False Creek Goslings

This morning on our (mostly) weekly jog along the south side of False Creek we had to make a rather large detour on account of our dog. She's a Cocker Spaniel, and they were historically bred to flush wood cocks from the underbrush for hunters to be able to shoot them. Of course now they're mostly house pets, but their heritage, especially Tannah's, shows up loud and clear every time she sees a bird; she instinctively charges to send the bird(s) aflight.

Upon discovery of such a large flock of geese and goslings encamped on the seawall sidewalk this morning we stopped well in advance before our dog noticed them. My wife took Tannah on a detour around the birds while I photographed them.

Monster Mushroom

I was actually only kidding about this monster mushroom taking over our front yard, but it's growing at almost 1/2" diameter per day!

Mushroom Laneway House

Upon entering our front yard yesterday I was again reminded of how cold and damp its been so far this Spring. I bet I could count on one hand the number of warm days we've had this season.

Strangely enough it was the same last year. I remember distinctly because I rode for 2 very wet days to Seattle last Father's Day weekend for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. I took a break from it this year, however, not because the weather sucked but because I decided to train for a half marathon instead, and it occurs the weekend after RTCC.

But back to this year's weather. My attention was drawn to 2 huge mushrooms growing in our flower bed. I didn't cut the grass this past weekend, but I know there was no sign of these fungi the weekend before. Today I decided to measure them, just for the record. Would you believe almost 8" across the top of the largest one? And it may not be done growing yet as the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning is for more rain and cold temperatures (approx. 13 degree daytime high).

It this thing gets any bigger we could almost take shelter under it!

Gimme 40 Acres to Turn This Rig Around

At the risk of sounding like one that doesn't get out much, I noticed today on a drive past Spanish Banks that the freighter I saw anchored out in English Bay on Sunday has since swung right around. It must be due to the push/pull of strong tides. I doubt the boat's been escorted to and from the loading terminal  since the weekend because the hull appears to be sitting at the same height in the water.

The timber-framed shallow water warning beacon can be seen in both photos. It's no wonder they anchor those ships so far apart from each other.

Extra-low Tide

Sunday, June 3, 2012 was one of the lowest tides of the year. We took advantage of the opportunity to go to the beach! At first I thought it was unfortunate that the weather was cloudy, cold and threatening showers, but since we wanted to take our dog with us, it was actually better than going on a hot sunny day. This way we didn't have to guard against Tannah interupting someone's tanning session, or stealing food from a picnic blanket.

That actually happened once a couple of dogs ago. Shelby ran over the boundary of the off-leash beach and stole a piece of someone's pizza at Ambleside Park. I was so embarrassed I could have melted into the sand. I apologized profusely and then we bolted for the car.

It was probably a couple of kilometers out to the actual water's edge. On the walk out there we were greeted by quite a surreal scene. It looked as though the freighters in English Bay were actually beached on the sand. I've seen documentary footage of dried up lake beds (one specific lake in Russia that I can't recall the name of), and that's what I was reminded of. In the photo I posted of Tannah eyeing a crane, you can't tell since I compressed the photo, but there are people walking on the sand in front of one the  of the freighters.

Spring Break 2012 in Seattle

My wife found us a discount deal for a weekend in Seattle. We'd intended to go to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary, but other commitments got in the way, so we went the weekend after.

The first stop after an hour and a half (!) border wait (I guess arriving at the border at 7:45 isn't considered early anymore), we breakfasted at The Little Cheerful Cafe in Bellingham. From our warm, dry window table we watched joggers stroll by in the rain/ snow mix after a community fun run.

Next stop, Krispy Kreme! Except that the Burlington location has sadly closed. I tease my wife that Krispy Kreme is the only reason I tag along on these mostly-shopping excursions. However, that reasoning is losing its relevance since this trip I out-shopped her 4-1. Boo-ya!

Since check-in wasn't until 3 pm, we stopped in briefly at the Premium Outlets. After that, straight to the hotel where the car was safely stored for the remainder of the weekend. It's amazing how much one can see within a walking radius of one's hotel in downtown Seattle. The following are some of the images from this past weekend. I played around with some of the more obscure settings on my camera.

Spring has sprung! This bit of colour was spotted yesterday on the south shore of False Creek in Vancouver, near Granville Island.












Tannah and I discovered some Spring blossoms in our own neighbourfood as well.