A view from Burnaby Mountain

Saturday afternoon took me to Burnaby Mountain and I was there early enough to get in a few photos before the sun set. As you can tell, the cherry trees behind the Horizon Restaurant have been completely stripped of leaves. Of course, that's the case with other deciduous trees in the region. There is a close-up shot of one of the cherry trees below. Once winter sets in I'll likely have more photos of the trees surrounded with a blanket of snow. This elevation does get snow in the winter months!

The rosegarden looks like its gone to sleep for the winter and below you can see the view from the edge of the mountain looking north across Burrard Inlet.

Tankers are seen in Burrard Inlet with refineries nearby (photo above). Then there is the view looking west-northwest toward Vancouver. Capital Hill is in the foreground with downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park behind that.

Then I've long found cloud patterns of interest, such as the one above as an example. It resembles a fledgling needing to be fed by its mother, or it could be a terrible monster sucking in the energy from the area above Vancouver and its environs. You decide for yourself. There is a larger pic below.

Here is a view west from the art sculptures on the western end of Burnaby Mountain with yet another view below looking toward the northwest (Stanley Park, the Lions Gate Bridge, Bowen Island and the northshore to be seen in the distance).

The last two photos feature the sunset on Saturday. Here we are looking toward the southwest with the sun setting behind Vancouver Island. The Pacific Ocean is on the other side of Vancouver Island. The body of water in front of the island is Georgia Strait with the city of Richmond between us and the strait. I hope you've enjoyed these photos. Expect more to come, weather permitting! - Volker

Saturday's walk to Burnaby Lake

This past weekend the weather was so lovely after weeks of dull, overcast skies that I had to get out for a long walk. The walk Saturday took me to Burnaby Lake nestled in central Burnaby between the Trans-Canada Highway to the south and the Lougheed Highway to the north. Further to the north is Burnaby Mountain. Not to be missed are the Coast Mountains seen from various locations. On the way over a bridge over the Trans-Canada Highway, I spotted a red-tailed hawk soaring high above the traffic below. The photo above is of that highway and the image below of the raptor soaring gracefully above everyone.

The image above is of a map of Burnaby Lake. Below is a view looking east-southeast toward the lake. Here Still Creek is flowing slowly toward Burnaby lake. Shades of blue and green predominate the scene.

That is white fluff floating in the air and water from tree sheading their seed. The bridge over the creek is a great place to view the nature's activity on the water.

Yellow flag in flower along the water's edge. You'll see some yellows in the landscape as well as the blues and greens.

Here is a view of the trail found along the west end of the lake. There is a sports complex behind the trees (populars) on the right. Then below you'll see a peaceful view of the lake looking toward the east-southeast. It was an awesome day for a hike in nature. There were swallows flitting above the water and the odd mallard duck could also be seen.

Ferns, moss and other plants are growing on this log pictured above and then there is a photo of a skunk cabbage soon to go into flower below.

Signs along the south trail above and buttercups in bloom near the lake are shown in the image below.

Here is another view of the south trail above and then I happened to see a pair of cedar waxwings (birds) and captured one of them in the photo below. I hadn't seen them in years and when they are seen, they are usually in flocks.

A trail on the eastern end of the lake allows horses as can been seen by the manure left behind in the photo below. Here hoof marks were seen everywhere along that trail. The trails are built on to of a bog, so here and there the ground is a bit springy. Hope you enjoy the photos! Comment if you wish. - Volker

Boundary Road Photos

Last week during a break in all the rain and before the colder weather with snow came, I got off the bus early and decided to walk the rest of the way home after a night of work. The fresh air and the walk did me good. Despite the approaching winter, all is not dead and lifeless yet. There are some shrubs in flower and colurful berries to see. Note the holly berries below.

I believe this is a larch tree but the photo below is of the crown of a Monkey Puzzle tree plus a close-up shot. The Christmas season is fast approaching! Perhaps these images will help inspire you.

Autumn Colour on Burnaby Mountain

After just over two months without the internet, I'm back. Toward the end of October I took this photo of a grove of cherry trees in colour. They are on the western end of Burnaby Mountain behind the Horizon Restaurant. Enjoy! There will be more to come.

Spring Flowers in Stanley Park - Vancouver

Tuesday, Stanley Park in Vancouver was a pallet of colour as seen in these images. All photos were taken with a Sony DSLR A100 digital camera (10.2 megapixels). The photo above is of rhododendron flowers that were taken with my HP Photosmart R717 digital camera during the past week.

A cherry tree near the tennis courts and a close-up shot of the blossoms in the photo below.

The image below shows more blossoms. Even the moon made an appearance. The clear blue skies certainly helped to make excellent photos.

Below is another close-up shot of flowers on another rhododendron shrub near the tennis courts. These flowers were also taken within the last week using the HP camera.

Magnolia flowers in bloom on a tree above. Below is a close-up shot of some of the lovely flowers.

Looks like another magnolia below. Lovely colour.

A lovely display of magnolia above and the red flowers of a rhododendron brighten up a spring day.

These white blossoms look wonderful, don't they?

Well, I'll have more photos later. Plenty of waterfowl and other critters were seen that day as well. I'll post those photos later after my supper. Enjoy these images and comments if the mood strikes.