Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam, BC, Canada

Colony Farm Regional Park in
Coquitlam, BC, is a true
balm for the senses.
It's always a pleasure
to visit her in any weather,
in any season, at any time
of the day. There is life
going on with the
local flora and fauna, and
if you take your time and look
at the small things, you
can spend a few happy hours
just ooohhh-ing and awwww-ing
at the variety of wildflowers that
grow along the trails.

I like the small things.
It makes me appreciate being
human. If something that small
can be so perfect, then there's
hope for the rest of us yet!

Crystal Falls, British Columbia, Canada

The trail along upper Coquitlam River
in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
wanders amongst large
fir trees, a symphony
of birdsong, and the soothing
sounds of river water.
It's an easy 45 minute
hike to the falls, which tumbles
and splashes its way to
join nearby Coquitlam River.
The falls are actually part of
Pritchett Creek, and if you can
manage the mountain goat like
clamber up the hill besides the main falls,
you will be delighted to find 2 smaller falls.
I'm not sure if the smaller ones have
names. I decided to name them
Peace and Serenity respectively.
Well worth the time spent to get here,
Crystal Falls represents a closeness
to Mother Nature in the midst of the
rush and hub bub of the city.

Pitt River, British Columbia, Canada

I have finally discovered in life that
it's impossible to describe "big".
Its a feeling more than words strung together in a sentence.
Mountains are big.
The ocean is big.
And the sky is just plain huge.

Every once in awhile a day comes along
in your life when you are overwhelmed
with gladness to be alive and
experience the "bigness" of it all.

I had such a day this week, and to make a
perfect day even better, I managed
to capture a shot of "big".

I won't bother with words, I'll just
share this "big" moment with you.

Life is such an adventure!

Cypress Falls, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Cypress Falls Park on the
North Shore of Vancouver,
offers some impressive views
of Cypress Canyon.

There are a lot of canyons
on the North Shore.
All are impressive for their
display of the sheer
force of water that has carved
its way through solid rock over generations.

In Cypress Canyon, the water
shoots through a narrow rock
chute and plummets
down 10 meters into another set of
falls that in turn, cascade over
another set of rocks, called
Lower Cypress Falls.
If the falls aren't enough to
make you drop your jaw,
then the 400 year old
fir tress are sure to give your
neck a good workout. They are
massive and majestic.

Cypress Falls adjoins
Cypress Provincial Park.
Another lifetime of discoveries
and adventures.

Glen Valley Regional Park, BC, Canada

Glen Valley Regional Park
in Langley, BC, Canada
is an incredibly
picturesque park that borders the
banks of the Fraser River.
Mother Nature is alive and
well here. The sights and sounds
of a newborn British Columbia
summer offer any visitor
a welcome respite from the
rigors of Lower Mainland traffic.

This is only one tiny part of an
area with historic villages ,
forts, wineries,
and too many to mention
adventures to be had.

I haven't made it to all the wineries yet.
Its on the to-do list along
with so many other to-do's
that I'm not sure how I am going to
fit them all into one lifetime.

Hayck Festival, New Westminster, BC Canada May 16-24, 2009

The 7th Annual
Royal City Multicultural Festival
is happening now at the New Westminster Quay.
It's all part of the
Hyack Festival, which happens in
New Westminster from
May 16th to the 24th.

The Multicultural Festival
is a generous treat for the
senses, with native dress, food
and languages from around the world
being shared warmly with all who
come and experience it.
I met a wonderful gentleman complete with Scottish kilt
and huge smile,
from South Africa, women with love of their
country Bosnia radiating from their friendly
laughter, and the musical accent of Peru from
women in the Latin American group.


The Hyack Festival is all about community.
There are volunteers coming together to
bring about over 60 local events to
entertain and inform residents and
visitors alike.

I'm going to make a point of watching
the Anvil Battery Salute
this year.
What is an anvil salute you ask?
As a way of honoring Queen Victoria's
birthday in 1860, the Royal Engineers
put gun powder between 2 anvils.

Ingenuity happens when you don't
have a cannon handy for such occasions.

Rene Savenye Area, Blackie Spit Park, B.C., Canada

The Savenye Environmentally Sensitive Area
is part of Blackie Spit Park in Surrey, BC,
and is dedicated to Rene Savenye,
a passionate naturalist who
did a lot of work at Blackie Spit.
Rene was a science teacher in
Surrey, BC, and passed on his
love of nature and all things wild
to his students.
He also discovered the second
oldest fossilized march fly in the
world, which is now housed at
Simon Fraser University.
It's believed to be 45 million years old.
The area is ephemeral and
hauntingly beautiful.
I can't help but think how Mr. Savenye
would have loved the
sights and sounds here on this
life thriving spring day.

Blackie Spit Park, BC, Canada

Blackie Spit Park in Surrey, British Columbia
is along the migratory
path for birds stretching from Alaska to
the southern tip of South America.
It's along what's called the
Pacific Flyway,
and is a temporary home to
many species of birds
twice a year on their journeys
to and from their summer and
winter homes.
Up to 1.4 million birds.
Honest, I don't make this stuff up.

Hard to imagine the
wee size of some of these birds, and
their flight over such long
distances.
Puts us humans to
shame when we can barely get
ourselves out the door for a
sunny afternoons jaunt around
the neighborhood.

British Columbia continues to
unfold her treasures and wonders.