And the band played on - Sydney, BC

The Naden Navy Band from CFB Esquimalt played to a packed park this past Sunday.

Not gonna fade away

Once there were likely metal house numbers on this wooden telephone pole. Over time, they protected the wood behind them as the weather eroded the pole and as they rusted away. Now, their legacy remains as the house number "805" standing proud from the background.

Advice for Zucchini

"Help Yourself Zucchini" suggests the enigmatic sign.
On the other hand, it may simply be a free zucchini for passersby from an over productive vegetable garden.

Ephemeral art at Harling Point, Oak Bay, BC

An Andy Goldsworthy-like creation has appeared on the rocks at Harling Point. Perhaps the same artist was also responsible for the construction posted earlier HERE

Hanging out in Ross Bay, Victoria, BC

A temporary contraption attached to a piece of driftwood provides hang time for this windblown adventurer.

Courtesy Bench

At the steepest part of Johnson Street at the corner of Camosun is the "Chez Beau Soleil" where bicyclists can take a moment to rest beside the memorial of Marcel the cat and enjoy a copy of the "Village Vibe" before resuming their peddling.

Dog of the Day

Meka cools her paws during this very unusual heat wave by riding a surfboard on Beaver Lake.

Scooterpeople

We can always tell when tourist season is in full swing because suddenly there is an influx of what we refer to as "scooterpeople." Traveling in packs like a strange version of motorcycle gangs, these are folks who rent a scooter from one of the many rental companies to simply go sightseeing at maximum 40 kmph throttle.

Annual Victoria MG Club car show

The event was held this past Sunday at Gyro Park in Cadboro Bay with some 40 beautiful examples of British automotive engineering.

First Annual Oak Bay Night Market

More like a sidewalk sale, the First Annual Oak Bay Night Market attracted merchants and artists alike. Of course, given the average age of Oak Bay residents, it's not surprising that it started at 4 pm and ended at 8 pm.

Moss Street Art Walk

The incredibly popular annual Moss St. Art Walk was held this past Saturday, July 18th on the eight or so blocks from Dallas Road to Rockland Ave.
This year many of the artists demonstrated their painting techniques to the appreciative crowds:
Not only were the visual arts on show but also the talents of local musicians:
And at the end of the day, art that had not sold was spirited away in the artist's trunk:

Considerations

Midway along Clare St. in Oak Bay, a bibliophile has created self serve library box where books and CDs can be freely exchanged:

Young talent

Some great sidewalk chalk work - sadly washed away in the rain.

Dog of the Day

It's a hot Canada Day holiday, and this fellow is enjoying cooling his paws which allows him to remain frozen in absolute concentration on a tennis ball that someone, hopefully, will toss into the waters of Gonzales Bay.

Persistent Holly Tree

The diameter of this holly tree's trunk shows just how large it was before receiving its "trim."

Threatened Garry Oak tree - Chadwick Estates, Oak Bay, BC

At 1972 Fairfield Road on the leafy residential borderland where Victoria meets Oak Bay, a heritage garden has been ripped apart by diggers and earth movers in preparation for the building of five houses in "Chadwick Estates." In the very back corner of the original garden, well out of sight of the road and the public, stands a uniquely beautiful mature moss-adorned Garry Oak with spiralling branches and an amazing hole passing right through one of its stately limbs. The oak stands with an ominous disfiguring red X on its trunk, a sign that marks it as a prospective victim of the chainsaw.

Convenience or convenient dump

Sadly, whoever dumped this example of 70s furniture design at Harling Point was apparently not aware of the graffiti in Gonzales Bay that admonished us to: "Don't destroy what you've come to enjoy."

Still fowl - an update to the January 23, 2009 post

It appears that enough folks were concerned about the caged Mallard ducks in our original post HERE that the owners put up a sign to explain the situation:
Most breeds of domestic ducks were bred from the Mallard. In this case, the key to recognizing that it is a domestic rather than wild Mallard is the amount of white feathers it has:
People seem to love to breed white or partially white domestic animals, presumably because such mutations don’t do well in the wild and consequently are rare.

Considerations

With so many ducklings about, it was very considerate to place this road sign at a popular duck crossing as a reminder to drivers.
Even local residents get in on the duckling warning signs:

Government House Ducklings

The ducklings at Government House pond are always a welcome sight each spring. This well-fed and contented family were nestled on rocks warmed by the June sun. They must have thought that their left profile was the most photogenic.

Art celebrating art

Vancouver Island has one of the largest concentrations of people who indicate on their income tax forms that they are artists - hopefully not because they're rationalizing being in a very low tax bracket.
Edith Looker, member of the Plein Air Painters of Victoria BC, captures a driftwood art installation on the beach at Ross Bay.

Google Street View Camera Car spotted in Victoria

I had a feeling that they might be around our town, however it was still a lucky and happy surprise to actually see a Google street view camera car driving up our street. I guess this finally puts us on the map!

The Wildlife Trees

Wandering around the many trails and public footpaths in the greater Victoria BC area, means that it's likely you'll come across a "Wildlife Tree."The one on the left is on the grounds of Government House, while the one on the right is in Mt. Douglas Park.
They are actually the remains of trees that have died but are still standing and provide a wonderful natural habitat for the forest's denizens. The warning sign reads: "Wildlife Tree: Saved for food shelter and nesting – do not cut or disturb!"
Formed in 1985, the Wildlife Tree Committee (WTC) is a multi-agency committee composed of representatives from the provincial Ministry of Forests and Range, and Ministry of Environment, the B.C. Workers’ Compensation Board, industry and labour, and public interest groups from across British Columbia.

Harling Point Sculpture

We were delighted to discover this beautiful arrangement of natural objects at Harling Point recently. Carefully constructed of driftwood and rocks it will eventually be effected by tides, winds and winter storms but for now it is there for all to enjoy.

Moss Street Saturday Market Opens!

Forget the official start of Summer – for the folks in our neighbourhood Summer begins when the Moss Street Saturday Market returns.
In the center of the Market a band gets rockin'.
There's plenty of food that makes you want to eat – even when you're not hungry.The produce selection is still a bit thin compared to the choices available in the Fall.But really, where else would you find a blue monkey with a lavender belly button?

Fire

The media capturing the news at the back of 1409 Camosun St. in Victoria
Even a small fire can cause a great deal of damage. Fortunately this one was put out very quickly

Fire investigator getting the victim's story
Media interview