Fantastic Journey Around Vancouver

A CAREFUL LOOK SHOWS two people are reflected in the Freezing Water #7 stainless steel sculpture by Chinese artist Jun Ren, temporarily in Vancouver, BC. The spectacular work also mirrors the blue sky, puffs of clouds and dry grass. Frozen yet visually fluid, the shape reminds me of a whale leaping out of the water or gigantic gull wings rippled by sea breezes.

The exhibit at Vanier Park attracted both Carol, from bikesbirdsnbeasts, and me like a magnet. With a snap of my camera, the two of us were permanently reflected (top photo) and recorded in the art.

The weather was balmy and the company superb last week when I met Carol for the first time in person with her companion Bill and adorable pooch Black Jack. Visiting the regular haunts of this tireless threesome was a fantastic way to explore parts of a city I had seen before but from different perspectives.

As we wandered the False Creek area from David Lam Park to Granville Island and along the seawall there were many interesting sights. Following in Carol's footsteps was eye-opening and it was easy to get hooked on her zest for life and appreciation of nature and local culture.

Carol's blog is one of the most extensive pictorials and writings on local wildlife and current happenings in Vancouver. Her personal point of view comes from the heart and gives rare insight into the community. Always curious, we had hoped to learn about the totem (pictured above) but were unable to find information at its location by the Granville Street Bridge.

During our walk, we spotted Jozsef Toth who builds inukshuks at the water's edge. The face on the head of the stonework was enhanced by rock artist Michelle Vulama.

To the delight of tourists, Jozsef regularly dismantles and reconstructs the monuments that can also be viewed in this video. In ancient times such structures often meant: "We were here" or "You're on the right path."

I certainly felt we were on a promising path as we peeked under pier pillars looking for wildlife and discovering new reflections.

This bold splash of color spilled onto the water and painted it yellow. Franck and Delphine Rabillier from France live on the vessel where they also perform acrobatic tricks on the masts of their sailboat. A scroll mid-way down Carol's post reveals their crowd pleasing antics.

I loved how the sky was framed by the arches beneath the Granville Street Bridge. It reminded me of ancient walls in Europe where sky views drift by enormous arching glass-free windows.

We were drawn to a mural with a rainbow by unknown native artists under the Granville Street Bridge. An almost invisible homeless man was tucked away in the shadows. It is disconcerting that a wealthy city has some people living on the streets and using shopping carts for their meager possessions.

This mural under the bridge was a burst of color. The circular dome that looks like a flying saucer is of a revolving restaurant downtown. The building also houses a Simon Fraser University campus.

There are several small vessels that transport people around the False Creek area. This charming little row boat definitely was not one of them.

We turned a corner to discover a gorgeous sea of lilypads that reminded me of Japan and my blogging friend stardust who discusses the differences between a water lily and lotus flower.

The weeping willow and surrounding foliage brushed beautiful watercolor patterns onto the manmade pond. (Click photo for better detail.)

Lilies floated lazily on the unruffled water amid lush leaves.

The Burrard Bridge on the horizon was a pretty architectural sight with its pillar softly duplicated in the water.

There were also stores along our way where we enjoyed a few moments of window shopping near this umbrella.

We did not test the imported decorative chairs that lounged outdoors. They brought to mind the chairs I discovered recently at a garden center.

It was too nice a day to sit and many people were out riding on this warm afternoon. Bicycling is a favorite mode of travel for Carol who spontaneously captures images for her pictorial diary along neighborhood routes.

As people whizzed by, we paused to admire a portion of the Stream Of Dreams art on the fence intended to encourage water conservation.

Whether in a bicycle basket, on the ground or over the water, Black Jack is always in good hands. She clearly enjoyed the outing as much as we humans did. With each questioning gaze she seemed to ask, "Where to next, folks?"

Explorers can find more sites from around the globe at My World.

Postscript: It came to my attention this morning that nature photographer Klaus, founder of That’s My World and owner of Skywatch, passed away. The unexpected news has left his many fans shocked and saddened. I wish comfort to his loved ones and hope that his huge and spectacular body of work continues to delight the cyberspace universe in a commemorative way.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms