STARS THAT GLITTER in the night sky and birds that swoop and glide as they fly have their glitzy glamour but gems can also be found further down.
Looking at the ground has its advantages. The tiny mosaics I recently captured tucked into a corner of a walkway can easily be missed.
The artist arrangement of colorful stones bordering the sidewalk (at right) are on the Surrey side of the street. The City of White Rock (where the apartment building is pictured) is on the opposite side. The much smaller community of White Rock is surrounded by South Surrey on three sides. The Semiahmoo Bay and First Nations Reserve bordering the US are on the other. The community of some 20,000 people rejected invites to join Surrey, the second largest city in British Columbia that wants to grow bigger.
As appealing as Surrey can be with its over 6,000 acres of parkland, White Rock takes pride in its independent status. This gardener does fine work tidying the tulips in the uphill portion of the city.
Upper and lower White Rock have a bevy of hills and grassy slopes from where to enjoy pretty seaside views. The railway winding along the lower portion (photo taken in winter of 2010) is in Canada. But perhaps due to a lack of foresight on behalf of Canada decades ago, the American BNSF Railway gained ownership of waterfront areas so White Rock must lease this land from the company for various purposes such as parking along Marine Drive.
Being nudged on all sides, it can't be easy to maintain a separate identity for this small city that nowadays has no industry other than tourism. But when something is worth keeping such as this natural geographical treasure, how can you not stay strong and stand your ground to remain autonomous.To enjoy more sights from around the globe visit Our World.
Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms
Beautiful sequence of shots. I love the mosaics!
ReplyDeleteI loved the mosiacs and the tulips shots.
ReplyDeleteI admire a town that wants to maintain its independence. Many towns in the Greater Toronto area have amalgamated. I'm pretty sure they didn't have a choice, though. The province said they had to.
ReplyDeleteThe mosaics are quite nice. I'm glad you looked down and took their photos.
Gorgeous mosaics and I envy your Spring flowers (none of the usual ones here in Florida). Hope there will be some left in the corner of the Pacific Northwest we visit during the summer.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe mosaics are really interesting, great shots.
ReplyDeleteI love the mosaics and such beautiful spring flowers! Ours are wonderful this year and they have been worth waiting for -- I may have to be reminded of that next year though!!! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
I am just beginning to understand the politics of Surrey, South Surrey and White Rock, thanks to your posts. What comes through most strongly is how you discover the hidden gems, wherever they are, and no matter the name of their surrounding territory. Loved the mosaics, and also that tiny train winding over the land, although it seems morally wrong that White Rock citizens are forced to lease that land from the US.
ReplyDeleteOh, those mosaics are so delightful!
ReplyDeleteThe “pebbles”, design of “dandelion”, and the fact that the mosaic is easily missed remind me of Japanese Misuzu Kaneko’s poem “Stars and Dandelions” by association. I hope the town keep its independence, but even when merged with somewhere without choice, it can retain its originality, flavor, and style by the local people’s pride and efforts.
ReplyDelete