Shelagh's Lens
Bringing Vancouver and the world to inspired travellers
Cloud Nine: Over the Florida Keys
When you fly, do you book an aisle seat? I know many people do – some in order to avoid a sense of claustrophobia, and others for the convenience of not needing to climb over others’ legs when you need to stretch your own legs or install yourself in one of those compact bathrooms.
Typically, you’ll find me booking a window seat. There’s so much to see outside that little window!
Whether it’s clouds, city lights, mountains, sunrises or sunsets, the horizons are amazing.
Take these shots as we approached Cuba a couple of weeks ago. Flying south from Toronto over the eastern US, the variation in colours was an evolving treat for the eyes. There was snow, of course, over Toronto, and in another post I’ll show you some of the cooler hues I captured on that leg of the trip.
On this Winter day, though, here are some of the warm aquas found below the clouds of the Florida Keys – which are only 169 km/just over a hundred miles from Havana.
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Night Skies Over Toronto
Flying in to Toronto late last month, the city’s lights were sparkling and the freeways were ribbons of glittering gold.
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Cruising Cuba’s Coastline
Who doesn’t love classic cars?
I’m back from travels to Cuba, which began with a brief stay in Varadero.
While there were a few modern cars such as this yellow one, more of them were of a much older vintage…
… a vintage that wasn’t unfamiliar. After all, many boomers rode in cars such as these when we were very young. I don’t recall the model name, but I do remember the gleaming, massive black car my Dad drove, with loads of shiny chrome.
I made it into the ocean each day but, by the afternoon of my first full day at the resort, it felt more like a warm Vancouver afternoon – with rain pelting town. So, I walked into town to do a bit of poking around.
This seemed to throw some locals – and certainly the taxi drivers – for a loop. Walk two or three kilometers in the rain?The cabbies have a habit of giving a couple of friendly honks as they approach pedestrians, hoping to garner a bit of business. I turned them down but, when the rainfall became an outright downpour, I did take advantage of a horse and buggy ride for the last bit of the distance.
While in town, the rain got rather serious. Electricity failed in one of the market stalls I visited, and I was tempted to take a taxi back to the resort. In the end, I decided it was a good idea to walk back – and am glad I did. The rain slowed down a bit, and I was able to catch a number of shots of these lovely cars against the red Cuban soil and windswept trees … all with the Straits of Florida in the background.
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Singapore’s River Walk
In Singapore, a stroll along the River Walk is a visual feast.
Perched on the water’s edge, and at the base of the office towers, are dozens of restaurants.
By the Cavenagh Bridge, you’ll find the transition back to Old Singapore.
The Fullerton Hotel is a 400-room Neoclassical beauty, built in 1928. Recognised in 2015 as a National Monument, the building previously housed the Singapore Club, the Exchange Room and Exchange Reference Library, and even Singapore’s General Post Office.
Stroll across the Cavenagh Bridge, and you’ll find yourself by Empress Place Building and the Asian Civilisations Museum … and Mirror Balls that reflect the hotel, River Walk and more.
That obelisk behind the Mirror Balls reflects another bit of Singapore History. It’s known as the Dalhousie Obelisk, and was built by local merchants in 1850 to mark the visit of the Marquis of Dalhousie (who, at the time, was Governor-General of India) to Singapore.
Singapore’s National Heritage Board (NHB) notes that those merchants of 1850 – led by Seah Eu Chin, Dr. Robert Little and Tan Kim Seng – also viewed the obelisk as symbolic of their belief in free trade.
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Game On
It’s rare for Vancouver area lakes to freeze over to the extent that people can skate on them. I remember being on Como Lake in 1988, and it’s been a couple of decades since Trout Lake, below, was frozen.
With clear blue skies and word that we’ll return to milder weather next week, people of all ages were out today making the most of this temporary winter wonderland.
There were more than a few people playing shinny on the lake.
Shinny is informal or “pick up” hockey.
It’s played on the street, in lanes and – for the fortunate – on outdoor ice.
You don’t have goalies or set positions; you do have pre-teens playing alongside men and (in the case of this game) a woman.
When you play on a frozen lake, there’s no luxury of zambonis.
Instead, people bring shovels and – in this group’s case – you do a bit of synchronised shovelling.
Here in Vancouver, people know this is a rare opportunity. They’re happy to lace up their skates …
… and so players are happy to wait for the shift change that’ll see them back on the ice.
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Full Moon Rising
We’ve had a cool but gorgeous day here in Vancouver.
The mountains are snow capped, and the skies were clear.
Here on one mountaintop, the sunset skies held shades of blue and pink …
… and a rising full moon.
Here are a couple more shots …
… hope you enjoy them!
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Plunging into 2017
Here’s a look at English Bay on a cold, but sunny winter day.
We’ve had plenty of those lately, but that wasn’t the case on New Year’s Day. Nonethless, we continued our tradition of traipsing down to English Bay to take part in the annual Polar Bear Swim. To compound matters, there was actually a light layer of snow on the beach.
The land temperature was 2 degrees Celsius (35 F), and it was a balmy 7 degrees Celsius (not quite 45 F) in the waters of English Bay. I dressed in plenty of layers, while others … well, you can see me here with a reindeer, a polar bear and a small colony of friendly penguins pre-dip.
No. We didn’t know each other, but people who are willing to hang around in these cold temperatures for the privilege of racing into the water aren’t likely to be awfully reserved.
Take these faux sumo wrestlers, for example.
This year marked the 97th annual Polar Bear Swim at English Bay, and you can count on crowds waiting to watch the zany, costumed or not.
Some of the onlookers get in on the fun by posing for photos with Vikings …
…or providing moral support and having dry clothes at the ready.
This is not an endurance event! Post-dip, people scramble out of the water and back on the sand for a quick, communal change back to dry clothes.
I think this may have been our coldest Polar Bear swim of the past five years, but this is a New Year’s tradition I’m glad to maintain.
After all, look at the great badge collection I’m building!
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A Winter Gift of Eagles
If you’re like me, going for a long walk is among the best things you can do after a decadent Christmas brunch.
We made our way down to one of our favourite beaches, where the skies were cold and dull, and the winter branches stark.
With just scatterings of leaves on this tree, we received an extra Christmas gift – the sight of this pair of eagles perched a good hundred or so feet above the beach parking lot.
I wasn’t sure whether the substantial size differences reflected age or gender differences, and am happy to hear from any experts. I’ve since read that, contrary to my original assumption, it’s the female of this particular species that’s the larger of the two. Apparently, females can weigh 10 to 15 pounds more than their male counterparts, and have wingspans of up to eight feet – whereas the male’s wingspan extends to six feet.
Continuing on our way, we were counting ourselves pretty privileged to have seen the pair – and then received an extra treat. This eagle was perched a bit closer to ground level, amidst the tangled-looking branches of another tree.
Later, as we looped back and passed the pair again, they both decided to sweep out over the waters – and so I caught this silhouette in passing. It goes to show that the best gifts aren’t necessarily found under trees!
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Season’s Greetings
It’s December 24th here in Vancouver, and so I’m sending Merry Christmas greetings to all who celebrate it – and wishes for peace and joy for all of us!
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On the Waterfront: Coal Harbour
Last weekend, before the snowfall that would be a non-event in many other locales, we enjoyed crisp and sunny weather that begged for a good, long walk.
One of those walks found me photographing Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, which is nestled just a few bends along the seawall from Stanley Park.
Here, at the entrance to Stanley Park, you have one of the two Royal Vancouver Yacht Club locations. This is home to the Vancouver Rowing Club.
Once you tear your eyes away from the gorgeous mountains, you’ll see boats of all sizes, from kayaks to yachts.
If you visit Vancouver and (as do most visitors) find yourself in Stanley Park, give yourself a bit of extra time to explore the extended seawall. Round the bend from the Yacht Club, you’ll find yourself in Coal Harbour – and gleaming towers of condos.
Coal Harbour is also home to Harbour Green Park. You’ll be glad you made the time for an extended walk, particularly when you see LightShed. This is a striking aluminum sculpture by Liz Magor. Think of a crooked little cottage on stilts, and you’ll appreciate its juxtoposition against the backdrop of Vancouver’s expensive condos.
While the sculpture probably isn’t that much smaller than some of the newer condos in the city, it’s intended to recall the boat sheds that used to call this stretch of land home. You’ll find it at the foot of Broughton Street, by the Coal Harbour Community Centre. Visit it after dusk, and you’ll see some gentle light shining through that crack in the door, and the windows all ’round.
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