Y is for YOUTH

I looked at myself in the mirror the other day and thought, "Where did the years go?"  It was a rather depressing thought that I can remember more than what is yet to come.  I guess in these days, though, youth can be a matter of perspective.  Lots of people age physically faster than others while others can fool people by retaining youthful looks. 

I reminisce about all the yesterdays - all the good times along with the bad times (although I do try to put these moments out of my mind or else I'd lose my mind!)  Just what IS youth?  It seems to me that when I was a youth, we were innocent, naïve to a point, and looked forward to the future and all it had in store for us.  The youth of today are so much more sophisticated than we were, generally less mannerly, and more socially connected due to the technological revolution.  It's just - different.

I noticed that a movie called "Youth" is coming to town soon - its release date was December 15, 2015.  I watched the trailer and am adding it here so you can have a peek.  It stars Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, and Jane Fonda.  Take a look and see if it might be your cup of tea.

I just hope that, God willing, I will still have many more joyful tomorrows than I've had lousy yesterdays, especially recently.

So with 2016 upon on, may I wish you all a very Happy New Year and "take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne!"

Many, many thanks to the youthful Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, and to that old Yankee Roger, our administrator.  Also, thanks to the team who have made yearlong treks over to every contributor to make sure everyone gets comments and who also share in doing the introductions. 

X is for XMAS

Christmas is also sometimes known as Xmas. Since Christmas comes from Christ-Mass, the Church service that celebrated the birth of Jesus, some people don't think it's correct to call Christmas 'Xmas' because that takes the 'Christ' (Jesus) out of Christmas.  But that's not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced 'kye' - it rhymes with 'eye') which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos.  Therefore, Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced 'Christmas' rather than 'ex-mas'!

With X being our letter of the week and landing just days before Christmas Day, I thought I'd take this opportunity to wish everyone who celebrates it a very Merry Christmas.  And in doing so, I'd like to take you on a brief walk along a neighbouring road whose residents go all out at this time of year in decorating their homes.  It's not called this, but we always refer to it as Xmas Lane.  A new feature to the house in the first shot is an Eiffel Tour glittering in silver lights!

 

There's my grandson Noah (12 on January 1st) with Tegan patiently waiting while I take my shots.

Many thanks to the excellence of Roger, our administrator, in keeping things at ABCW rolling along and to our exalted Denise Nesbitt, creator of this meme.  Also, let's not forget the exceedingly ebullient team that makes sure everyone gets comments. 

Have a wonderful Xmas, everyone, and we'll catch up again next week for the letter Y is for the

New YEAR 2016! 



W is for WAREHOUSE

On the other side of the river in my village of Ladner in British Columbia, Canada, there stands an old warehouse. I can't seem to find any information about it, but I believe it must have had something to do with the fishing industry here decades ago.  I love to photograph it in the sun, rain, fog, mist, morning, or afternoon.  I took a look through my photos and decided to share some of them with you this week.  I don't know why it draws me to it, but it does.  To me it is not only historical, but also artistic.

As you may notice, the photos are all taken from the same spot.  I stand as close to the edge of the wharf on the other side of the river and focus.  It would be so easy to take one step too close and slip off into the cold and almost always muddy water!  But so far so good!

There is another old wooden shed in the middle of the river and I've taken some shots of it, too.

 

Swans, geese, ducks, and herons hang out near here, too, and I've managed to spot a few of them during my photo safaris.

 Many thanks, as always, to the wonderful Denise Nesbitt (creator of ABC Wednesday) and to our warden Roger (administrator) for their worthy efforts at keeping this winning meme alive for so long.  Also, warm wishes go to the wondrous team of warriors who keep a watchful eye on the blogs and whip over to wield warm-hearted comments.

V is for VILLAGE

This week, ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the letter V - as in victory, vision, view, vanquish, vocabulary, and VILLAGE!   I know I've written about where I live before, but lately it has been emphasized in my mind that I am a very lucky person to live here.

First, the traffic, even though it has increased since 1975 when I first moved here, is still far better than in the city of Vancouver.  I had to drive in on the weekend in order to pick up a specific Christmas gift for my son-in-law, and the traffic blew my mind!  Not only was it raining buckets, but there were lineups and people everywhere!  I could hardly wait to get out of the city and back to my quiet little suburban village!

Next, the price of houses has risen substantially in my village, but I'm grateful that I own my house outright and could, if I wanted to, cash in very well.  However, I don't want to move out of the area so will probably downsize to a condo nearby and have money left over.  The reason for the increase in the cost of housing right now is due to the bridge that the government is building across the Fraser River for the benefit of those who need to cross it for work reasons.  There are already several crossings, but they are further down the river for other communities.  We only have the Massey Tunnel, which was built back in the 1950s and is not even close to handling the amount of traffic now.  Here's a conceptual drawing of the bridge:

Also contributing to the cost of housing is the shopping mall that the First Nations in our area are  building. It's near where the ferry to Vancouver Island departs and arrives, about a 5-minute drive from my place.  It'll mean I'll probably never have to leave the area for anything anymore!  Everyone wants to live here now!  One good thing, though, is that there is only so much land available for new construction because we're surrounded by agricultural land that will stay that way! 

Everyone in my village really wants the ambiance in our neighbourhood to remain.  We want to be known as a village with lots to offer, though.  Almost every month of the year, there is something going on that people from outside the area come to see.  We have the snow geese in November, the snowy owls in January, the May Days in May, the Tour de Delta in July, the village market every other Sunday from June to September along with the Antique Car & Quilt Show in August.  At Christmas, we have fishing boats, sailboats, and yachts all lit up to make their way along the river from Westham Island to Ladner Harbour.  Hot chocolate is served there while we listen to the Ladner Gospel Assembly sing Christmas carols. Here are two shots of a couple of the boats all decorated for Christmas.

Ladner Village is big enough to offer something for everyone yet small enough to retain its charm and versatility.  As Dorothy said, "There's no place like home!"

With thanks to the vivacious Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABCW, and to Roger, our valiant administrator.  Also, many thanks to the vigilant team of assistants who vault over to each and every contributor so that everyone feels valuable.  See you next week for the letter Dubbya!