John Harvey Photo

May 2015

Go to Slide Show Smaller Images Claira and then Helen and then Nara get sick.


Hiking to Yew Lake

Generally in the winter we try to keep the kids in activities both days on the weekend.  Over the summer we do the opposite - no classes.  Our last class on Sundays (Claira's Gymnastics at Mount Pleasant) just ran out so we had the whole morning (don't miss that nap!) to ourselves.  I thought hiking would be fun - I chose Yew Lake at Cypress Mountain.

Everyone Has Sticks Moms Has Jelly Cup
There are things you forget about hiking when you grow up - somehow kinds just know what to do.  Rule 1 - you must have a stick.  Rule 2 - that stick gets put in every wet patch, spider web or unidentified hole in the ground, even if it means you only cover 100 meters and hour.  Rule 3 - if you get tired, ask for a pickup.



Claira Fishing In AReflecting PondNara And Claira Fishing With Their SticksNara Claira And Their Sticks

We were leisurely until we got to Yew Lake (about 1.8km).  Then we realized we might have a late lunch and then miss the nap so we stepped up the pace. 

Claira Trying To Blow ADandelion
We had lunch at on of the picnic sites on the way down the mountain.  The site has a huge grass field cover in dandelions so the kids had a great time blowing them out.  The could have blown Dandelions for the whole day and still had thousands left to play with.

Dandelion Seed HeadClaira With Dandelion Seeds Coming Loose
 
Dandelion Seeds Blowing Into The BackgroundNara Blowing Dandelion Seed Head


VanDusen in Spring

Mallard And Two Ducklings Feeding In The Rocks
Claira wasn't feeling well so I took Nara out for a walk at VanDusen.  Right at the entrance is a small creek draining into lake and we found a mother Mallard with two ducklings.  Being an urban bird, the Mom was vigilant when her babies started walking toward us - the babies seemed pretty clueless.

Baby Ducks Feeding In The MudBaby Mallard In The Weeds

Nara In AClump Of Maidenhair Fern
Being spring, everything in the garden is going strong.  We found eleven Red Ear sliders (aqarium escape turtles) sunning themselves in the main pond.  Two were sunning themselves very close to the path so I could get close to take a photo.

Red Eared Slider On The GrassBright Yellow Flower
 
After all the wildlife, Nara wasn't very patient with me taking photos of flowers.  Oh well - maybe another time.

Riding Bikes in the River District

Nara Ready To Ride Her Bike
Nara really likes to ride her bike.  This is a good thing.  Biking around our house is a little crazy - the sea wall is thick with pedestrians and has a steep drop off right at the edge of the trail.  In my quest to find a safer place to bike, I got the bike rack on the car and we drove to the river district on South East Vancouver.


The trail is wide, flat and doesn't have a steep drop off into the river.   We stopped off at the playground for a little playing around, but basically biked 5 km from the car to the end of the trail and back. 

Nara Behind ButtercupNara Playing On Fire PoleNara Biking In River DistrictNara Riding Down River Walk
 
Their are a few minus.  There are a lot of transitions - biking over a rail line at one point, on the road at another.  Second - there is a lot of open sky - you better bring your sun cream because it's exposed.  We had a good day!

Richmond Nature Park

Nara And Claira Having Snack On ALog
Claira was finished her afternoon nap and Helen wasn't feeling well so I took the kids to the Richmond Nature Park so Mom could get a little sleep.  We don't often go later in the afternoon, but it worked out well - the heat of the day was off and there was lots of wildlife to see.  We found a very brave tadpole near the shore of the pond and the kids got a good look at it.

Tadpole Lurking In The Shallows

Four Spotted Skimmer
Both kids like watching the dragonflies and there is always a good selection of dragon flies around the pond.  The kids can sit on the railings and watch the dragonflies chase each other, perch and just fly about. 

Four Spotted Skimmer On Reed


Claira Looking At An Inch Worm
We  went for a walk on the boardwalk and Nara found an inchworm.  They are fun to watch but too small to bite so the kids had fun.  I haven't had much luck finding the species but we know the chickadee's like to feed these to their babies - we watched it on the nest cam in the nature house.

Nara With Inch Worm On AStick

Pine Street Community Garden

Garden Day One
Something like 3 years ago (before we had Claira) I put my name down for a community garden plot.  Amazingly, I got an e-mail and found out there was a plot available.  A lot had happened in those three years - What was once a corner auto body shop was torn down and the city create a park in it's place.  CN rail had decided to assert it's rights to the right of way and razed half of the garden - the guerilla gardener half.  The community garden had e-mailed the 100 people on the list ahead of us and only a handful had expressed interest.  And so we got a plot.

Radish Getting Started

Claira Filling AWatering Can
I hate mowing the lawn (part of the reason I live in a condo) so getting a garden isn't an obvious next step.  I think it's good for the kids to be involved in longer term things, but I'm also nice to just walk a few blocks in the evening and spend a few minutes puttering outside.    Funny enough though - it's isn't just a few minutes.  Our garden hasn't had near by water for quite a while so we need to water using water cans.  A lot of can's.  Turns out having a garden (5 feet by 10 feet raised bed) is a replacement for gym time.

Claira Watering The Fruit Trees

The beds were made an filled by the city.  I heard a rumor that they are filled with mushroom manure.  When the weather is just right, we do actually get mushrooms sprouting up.  We have had a mixed bag of reactions - the tomatoes love the soil but the onions are having a really hard time.  Maybe next year we'll add some soil conditioning before we plant again.

Claira Pulling MushroomsInvasion Of The MushroomsNara Pulled Out AMushroom
 
Is it good for the kids?  Pine Street Community gardens is rare in that it has a playground right next to the gardens.  The kids definitely are interested in what's going on and want to help, but you can't expect all 7 water can's to be interesting.  I figure any time outside (garden or playground) is good for a kid.

Tomato Cages Going In Peas On FrameClaira Walking Along Tracks

Downtown Vancouver Buildings

My coworker Bob found a really nice set of images online - the photographer had photographed buildings isolated from others to make them look like a chess set.  The images were black and white shot near the base of the building.  We thought it would be fun to wander Vancouver and try our own project that was similar.

Wall CentreSome Random RookHoly Rosary Cathedral

 Harbour CentreClock At Sinclair Centre  Marine Building And MNPTowerFairmont Pacific Rim
 
I learned a lot which is a nice way of saying it wasn't very successful.  The images don't hang together well because of the changing light.  I messed up the aspect ratio - I should have tried to shoot everything at a 1:3 ratio rather than the portrait 2:3 ratio so that a collection of images would lay out better.  I was glad I bracketed all the shots because the exposure was quite wide - center was rarely my favorite choice.  I'm not generally a fan of HDR, but the contrast it so high in many of the images that there would be quite a bit of blow out.  Trying to make up a set:

Chess Set

I went with a near black and white treatment because that is the only way I can get the sky's to line up without being ridiculous.  Do they make a set?  Barely.  If I spent a few more nights and scouted a few more locations?  Maybe.  Could Vancouver provide both a black and a white set?  I'm not convinced.

Abstract Peony Photography

My mother-in-law's garden has a large collection of peony's from before Helen got married.  Every year she brings over beautiful bouquets from the spring flowers.  I happened to be at VanDusen a few weeks before and saw some photos that made me think of a very macro kind of style.

Nothing Sharp Peony Carpals


I have an old 20mm lens and a reversing ring on my camera.  It gives me better than 1-to-1 magnification

Grains Of Pollen On Shell Green Leaf DetailOverlapping Petals
 

 
 
 



Claira Pulling Mushrooms
Marine Building And MNPTower
Altitude: 168m (551 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Tomato Cages Going In Peas On Frame
Claira Looking At An Inch Worm
Person: Claira
Species: Operophtera brumata (winter moth)
Altitude: 16m (52 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: icon triple, Richmond Nature Park
Everyone Has Sticks Moms Has Jelly Cup
Person: Nara, Claira
Altitude: 926m (3038 feet)
Location: Go To...
Bright Yellow Flower
Altitude: 80m (262 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: VanDusen
Nara Riding Down River Walk
Altitude: 14m (45 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: biking, Fraser Foreshore Trail
Chess Set
Altitude: 30m (98 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, multiple frame image, night, Vancouver
Four Spotted Skimmer
Species: Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Skimmer)
Tags: dragonfly, Richmond Nature Park
Nara Biking In River District
Location: Go To...
Tags: biking, Fraser Foreshore Trail
Tadpole Lurking In The Shallows
Species: Lithobates clamitans (Green Frog)
Altitude: 22m (72 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: amphibian, Richmond Nature Park
Nara Playing On Fire Pole
Person: Nara
Altitude: 4m (13 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: playground
Some Random Rook
Altitude: 35m (114 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Overlapping Petals
Grains Of Pollen On Shell
Nothing Sharp
Claira Filling AWatering Can
Peony Carpals
Harbour Centre
Altitude: 32m (104 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Nara Pulled Out AMushroom
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Altitude: 110m (360 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Four Spotted Skimmer On Reed
Species: Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Skimmer)
Altitude: 22m (72 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: dragonfly, Richmond Nature Park
Claira With Dandelion Seeds Coming Loose
Person: Claira
Altitude: 617m (2024 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: dandelion
Invasion Of The Mushrooms
Dandelion Seeds Blowing Into The Background
Person: Nara
Altitude: 618m (2027 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: dandelion
Nara Ready To Ride Her Bike
Person: Nara
Location: Go To...
Tags: biking
Nara With Inch Worm On AStick
Species: Operophtera brumata (winter moth)
Altitude: 16m (52 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Richmond Nature Park
Clock At Sinclair Centre
Altitude: 58m (190 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Garden Day One
Nara And Claira Having Snack On ALog
Person: Claira, Nara
Altitude: 9m (29 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Richmond Nature Park
Claira Trying To Blow ADandelion
Person: Claira
Altitude: 617m (2024 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: dandelion
Nara Behind Buttercup
Altitude: 5m (16 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Fraser Foreshore Trail
Claira Fishing In AReflecting Pond
Altitude: 934m (3064 feet)
Location: Go To...
Radish Getting Started
Holy Rosary Cathedral
Altitude: 34m (111 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Baby Mallard In The Weeds
Tags: VanDusen
Green Leaf Detail
Nara In AClump Of Maidenhair Fern
Altitude: 42m (137 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: VanDusen
Dandelion Seed Head
Altitude: 621m (2037 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: dandelion
Claira Walking Along Tracks
Nara And Claira Fishing With Their Sticks
Altitude: 918m (3011 feet)
Location: Go To...
Nara Claira And Their Sticks
Person: Nara, Claira
Altitude: 927m (3041 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: hiking, lake
Red Eared Slider On The Grass
Altitude: 75m (246 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: VanDusen
Mallard And Two Ducklings Feeding In The Rocks
Species: Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard)
Tags: baby, bird, VanDusen
Wall Centre
Altitude: 30m (98 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: building, HDR, Vancouver
Nara Blowing Dandelion Seed Head
Person: Nara
Altitude: 618m (2027 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: dandelion
Baby Ducks Feeding In The Mud
Species: Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard)
Tags: VanDusen
Claira Watering The Fruit Trees
Tags: Vancouver(8), building(8), HDR(7), Richmond Nature Park(6), VanDusen(6), dandelion(5)
People: Nara(7), Claira(6)
From: John Harvey Photo > Blogs for 2023 to 2005 > May 2015

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