Canada Day and a Few Beach Photos

Another Canada Day has come and gone. My visiting cousin and I started the day with a bit of shopping at Oakridge Mall.  We then carried on to Granville Island where the International Jazz Fest is happening.

Granville Island had a host of  festivities organized for families.  They even had it's own parade but these were all over with by the time we arrived.  We hadn't planned to participate in these events because we were on our way to the fireworks display.

While at Granville Island we had a small snack and listened to this wonderful duo of buskers.  I didn't get their name but the man in red had a fine singing voice and the keyboardist was very good too!

We then boarded this little ferry boat to go across the water to English Bay.

The small ferry was quite busy.

Once on the other side we took a nice long stroll.

It was already approaching 10 p.m. when I snapped these photos with my cell phone and so the light was not that good.

We were having fun enjoying the scenery and  ambience but we had to hasten our walk along the beach to get to the fireworks venue on time.  We decided to walk rather than wait for the bus because of how slow the buses can be in the West End.

We walked along the beach past Sunset Beach and turned onto Cardero Street where we walked toward Coal Harbour.Our destination was Harbour Green Park along the waterfront from where we watched the very nice fireworks display.

I took a 5 and a half minute video but don't have time to edit and upload right now.  After the display we took our time walking east along the waterfront (out of view of this graphic image).  Everyone was taking their time talking to friends and enjoying the evening.  We stopped and had gelato and visited with a few women who were also enjoying their evening before heading home.  Later we continued our easterly walk past the  newly built convention center and Canada Place and beyond to the bus that would take us home.   We didn't arrive home until 1:30 a.m. and both of us were completely wiped out. My cousin kept saying how much she enjoyed herself and it was nice to know that she enjoyed her short visit.  We've made tentative plans for some touristy things to do next year.

Thanks for visiting :-)

In closing let me wish all my American readers a very happy and safe Fourth of July!

Thankful

It is Thanksgiving here in Canada and I want to wish my Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful to have an officially sanctioned time each year to to pause the ordinary course of events and reflect on the goodness of God and the blessings in my life.

Of course one doesn't need to wait and give thanks only once per year. I try to do that on a frequent basis but it is still nice to have one holiday called Thanksgiving. Even more so if one knows the purpose of the holiday.

Life comes with it's share of sorrows, trials and tribulations and it can make some people very bitter.

But there are also times of  joy and happy moments. Daily too there are little things that give our lives added beauty, joy and meaning and put a smile on our faces if we let them..  As a person with an abiding faith I also hold on to the scripture that says 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

No matter what happens I feel that God will work it out in the end if I just trust Him.

Things always happen for a reason and sometimes we do not know what those reasons are in the moment.

Only later can we look back with greater clarity and understanding.

That is the Burrard Street Bridge in background and on the right is the beginning of the West End (Downtown).

I am grateful for so many things, large and small.

Sometimes I just need to stop and think hard about what those things are. Sometimes we lose sight of the goodness and the blessings when everything is not going the way it should or the way we would like.  Those are the times when it is even more important to consider how blessed we really are.

The bridge above is Granville Street Bridge. The highrises in back are Fairview Slopes area.

I'm grateful for living in a beautiful city and having beautiful places to visit, either alone or with friends.

On the day of these photos, my friend invited me to Granville Island after stopping a very nice place for coffee in another part of town. But on other days, I have visited alone and still have a wonderful time having coffee or lunch, buying fruits and vegetables and people watching.

Another view of Burrard Street Bridge.

I'm always awestruck by the beautiful scenery at the waterfront no matter what part of the waterfront I happen to be visiting in this city.

This day it was rather quiet at Granville Island. It is a long weekend, Thanksgiving weekend.  I  suspect many people have left the City to be with family and loved ones.

I am grateful I have family and loved ones too.

Though my family is small, I love them dearly.

I am grateful that though my elderly mom is sick she is still here and I can talk to her each day.

I pray daily for her many needs:  for compassionate and helpful caregivers and that God would help her memory which is starting to fade, relieve her pain and help her in every way.

I am also grateful that this Thanksgiving, I have loved ones who will join me for Thanksgiving Dinner and that I can still make the odd large meal though I don't cook one nearly so often.   Even if I couldn't we would still gather and dine on rotisserie chicken and other fixings. 

The important thing is just to be together.

On the day I visited Granville Island there was a break in the weather and the sun came out. That may seem like a small thing too.  But it is the little things that add up to make pleasant days and beautiful weeks and months and years if we take the time to appreciate them.

We will have a few sunny days this week. I'm grateful for that too because it won't be too long before the winter rains come.

Bridges is a very popular restaurant on the Island. They have large deck on the other side where you can sit and enjoy the view.

There are so many more things for which I am grateful but I won't enumerate them all.

Mainly I wanted to share these photos that I took a few days ago.

They depict a very small part of Granville Island.

If you are interested, I've posted several other times about Granville Island and in more detail.

If you would like to read them you can find them here.

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a great week!

Seagulls on the Island

Seagull at Granville Island in Vancouver

Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver is a destination for tourists and locals alike. There is a lot to look at and admire on the waterfront and the atmosphere is very peaceful and enjoyable even when there are hordes of people around. At least, I find it so, but I don't get to this place too often anymore. I may get there at least once, perhaps twice a year. 

This time I was with a friend who likes to go there and it was probably the quietest I have ever seen it. It looks like the group of ladies in the background were enjoying shopping and picture taking. I think they may have been waiting for one of the Aqua buses that goes from one end of the Island to downtown Vancouver.

I found these seagulls just in time for Saturday's Critters with Eileen. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

If you missed my post from Thursday please see it here. Especially if you are the praying kind. 

Thanks so much!

A Glorious Day After All

Everyone must have felt that a cheerful friend is like a sunny day, which sheds its brightness on all around; and most of us can, as we choose, make of this world either a palace or a prison. ~ John Lubbock

 Today started off cloudy and threatening to rain.
(I didn't get a photo of the cloudy sky for comparison).

I was getting together for breakfast with a friend from Alberta, who if I am lucky, I get to see once a year.

Last year it was coffee and muffins at my home. This year it was breakfast out. Her treat.

We dined, drove around, then dined some more.

I forgot to take photos of the food.

Well it wasn't much. 

She had a BIG salad. I had clam chowder soup and a fresh Caesar salad. It was the first time I've had Caesar salad without the romaine lettuce leaves being torn into bite sized pieces. But the capers were certainly nice!

The day turned  out to be sunny and warm.

The scenery from my chair was spectacular.

I love days like this.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.


Joining up with Our World Tuesday.