to bed in Victoria on Tuesday night and woke up in Whitehorse."  Greater Victoria itself had 5 centimetres of snow breaking the 1942 February record, but this was far less than other parts of the area.  I wish I had made it to Swan Lake where 20 centimetres settled on the ground.  Today, Wednesday, much of the snow that blanketed the ground and trees has gone away primarily due to high winds, shovelling and foot traffic.  It is like being back in Ontario. 

 I was out at Beacon Hill Park on Tuesday afternoon taking pictures and out again on Wednesday afternoon.   Yes, indeed, what a difference a day makes as the following contrasting images of the same subjects show.

Fort Victoria

It never ceases to amaze me what we can miss on a daily basis.  I have walked the fairly short square block that takes in Wharf Street, Bastion Square, Government Street and Boughton numerous times since moving here and hadn't taken in the historical significance of area.

Jail House 1870's

 

On Sunday while walking through Bastion Square and simply by stopping and reading I learned that the old jail once stood where the Maritime Museum now stands.  The picture of the old jail (found on a stone utility box) was taken in 1870.  Not shown in the picture are the gallows which were off to the left of the building. 

Maritime Museum in the former
Court Building

The Maritime Museum (a place I have not yet been into) resides in a very elegent building which to be the Court Building.   According to the Museum's blog it has set its sights on the former CPR Steamship Terminal in Victoria’s Inner Harbour for its next home. I am not sure of its age, but it is worth a mention because of its stately beauty.  I am sure that a guided tour of Bastion Square would bring to light some interesting history.

Bank Building 1862(?)

The next discovery was the history laden corner of Fort and Government.   On the corner stands the original Bank Building that opened in April, 1886.  No longer a bank it is now a Scottish Pub called the Bard and Banker.  An Internet search found the following description by a former patron: "The Bard and Banker is a great, big pub in a beautiful old bank building right in downtown Victoria. The building has been standing on Government Street since 1862. It was the Bank of British Columbia all the way until 1988. The Bard and Banker has been open since 2008, and was named after one of the bank's most famous former employees, Robert Service, who went on to be a famous poet and writer. The pub is also featured on the Ghostly Walks tour, because it is said that Mr. Service haunts the building."

On the Government Street pavement, near the Bank Building, are two round brass plaques which mark the location of the east gate of Fort Victoria which was built in 1843.  There were two wooden gates into the Fort: the east gate on government street and a west gate on Wharf street.  The circular plaques on the pavements are a copy of the official seal of the City of Victoria (1862) and the of the Crown Colony of the Island of Vancouver (1849).  The outline of the Fort's wooden stockade, which stretched northward to the Bastion and southward to what is now Boughton Street, is part of the pavement's design and consists of small bricks with the names of early residents, city officials and legislators etched into them.  Another plaque close by tells us that the stockade that enclosed the fort was made up of cedar poles 18 feet high and that within the stockade were log buildings of the Hudson's Bay Trading Post.   Once again, I am impressed with how Victoria celebrates its history and brings it to life - if only we would stop and take notice.

Plaques showing the entrance to the east gate of Fort Victoria
on the corner of Fort and Government Street outside the Bank Building
and below the outline of the wooden stockade with names of residents

The last piece of history in this area is one of my favourite buildings downtown.  It is Victoria's first Customs House at 1002 Wharf Street.   It is virtually unaltered since being built in 1875 and is currently home to lawyers, a cellular, and other businesses.  It has heritage status so is protected from the insatiable development that devours many of the older buildings in the city.

Former Government Customs House 1875

Y Walk Feb. 8 2011 - Burial cairns, Historic Tod House and Willows Beach

I co-lead our Y walk on Tuesday with Karen Burch.  The walk started at Cattle Point with its own history marker (cattle being required to swim from ships to land), the Uplands and Estevan areas including Uplands Park, the historic Tod House and Willows Beach.  Per GPS, walk was 7.4 km with an average walking speed of 3 km/hr.  With the snack break the walk took 2 hours. 

We wanted to walk Uplands Park because of its rocky area, Garry Oak meadow and the rock cairns that mark native burial spots that date back about 1,500 years.  A seach of the Internet turned up information that rock cairn funeral practices were common around Victoria and is explained nicely in the following link http://www.friendsofbeaconhillpark.ca/history.htm

Tod House sits on a large parcel of land on Heron Street and is a graceful white framed home built in 1850.  It is registered as a Heritage House and has been listed as the oldest residence in Greater Victoria.

Willows Beach is a favourite place to walk, or to sit and people and dog watch or, on clear days, to gaze at snowy Mount Baker.  Up until the mid-1800s Willow Beach was a First Nations village. Its history and culture are explained on a local information board (but I didn't have pencil/paper or camera to record the detail!!)



Esquimalt Y Walk Feb.1st

Getting behind again with blogging.  The Tuesday Y Walk was a loop that took us through Macauley Park, Saxe Point Park, Memorial Park in Esquimalt Village, and Highrock Park with a cairn located at the highest point in Esquimalt and with views in all directions. 

On our way to Macauley Park we walked past some of the Esquimalt Base houses.   I was a little taken aback just how small they were - little boxes with nothing outside to break the relief of the starkness of the homes.  We also passed by a couple of fortifications built for defense during the war years (see earlier blog on Fort Rod Hill for background).  Macauley park and Saxe Point took us along the ocean and during our "elevenses" break at Saxe Point we were lucky to see a lone seal out in the water.  Memorial Park has a real life size metal boat: the MV Centennial.  I also noted some old artillery equipment around the park.   Once we arrived at Highrock Park we were treated to a great view of Mount Baker.  Mount Baker is the white mountain in the middle of the picture. 

 It was also interesting to look at the directional cairn at the highest point of Highrock Park.  The cairn was erected in 1912 to commemorate 50 years of the incorporation of the township of Esquimalt.  My shot isn't that great but does give a sense of the cairn's purpose.

I really enjoyed the older homes in esquimalt and am annoyed with myself for not taking pictures of some of the more oustanding examples of 1800's buildings.  Ah, well, another trip.  I did, however, grap a quick snapshot of what I am calling a Mariner's house where we parked our cars.  Just went online and found information on the house: http://tomhawthorn.blogspot.com/2009/02/saving-piece-of-folk-artists-passion.html   For that time when the link is no longer available, we are told that the house at 464 Head St.in Esquimalt is known as the "Swallowed Anchor" and belonged to John Kezier - a carpenter and former mariner -who passed away at the age of 90 around 1999.  Kezier rented out the home until the death of his wife.  He then moved into the house and spent the rest of his life creating the "folk-art masterpiece" and happily welcomed tour bus passengers to view the home.  The house now belongs to Westbay Investments Ltd. and, at the time of the article, A Westbay Manager had indicated tht the house will not remain standing but there are tentative plans to place the art-work in a  park.

Walks and Museum

Got a little behind with the blog.  Last Tuesday (Jan. 11th) the Y walkers walked in the Sidney area around the marina and through a couple of parks.  The group rest picture of us all bundled up tells the story of how cold it was but we still had a good time.
At one point we were met - and I do mean met - by a lovely black and white persian cat.  It saundered over with head and tail held high to as many walkers as could be managed in order to be admired and petted!!  And, yes, I couldn't resist.  At walk's end I joined several of the ladies for soup at the Dockside Grill.  The soup was excellent as was the ambiance and view.  A high recommendation  (http://www.docksidegrillsidney.com/).

Later in the week, I made a trip to the Royal B.C. Museum to see the "yellow submarine" - the Rolls-Royce formerly owned by John Lennon that is now owned by the Museum and put on show annually.  The romanesque artwork certainly has its appeal.  It was done in Chertsey, England, close to where I used to live as a child which is why that piece of trivia has stayed with me!  John Lennon had the Rolls converted to fulfill his needs; it now has a bed and a bar.  (Note: a double click on any of the images will enlarge them).



Yellow marks the trail we took and that is my
reflection in the pane of glass



This Tuesday (Jan. 18th) the Y Walk took place in John Dean Provincial Park a half-hour drive north of Victoria.  It was a level 3 walk (meaning strenuous) and today my muscles agree.  Because of the level and distance of the hike there were fewer walkers than usual.  John Dean is a suburban wilderness park with towering Douglas firs and cedars, rocky slopes, ponds, stands of Garry Oaks, and fabulous views.  The park is named after John Dean who, in 1921, donated over 30 hectares to the province for park use.  We had a quick lunch break at Pickles Bluff with views over the Gulf Islands.  As an aside, there are so many connections here as John Dean is buried just down the road from me at the Ross Bay Cementary.  The picture is of the small group on one of the trails.