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! 

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.