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!