Posts tagged ‘Vancouver’
The Amadea at Vancouver’s Canada Place
Yes, it’s the end of February, and it’s already cruise-ship season in Vancouver! That says a lot about the relatively temperate winter weather in this part of the world …
The cruise ship “MS Amadea” is docked at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal in Vancouver, Canada. Operated by German-company Phoenix Reisen, the ship is in Vancouver for a couple of days before embarking 27 February on a month-long voyage across the Pacific. Scheduled stops include Seattle, Washington; Astoria, Oregon; and San Francisco, California; before heading out across the “big western pond” to Hawaii. The ship traverses the northern Pacific to Yokohama, Japan with the final destination Osaka and scheduled arrival on 24 March 2013.
The “Amadea” can take on 600 or so passengers with a crew complement of about 250. I get a nice chuckle at how Phoenix Reisen has labeled this cruise as Vom “Wilden Westen” zum Fernen Osten – from the wild west to the far east. You can read the full itinerary in German here.
To the Germans and Europeans who have flown out to Vancouver to join the month-long cruise:
I made the photos above on 25 February 2013 with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Red, white, & maple leaf: Canada’s national flag
Whenever I return to Canada, I always get a warm feeling when I see the English and French signage in our airports, and the large maple leaf flag flapping in the wind. The sight of the Canadian flag tells me I’m home again.
I’ve often asked myself : how old is the Canadian flag? Has the flag been around as long as the nation? Does Canada have a day to celebrate the flag?
Since 1996, the National Flag of Canada Day is observed annually on February 15.
One might assume that the Canadian flag has been around as long as the nation took shape in confederation, created by the legislation of the “British North America Act” in 1867.
However, the current version of the Canadian flag with its 2-to-1 length-to-height ratio, a red stripe on each side, and a stylized 11-point red maple leaf on top of a white square in the centre made its first official and public appearance on 15 February 1965. As red and white had already been declared the official colours of Canada in 1921, the red stripes reflect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans which border the country at the western and eastern ends, respectively, referring directly to the Latin inscription in the Canadian Royal Coat of Arms, “A Mari Usque Ad Mari” (from sea to sea).
With roots dating back to the British empire and membership in the British Commonwealth since 1931, there was criticism and controversy about eliminating the “Union Jack”, as the (Canadian) Red Ensign had been in common use for decades. The new design was based on the flag for the Royal Military College in Kingston, and drew in representative elements of the young nation. The “red, white, and maple leaf” flag is now recognized around the world as a definitive symbol for Canada.
The Canadian national flag celebrates its 48th birthday in 2013.
Here are a few places in Vancouver where the Canadian flag stands tall …
If you find yourself in the downtown/central business district of Vancouver, 12pm everyday is indicated by the first four notes of the Canadian national anthem from the Heritage Horns on top of Canada Place.
The picture of the Canadian flag at the very top was obtained after a Google search for Creative Commons images. I made the photo of Brockton Point on 7 January 2011, the photo of the Beach-Davie-Denman triangle on 5 January 2012, the photo of City Hall on 13 February 2012, and the remaining photos on 10 February 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Edits: added, modified text at the top – 15 Feb 2013, 1130am PST.
Toppling 60000 photos at home in Vancouver
Throughout 2012, I traveled around the world (RTW), where I managed to make the 25000th exposure here in Vancouver in January, and 50000th exposure in Berlin, Germany in October. Thankfully, my 5-year old entry-level digital-SLR camera survived the trip, and is still delivering decent photographs.
Given the number of photos I continued to make, I knew I’d flip the “number counter” once again when I completed my RTW and returned to Vancouver. Sure enough, I turned the counter over for the 6th time in under 5 years.
I returned to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA), world famous for their collection and archive of cultural art, sculptures, and monuments from First Nations’ peoples along the Canadian west coast. With my previous visit to the MOA taking place over 20 years ago, my return was a happy one. The visit itself will be the subject of another post, as I highlight here the 60,000th photo, one of the “Haida House exhibit”.
The accompanying caption reads:
The two Haida houses reconstructed here on the grounds of the museum were probably the first of their kind to be built in the 20th century. The larger house represents a family dwelling and the smaller one a mortuary chamber. Both demonstrate the traditional Haida post-and-beam architecture.
These houses were designed by John Smyly and constructed by John Barnes of the University’s (UBC) Physical Plant, under the direction of Haida artist Bill Reid. The work took 3.5 years, from late 1958 to early 1962. The houses and poles were first installed at Totem Park on the west end of the University campus, and were relocated to the grounds of the Museum of Anthropology in 1978. The big house is equiped with a fire pit and lighting so that it can be used for workshops, receptions, and theatrical performances.
The house poles and three of the four free standing Haida poles were carved between 1958 and 1962 by Bill Reid with the assistance of Douglas Crammer, of the Nimpkish Kwakwak’wakw (Kwagiutl) band of Alert Bay. The fourth free standing pole, a copy of the Masset house frontal pole, was carved by Jim M. Hart, a Masset Haida, under Reid’s guidance. It was completed and ceremonially installed in 1962.
Previous rollovers :
• 15000th photo in Berlin, Germany
• 25000th photo in Vancouver, Canada
• 50000th photo in Berlin, Germany
… I might be wrong, but there seems to be a distinct pattern … or?
I made the photo above on 30 January 2013, and this post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Vancouver Canucks’ Intrasquad Scrimmage
On Wednesday, January 16, 2013, the Vancouver Canucks held their first of two scheduled intrasquad scrimmages at Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver. With the end of the recent work-stoppage, many have sworn off watching NHL hockey or attending NHL hockey games. By recognizing some of the bad feelings from fans here in the city, one way the organization has reached out to the public has seen their intrasquad scrimmages open and free-of-charge to the public.
A number of bloggers and invited guests were invited to view the scrimmage from the Rogers Studio Lounge hospitality suite. Rebecca Bollwitt was invited to attend, and John Biehler and I were also invited as her guests to view the scrimmage.
The scrimmage proceeded in the following way:
- Team Grey vs. Team Blue, with 16 dressed for each side, consisting of 9 forwards, 6 defensemen, and one goaltender.
- Three 10-minute periods, stop time
- Minor penalties 1-minute in duration
- Flood between each period, 12-minute intermission
- After 3rd period, there is a shootout with 5-player per team. If the shootout score is tied after each team’s 5th shooter, the shootout goes into sudden death with a shooter from each team until there is a winner.
For the first scrimmage, there was a reported 12,000 in attendance, many of whom were families with young children. Although the real proof will be in the attendance figures for the 24 home-games in the coming shortened regular-season, it’s easy to imagine there’ll be many who will “return” to watching hockey. The season-opener is also the home-opener on Saturday, January 19 against the Anaheim Ducks.
Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the following representatives of the Canucks’ organization: Kevin Kinghorn for taking us to ice-level for better photographic opportunities, and the invitation to the Studio Lounge from Nicole van Zanten.
I made these photos on 16 January 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein (cmp.ly/0).
Vancouver’s western beaches: Jericho, Locarno, & Spanish Banks
It’s easy to forget Vancouver has a number of beaches on both sides of Burrard Inlet. Returning to my hometown to begin my year-long around-the-world (RTW) trip was a good opportunity to revisit a number of places I hadn’t seen or visited in decades. One area was the “western beaches”; namely, Jericho Beach, Locarno Beach, and Spanish Banks along the northwest shoreline of the city.
While the summer is an obvious time to visit, I chose the winter (February), because I believe the beaches are beautiful at any time of year. With a light sweater or fleece and a waterproof windbreaker jacket on top, anyone is more than ready to head out to the beach for a walk, a bicycle ride, or even, wander out into the water for sailing, kayaking, or paddleboarding.
For its flat terrain and easy beach access, Jericho Beach was once the site of a First Nations village, before the land was taken over for use as a military base and, subsequently, a logging camp in the last-half of the 19th-century. In reference to Jeremiah (Jerry) Rogers’ logging operation in the area, “Jerry’s Cove” was likely corrupted over time to become “Jericho”.
To the west of Jericho Beach is Locarno Beach, which is more of a “quiet” area. By comparison with adjacent beaches, Locarno Beach is smaller, feels more intimate, and frequented by locals, couples, and young families. The City of Vancouver notes:
Before the European settlers arrived, this site was home to a First Nations Village called Eyalmu, roughly translating to “good camping ground.” Spanish explorer Narvaez noted it in his journals in 1791. It was named in 1925 by the Municipality of Point Grey after having been purchased from the Provincial Government (of British Columbia). The name comes from the Locarno Pact, an agreement which outlawed war signed in Locarno, Switzerland in 1925.
Farther west is a broad expanse of beachland called the Spanish Banks, known to the local First Nations as “Pookcha”, or “the back of the whale rising and falling.” The area is named for the meeting in 1792 between English Captain George Vancouver and Spanish Captains Cayetano Valdés y Flores and Dionisio Alcalá Galiano; this event has also given the name, English Bay, to the nearby body of water where the meeting took place. At low tide, the waters of English Bay recede to about one kilometre from shore. As a result, Spanish Banks expands to become a very large muddy tidal flat on which to walk and explore – with a good set of waterproof boots, of course.
These beaches can be reached by car or by public transit on Translink routes 4, 44, 84, or C19.
I made these photos on 11 February 2012 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
