If It Was Today...

Trufflessence

Posted on March 18, 2015 by If It Was Today

I’ve been posting so much about the lovely nature trails around Vancouver that I may have given the wrong impression. Vancouver is a city – a very wonderful city. It just happens to have equally wonderful nature areas very nearby. But make no mistake. It definitely is a city.

Don’t get me wrong here. I love hikes and flowers and trees, but these are not the essence of travel as I see it. The critical ingredients for any successful journey are food and drink. Come to think of it, these are pretty much the key ingredients for life in general. In recognition of this, day three was devoted to food.

We visited Granville Island, which is one of the artsy/foodie/trendy areas of Vancouver, but without the gentrification that can take the interesting edge off an area.

We had lunch at Go Fish, which could best be described as a food truck without wheels. I highly recommend you try it.

But go early, and don’t go on the weekend. On a Tuesday in March we still had a half hour wait for our lunch. But what a lunch. I had an Oyster Po’ Boy that was to die for.

Then it was off to the market to stock up on the ingredients for the evening meal. Chocolate was not the only thing we bought, but it was an important consideration.

The title for this post comes from an amazing truffled Brie we had for an appetizer, and the main course was Joan’s homemade Paella with a lovely 2009 Rioja. This is pretty much our idea of the perfect trip – spending your days planning for an evening eating wonderful food with friends.

Yummy.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Canada, Food, Travel, Vancouver | 3 Comments

Flower Power

Posted on March 17, 2015 by If It Was Today

Our second day in Vancouver we decided to take it easy, and headed into the Fraser valley to visit some of the local wineries and enjoy the spring flowers. The mix of sun and cloud was perfect for driving, walking around the grounds, sampling the local wines, and generally enjoying the warmth.

The heather was in full bloom, and of course there were a number of fruit trees covered in blossoms.

The Forsythia is also in full bloom.

I’ll close with a picture from our hike up to Crystal Falls on our first day. The flowers are not nearly as abundant in the forest, but they are every bit as beautiful in their own way.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Canada, Photography, Travel, Vancouver | 1 Comment

Crystal Falls

Posted on March 16, 2015 by If It Was Today

Our first day in Vancouver was cool and overcast with light drizzle. It was wonderful. At home it’s cold and snowing. We hiked along a forest trail up to Crystal Falls, enjoying the fresh air and amazing scenery. The moss hanging from the trees gave it an almost otherworldly air.

At the end of the hike we were rewarded with a view of the falls.

If you are ever in the area and looking for a nice little outing, I highly recommend it.

The fresh air and exercise was exactly what we needed to work up an appetite for a meeting of The Other Champagne Club followed by an evening of wonderful food.

Posted in Canada, Photography, Travel | Tagged Canada, Photography, Travel, Vancouver | 3 Comments

Context is Everything

Posted on March 11, 2015 by If It Was Today

Any idea what this might be? Cotton batting? Styrofoam? Without context, it’s difficult to say.

As it happens, this is a swimming pool. Yesterday. Needless to say, no one seemed all that enthusiastic about actually swimming.

The good news is that today the weather finally (F-I-N-A-L-L-Y) turned, and it was above freezing. All the way up to 8 C (mid 40’s F). Not enough to melt the pool quite yet, but enough that people were barely able to contain their glee. I didn’t actually see anyone out in shorts and a t-shirt, but give it a few more degrees and you can count on it. Everything is relative.

I’ll close with another mystery photo. Any idea what this might be?

This is sort of a pool. It’s a picture of Lake Ontario, covered in ice, taken from 20,000 ft. Context is everything…

Posted in Canada, Photography | Tagged Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

58 Days and Counting

Posted on March 8, 2015 by If It Was Today

In the fall they lower the water level in the Rideau canal and let the surface freeze. Once it gets cold enough, and the ice is thick enough, they sweep the ice and flood the surface most every night. As you skate, you have a clear view of the limestone blocks used to build the canal. The skating season varies, but this year has smashed all previous records. As of today, the canal has been open for skating 58 days in a row, and the season isn’t over yet.

I went out again yesterday, and skated the full 7.8 km, and then back again to my starting point. It was only a few degrees below freezing, but the ice was still surprisingly fast. Especially for the end of the first week of March.

One of the things I like about skating the canal is that it gives you a different view of the city.

I’m looking forward to a view with leaves on the trees.

Posted in Canada, Photography | Tagged Canada, Ottawa, skating | 6 Comments

So Over It

Posted on March 6, 2015 by If It Was Today

I took this picture last night. That’s right – March 5th, with Christmas lights still up and a thick coat of snow on the ground.

Clearly someone was trying to look on the humorous side of it all…

It didn’t work.

I am so over winter.

Posted in Humour, Photography | Tagged Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

The Art of Balance

Posted on March 4, 2015 by If It Was Today

On our last visit to Vancouver we went for a walk along the seawall around Stanley Park. It is wonderful to take a leisurely stroll along the water’s edge in the bright sunshine – especially if there is still snow on the ground at home. We had noticed stones precariously balanced, one on top of the other, seeming to defy gravity. It was very cool, but not half as cool as when we later saw the “artist” at work on another creation.

We probably watched for the better part of half an hour as he worked to fully understand a single stone, testing the balance in different orientations until he found the perfect position. It became apparent there was more to this than meets the eye. I rather suspect these seemingly fragile creations are a lot sturdier than they appear. I was reminded of my visit to Jordan. The stacked columns at Jerash consist of free standing stones that you can actually see sway in the breeze, and yet they have survived two millennia of conquest, earthquakes, and neglect. I’m not suggesting these will last anywhere near that long, but you get my point.

I’m looking forward to our upcoming visit.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Jerash, Photography, Stanley Park, Travel, Vancouver | 4 Comments

Vancouver Winter

Posted on March 1, 2015 by If It Was Today

I’m tempted to say that a Vancouver winter is an oxymoron,but that isn’t really fair. Someone recently told me that in southern California, winter is that season when it might rain. Winter in Vancouver, on the other hand, is the season where it is guaranteed to rain. You can’t miss it. Everything is green, while in the summer you may see a lot of brown. If you head up to the Capilano suspension bridge, as we did a few years back when I took these pictures, you quickly find yourself in a rain forest.

In the city, everything is in bloom this time of year.

To put this in perspective, when I looked out my side door today, this is what I saw.

We are heading out to Vancouver in two weeks. I’m looking forward to a break from the Ottawa winters.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Spring, Travel, Vancouver | 2 Comments

Obsession

Posted on February 27, 2015 by If It Was Today

When something captures my imagination, it tends to capture it completely. I’ve been told it is “part of my charm”. Thank heavens Jan sees it that way, because it’s all too easy to see how someone could find it incredibly annoying.

My point? The combination of a new camera, clear skies and a crescent moon was just too much for me to resist.

Posted in Photography | Tagged Moon, Photography, Winter | Leave a comment

Kids Being Kids

Posted on February 25, 2015 by If It Was Today

It’s nice to find someplace where kids can still go out and have an innocent game of pickup hockey without structured supervision, full protective gear, and bubble wrap to keep them safe.