on hiatus

Photo a Day Update!

The blog will be on hiatus for a few weeks while I'm in Sulawesi. I'm all geared up for the trip, with about 6 gigs worth of memory cards for the two cameras. We're only in Singapore and I've snapped away quite a few so far - but nowhere to upload them.

Hopefully I'll find a place I can upload and post some photos in Manado. If not - there will be a couple of weeks' worth once I get home.

Stay tuned!

march 22

On the bright side... after I got to work from the too-early Calgary flight, we went shopping. We borrowed a cart from the mail room, went over to Sears, and wheeled a wicked little bar fridge back to the office along Robson.

Our cubicle is now kitted out for ice cold beverages and tasty snacks.

march 21

Two days in a row I got up at 4 am to catch a flight for a 1-day business trip to Calgary. This was my plane home.

I'm not a morning person. Now I have a wicked cold.

march 20

Granville at Robson - same corner, different viewpoint.

march 19

Canada Line construction on Granville Street at Robson. I wonder how long the low building on the corner will last?

march 18

On the skytrain near Science World.

According to Nyla, there are 58 buildings under construction in Vancouver right now. In this photo you can see about half of them.

march 17

Clayton closeup.

march 16

Carrying on the pet theme, but counterbalancing the cat... here's Rose, my sister and brother-in-law's gorgeous shepherd cross. Rose lives in Seattle. She's a little camera-shy, and today she was extra mellow after chasing squirrels on our long morning run along Lake Washington.

As for including a shot I didn't take, it's really only half-cheating; it was my camera, and I coached W setting up the shot :)

(ps Matt - this is the first posted shot with the 50mm 1.8!)

march 15

yawning... or telling me what she really thinks?

march 14

Being a first class procrastinator, I'm not that diligent about uploading a photo every single day. I do catch up though. Tonight I'm doing three days, and it's a pet theme.

This shot is from a few weeks back. Fraidycat was in her usual afternoon lounging spot, on the back of the green couch. A beam of sunlight lit her up beautifully.

march 13

One more blue shot from our ski day at Cypress. Just after the fog lifted and the skies cleared, we found an exquisite view of Grouse.

march 12

Another of my favourite "blue" shots - my niece Quin on a ski day with auntie at Cypress. The January morning started with drizzle and fog, but cleared in the afternoon for amazing views of Howe Sound.

I spent a good deal of the day going backwards on my skis "coaching" Quin down the hill on her new snowboard, as my nephew Reid carved circles around us.

One far too fast year later, I race the two of them down the slopes but it's no longer a given that auntie will win.

march 11

I'm getting a little behind these days and need to catch up! I love the blue twilight sky behind the inukshuk at English Bay.

march 10

Another one from the archives... Fraidycat in a ray of autumn sunlight.

march 9

Mia, my friend Elisa's baby girl, was my first real client - I did baby shots of her last May, when she was about 2 months old.

Mia turned one on Saturday, still with the gorgeous big hazel eyes, and the most squeezable cheeks I've ever seen.

march 8

While the rest of the country digs itself out from a foot of snow, the cherry blossoms that started blooming in February are dusting Vancouver in pink.

march 7

JJ Bean at Powell and Victoria - the best coffee north of Hastings.

march 6

More from the new neighbourhood (or, as I prefer to think of it, the eastside seaside).

This is the way to my favourite local coffee house. North on Victoria, straight down the cobblestones to the railway tracks, with a stunning view of the inlet and mountains all the way.

march 5

North of Hastings and west of Victoria, old houses share the the industrial neighbourhood with warehouses, factories, and shoes.

march 4

One of my favourite views of Vancouver is from the overpass to Crab Park.

This semi-secret gateway to the port and convention centre reveals a skyline uncluttered by condos and cranes.

Freight trains trundle along between the working waterfront and the historic warehouses of Gastown.

march 3

W has commandeered my laptop, where all the newer photos are. And I still can't find my little Elph.

So I'm digging through the oldies again for pics.

I shot this nearly 2 years ago, on a grey September afternoon at Sunset Beach. The chairs were part of the Sculpture Bienniale that ended sometime last year. At one point the chairs were at English Bay, then they were moved here to Sunset Beach.

I wish I could say I loved all the sculptures, but I didn't. I don't really miss the big engagement rings at English Bay, or the Donnie Darko-esque Rabbit.

But I adored the whimsical, poetic chairs scattered along the beach. I especially loved it when people would quietly walk up, sit for a while, then nonchalantly try to make off with the unyielding chair.

march 2

I have, for the first time in 12 years, a garden to play in; and, for the first time in my life, it's a garden that's completely mine.

It's lain dormant for months and I've been checking since early February for signs of life. I've spent a an hour here and there, tidying up and freeing shoots and buds from the autumn and winter leftovers of twigs, branches, dead leaves.

A week ago I noticed lush, green points and spikes pushing up the dirt in the corners of the garden. By Sunday - today - there are 4 miniature daffodils blooming in the wintry sun in all their tiny joyful glory.

Wanting to post a new photo from my garden, I got right down in the dirt and shot the lusciuous yellow blooms with the macro setting on my Canon Elph. I came inside, put the camera down - and haven't seen it since.

So in honour of my wee daffs, here's a pic of last spring's narcissus instead - blooming near the heron's nests in Stanley Park.

march 1

As I was riding home Friday, none of my cameras with me, the sun shone out from below the heavy rainclouds, lighting up Science World.

I was under the viaduct, and wasn't quite fast enough to catch the scene until the light had faded into a soft yellow and twilight blue.

Luckily, my new Blackberry Pearl has a camera. It's no SLR, but I like the grainy blurriness.

A year ago, there would have been a dozen or more derelict boats in this photo, moored illegally in the easternmost stretch of False Creek. These got cleaned up sometime in 2007 - a few were towed away, a few sunk, most just moved on.

I miss them - they added quirk and character to what's becoming a slickly packaged and sterile waterfront.