Happy New Years Eve.

All the best for the coming year from Maple Ridge Daily Photo.

Night Lights

The Christmas decorations along Maple Ridges main drag, 224th st. It wont be long before they are removed and the only sign that christmas was here will be the half dead christmas trees put out for the chipper.

Reflection

This shot was taken from the Pitt River Bridge in a moving Vehicle. This bridge is the main access into the Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge area. It is a traffic nightmare as routes on either side bottleneck at this bridge at peak commute hours. I am happy to say, that I no longer need to use it very often as I am now working in town, about five minutes from home. One thing I always loved about crossing this bridge, is the amazing unhindered view of the mountains. This was taken at twighlight yesterday. The setting sun casting a golden hue onto the snow and trees. The temperature has dropped below zero again, as the blanket of cloud that has been covering us for a week have finally lifted.

Pardon My Absence

I haven't lived up to my Daily Photo commitment over the past two weeks. Hopefully I am back to regular postings again now. I was sick for quite a while, but now that I am back, things should be back to normal. I haven't been out much with the camera, so I will post this photo

of one of the roses my husband brought me on Christmas Eve.

I hope everyone had a very happy Christmas.

Good Light

The lamp standards in our downtown core meet with the high standards of my Dad who's pet peeve is lights that cause far too much unnecessary light in the atmosphere, thereby reducing the viewing capacity of amature star gazers such as himself. Maple Ridge lights have the hoods over them which direct the light downwards, and prevent most escaping light rays from polluting the skies.

Bethlehem?

For years, Delores, a Volunteer at the hospital, has been setting up this Dickinson village and Manger scene. She spends hours on end for several days getting everything into place. There is a tiny frozen pond with skaters, a swing set and a church, a Post Office and a Schoolhouse. The cotton baton snow sprinkled with just enough gliter to make you believe it is snow. There are lights running through all the buildings so each one actually looks occupied. The manger is the focal point, and though it is a little larger scale and not very Dickinsionyish at all. It all blends together for a nice Christmasy effect. Thanks Delores!!!! And thanks to Ridge Meadows Hospital for allowing this symbol of Christ's birth to be erected in the lobby of the Extended Care Unit.

Barnland

Part of what I love about where I live is the convenience of being close to all the necessary amenities, yet still being so close to the rural part of town. Many of our local farms have 'heritage' style barns. This is a fairly new barn. I am pleased that they built it in a style in keeping with the existing buildings in the area. Each fall, this farm dows a punpkin patch for the children, complete with petting zoo and hay rides!

The Pond

There is an intricate sytem of dykes throughout this area. They are excellent places to walk. Even after all our recent wet weather, the gravel topped dykes remain clean and dry. The wetlands alongside the dykes are full of plants and wild life. Many sorts of birds can be spotted nesting and foraging. From tiny chiakadees to eagles and herons. Here a morning mist starts to lift from a local pond.

Big Business Bullies

Although Maple Ridge still has a small town feel in its core, many of the smaller shops and businesses have had to close. On the out skirts of town, big box shopping has arrived. Huge unimaginative shops, buy in mass quantities and sell at reduced prices. The consumers love the deals and variety. Unfortunately the smaller local businesses are suffering for it. Until a few months ago, the nearest movie theater was in the next town. It was an old family run operation with three small cinemas within. Now it has had to close. Squeezed out by the "mega movie" theater which offers enormous variety.

Winter Wonderland?

This shot of the Golden Ears Mountains was taken two weeks ago, when they were freshly coated in snow. Today there is only snow left on the upper levels. I see these peaks from my kitchen window, partially obscured by trees. This photo was taken from a few blocks from my home.

I received a comment from Curly on yesterdays post.
Curly said...
Hi Susan, you have published three or four pictures showing how cold and wintry the weather is in your corner of the world, I have to say that I somewhat envy your position, we haven't had a snowy winter for quite a few years here!

Curly lives in North East England. I should clear up the misconception that we usually have cold snowy winters here, because we normally don't. Most years we might get a dusting if that, which usually melt within a few hours. The day we got this huge delivery of snow, I was off work and went out for four hours taking photos of this anomaly. Needless to say I have loads of wintry photos to share here. As of today, the snow is actually almost gone. Our usual mild rainy winter weather has returned. Very similar to the climate of parts of England actually.

Here is a link to the Maple Ridge Tourism website Climate page. There you will see that we have an average cold season temp of 4c above freezing.

I have thoroughly enjoyed our gift of snow. I am hoping for a little more actually . But don't let on, as most folks around these parts don't care for it, and prefer the milder weather which we are so accustomed to.

Fences

'To most of you, your neighbor is a stranger, a guy with a barking dog and a high fence around him. Now you can't be a stranger to any guy who's on your own team. So tear down the fence that separates you, tear down the fence and you'll tear down a lot of hates and prejudices. Tear down all the fences in the country and you'll really have teamwork.'

Long John Willoughby "John Doe," played by Gary Cooper in the movie, Meet john Doe.

Whoooo Hooooo!!!

My sister e-mailed me this photo of my little neice enjoying the snow a few days ago. She is one of two sisters of mine who also live in Maple Ridge. The snow is starting to melt now. I can see the grass showing through on my lawn again. I wonder if we will get a white Christmas in Maple Ridge.

North Pole

A stroll through our local shopping mall brought me upon several winter displays. These little fellas were at the North Pole arrangement. The igloo, polar bears and penguins, are what many people envision when they think of "Cananda". Athough you may see the polar bears in some colder regions, Igloos are becoming scarce. Penguins, I believe, are actually creatures of the South Pole. But they make a lovely addition to this winter scene, which is the only place in Maple Ridge where you will see any of these creatures!

For more of my photos, see my personal blog A Thousand Wordsworth.

Maple Mural

These are plywood maple leaves mounted on the side of a building. Each leaf is at least six feet across, if not more. Up in the left hand corner is the District of Maple Ridge logo. A bright splash of colour on a gloomy gray day.

Maple Ridge Bandstand

The centerpeice of our town green.
Lastweek the Santa Claus Parade wound its way around it.
On November 11th, the solomn ceremonies of rememberance were conducted from here.
On summer evenings bands play to crowds sat in deck chairs and on blankets.
In between special occasions, it is a hang out place for local teens.
In behind, are a few of the trees lit up with their Christmas Illuminations.

Haney Wharf

The old part of town is know as Haney. This is a shot of the wharf along the Fraser River taken at about 9am. There was still a little fog on the river. The damp of the mist made for a nice sparkle on all the surfaces as the sun hit. Every summer, the city hosts jazz & musical nights on the wharf. You can take your lawn chair down and sit with your ice cap in the lazy evening sun and be entertained. Its a real community feel.This wharf lays between the train tracks and the tugs. Always something going on. I enjoy mornings there the best, watching the tugs maneuver through the waves.The train engineers always wave as they toot by.

Frozen Food

Are'nt you glad you are'nt a bird. If you were, you would be looking at dinner. A few seeds cling to this husk. Taken at the side of the road at the North end of 224th. Just at the edge of the cranberry bogs. Maybe our feathered friends hop over to the bogs to seek out a few leftover berries for dessert!

Topless

The City Daily Photo Blogs (See the link in my side bar) are having a theme day today. So here is my contribution. The theme is "someone from the waist down". I figure , if you get just the bottom of someone, then they dont have the upper part which would make them topless. Lacking anything human in the topless department, I posted this....

This is a Maple Ridge Egg. Boiled to perfection and as topless as they come. Bought locally. One of the ladies at my work, sells eggs for $3.oo a dozen. Have a great weekend everyone. And a special thankyou to all the nice folks who came by to welcome me to Daily Photo!

SNOW FALL

Officially, it isn't actually winter until December 21st. The weather this week, would make it seem otherwise. With an arctic front, double digit subzero temperatures and all this snow, it certainly feels like winter. However, I noticed this tree in downtown Maple Ridge, with its blazing fall foilage intact. I thought it made a nice contrast between the two seasons. A bit of proof that it is still fall.

Cranberry Bogs

Maple Ridge, in recent years has become home to many Cranberry farms. The fields are diked on all sides. To harvest the berries, the fields are flooded and the berries float up off their stems. Then the farmers scoop up their crops with large nets. There is an extensive system of irrigation and drainage in place. The red huts, house the irrigation pumps. This particular bog is located at the north end of 224th Street. Two weeks ago, Maple Ridge experienced severe flooding in this area, and this area was underwater. Far in the distance you can see Burke Mountain which is in Port Coquitlam, the town west of the Pitt River.

SNOW

For my first post, I think most Maple Ridgers would agree that a Shot of the Golden Ears Mountains would be fitting. These peaks are synonymous with this town. Located at the north-east corner of the municipality, in Golden Ears Provincial Park. They tower over the town and are its crowning glory.