Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Swallowed Anchor
Is the name of this mariner's dream on Victoria's west side. Likely a haven for Long John Silver or Captain Jack Sparrow. Avast ye swabs!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Considerations
Graffiti "artists" typically don't appear to have any consideration for where they create their "art" – except, perhaps in this case. Here, Graffitists have restricted their work to the anti-graffiti notice on the pristine canvas of the public washrooms in the Oak Bay Municipal Hall building. How considerate!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
House of Flags
When the wind blows (which is just about every day), the sound of festive, patriotic, flags can be heard for several blocks around this house on Victoria Ave. in Oak Bay. Note to our American friends – the flying of a flag, let alone many flags, on private property is quite unusual here in Canada.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Drainspotting
Many cities that border on bodies of water will remind citizens about where street drains will eventually lead. In Victoria BC, those drains are identified with a small badge featuring a purple starfish and the potentially misunderstood text "City of Victoria Drains To Ocean":
Vancouver BC, on the other hand, uses a somewhat graffitish approach with an iconic yellow salmon silhouette leaving the viewer to extract the meaning - "Yellow fish live in here" perhaps?:
San Francisco CA, takes a much more direct, no-nonsense, approach with a stern "No Dumping" warning, moderated by a dash of poetry "Only Rain Down The Drain" and, if all that has failed, finishing off with a crab invoking the reader to rat out an offender with a: "Report Pollution 695-2020":
Vancouver BC, on the other hand, uses a somewhat graffitish approach with an iconic yellow salmon silhouette leaving the viewer to extract the meaning - "Yellow fish live in here" perhaps?:
San Francisco CA, takes a much more direct, no-nonsense, approach with a stern "No Dumping" warning, moderated by a dash of poetry "Only Rain Down The Drain" and, if all that has failed, finishing off with a crab invoking the reader to rat out an offender with a: "Report Pollution 695-2020":
Friday, February 13, 2009
Sidewalk Scrabble
Beginning in 1907 and continuing up until 1937 , the city of Victoria installed buff blue ceramic tiles (made in Zanesville Ohio) to spell out the names of streets. In part the idea was to thwart hooligans from stealing street-name signs from utility poles. Some tiles, in high pedestrian foot traffic areas, became damaged or vandalized.
In the past they were often destroyed during sidewalk reconstruction. However some, like this example on Clare St., found preservation and, in this case, a new life in a walkway.
Nowadays when the city does sidewalk reconstruction the street-name tiles are cut out with the surrounding concrete and embedded in the new cement as was done at this intersection:
Today there are only 62 left in the city.
In the past they were often destroyed during sidewalk reconstruction. However some, like this example on Clare St., found preservation and, in this case, a new life in a walkway.
Nowadays when the city does sidewalk reconstruction the street-name tiles are cut out with the surrounding concrete and embedded in the new cement as was done at this intersection:
Today there are only 62 left in the city.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Oak Bay alarm cluck
Oak Bay is an upscale municipality of fine homes flanking the east side of the city of Victoria, BC. While wandering around this lovely neighbourhood, in addition to the cawing of crows, screeches of seagulls, and twittering of English Sparrows you may be surprised to hear the crowing of this fine rooster (press the "play" triangle):
Click arrow to play video
Your ears may not deceiving you. Instead, you might simply be near this enclosure at the corner of Hawes Rd. and Redfern St. (behind the house at 923 Cowichan St.)
Note the owner's consideration in providing a seat for viewers to enjoy the morning's cackle.
Click arrow to play video
Your ears may not deceiving you. Instead, you might simply be near this enclosure at the corner of Hawes Rd. and Redfern St. (behind the house at 923 Cowichan St.)
Note the owner's consideration in providing a seat for viewers to enjoy the morning's cackle.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Considerations
On our daily rambles we often see examples of what we refer to as "considerations" (we also see examples of inconsiderations but prefer to remain positive). These examples take many forms and some cannot be illustrated with a drawing or a photograph – for example, walking single file when passing oncoming walkers, picking up after your dog, taking your trash to the nearest receptacle – but we will document the ones that we can, and will be posting them from time to time in this blog. In our first photograph we have chosen a lost pair of leather gloves, left in an Oak Bay Avenue hardware store. They were placed in the store's window, with a note saying "Help, I'm Lost! Looking For my Owner" so that perhaps the owner might see them in the window and claim them. Now that is considerate.
[Update. Today, Feb 10, we noticed that the gloves are no longer in the store's window. Happily, their owner has retrieved them.]
[Update. Today, Feb 10, we noticed that the gloves are no longer in the store's window. Happily, their owner has retrieved them.]
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Watch the skies!
In our first year in Victoria, during a walk along the Ross Bay shore, a somewhat agitated fellow came up to us and, pointing to the sky said: "Do you see that? They've started up again. It ain't right our government letting the Americans do weather experiments, right here, over our heads."
That was our first introduction to the world of chemtrail conspiracy theories. We've heard the story again, on several occasions, mostly whenever overhead clouds seemed to look not quite "right." Paul, at the corner of Fort and Douglas Streets is determined to bring the message to all who are willing to hear it.
Airplane contrails...or...chemtrails?
"Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!" (last line spoken from the movie: The Thing from Another World 1951.)
That was our first introduction to the world of chemtrail conspiracy theories. We've heard the story again, on several occasions, mostly whenever overhead clouds seemed to look not quite "right." Paul, at the corner of Fort and Douglas Streets is determined to bring the message to all who are willing to hear it.
Airplane contrails...or...chemtrails?
"Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!" (last line spoken from the movie: The Thing from Another World 1951.)
Monday, February 2, 2009
What's in a name?
We often get stopped by tourists who think they've lost their way because the street name that they were told to follow has mysteriously changed names. Are they still on the same road or have they accidently made a wrong turn?
Usually, it's just a question of the road remaining the same but the name itself that keeps changing. Here is a typical example. We traced the street name changes going along one road, keeping the water to the right and not making any turns off the road. We arbitrarily started at the intersection of Belleville St and Government St. in downtown Victoria and headed east along a popular tourist route.
Belleville St. becomes Pendray St. which becomes Quebec St. which becomes Montreal St. which becomes Kingston St. which becomes St. Lawrence St. which becomes Dallas Rd. which becomes Hollywood Crescent which becomes Robertson St. which becomes Crescent Rd. which becomes King George Terrace which becomes Beach Dr. which becomes Cadboro Bay Rd.
It's an "English" thing we've been told.
Usually, it's just a question of the road remaining the same but the name itself that keeps changing. Here is a typical example. We traced the street name changes going along one road, keeping the water to the right and not making any turns off the road. We arbitrarily started at the intersection of Belleville St and Government St. in downtown Victoria and headed east along a popular tourist route.
Belleville St. becomes Pendray St. which becomes Quebec St. which becomes Montreal St. which becomes Kingston St. which becomes St. Lawrence St. which becomes Dallas Rd. which becomes Hollywood Crescent which becomes Robertson St. which becomes Crescent Rd. which becomes King George Terrace which becomes Beach Dr. which becomes Cadboro Bay Rd.
It's an "English" thing we've been told.
