The Year in Review - Sapperton - March 2014

 Above is a photos of the side street near home.  You might recognize it from a photo in an earlier post but this one is minus the snow.

 The Thifty Foods on Columbia Street in Sapperton (New Westminster) is now a Save On Foods since it was sold since this photo was taken earlier this year.  There is a story behind that if you care to do some online research.

 The grocery store is sitting on land that used to be part of a former brewery, Labatt's.

 Mt. Baker across the border in Washington state (U.S.A.) as seen from Sapperton.  The Fraser River is in the foreground.

The Cascade Mountains to the east as seen from Sapperton.  There is a bridge across the Fraser River in the foreground.   Enjoy the photos!  :-) - Volker

The Year in Review - Fraser Cemetery in late Winter - March 2014

 Here are a view more photos taken in the Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster in late winter (last winter).  There are always surprises, as you may notice!  Enjoy!! :-)  - Volker

The Year in Review - Glenbrook Ravine Park - March 2014

 Despite being late winter, with approaching spring some early colour was starting to emerge.  Each season has something to offer, even in the dead of winter.  Our winters here, compared to other parts of Canada, do not get very severe!  We should be thankful.  Enjoy the photos and the season! :-)  - Volker

Winter Scenes

Winter has finally come to the British Columbia lower mainland, though this photo is from earlier this year when the last winter was having its death throws.  The scene is on a side street near home but the temperatures are warmer than they are now.  We are expecting a low of - 8 degrees Celsius tonight.  The snow season is just starting here, so we can expect more of the white stuff over the coming months though nothing like what other parts of the country experience!  :-)

 The last two photos were taken the same day as the first one sometime in February or March 2014.  During the same outing, I was in the ravine park nearby and crocuses were up and in bloom, so March is the more likely.  Meantime, enjoy each season for what it offers.  :-)  - Volker

view from Sapperton

This past Sunday I went for a walk to check out a new grocery store near home. These are just a few photos that I took along the way. Above is a view to the northeast of Eagle Mountain where I had done three hikes this summer. You can see the microwave tower (red and white) just to the right of centre. There is a great lookout there with an awesome view below.
The second photo show the Fraser River as seen from near the top of the Fraser Cemetery in Sapperton. The image below shows the view of the mountains to the northeast from the same location.
Then there are photos of a mighty oak tree in the cemetery, one of the crown, one just looking up near the base of the tree and another looking at the moss on the bark of the trunk of that tree.
There is also a Monkey Puzzle Tree in the Fraser Cemetery. The photos below show the tree and a close-up of the crown. I hope you've enjoyed the photos.

monkey puzzle

On my way to Burnaby Mountain on Sunday afternoon, I decided to walk to the SkyTrain station. This took me past an excellent specimen of a monkey puzzle tree a few city blocks away from home. You're looking at the crown (top) of the tree which is native to the Andean Mountains of South America. The tree's Latin name is Araucaria araucana. You can clearly see the cones (brown). There are several interesting specimens in the lower mainland. This one in Sapperton (New Westminster) is but one of them. There is another in the Fraser Cemetery, at least one on Capital Hill (Burnaby) and some near the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver. There are others as well. - V

peacocks

Sunday I went for a walk to nearby Queens Park just south of my place. There's children's zoo with all sorts of birds and animals. I managed to get a couple of decent shots of a peacock (male), front and back. There are two adult males and one juvenile male but the accommodations for the birds is not enough for the number. The peacocks need more space. Enjoy the images just the same! I'll have more photos at a later date. The female, by the way, is called a peahen! - V

first snow

Over the weekend (Dec 12 - 13) we had the first snow here in New Westminster, well, snow that stayed for a bit. Its all been washed away by the rain that came during the week but here are a few photos that were taken during a walk late in the afternoon Sunday before it got dark. The walk took me over to Queens Park and then back home. As you can tell, the kids take no proding to get out to enjoy the new snow! There are a few photos of scenes in the park and then the Christmas lights and other interesting features at a condo complex across from the park. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, so enjoy! - V.