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Museum of Anthropology

Whether you are a resident or a visitor to Vancouver, a must see is the Museum of Anthropology. Located on the UBC campus on Point Grey, the museum houses the finest collection of West Coast Canadian First Nations artifacts and art. If the content doesn’t ‘wow’ you, the architecture is outstanding.

In addition to the Canadian content, there are numerous artifacts and exhibits from other indigenous cultures circling the Pacific Ocean, and definitely worth taking some extra time to view.

Count on spending at least 1/2 day on site, and possibly longer. Definitely worth the drive!

https://moa.ubc.ca

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A Love / Hate Relationship

We are not talking about a marriage, or your job, we’re talking about the RODEO!

This is something that’s been going on for many generations and doesn’t look like it’s going to disappear any time soon. The animal activists are all up in arms over it, and the avid rodeo fans can’t wait to do it again. Some people even argue that some of the animals love the competition too, but we’re wondering which animal spoke up and told them this. 

From early spring to late fall, you can find a rodeo happening somewhere without having to look too hard. For some it’s a passion and they make a living at it, but it comes with some hard knocks. There’s not too many ‘old, bold rodeo riders’ that don’t have some damage to show for it. Getting onto an 800kg bull who’s sole purpose in life in the next few moments, is to get rid of you, preferably with a few reminders, takes some guts, or maybe blissful ignorance. 

Whatever it may be, the cowboys and cowgirls keep coming back year after year to compete, and they seem to love it. Did we mention that the ladies love it too?

Find a seat close to the corral and watch some of the cowgirls ride hard around those barrels and tell me that doesn’t take some guts. One small slip-up and that rider could be in a world of pain, and possibly a life altering injury. 

After taking in our fair share of rodeos, it’s hard to imagine that some of these rodeo animals, the bucking horses, the bulls and broncos, don’t look forward to it also. The amount of energy and focus that they seem to display, sort of suggests a bit of a passion for it as well.

Maybe there is some truth to the stories and rumours, somebody does talk to the animals and gets their side of the story too. 

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Carrall & Water Street

Standing at the intersection of Carrall and Water street, in downtown Vancouver, we stare up at the  statue of “Gassy” Jack Deighton, the owner of the first saloon in an area we now call ‘Gastown’.

Following the Great Vancouver Fire in 1886, the area was rebuilt and thrived as the centre of the cities produce distribution area, and also the cities drinking life. Within a 12 block area there were 300 licensed saloons, bars and clubs, and catered to the transient maritime crowd, in addition to locals from the area. 

When the Great Depression occurred in the 1030’s, this colourful area of the city declined and soon became a largely forgotten area of the city for several decades. 

In the 1960’s this area was selected for a possible route for a major highway into the core of the city. Luckily concerned citizens started a campaign to save the historical value of this area, and the plan to build the freeway was scrapped and a restoration effort started to restore many of the buildings.

Within a few decades, ‘Gastown’ became a trendy area  with many boutique shops, clubs and restaurants that continues to attract an ever growing number of international visitors and locals as well. 

To dispel any rumours, we were only there for the stories and images we recorded.

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Worth it’s Weight in Gold

In the not so distant future, fresh water might just be worth it’s weight in gold. 

The availability of fresh water is declining, and consumable water is almost non-existent, without first being treated. In some areas of the planet, people are literally dying of thirst, or having to relocate closer to a water source. 

We’ve taken on a long term project that is about the issues surrounding drinking water and it’s availability. Our images and footage will illustrate the obstacles that we face to maintain an adequate supply and accessibility to water for plants and animals alike.

Our woody and fibrous friends need fresh water as well, and this reinforces how interdependent our world really is. 

 

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Armchair Pilot

Want to soar, want to fly, but still keep your feet on the ground? look no further than the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

It’s no surprise that the museum is the brainchild of the Boeing Corporation, who has their head office in Seattle, Washington, and is built near their Everett, Washington assembly plant.

Step into the foyer and be transported back to the days of the Wright brothers at KittyHawk, or jump forward to what NASA has planned for future space flight. It’s all here at the largest private aviation museum in the world.

Count on spending at least half a day to a full day to take in all the exhibits and interactive displays. Whether you are 7 or 70 years old, there is a variety of exhibits, displays and events that cater to all ages.

HAVE A GOOD FLIGHT!

http://www.museumofflight.org

 

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Forest Therapy

It’s a proven fact that spending time in the great outdoors is good for us in almost all respects, unless of course you happen to run into a hungry bear. The chances of that happening are almost as good as winning the lottery, but if it does happen, go and immediately buy a lottery ticket, assuming you survive.

For us, we have a special affinity to trees, and the bigger the better. On our recent assignment in Vancouver, we took some time to surround ourselves with some very big trees in The Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver. We were like kids at the playground, it really was pure therapy. I hope our photos will give some sense of the mood we felt, and what we saw.

Walking through an old growth forest, surrounded by huge Cedar, Hemlock and Douglas Fir trees that towered over us made us feel a bit insignificant, and in awe of mother nature. Pretty cool! We would recommend it.