If you’re fortunate enough to live in a city by the sea, you should bloody well go visit it sometimes. This last weekend I was on single-Dad duty, so Sunday morning I ignored the lowering sky and general dampness, bundled the protesting urchins into the van, and took them to the beach.
I’m not sure what this piece of Vancouver waterfront is actually called; it’s the wild part between Kitsilano and Jericho, with the really big piece of drift-log on it. There is sand but you wouldn’t really call it a beach, because it’s messy and rocky and mostly ignored. It’s totally my favorite local piece of our oceanfront.
When we got there it was still really damp, low clouds caught in Stanley Park’s trees.
Vancouver’s a nautical kind of place; there was some sort of rowing rally going on. I’m not sure which of the many variations of rowing craft these are. There are always lots of big ships floating in the outer harbour here, waiting for there loads to arrive.
Then a different variety of fast rowboat came along, with an outrigger and two people really reaching for it.
There’s always wildlife to see; rodents in the bushes, seals in the water, eagles and gulls and herons, and every which kind of duck in the water.
This woman came walking along the beach, climbed up on the big drift-log (I seem to recall hearing that it washed up in 1973), and commenced what seemed yoga practice.
By this time the sun was peeking through here and there; the kids, who’d been happy for an hour pottering and climbing and throwing rocks, were getting hungry.
I’d been enjoying shooting with the nice new 50-135, but after all, these are mountains and the Pacific ocean, something bigger is called for.
Sometimes you just can’t beat a good old-fashioned wide-angle.
Comment feed for ongoing:
From: Geoff Arnold (Mar 02 2009, at 23:38)
I had the same impulse a couple of weeks ago, just a few miles south of you (in Seattle). The results are here; I particularly liked this one, with Mount Rainier looming unexpectedly out of the sea haze.
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From: Joseph Singer (Mar 03 2009, at 06:13)
Great pictures! The Vancouver waterfront is always magical.
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From: Michael Norrish (Mar 04 2009, at 20:28)
If they’re facing backwards with one oar each, they’re rowing. If they’re facing backwards with two oars each, they’re sculling. Otherwise they’re paddling, or kayaking, or canoeing, or something else.
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From: Christian (Mar 06 2009, at 16:45)
I used to live 2nd/Alma and this part of the shore was just 5 min away. My favorite spot there was the upper part of the stairs (towards Jericho) going down the water front. Especially at night as there are only a few lamp posts and stars are good to see. The little street between the stairs and Hastings Mill must be really one of the best to live in I think.
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From: ferg (Mar 12 2009, at 04:40)
Looks like some sort of racing C2 (C stands for canoe, 2 for err. two people!). You can tell it's built for speed as they are up on one knee (classic racing canoe stance). It's a canoe as they are using a single blade and kneeling (although the kayak or canoe definition is very blurred!
I've just moved by a river. It's a LOT smaller than this view, but watching barges/narrowboats and other watercraft go by the bottom of your garden never fails to fascinate me. I find myself waving madly to each and every boat, as if I'd regressed to when I was a water obsessed child. I rarely fail to get a response.
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