Lovely Weather For A Walk In The Park

Yes, we had a fine day for a walk in Stanley Park, the crown jewel of Vancouver.  But first, a little bit of the city.

As the scouting party for the Genesee Rowing Club, Julie and Mary and I arrived early to scope out the venue.  Shame on Julie's husband for not making the trip, but the mantle of responsibility weighed too heavily.

In nearby Burnaby, a fine luncheon can be had
on the patio at the Hart House.

This diner agrees!

Faux sails on Canada Place, where the cruise ships dock.
In addition to being strikingly beautiful,
Vancouver is a busy seaport.

Canada is a "First Nations" word 
(no longer "Indians," thus correcting the error of the explorer and slaver Columbus)
meaning town or settlement.
It is a nation independent of the United States
due to the failure of the annexation campaign of 1812.

Vancouver has lots of high rise buildings.
I wonder if they have view-blocking regulations.

I'd be less than happy if someone built a building
that prevented me from seeing this view.
Then I'd have to go to the pub adjacent to the blue raindrop
to get and eyeful...and a glass full.

Here's the view from the pub just before the sun went down.
The place should be called "View & Brew"

Right after this shot, these two started throwing punches.

But after some time in the penalty box,
they were able to enjoy the sunset together.

The next day, we were off to Stanley Park.  It's just a little bigger than the Big Apple's Central Park, and differs significantly in that it is a peninsula that juts out into Vancouver Bay.  If it hadn't been for the fact that Lord Stanley had made a name for himself by donating a hockey cup, it might have been named Off-Center Park.

Looking back at the "West End" of Vancouver from Stanley Park.

Roses in the park.

Difficult to do them justice with a camera.

Great beds, but tough to sleep in.

The gardens were striking not only for the flowers.
All the shades of green were remarkable.

You could find worse places to sit.
The view from the bench was equally splendid.

I'd name them all, but I don't want to bore you.

Two bees...

...or not two bees.
Any questions?

Rhubarb grows well in this climate.
Actually, Julie said it was a Gunnera plant.
She knows all the plants personally.

I correctly identified this one as a Tall Yellow Flower.

And this is a Weird Purple Thing.

No photos of the paintings,
so I thought it was appropriate to take this picture.

Totems are cool.
I want a totem.  Don't you?

Have you hugged your totem today?

This one has renderings of beavers.
Seems like an appropriate image for a totem.
Now if you could train the beavers to use their
abilities to create totems...

Beyond the industry are the mountains.
Not a bad view from work, eh?

A full service park, Stanley Park serves all ages.
Mary suggested that I keep walking.

The flower floats over the submerged rock.
If you don't understand this, it must be art.

Siwash Rock sits scenically, just offshore.
I did not see Sally selling seashells.

The seawall provides a walkway around the perimeter of the park.

This was a welcome site after 4 of the 6 miles around.

We had a fine long lunch at the teahouse.
It was all the better for being an alternative to walking.
However, standing afterward was painful.

There is a great view just across the road from the Teahouse.

He enjoyed it.

The view across the water to the Northwest.

 Reluctantly, we left our relaxing table at the Teahouse and continued our journey.  Around the lagoon, we finally returned to the car, happy to be propelled by an internal combustion engine.

We were not the only ones to enjoy the shores of the lagoon.

The mountains beckoned beyond the trees.
Another adventure to be had?