Dandy

The dandelions are popping up all along the banks of the dikes.

Taken from my archives.

Grilled

This darned thing is the very pretty grill on the front of my very "not starting" van. Luckily, I had access to my husbands car to get to work today! Cars these days may as well be disposable. Once they hit the 10 year mark, they just need throwing away and a new one buying!

Easter Sunday

May the light of the Lord shine in your life.

Happy Good Friday

Nothing like a sunny Easter and spring flowers to harken the arrival of spring.

Tunnel

This pedestrian tunnel runs under the Haney Bipass, a busy stretch of road. I like the way the lights cast shadows into the corrugated walls of the tunnel, causing a rib-like effect. This tunnel leads to the Haney Wharf , where the two previous photos were taken.

Rail Crossing

Moon Light

As the sun was setting to the west, the moon was rising in the east. Almost appearing to be hung from the lamp post. Taken at Haney wharf, on the south side of Maple Ridge. This is directly across the street from yesterdays picture.

Liquor Store

This old building is the liquor store in Port Haney, the old part of town. One of the original buildings. It has been well kept up and is part of our towns heritage. I dont know what it was before it was a liquor store.

Theme Day

This months theme day is Public post boxes. My daughter joined me as we went hunting for a shot of a nearby Maple Ridge post box. This one was on a busy corner in town.

64 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st April theme, "A Public Mail Box", please use the links to below to visit them.

Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -23 -24 -25 -26 -27 -28 -29 -30 -31 -32 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -38 -39 -40 -41 -42 -43 -44 -45 -46 -47 -48 -49 -50 -51 -52 -53 -54 -55 -56 -57 -58 -59 -60 -61 -62 -63 -64 -65 -66 -

WIndows and Doors.

CLICK IT TO BIG IT

Almost done. The doors and windows are al in place. Just a few finishing touches left. We have to stain the shingles siding. Plus install a few more in the peak above the door. Then paint the shutters gray and put them back up. One more job to cross off the list!

Drafty

All the old aluminium windows were removed. Also the drafty old doorway.

It was pretty cold having no windows for the most part of the day! At least it was'nt raining. Thats me drinking tea and watching the men work!

This Old House

This is our home.

Also known as the ongoing renovation project!

This is what It looked like a couple days ago. Tommorrow Ill post an 'under construction shot".

Notice the little face in the window?

Uplifting

That which falls as rain down here, falls as snow up there. The Golden Ears, when the clouds lift, are a welcome sight.

Wet Truck

Yesterday I was stuck in traffic in the ongoing deluge of rain we are receiving. This large truck pulled along side me. The rain was just pouring off its side panels. Our weather has been so gray and soggy, we are starting to grow gills!

Wick and Wax

We light candles for birthdays, on cake. For weddings, christenings and funerals. We light them to say a prayer. We light them to give that romantic glow, to set the mood. They are lit during a power cut. They are great for subtle lighting at your dinner party, especially when the house is dusty.

They would be placed in a lantern on the windowsill, so folks could find their way home in the dark. Some of them are scented and fill the room with fragrance.

Lunar

I'm no astronomy buff. But on my way home this evening, I noticed the moon looked so pretty. I dont know which star that is up in the top left corner. I just wish I had a tripod with me! This was the only clear shot I got, before it dipped into the clouds. Message to self... Put tripod in car!

Timmies

One of the biggest Canadian successes is Tim*Hortons Doughnut and Coffee Shops.

Want one?

Sunday Morning

St. Andrews Heritage Church. These little chapels are our church heritage in the "New Frontier". I have been in catherdrals that the europeans were building, before white man even set foot on this land. Hundreds of years later, this is the heritage of this area. A modest little chapel. You could even say it is cute. I suppose they were built to suit the needs of the sparce population of the area at that time.

Mother

A Mom comforts her crying lad.

My sister and nephew actually.

I feel so much love in this photo.

On The Fraser

Early morning tugs on the Might Fraser, round up stray logs for the lumber mill.

A clear bright morning. You can almost see steam rising off the wet wood.

Whats For Dinner?

Hungry?

Puddle

Finally. it has stopped raining.

Today we got a fair bit of blue skies.

The downpours of the past few days have left everything soggy and wet.

Timepiece

At 2 am the clocks sprang forward an hour. We are now in Daylight Savings Time. This pocket watch belonged to my husbands Uncle, who worked on the railroad.

Banners

UPDATE: In answer to your question. No they arent for any special occasion. These are just for decoration. They were put up all throughout the downtown core as part of a city core beautification project.

Banners on the lamppost in the grocers parking lot.

Inside Hamada

Miso soup. best slurped directly from the bowl, piping hot.

Goes great with rice paper lampshades!

Notice the steam rising up against his black clothing.

Hamada

My favorite sushi restraunt. In the heart of downtown Maple Ridge.

Timberline

The Gate to Timberline Ranch. The tops of Golden Ears Mountains are framed by it.

The Town Hall Clock

ENLARGE FOR A BETTER LOOK

This is the town hall clock. It stands outside the Municipal Council Chambers. The mechanical horse rears up on its back legs when the clock strikes the hour. Tourists and locals alike, will often stop to watch. It takes almost 10 minutes for the horse to completly rise and come back down onto all four.

Maple Ridge is known as Horse Capital of Canada, as we are supposed to have more horses per capita than any other part of the country.

Sunday Morning Church

This is St John the Divine Anglican Church. The oldest church in the area. Outside, it looks like a humble little chapel with wooden siding. Painted white, it is clean and neat. Well tended and looks cared for.

The inside is its real glory. Highly polished dark wood, intricately carved archways and sashes. From out side you can hardly notice the stained glass windows, which seen inside, take your breath away.

Landmark

When we see these peaks, it's a sure sign that home isn't far away.

The Majestic Golden Ears, sentry to Maple Ridge. Silently watching over the town.

TEST BUS

No it is not a bus full of students writing exams. Nor is it a learner bus driver. It is a new line of busses designed to reduce fuel consumption and emmissions. They have been on our roads for a couple years or so.

Powered by natural gas and Hydrogen. It is a cleaner bus, emiting mostly water vapour in its exhaust.

Testing the Power of Tomorrow.

Working Man

My Maple Ridge working man!

Woodchips

Piles of woodchips on a local farm, look more like mounds of gold. If only!!!

Frozen Flooded Fields

We had a lot of rain recently. Yesterday we even had a dusting of snow. It came down quite heavy for a while. Today there are only traces of snow in some places. The sky is clear and blue. These puddles, between rows of blueberry bushes were frozen over. We walked for about 5 miles along a quiet section of dike. Yesterdays snow still present on the low hills, making it seem like a fairy land. I will post more pictures from our morning walk on my other blog.

zoom, zoom, zoom

The view of the Golden Ears Mountains from my kitchen window. A black sky that broke open long enough for a glimpse of fresh snow on the peaks. This is the actual view that we see.

Our neighbourhood is lucky to have many well established trees. They give privacy and shade, but as they grow taller, they obscure the view of the mountains.

This is the same view with the zoom lens.

Look Both Ways.

FOR A BETTER LOOK, CLICK TO ENLARGE ANY PHOTO

Sometimes when we see a beautiful sunset, we tend to focus on the magnificence of the dipping orb. But often, when you turn and look the opposite direction, the golden beams of the setting sun, cast a glorious hue on everything.

This was taken from the same spot, same time as yesterdays post. However it is taken looking east, the opposite of yesterdays picture.

Harris Road Sky

Looking west from the "Silver Bridge" on Harris Road.

Water as smooth as a looking glass.

Shoot

Tiger lily shoots.

Time to clear the mulch, prunes the roses and power-wash the winter grunge away!

Now who would like to volunteer?

Aura

Bridge crossing over turbulent waters.

Current swollen from previous heavy rain.

Rushing over boulders, hurrying towards the sea.



Clear today,

A sunbeam morning.



Shaggy moss, alluding to distant days.

When full summer foliage blocks all sun from low boughs.



Natures gleaming aura diffused.

Presently admitting sun,

where soon it will be refused.

Allouette

Tucked up in the Golden Ears Mountains is this well loved location. Allouette Lake, crowded with swimmwers and picnicers in the summer, but so quiet and peaceful in the winter. In February you can hear birdcall from across the lake. This was once a steep valley. In the early 1900s it was forested and flooded to create this artificial lake. A small dam at one end controls the water level. This photo was taken two years ago. Currently the lake is closed due to the damage from January storms.

Cool and Cloudy

A dismal way to start the day. So gray and overcast. A few sunny breaks late in the afternoon, made for some nice pictures at a beach a few miles from here. See my web site if you would like to see those.

Masonic Hall

The Masonic Hall in Maple Ridge. Taken last summer. This old building was moved to this site over 30 years ago to make way for a mall at its previous location, which was right in the center of town. It remains in a nice central location, but on a quieter street.

This is were my family spends alot of time.

Tonight we where at a spaghetti dinner that our oldest son organized. He had invited two adult organizations to join his youth group for dinner. He asked that attendees make donations for cancer research and he raised over $100. That may not seem like alot but for a handful of boys, i think it is great. To see teenage boys mingling with some quite elderly guests was very nice. One of the boys stood up and recited a talk about how loved and admired their Dad's are. He almost brought his own dad to tears. And a few Moms were dabbing their eyes too!

If your son age 11-19, is looking for a meaningful group of boys to be a part of, Look up DEMOLAY.

Beams & Bolts

The old part of town is called Haney, named for one of the founding families that first called this place home.

This is the relatively new - built to look old - structure on Haney Wharf. I love the red plates and bolts against the unadorned timbers. Makes a fabulous photo subject. See this from another angle, shot the same day, for a totally different look. Follow this link to my archives and scroll down to December 3rd.

Nests.

These are herons nests up in the trees. It seems strange that such large birds would nest up there. I should have thought they would prefer to nest in the reeds like the geese and swans. It is alot safer up high though. The herons arent there just now but the nests are seen easiest when the trees are bare. Some of them must have been blown down by the high winds last month.

Midas Sky

Sunset over the blueberry farms, reflected in the irrigation trench. Taken on another night. One less cloudy that this evening.

Moonset

On friday morning I was driving home from a night shift and followed the moon home. I watched as it set, just moments before the sun rose.

Goodnight Moon!

Free Advertising

How is this for a little bit of shameless self promotion? Sure beats 'WASH ME". But then again, maybe its time for a bit of a car wash. Weeks of snow and salt on the roads make for a very mucky car . I havent wanted to wash it while it was so cold or it would freeze shut. Today it is warmer, so maybe ill see about cleaning up the sexy red hot rod.

Still Standing

One of the older barns in the Kanaka Park area of East Maple Ridge. These, aging edifices must have been extremely well built to have stood for so many years and to withstand the brutal forces of nature as we experienced this winter.

What Annoys Me About My City

The first of the month theme for the daily photos is "What annoys me about my city?"

It was difficult to pick something. Because no matter what bad there is to complain about here...there is so much more good, which counterbalances things.

One of my peeves with the city is that they continue to take land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve, every year. Prime land is being turned into housing tracts and there is talk of Mega big box shops going in near where this photo was taken. Already land has been appropriated for widening of roads and bridge building. I know it is all in the name of progress, but it seems such a waste of good farm land. In the end, will we have to import eveything we eat?