ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
One of my favorite public markets is located only three-hours drive north in Vancouver, B.C., which also happens to be one of my favorite nearby cities to visit. Granville Market is part of a much larger complex of shops, artist studios, galleries, restaurants, theaters and more, on Granville Island just south of downtown Vancouver. Finding parking... Continue Reading →
Anyone who travels along the Seawall Walk around Stanley Park can't help but notice Siwash Rock. It stands out as a rugged, basaltic outcropping slightly offshore in stark contrast to the smooth sandstone hillsides. Adding to its distinctiveness is the Douglas fir growing on top.
The entrance to Vancouver's Stanley Park from the south is lined with cherry trees. I was fortunate to have seen them in full bloom just before the first day of spring. The most spectacular were the kwanzan cherries whose fluffy pink blossoms cover the entire tree crown. Also heavy with flowers were the tulip magnolias.
Squish. Pop. Squish. Pop. My shoes were making sounds on fields of muddy clay. In order to admire the daffodils in the Skagit Valley, i had to carefully plant one foot, then lift the other while trying to avoid water puddles, not exactly my idea of having fun. The epic rains that got dumped on our area yesterday soaked everything. But, if... Continue Reading →
This is yet another fine flowering specimen that I saw in Hagley Park, Christchurch.
Not only was I captivated by Hagley Park's begonia display but its dahlia border garden, too. The dahlias occupy a small strip along the periphery of the much larger rose garden, a great attraction in itself. The stunning variety represents the hybridizer's craft. On one end are the single-row specimens from their native Mexico. How they were hybridized... Continue Reading →
I'm a sucker for farmers markets. It's not only because they sell fresh local produce, but the fact that the produce may be native to the area and the prepared foods reflective of what the locals eat. Of those I've visited in the U.S., my personal favorite is not my city's Pike Place Market, Seattle's pride and... Continue Reading →
In January-March, flower lovers are treated to one of the most spectacular displays of begonias in the world. Townend House, part of the Hagley Park Conservatory, has a seasonal exhibit of double-flowered begonias, many of them hybridized by New Zealand horticulturists. All I could do was gawk—and snap away with my camera.
Hagley Park in Christchurch has some magnificent sequoia redwood specimens. I happened to be walking past one when I noticed something odd. Seemingly growing right out of the base of the trunk was an ivy, incredibly old by the looks of it, appearing more like tropical vines, a growth that needed to be cut out. It apparently... Continue Reading →
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the world's best. You could spend an entire day there if you have the patience to tolerate hordes of people who come from all over. My grandson did, as he is fascinated with sea life. The exhibits of jellyfish and tentacled creatures are superb, matched by the famed underwater 28-foot kelp forest... Continue Reading →
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