A Day in Photos

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well today.

I took a little jaunt out to the University of British Columbia on Sunday to take a friend for coffee. He's been a patient at the University of BC Hospital and before that, a patient at the Vancouver General Hospital.

On my way to the University of BC

Once I arrived at the hospital, I made my way to an area of the university that is new to me. In the sky just beyond where you see the tree branches in the below photo, I spotted two eagles heading in the opposite direction. I'm always very excited to see eagles and I don't get to see them that often. I was a little slow to get my phone camera ready so I ended up with just a photo of empty sky.

I spotted 2 eagles flying just beyond the leaves.

I wondered why these trees were lined up the way they are.  They remind me of an orchard but this would be a very small orchard.

I'm not sure what kind of trees these are.

Regent College (see the small sign at parking lot) an interdenominational evangelical Christian college affiliated with the University of BC is located on the UBC Endowment Lands. It's peeking out behind the fence.  Like most other areas of the university the college gets a lot of international students.

The photo below looks toward a tower where a professor I know used to live. I'm not sure if the housing is meant for professors only or is also open to the public. A lot of the new housing on campus is for students and staff alike. I know the staff get subsidized rents.  When I was a student at UBC, highrises were extremely rare and development was minimal. The university is barely recognizable now as there has been a lot of development, both housing and amenities for staff and students, grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops.

The Starbucks I was headed to is located just beyond the awning in the below photo. It turns out that the store with the awning is a wonderfully stocked grocery store. Both of these are newer additions to campus life. I stopped there to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables some of which I used for dinner that night.

The Starbucks is just beyond the awning.

Many years ago there was only one main bus to the university campus, the #14.  A second bus took an obscure route nearer to the waterfront but students seldom rode that bus.  Today, there are multiple buses coming and going from multiple directions. On the way home I took the #99 B-Line bus which is an express bus that travels along a major street called Broadway; a good route for intersecting with many other bus routes, subway and sky train options. 

A new subway line needs to be built to the university.  There is a current subway extension being built.  It was was meant to go out to the university but will only go part way due to the ballooning cost of construction that occurred over the "Covid period".   Of course, plans can change and political parties at all the levels can decide that the construction needs to happen now rather than later.

Heading home another way.

A Walk Around Lake Lafarge

 Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you all doing today?

I spent much of the day at Lafarge Lake with a dear friend of mine. We spent the time walking around the lake and sitting and admiring the ducks.  I was so busy catching up with her that I didn't do a very good job of taking photos but I did manage a few.

It was a fabulous day for an outing. The sun was shining brightly even though some of my photos look like we were expecting rain.  We weren't but it's still a bit windy and chilly in the shade.

The remaining days of the week are expected to get progressively warmer.

Lafarge Lake is a 5 hectare man made lake located in Town Center Park in Coquitlam. It is very easily accessed via the Skytrain and adjacent to the Douglas College campus.  In winter there is a fabulous light display which you can partake of for free. I meant to go with dear hubby this past Christmas but he got busy with work and I didn't wish to go alone. Perhaps it will work out for Christmas 2024. 

I've read that it's a very popular and crowded event. I suppose because it's a free event and there is plenty of parking. There is also a fabulous Evergreen Cultural Centre nearby and a brand new community centre will open in a few days. This is a great place for one but I think families with children would especially appreciate the convenience factor.

The Last Weekend - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all doing well.  

We've had a few beautiful days of sunshine. Now we are in the very last hurrah of April. I captured these photos on Tuesday before the rains returned Wednesday morning for the rest of the month.  

It was a beautiful and sunny day but by the time I took these photos the weather was turning in preparation for the morning rain. The temperature was just right for me with a thin long-sleeved top and puffer vest.  

Thank you for visiting and sharing your comments. I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday today.

Skywatch Friday - An April Mood

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, 

I hope this month finds you well. I can't believe we are already well into the new month of April. The month is almost filled up already with commitments and I thought it was going to be a slow one.

This month has given us a very mixed bag of weather so far with some warmish days and downright cold ones too. The skies have also been changing quickly each day. I guess that is normal for spring weather but parts of Canada did get snow on Thursday. I know parts of Europe also got snow and I'm guessing some of our neighbours to the south too.  I'm looking forward to the day when temperatures will reach at least 19 Celsius.  Then I'll feel like the growing season part of spring has arrived. However, very hot weather need not come.  Wildfires are a big concern.  Wherever  you live I hope your weather is good.

Here is a collection of sky scenes over the past week (click on each photo for better viewing).

March 30, 2024

April 1, 2024

April 2, 2024

April 3, 2024

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.  Until next time, stay safe and thanks for stopping by!

A Few Days in March ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers.

I hope Spring is treating you well so far. It's been roller coaster weather where I live with mostly gloomy skies, cooler weather and the odd beautiful sunny day.  I'm sharing a few days this past week so you can see what I mean.

March 27, 2024

March 26, 2024

And about 30 minutes later on the same day.

March 23, 2024

 

One of the many things keeping me busy this week is patio renovation. The construction job is behind schedule over all and my patio in particular. This week they were to replace the pavers on the patio membrane. After which they will build the retaining wall and fill it with soil. I don't know yet about whether they will hire someone to replant the gardens or if we will have to re-do it ourselves. When I bought the place it came with a fully planted garden that had trees. Now I may have to replace all those plants myself but we will have guidelines this time from a landscape architect's report about what can and cannot be planted. 

No matter what the strata council decides, I'm still paying for the replanting in addition to the payments for the construction. It's just that I would prefer not to have to do all the work myself as it's not that easy hauling plants up from the ground level. I talked to the strata manager yesterday and he couldn't tell me what the timeline is for completion so I don't even know whether anything will be ready for enjoyment this summer. We are expected to have very hot weather this summer and so the timing of that will likely coincide with when the garden will finally be ready.  Once it is ready to go, we will need to power wash the pavers and make them look nice again.

Last but not least, I wish each of you and your loved ones, a blessed Easter weekend if you celebrate.

 I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for stopping by.

Happy Spring 2024!

Happy Spring to you.

 Enjoy this short video from the waterfront where I spent part of Spring season's first day.