U is for UNIQUE

Welcome to ABC Wednesday, Round 17, where this week we focus on the letter U for UNIQUE, which means rare, uncommon, different, exclusive, or individual.  I decided to take a look at some of my more recent photos that might be considered "unique" and share a few.

late afternoon shadows at Ladner Harbour Park (November 2015)



tin containers at Westham Island Herb Farm (October 2015)

reflection of winter trees in the river

Drag Queen Rooster

Tegan off to Dreamland

 

Uncommon thanks to the upstanding Denise Nesbitt, creator of ABCW, and to the upright Roger, our ubiquitous (in a good way) administrator.

T is for TEMPERATE

Lots of people who don't live in the Greater Vancouver (British Columbia) area believe that all Canadians live in a very cold climate with lots of rain and snow.  However, some realize that this particular area of Canada is nicknamed "Lotus Land" because of our very temperate climate.  Yes, we have rain in the winter, but it isn't hard driving rain; rather, it's a fine mist or at the most a drizzle.  Natives like me rarely carry umbrellas as we dash from house to car to store or whatever.  Also, because we're surrounded by the ocean and mountains, we're usually spared terrible storms.  Up on the mountains, skiing is a favourite pastime but we rarely get snow in the lower elevations like where I live.  If it does snow (rarely), it's usually gone in a day or so because it's very wet. 

Spring 



 

 

Summer

 

 

Fall

 

 

Winter

 

 

 Thanks to the talented Mrs. Nesbitt, the creator of ABCW and to the terrific "Sir" Roger, our administrator for keeping this very trendy meme alive.

S is for SORROW

It is a dark and stormy day here in my little village on the south-west coast of British Columbia, just south of the third largest city in Canada (Vancouver).  As I peer through the heavy raindrops, I see the giant cedars, birch, and poplars swaying in the wind as they drop their final few leaves.  Less than a week ago, November 11th dawned clear and sunny, and we headed down to Memorial Park to celebrate Remembrance Day.  That day, I was so thankful that Canada has been spared any real danger in the face of any of the wars being fought across the continent and the oceans.  Today, the sky weeps in sorrow at how quickly things can change.

France is at war now.  France - one of the founding countries of our nation.  Explorers arrived on our shores as early as 1534 when French explorers under Jacques Cartier celebrated Canada’s first Roman Catholic mass, at their camp of Brest on Labrador’s coast.  The following year, Cartier became the first European to sail into the St. Lawrence River, which he believed was a route to Asia. Two sons of Iroquois Chief Donnacona, who were guiding Cartier, referred to their native village as Canada, the explorer’s first exposure to the name.  For more history of the connection that Canada has to France, see here.

There have been wars from the beginning of time, and if you think about it, most have been fought in the name of religion.  Many continue to believe that the terrorists who today sabotage peoples' freedoms and rights are fighting in the name of their religion.  They are not!  The President of France, François Hollande said in his speech to the nation yesterday that these terrorist are "uncivilized cowards."  He also stated that "we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow.”  I say that these cowards will face a determined world, a united world, that will unite to annihilate them forever. 

VIVE LA FRANCE
 

 

VIVE LE CANADA
 

 

VIVE LA GUERRE
 

There is no deeper sorrow than when innocent people are mowed down by bombs and military weapons.  And I will not even stoop to mention the name by which these terrorists are known.  We all know.  And with the greatest respect to all ABC Wednesday contributors, I apologize for this rant. But we must stand tall and proud and defiant in the face of these tyrants.

 

Thanks to the stupendous work of Roger, our administrator, to the saintly Denise, the creator of ABCW, and to the sensational team who visit several blogs per week to leave scintillating comments.

R is for REBEL ROUSER

 

This is a repeat performance post from May 2013 but since there are lots of new contributors, I thought I'd repost (since I couldn't think of anything original - sorry about that.)

 



"Rebel Rouser" is one of Duane Eddy's hit records from 1958.  By 1963, Eddy had sold 12 million records and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.  Among other awards, he has received the "Chetty" award by Chet Atkins (2000), the Guitar Player Magazine Legend Award (2004), Musicians Hall of Fame Member (2008), and the Mojo Icon Award UK (2010).  Some of his well-known hits include "Peter Gunn," "Ring of Fire," "My Blue Heaven," "Deep in the Heart of Dixie," "The Ballad of Palladin," "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and "Freight Train" among others.  In 2011, he released his latest album, "Road Trip." If you're a fan of Duane Eddy, you can check out his website here.

I heard the music of "Rebel Rouser" recently and just couldn't help but think of my puppy Tegan and how much I related the music to her rambunctious behaviour lately.  She is almost 6 months old already and has learned the rules well.  However, she is also into that phase where she's testing the rules and sometimes it's quite amusing and sometimes not so much.  I'm still having a bit of a rough time getting her to "come" when called, especially when there are distractions around. But she is so sweet and loving that it's hard not to laugh when she's acting all playful and nicks a sock, a shoe, or an item of underwear from the laundry pile.  Then she rolls on her back in a total submission and I roar with laughter.

This week's video (to the music of Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser") shows various stages of Tegan's life regarding the letter R.  Enjoy.

We mustn't forget to give a shout out to the ravishing Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday and to Roger, our current rakish administrator.  Hope you all have a relaxing week.

Q is for QUIET

This week ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the letter Q.  A few weeks ago for the letter N, I wrote about how the noise level in my home had risen due to my daughter and her family temporarily moving in with me.  I was starting to get used to it at the same time the kids were getting used to the change in their lives when my daughter had to go away on a business trip.  Alas, poor daughter "had" to go to the Bahamas where all the costs were covered.  So her husband went along for the ride and they had a fantastic holiday.  They really deserved it as they had only ever gone camping for holidays with the kids and also took them to Disneyland once.  They came home late Sunday night and everything is getting back to normal again.  The kids are at school all day, daughter is at work, and son-in-law and I take the dogs out for their daily runs and then we work on our photography.  We're both fanatics about it.

Anyway, it is now QUIET again!  Peace and quiet abide together from 8:30 am until I arrive home from tutoring (at the library now) until 4:00 pm.  It was a lot of work taking care of the kids while their parents were away and the noise level rose again.  Sometimes it was tough and at other times there were lots of cuddles.  We had fun over Halloween and had the most kids ever come trick or treating at my place while my other daughter took the kids out.

Here are a few of my photos I took when we visited Westham Island Herb Farm to see their scarecrow displays on the morning of Halloween.  Thanks, also, to the quintessential Denise Nesbitt, creator of ABCW, and to Sir Roger who does quality work for us.