Railing

lean on me! Ill keep you safe.

Golden Ears Goat

Mounted above the sign at the entrance to Golden Ears Provincial Park is this mountain goat. The only mountain goat I have ever seen in this park is this fiberglass one. A well recognized symbol of the park. Golden Ears Park is nestled in the mountains in the Northern reaches of Maple Ridge.

Fern Seeds

Taken in Golden Ears Provincial Park, a few minutes drive from my house. The forest floor is carpeted with huge ferns which are full of seed just now. I was there with my dad. We had taken two carloads of boys up there to hike. The top of the mountain is still not safely accessable, due to snow. We have never seen snow stay so low on the mountain this late in the summer!

August Theme Day

This months theme day topic is
'A Typical Breakfast.'
Just a couple of pieces of toast and tea, but as with most things, it is the company that makes the meal so special!

Visit these other City Daily Photo Blogs to see their breakfasts!

Saint Paul (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - New York City (NY), USA - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hyde, UK - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Stockholm, Sweden - Paderborn, Germany - Singapore, Singapore - Haninge, Sweden - Nottingham, UK - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Manila, Philippines - Boston (MA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Singapore, Singapore - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Paris, France - Sequim (WA), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Boston (MA), USA - Chennai, India - Madison (WI), USA - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Toulouse, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - La Antigua, Guatemala - Selma (AL), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Sheki, Azerbaijan - Sydney, Australia - Mumbai, India - Seoul, South Korea - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - New Orleans (LA), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Villigen, Switzerland - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stayton (OR), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Moscow, Russia - Springfield (MO), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Arlington (VA), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Manila, Philippines - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Stavanger, Norway - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Wailea (HI), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sydney, Australia - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Kansas City (MO), USA - Grenoble, France - Paris, France - Evry, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Prague, Czech Republic - Cape Town, South Africa - Brookville (OH), USA - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Shanghai, China - Zurich, Switzerland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Lyon, France - Naples (FL), USA - Olympia (WA), USA

Pool Boy

This young man swims almost everyday, doing lengths and just enjoying the cooling water. It only seems like yesterday that his father was just 18! My youngest son!

Full Moon

The full moon lights up the night sky. Click on the photo to enlarge for best viewing.

Would these be noctulucent clouds, perhaps?

I sat on my front strps to get this. Elbows braced on my knees, holding my breath. I could have run for the tripod, but by the time I set that up this moment would have passed.

Buddleia Bee

The Butterfly bush in our front yard is finally in bloom. With our nasty spring, everything was slow to start flowering. Also I cut it right down this year to try to stop it from getting too huge. The bees even came out to enjoy it.

Hollandaise

One of the many diked areas in these parts, a testiment to the many Dutch settlers that founded this region.

After a week of rain, the foilage is thick and green, the local rivers are running high. Having said that, It is nice to have the sun shining again!

Grilled

The other night we ate meat for dinner. Highly unusual in this household recently. With two vegetarians in the house, we are all slowly converting over. For the most part, I don't miss meat. Sometimes the thought of

chewing flesh turns by stomach! But occasionally I will cater to the meat eaters in the family. But it has to be marinated and grilled. It was actually really good. That should keep every one happy for a while!

Rainbow

Yesterday evening, the sun broke thgrough the clouds and cast this fantastic double rainbow over our neighbourhood.

Pottered

Our daughter and friend bought their Harry Potter books tonight and are having a sleepover to do a "read off". Its lovely to see them relishing the start of a new story.What is this spell that has the youth of our country mesmerized by a schoolboy. Maybe they all dream of having a little magic in their lives. Thanks to JK Rowling, that dream has come true in some small way through her very talented writing. You have to enlarge this to see the look of joy on my daughters face!

Jammy

Strawberries on sale, beg for a jam making session. Nothing like homemade preserves. My daighter and I, chopped and stirred this rainy morning away.

Doorstep Cat

Our cat roosting on the front steps. One of her favorite perches.

Wild Roses

Wild roses grow in abundance along the banks of our dikes. Their sweet fragrance filling the air.

This was taken on a section of dike called Blue Heron Loop. Though there is no heron in this picture, they are frequently seen in this area.

Kanaka Park Footbridge

The footbridge at Kanaka Regional Park.

Another one from the files.

Bikes on Dikes.

Cyclists on the dike. The Golden Ears Mountains bringing up the rear. The dikes are surfaced with packed gravel and are a wonderful riding place. No motorized vehicles are permitted on them.

Taken at the end of last April. Much of the snow is melted away now by the summer heat.

Caribbean Festival

Are we having fun yet?

People came early to get seats for this annual event. There were live Caribbean performers all afternoon, I love the steel drums. The main street was closed off to traffic. By noon, the place was thriving with people. Waiting for the show to start.

Metroblogging Vancouver

Just a bit of info.

This blog was featured on Metroblogging Vancouver in a series of posts about Suburbs of Vancouver.

My thanks to Rod for the mention.

CP

A Canadian Pacific train. refered to as CP.

The tracks run right along the river. We have to cross the tracks to get to the wharf shown in the previous two posts. I stood safely at the crossing gate to take this. Still, it is very frightening to stand this close to a fast moving train as it thunders past blowing its whistle.

Ramp

The ramp at Haney Wharf which leads don to the dock. The river is high and the angle of the ramp is not as steep as it usually is.

Bolts

Large bolts on the Haney Wharf at dusk. We went here yesterday evening.

Classics

Every Thursday night through the summer, Maple Ridge has a Classic Car Show at the local A&W Drive Thru.

The restaurants parking lot and the vacant lot beside it, are filled with shiney old beauties.

This weekly event, attracts car enthusiasts from all over the Lower Mainland. Giving car owners an opportunity to show off their vehicles and chat with each other and the public that come along to view the sights.

This event is not just about the cars.... its also about the coming together of people.

Bird Feeder

Cheeky little birds. The sparrows , the chickadees and the house martins squabble amongst themselves for supremacy at the bird feeder. I love to listen to them carrying on.

Get in Line

Maple Ridge kids line up for their turn on the diving board.

Making a big splash to cool down on a hot summer day.

777

Today is the seventh day of the seventh month of '07.

It also marks the arrival of my 4000th visitor to my Daily City Photo Blog.

Thanks to all who have who stopped by since my first post in November. Thanks to all who leave comments, I love comments. Thanks also, to those who quietly lurk behind the scenes. Not all 4000 visitors have made comments, still I am glad you were here. All these visitors mean that somebody must be looking at my photos. Hopefully, I have been able to show what my town means to me.

I am having a lot of fun and I have met some awesome photographers through this venue. My list of places to see has grown substantially after visiting so many of the wonderful Daily City Photo Blogs.

My Daughter took this picture.

Strung

Working mans hands. Gently playing.

The Washburn accoustic has a beautiful tone.

Deer

Not the best photo at all. I didn't have my more powerful zoom camera with me when we spotted this deer wandering up a nearby driveway. Probably on the hunt for their vegetable patch!

DQ

Not my favorite place for Ice cream, but has been in business here for many years and is always busy.

Click on the photo to enlarge and get a better look at one of the new banners the town has hung on the lamp posts.

Way up.

The Tower in downtown Maple Ridge.

Built recently as part of the downtown revitalization project.

RED

The July theme day is "RED". Being that July 1st is also Canada Day, I though the Canadian flag would make an appropriate subject. Also called the 'maple leaf', as it is affectionately known by Canadians. Hapy 140th birthday Canada!!!

Undergrowth

In Golden Ears Provincial Park, a few minutes from my home. Although Maple Ridge is a thriving town, it is really on the edge of the wilderness.

Beneath the cedar canopy, lush ferns carpet the forest floor and moss cloaks tree branches. A world of green!

AKA Rainy Haney

Maple Ridge is fondly nick named by the locals, "Rainy Haney".

Nestled right up against the coastal mountains, riddled with sloughs, and bordered by rivers. Maple Ridge is in a temperate rain forest, so massive downpours are not unusual. Our kids made up the name Rainforest Ridge when they were little.

One day this week it rained over four inches in less than an hour. Days like that , our front road looks more like a river than a road, more like a stream than a street! There are benefits to the rain. Every thing gets a good wash down, the air is cleared and the foliage in the region is as lush as anything in the Amazon!

If you go to my personal website, I posted a video there of the rain drumming on our patio cover! I am mesmerized by the sound of it and never get tired of sitting on my patio and soaking up the rhythm of the pouring rain!

Take Care.

My dad walks along the train tracks. This photo taken March 31st. We had been on a photoshoot on the waterfront that evening. He had wanted to get some good shots of the sun reflecting along the tracks.

Sadly this week, a young woman was hit by a train in this location. As she tried to photograph a train, she sliped on the wet track. She was taken to hospital but has since passed away from the severe injuries.

A reminder for photographers that sometimes the perfect shot just isn't worth the risk.

Eye to Eye

This one is from my archives.

My nephew Nick, was visiting from Edmonton last summer. We took him for a walk on the local dikes and met up with this horse and rider. There are a lot of horses in these parts and Maple Ridge is affectionately known as Horse Capital of Canada!

Nick looks into the soul of this gentle equine being.

Blue Truck

This wonderful old pick up truck caught my eye.
It was parked in a farm yard on the west side of town.
A blackberry hedge protects the perimeter of the property. I'll have to keep this spot in mind when blackberry season arrives!
Does anyone know what model and year this truck is?

Dike

Click on the picture to enlarge for best detail of the snow caps.
The Alouette River is receding but still high. The fence post here are still partly submerged. The dikes are holding all this water back. This is where we love to canoe. Nice calm waters and no speedboats to contend with. You can see the mountains in the distance still have snow on them, which is really unusual for this time of year.

Canadian Bandstand

This is the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park. So named for the war memorial just on the other side of the bandstand.

This little park is in the center of town, surrounded by a horse shoe shaped drive. All around are civic buildings. The ACT arts club theatre, the leisure center, city hall, youth center, and police station.

This park is used for the Santa Claus parade, The Jazz festival, Caribbean Days, Remembrance day ceremonies, and Canada Day celebration. Every Saturday, there is an open air farmers market here too.

Lamp Post

Maple Ridge is gearing up for summer.

Floral hanging baskets swing from every downtown lamp post. There are new banners all along the main street. Everything is looking so pretty.

The city has been making improvements to our downtown core over recent years. Its all coming together and starting to really make a nice impression.

Summertime

Happy first day of summer.

Here's to....

Frosty cold lemonade.

The smell of Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen.

The heady scent of roses in the evening.

Birdsong at four a.m.

No more school.

Neglected

Our old canoe, in need of repainting.

Table and Chairs

Brightly coloured seating out front of the local art center and theater, the ACT. There is a little coffee shop nearby and people like to sit in this quiet spot to drink their ice-caps. It looks over the town green, with the bandstand at its center.

Flagged

June 14th is Flag Day in the United States.

Canada's flag day is Febuary 15th. But in honour of my neighbours to the south, I am posting a flag also.

Click here to see a list of flag days from around the world.

This is the Maple Ridge Flag.

Emblazoned with the mountains and rivers logo.

What do you think of it?

Does your city have its own flag?

Busy Lizzy

Known in Canada as Impatience. This is one of my favorite annuals. This shade loving plant brightens up the dark parts of the garden with its abundant blossoms and gay colours.

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Matthew.

My little nephew is four years old today.

Tug

One of the many tugs that work along this river. Ideal for cruising this debris ridden water. Its rubber tire bumper pad will protect it from alot of bumps. These puppies are made for bumping into things.

How Many?

Like the old joke goes.....

How many municipal employees does it take to get the job done?

One to pray, and three to stand and give advise.

Warning

The pending flood to some of our low lying areas is a very real threat. Some docks have been gated off as a safety precaution. The water has come up higher than anyone can remember in 80 years.

For more photos click HERE to see my personal blog.

Fountain.

I was spoiled for my birthday yesterday. My family bought me this cute little fountain. It floats on the pool and makes a nice relaxing water noise in the back garden.

For more on my birthday please stop by my Personal Blog by clicking HERE.

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Guiding Hand

My son, (18) working with his Grandfather, my Father-in-Law (74). The firm hand of experience guides the novice carpenter with love and pride.

For more photos on this subject click HERE.

Red Light, Full Moon

Full moon at a traffic light. The sign reads Lougheed, the name of our main road in and out of town. Pronounced Low-heed

June Theme Day

The June 1st theme is "the view from your window in the morning".

The sunrise from my bedroom window silhouettes the huge pines in our neighbourhood.