Friday, September 30, 2011

Day 192: Nice hips!

Rose hips, that is... ;-) Not much time to grab photos today, so I took my chances as soon as I got into work when I spotted a squirrel leaping through the long grass. I thought that would make a fun photo and after dropping off my gear in my office, I went back to look for it. Of course it had long gone by the time I got back outside. I wandered along, camera at the ready, hoping to find something to photograph when I spotted the shiny orange-red rose hips. I don't think I've stopped to take pictures of them before. I had taken a couple when I got a rude reminder of how casual I'd been with the old camera lately: low battery! I quickly took as many as I could before it shut down. This one worked.

Rosy-red rose hips
UBC, 30 Sep 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Day 191: A web on the web

Another nice day, and in an effort to use up some holiday I took the day off. I headed over to the North Shore to cycle up to the Seymour fish hatchery, as I did back in June. I've been cycling in to work again when the weather permits, so once again I found it a relatively easy ride. Much like last time, the sun was shining through the trees as I made my way through the old-growth section and I was stopped in my tracks by a cobweb apparently in mid-air with only a few of the outer rings in place. I parked my bike and went over for a closer look, and watched the spider continue remaking its web. The sun caught the strands lighting them up brightly against the darker trees and I figured this would be an ideal subject for today's photo.

Cobweb under construction
Seymour Hatchery, 29 Sep 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Day 190: Goodbye to summer

After Monday's reminder of how November will feel, it was nice to have a sunny day to hold onto the memory of our short summer. The light on the mountains towards sunset was warm and I tried a few shots, including one of Mt Seymour which seems to have only just lost all its snow. No doubt the next time I feel compelled to take that picture, there will be snow.

Sunset on Mt Seymour
Mt Seymour, 28 Sep 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Day 189: A bird in the (berry) bush

is worth... uhhhhh. No, that's not right :-) I took a few minutes to wander outside to get some fresh air before having to spend an hour or more in a darkened room listening to members of our research group give short presentations. It seems like only yesterday I was admiring the head-high lupines, now all dying off. The only plant showing signs of life is the bramble, but even that is starting to look past it. Looking over at the hummingbird tree, I saw a few small birds (LBBs: Little Brown Birds) hopping back and forth and went over for a closer look. Maybe I could get one of them. Well, they moved too fast and I got nothing, until one dropped into a nearby bush and remained still long enough for me to snatch a couple of photos. I didn't really pay any attention to the bush or the bird and it was only when I got home (as usual!) that I saw I had something worth looking at again. Sure it was sharp enough, and the bird was in a nice-looking berry bush (I'm surprised to see any berries left). At first I thought it was just a song sparrow and almost didn't post the picture below, but then one of our Flickr contacts identified the bird as an American tree sparrow, a bird I haven't knowingly taken a picture of before. Good enough for me to make it my picture of the day :-)

Bird in a berry bush
UBC, 27 Sep 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

Day 188: Candle cones

First day of a new work week and a very wet one at that. It rained most of the day and was quite breezy with it. I didn't feel much like venturing out in it so I waited until my walk to the bus in the evening to get today's photo. Fortunately I found something :-) A conifer sprouting fresh cones from the middle of a bunch of needles, like candles. I thought they looked cute, plus I was a little surprised to see such fresh-looking cones on a tree at this time of year. My best guess is that the tree is a kind of larch but really I have no idea.

Candle cones
UBC, 26 Sep 2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Day 187: Brought to you by the letter "A"

It's funny that just earlier today I was mulling over the possibility of an alphabet series to follow on from my rainbow series (having just located my future "violet" photo) and wondering how I might achieve that. Outside the local Safeway I saw a pigeon perched on the Starbucks logo behind two horizontal wires ostensibly there to prevent the pigeons sitting there (and doing something that rhymes with sitting). First I was amused that the bird was there at all, then there was the appearance that the bird was behind bars, and then there was the fact that it was sat fair and square on the "A" of Starbucks, gifting me with the first letter of the alphabet. I am skeptical that I will be able to complete the alphabet, especially if I try to do it in order, but it does give me ideas for pictures over the next six months.

"A" pigeon behind bars
Kitsilano, 25 Sep 2011

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Day 186: Of goats and crowns

Today we went up to Goat Mountain, probably our favourite North Shore hike. We haven't been up there for three years so we felt we were long overdue a return visit. Plus we have our annual pass for Grouse Mountain which allows us to use the gondola for "free", so saving our sanity from the tedium that is the Grouse Grind. The views from the summit of Goat are superb and to my mind represent the best return for the least investment. Crown Mountain dominates the view immediately to the north and I took a couple of photos of the sheer rock faces. In one of them I noticed a group of five hikers perched on the summit of Crown, enjoying the view and the fine early autumn weather. We're thinking of putting Crown on our list for October, if the weather holds, since we haven't done that one yet.

Crowning achievement
Goat Ridge, 24 Sep 2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

Day 185: Ivy league

A couple of buildings away from my office is the chemistry building, one side of which is festooned with ivy. It's been green all summer and new tendrils have gradually been making their way along the wall, like little green fireworks bursting. Over the last couple of weeks, the leaves had been turning from green to red making for a nice colourful sight. I'll save the wall of red for another day.

Exploding ivy
UBC, 23 Sep 2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Day 184: These tulips are poplar with me

Remember my previous comments on tulips? There is one type of tulip that I do like, and it's a tree: the tulip poplar. It's a tree I grew to like when we lived in Maryland, as it's very common there. Our first visit to Shenandoah was striking as we saw hundreds of tulip poplars covered in bright yellow leaves. In the spring they produce some of the loveliest blooms of any tree. I was pleased to find tulip poplars here in Vancouver, but of course they're not native and when autumn comes, the leaves don't turn as golden as they do on the east coast. Here, they usually just go brown and fall. But occasionally one leaf tries to put on an east-coast show and today I found one stuck to the pavement. I couldn't resist.

Tulip poplar leaf
Kitsilano, 22 Sep 2011

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Day 183: Playing with fire(weed)

This morning I fancied cycling along the beach. The water was a flat calm, and though cloudy, the temperature was very mild. (That would change later in the day to torrential rain...) On the hill up to the university, I noticed a patch of fireweed with its leaves turning an autumnal red and most of its seed pods split and empty. One or two plants were still releasing their seeds, and I ventured in closer to get some detail shots. I spied one set of seeds I particularly wanted to photograph and moved a still-closed pod out of the way. That pod immediately cracked open, the long arms of the pod splitting apart and curling back like the petals on an opening flower, revealing the beautifully stored seeds lying flat along the stem. The fine filaments of the seeds caught the air, and a few began to spill out, helped by me as I investigated them more closely. I was mesmerized by the delicate beauty and intricate layout of the seeds and took a dozen or more photos, hoping that one would work out. This was definitely tripod work as it was hard to keep still enough to ensure the target was in focus in macro mode. I was very happy to find one that worked well enough for today's photo, but I have to admit I would love to go back and try again with the SLR.

On an unrelated note, this post and yesterday's mark the half-way point in the journey around the sun. Here's to the first six months and I hope I can keep this going to complete the circuit.

Fluffy fireweed seeds
UBC, 21 Sep 2011

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Day 182: Photographer photography

Today we had our departmental photograph. As I locked up my bike and walked towards the building, I noticed the yellow tape defining a no-go area for pedestrians, and two cameras set up on tripods. I like photos that set scenes, that tell a bit of a story and I see more of them than I can capture. I took a couple of photos in quick succession while the photographer was out of the picture. She saw me taking pictures and wondered why, saying that there was nothing to photograph yet. I told her that was the point :-) The scene is set but the actors have yet to take the stage...

Meta-photography
UBC, 20 Sep 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

Day 181: The sun goes down

First day back at work after Mum and Dad flew home. Didn't feel much like taking photos, but fortunately the sunset cooperated and put on a gorgeous colour show for a few minutes. All I had to do was step out onto the balcony and take a few pictures.

Multi-coloured sunset
Sunset, 19 Sep 2011

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Day 180: Half a circle

Mum and Dad flew home today, and after reluctantly waving them goodbye at YVR we met up with a friend from work and a couple of his friends for a gentle wander around Lighthouse Park. We walked a little, found a rock to sit on for a bit, before walking for a bit more to find the next rock, etc. While sat on one of the rocks I saw a zodiac speeding over the water, and while the the sea appeared calm, the boat was crashing through waves, sending spray in all directions. I quickly raised the camera and shot off a few photos and this one caught the splash quite nicely.

Splash!
Lighthouse Park, 18 Sep 2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Day 179: Reifel

We've been to the George C. Reifel bird sanctuary a handful of times, and it's yet another of those places that we find ourselves thinking we should visit more often every time we go. After all our recent action-packed days it was a good place to spend a couple of hours unwinding, ambling along the dykes and watching the bird life. We were hoping to see the sandhill cranes, but they eluded everyone today. Instead we had to make do with a load of cute lesser yellowlegs picking their way through the shallow water. We were able to get surprisingly close to them, and I was pleased to get this shot of one.

"Eww! I think I stepped in something!"
Reifel Bird Sanctuary, 17 Sep 2011

Friday, September 16, 2011

Day 178: Something fishy

Last weekend was the Coho Festival in West Vancouver, and we hadn't yet managed to call in at the Capilano Hatchery to see how the salmon run was doing. I took the day off to take Mum and Dad up there and we spent a leisurely hour or so watching the fish and walking the loop up and over the Cleveland Dam. As ever, it was dark down by the viewing windows and I tried a long exposure through one of them, thinking that the fish would be a blur. But I was surprised how little the fish moved in the 4-second exposure and it's still possible to make them out quite clearly. Cool!

Salmon swimming still
Capilano Hatchery, 16 Sep 2011

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Day 177: Green

I've finally got around to thinking about the next colour of the rainbow :-) It all started with listening to the radio this morning, where I heard that today is the 40th birthday of Greenpeace. That got me thinking about how I could get a photo that I could link to this event. I knew that green was the next colour I was due to photograph, but on such a dull day I wasn't immediately sure of how I could get something colourful. It slowly dawned on me that I cycle past the UBC golf course on the way in to work and where better to find saturated greens than on a golf course. (And yes, that pun was intended!)

I reached the corner of Blanca and University Boulevard and pulled over to get my shot. A group of golf brollies was plying one of the holes over to my right, but there was no one on the putting green, and no one on the fairway of the nearest hole. Perfect! I sized up a few shots, took a few more and I have to say I'm very happy with the intensity of the green in the photo below - barely a touch of colour tweaking. And of course, with no golfers in sight, the scene is quite serene. At peace, even.

Green greens at peace
UBC, 15 Sep 2011

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Day 176: Commutable

My brother's daily photo project has included a few shots taken while cycling. No surprise given how many miles he covers. There are a couple of sights I see on my bike ride to and from work that I often think about trying to catch while passing, but have not yet figured out how to do that. For now, then, a shot of University Boulevard heading away from campus. I had the camera slung over my neck and shoulder, the screen folded out and tilted towards me so I could get a rough idea of what I was taking a picture of. I used my thumb to actually press the button. For the most part this was a pretty stable way to get photos, though my framing was mostly random and it took quite a few shots to get something that looked even close to composed :-)

Commuter's-eye view
UBC, 14 Sep 2011

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Day 175: All things must pass

How do you capture something on a day of loss? And how do you write about it? My lone surviving grandparent, my grandad, died today in his sleep, aged 88. I have many fond memories of him, from my childhood (even though I only saw him perhaps only for a single week per year), from my adolescence and in particular from my wedding day. He'll be sorely missed by the whole family.

Coincidentally, one of my cousins had a new arrival, capturing the essence of the cycle of life in a single day. I tried to get a photo that encompassed that, but none of the ones I took worked that well. It feels a bit of a downer to use a photo of something dying, even if it is only a flower, but actually I quite like it. To my mind it seems at peace.

At the end of its time
UBC, 13 Sep 2011

Monday, September 12, 2011

Day 174: Winged rats

Much as I don't like pigeons in general, I do have to admire their flying abilities. I've watched them many times as they rise as a small flock and swoop round and round the neighbourhood. Tonight, having spent no time looking for a photo at work, I spent some time on the balcony before dinner, Dad filling in his journal in the evening sun. I tracked and photographed the circling pigeons, following them round several times. Finally they decided to settle and it seemed that they were all heading for the same utility pole. Of course it was a little too crowded for that many pigeons to land at once, so they spent a few seconds hovering and manouevring before taking up their perch. I caught them just as they slowed to a hover. It's not the best picture I took that night, but it's different from any other pigeon photos that I have, all the birds are still in flight and I simply like the warm light on them.

Winged rats
Pigeons, 12 Sep 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Day 173: In the Eye of the Wind

Another sunny day and time to get a view of the city from above. We took Mum and Dad up to Grouse Mountain and spent the day there taking in the sights. We paid the extra to go up into the Eye of the Wind - the proof-of-concept wind turbine just behind the summit of Grouse Mountain itself. It was a good view, but to be honest not worth doing more than once. Mind you, the chairlift ride to and from the summit was definitely worth it. On our return we stopped by the grizzly enclosure where both were out and about, foraging for whatever they could find. One of the bears spent time really close to the fence, digging up some roots and turning over a large rock. The light was good and I was able to get quite a few photos, albeit with the fence in most of them. But one or two just worked, especially this one where the bear's face is full frame. I was less than 2 metres from the bear - that's as close as I ever want to get to a full-grown grizzly.

Looking into the eye of a grizzly
Grouse Mountain, 11 Sep 2011

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Day 172: The moon's a ballo(o)n

"The Moon's a Balloon" is the title of a book by David Niven. I don't know what it's about, I just remember seeing the cover when I was a kid and being intrigued by the title. And of course, the word "ballon" is the French for ball. Tonight we were down at Locarno Beach watching the sunset and enjoying some fine take-out from East Is East. As always, a few games of beach volleyball were under way. As I wandered along the beach to get a better angle on the rising moon, I saw the ball loop high in the air. Coincidentally, the ball looked to be about the same size as the moon, and a new idea came into my mind. I focussed on the moon and waited.... As soon as I saw the ball in the viewfinder, I started taking photos. I didn't know what I'd got, so I waited a bit longer to make sure I'd really caught the moon and the ball in the frame. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I'd capture the photo below! Very happy with this one. :-)

Playing volleyball with the moon
Locarno Beach, 10 Sep 2011

Friday, September 9, 2011

Day 171: The mountain of the spiral road

Our last day in the Rockies has arrived, and it's time to re-pack the car and take our road-trip home. It was hard to leave Jasper behind, we all wanted to spend more time there, relaxing and getting to know it even better. But there was more to see :-) We drove to Mt Robson and called in for breakfast at the cafe, enjoying the warm sun through the windows. Fed and caffeinated, we walked out to take in the sight of the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Once again we were lucky, and the summit was cloud-free. There are only so many photos you can take of the mountain from this angle, though, and once more we had to continue on our journey. But we had one more trick up our sleeve: we drove as far as the Mt Terry Fox pullout, turned round and treated Mum and Dad to the same experience of rounding the corner and seeing Mt Robson fill our field of view that we had when we first visited in 2007. It's a massive mountain and really dominates the landscape.

I had seen someone's photo on Flickr that inspired me to take something similar. It involved stopping along the straight section of road as you drive directly towards Mt Robson and I had to pull off onto the verge as there was no shoulder to speak of. Then it was a simple matter of dodging the truck traffic to cross the highway and get the picture I was after. :-)

Mt Robson
Mt Robson, 9 Sep 2011

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Day 170: Angels in the ice

Our last day of touring in the Rockies. I dropped off Mum, Dad and Maria at the parking lot below Mt Edith Cavell, returning to Jasper to get petrol (I'd foolishly ignored the gauge as we drove down the Icefields Parkway). If I ran out, I figured it was better to inconvenience just me rather than all four of us. I made it OK (phew!) but I let the car coast in neutral on pretty much every hill, and kept the engine speed below 2000 rpm at all other times. Fortunately the roads were quiet and I was very glad to see the petrol station in Jasper. Heading back up to Edith Cavell I could now afford to push the car a little harder - and I must admit, although the CR-V did quite well on that twisty road, I think the old Integra would have been more fun...

The star of the show is undoubtedly the Angel Glacier, with its outstretched "wings" lying in a bowl above a 400-m cliff on which the head of the angel is draped. Personally, I think it looks like a dragon :-) Whatever your interpretation, it's a stunning sight, especially with the remnant glacier at the base of the cliff calving icebergs into the green meltwater tarn. Last time we were here, with Susannah and Kevin, we hiked up into the meadows. I didn't feel the need to do that today, and just enjoyed sitting in the warm sunshine, admiring the view.

The Angel Glacier
Angel Glacier, 8 Sep 2011

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Day 169: Rhymes with maleen

Maligne Lake is the longest (largest?) lake in Jasper National Park. It was named by a French (or was it Belgian?) visitor in the early twentieth century, which means that the "maligne" rhymes with "ma-leen", not the usual English "ma-line". Either way, it's a gorgeous lake and we took the boat tour (again) out to the famous Spirit Island, the sight of which graces the bodywork of many recreational vehicles. As we reached our destination, the pilot of the boat slowed right down and proceeded to turn a big lazy U-turn to give everyone the best chance to take in the view south. The lake was mirror-calm and the various peaks were reflected perfectly in the blue-green water. Not to mention that the sky was free of cloud once again. Another perfect Rockies postcard picture!

Mountain reflections in Maligne Lake
Maligne Lake, 7 Sep 2011

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Day 168: Jasper

To our amazement, the good weather has continued and what better way to get a feel for the Jasper area than by taking the tramway up to Whistlers Mountain to take in the view. From up here we could see Patricia Lake, Pyramid Lake, Annette and Edith Lakes, Beauvert Lake and Jasper Lodge, the Colin Range of mountains, the greyish Athabasca River and the banana-shape of the Jasper townsite. To the west we could see a bright white Mt Robson standing tall above its neighbours, and to the south (once we climbed a short way up the mountain) we could see Mts Kerkeslin and Edith Cavell. We haven't been up in the Banff gondola before - somehow it's never appealed - but this is the second time we've been up to Whistlers Mountain. Of course it helps that you can get a discount when you book the Maligne Lake cruise as well (that's for tomorrow!).

Jasper
Jasper, 6 Sep 2011

Monday, September 5, 2011

Day 167: Glacier fed

When we drove from Jasper to Banff back in 2008, we stopped at the Columbia Icefields centre and took the snowcoach tour out onto the Athabasca glacier. As we made our way back onto the bus, a heavy storm came over the Columbia Icefield and set about drenching everything in its path. Today we had perfect clear skies, and it was warm! Even out on the glacier we only needed a single warm layer. And I was amazed to see that we were the only coach out there - last time there were three or four out there at the same time - so we had a very peaceful time walking around on the ice. We filled our water bottles with fresh glacier meltwater, took a load of pictures and marvelled at standing on a glacier.

On the Athabasca Glacier
Athabasca Glacier, 5 Sep 2011

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Day 166: Grizzly

It was a frosty morning in Kootenay National Park, and the four travellers ventured through the chilly forest, emerging into the warming sunshine at a frigid alpine river. Crossing on a wobbly bridge, they entered meadows that were glistening with dew, soon reaching the ruddy ochre beds. A shrew disturbed the morning quiet, momentarily distracting the travellers from their onward journey. The nearby paint pots glowed green. Continuing on to the marble canyon, the travellers trod a safe path well away from the precipitous drop, pausing to admire the blue-green river and its raging waterfall. The sun adorned the falls with the arc of a rainbow; a pleasing sight indeed. As they rejoined the wide and open road, the travellers came alongside a halted caravan train by the river, their attention drawn downstream by the sight of a grizzly bear. The bear seemed unfazed by the attention, and made its way along the river, oblivious to the shooting going on around it, but clearly having no desire to hang around. The travellers departed, seeking new ground and new vistas.

Here's one of those shots :-) A real live, non-captive grizzly bear! Wow!

Grizzly bear crossing the Vermillion River
Kootenay National Park, 4 Sep 2011

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Day 165: Moraine Lake

Yesterday's cold weather and grey clouds had disappeared overnight, revealing the mountains in their full glory. No messing about, then, and we headed straight for Moraine Lake. It was crazy busy with tourists (I don't count us as tourists ;-) but we took our time, sitting back with a cup of tea before heading up onto the rockpile for the classic view of the lake. And, wow, what a view today! We've been to Moraine Lake a few times, and today was the first time we've had clear skies. Stunning - and Mum and Dad were speechless. We took a walk down to the other end of the lake and sat there for a while, enjoying a different view, one with fewer tourists.

Mountains and glaciers above Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake, 3 Sep 2011

Friday, September 2, 2011

Day 164: Johnston Canyon

Now the holiday really begins :-) How much easier could it be than simply rolling out of bed, grabbing some breakfast and walking out of the front door of the cabin to begin our wanderings up Johnston Canyon. We went as far as the Upper Falls, and despite the early arrival of a couple of coach tours, the canyon didn't feel crowded. A lovely way to start our touring!

Lower Falls in Johnston Canyon
Johnston Canyone, 2 Sep 2011

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Day 163: Elk

Day 1 of our week of touring in the Rockies with my mum and dad, and the first of many good wildlife sightings. We were driving along the Bow Valley Parkway and slowed down as I saw a handful of cars parked at the roadside. I pulled over and immediately opposite, feeding in the grass, was a large bull elk. Of course we couldn't resist hopping out of the car and joining the other snap-happy tourists for the photo-shoot. Not a bad way to start the tour :-)

Don't get too close...
Banff, 1 Sep 2011