You Have To Love Sundays...

For my husband and I, Sundays are an adventure. Each week, we hop in the car and pick a direction to drive. Some of our jaunts keep us reasonably close by. Others involve hundreds of kilometres and an arrival home time in the small hours of the morning.

On this last Sunday - windy, warm and grey - we chose to visit Steveston, a beautiful spot not far from Vancouver.

On arrival, we came across a man feeding copious amounts of birdseed to the seagulls and crows. This gave me a chance to get some close-ups of birds in flight, always a welcome opportunity.

Next on our list was a visit to the boats docked by the pier, selling their fresh salmon, tuna and sea urchins. 

Because it's been a decent fishing season, we were able to get a large and 

inexpensive salmon for our dinner.

We managed to pass on our usual outdoor fish and chip feed, knowing we were going home to cook, but the dulce-de-leche gelato was beyond resisting.

The tide was higher than we've ever seen it, but I only took a few pictures of the slough as two swans vied for my attention. A local resident told me they are a pair who fly in every fall, and excel at begging for food.

Having just bought an enriched fresh loaf from the bakery, I thought to give them a slice each. 

While the female was shy and dainty, the male was pushy and bold. My fingers ended up in his beak a few times, as he saw them only as an extension of the food he was desperate to clamp on to.

Good thing I'm not   easily bothered by such things. 

The big male went on sentry duty at the end of the bridge, looking for more handouts, and while I passed him easily, the woman behind me did shriek when the swan stretched his neck  threateningly.

'Twas a wonderful day, with the sky closing in as we crossed the Alex Fraser Bridge to home. The salmon dinner went on the table a little later than usual, but it was well worth the wait...

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday. To see more shots, click on the link below...

http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.ca/

Q is for Quay

Living on the 
West Coast 
of British 
Columbia means 
that our 
weekend 
outings often 
take us 
to the sea.








Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver

Over the years, we have spent much time on quays, wharfs, docks and piers. I have finally learned to keep my camera with me at all times to capture photos of what catches our imaginations.

Fishing boats,Steveston, B.C.

My husband 
and I spent 
a while 
imagining that 
we might buy 
this old boat 
to fix up 
and run away 
to sea in. 






Regrettably, 
we are still 
land bound...

 The fishing community of Finn Slough, situated in Richmond, B.C.

Fraser River, Surrey, B.C.

Patullo Bridge, Surrey, B.C.

 Of all the usual haunts, our perennial favourite is the hamlet of White Rock. We have spent many contented hours enjoying its simple beauty.

I'm linking this post to ABC Wednesday, and suggest you drop by and check out other takes on the letter'Q'...

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.ca/

Racoon Reflections

One of our favourite spots for weekend wandering is a small fishing settlement called Finn Slough that remains little changed since it  began early in the twentieth century. For many years, it provided work for the now-historic cannery in Steveston, and is still inhabited by a handful of fishers who seem to live in easy harmony with their surroundings, despite being minutes away from the busy metropolis of Richmond B.C.

One day as I stood on the shaky wooden drawbridge looking up the slough, I was delighted to see a racoon making his way toward me. He slouched along methodically, digging into the mud and rinsing off whatever edible treats he brought to the surface

 Low tide had uncovered a treasure trove for him and he was not going to miss a bit of it...every inch of mud got a thorough inspection.

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Patiently, I waited and watched, until he was right under me, completely unconcerned by my quiet presence.

Busy with his labours, he continued under the bridge to forage some more...

I am linking this post to the wonderful 'Weekend Reflections' hosted by James. For a real treat, stop by and peruse more reflective photos!

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http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/

Watery Reflections

For this week's Watery

Wednesday, and Weekend Reflections, I'm posting shots of a place I love. This is Finn Slough, a small fishing settlement in Richmond, British Columbia.

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The tide was in the day I took these photos, and the clear still water provided wonderful reflections.

I have posted about this unique community before...if you'd like to know more about it, you might check out this link: http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2010/07/finn-slough.html
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This photo may be my favourite. I had the thought that it would look much the same if I turned it upside down, so I zoomed in for a closeup and inverted it. It's an interesting effect, don't you think?

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To see more water, click on the link below...I know you'll be glad you did!

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http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/
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For Weekend Reflections on Friday, click on this link:

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http://newtondailyphoto.blogspot.com/

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Return to Finn Slough

We returned to the quaint fishing community of Finn Slough another weekend. This time the tide was higher than on our previous visit.

With camera in hand once more, I took pictures, to document the contrast between high tide and low...


Low tide

...high tide.

We returned for a third time on a cold, wet day. I did not have my camera with me , fearing damage from the rain, and so cannot show that day's tide, which was so exceedingly low that a few fishing boats were almost completely out of water.

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I know we will return to this spot often, drawn by its sense of timelessness, a rare, calm oasis in these congested times...

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Finn Slough

My camera has become my ally in slowing down this busy life. I often seem to hurtle through my days, so intent on what needs done that many small and beautiful moments pass by largely unnoticed.

I may observe that the sun rising through fog has an odd coral glow. I may glance over at tidy rows of coloured pencils and be pleased by their order...but these are momentary distractions only, quickly cast aside in pursuit of whatever goal the day demands of me.

.To make time pause in its tracks, I turn to my camera. I've learned that photography involves more than calculating f-stops or reading the manual from cover to cover.

To make meaninful shots, we must first learn how to see, not as automatic a response as it would seem. Our world moves swiftly, propelling us along with it.

We've learned to snap off a quick picture before our child scoots away again, and to take countless shots because our memory card allows it. We don't pay much attention with camera in hand...we'll see the results later.
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But if we hesitate a little..take the time to really look at the face we are about to record or the flower that has caught our attention, the image imprints on our brain and can find its way to our heart before we even press the shutter. In that moment, we connect with the world in a slower, more meaningul way.

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We are currently exploring place, my camera and I, in particular the places people call home. The word means something different to each of us, but though locations may change and styles may vary, home is univerally considered the place where we can be ourselves

without censure, and can surround ourselves with the people we love and the things we cherish.
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We recently came upon a unique community on the south arm of the Fraser River. Historic Finn Slough began life a hundred years ago. Today, it is the last working fishing village on the Fraser River
and home to roughly fifty people who live
and work in a manner closely linked to their heritage.

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Imbued with a palpable sense of history and times past, weathered homes on stilts and floats lie nestled in the slough, some accessible only by a rickety wooden drawbridge. Although close to Richmond and Vancouver, this village has a charm and simplicity that set it well apart from the modern urban areas that crowd around it and threaten it's future.

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I know I'll be drawn back to this oasis often, lured by the memory of ducks rooting through the marshland and a landscape changed hourly by the tides and the river light.

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I can only hope it will still be there waiting for me...

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