All posts by Paul Cipywnyk

South Burnaby Bird Bonanza

We rambled around SE #Burnaby, BC, for about three hours this afternoon. Lots of birds in Byrne Creek Ravine Park, Taylor Park, and along the BC Parkway urban trail.

american goldfinch burnaby bc
American Goldfinch munching on dandelions

house finch burnaby bc
House Finch?

northern flicker burnaby bc
Northern Flicker drumming on a lamp post near Taylor Park Elementary

american robin worms burnaby bc
Lots of hungry American Robbins!

anna's hummingbirds burnaby bc
Anna’s Hummingbird

Sunshine Sisters

Sunshine Sisters. Glad to see Sora the Cat learning to relax and hang with Midori. Our late Choco the Cat and Dori always got along, but it’s taken Sora longer to play nice. . .

We think things began to even out the other day when Dori finally did a patrol of the entire living room, asserting it was her space, too .

At 27 or so, Dori is slowing down a bit . . .

cat sora turtle midori

US Covid Deaths Near US Vietnam Deaths

So as the number of US deaths from Covid19 in less than a year approaches the entire US death toll in the Vietnam War over some 15 years, I wonder what monuments will be built in Washington DC some day to commeorate the blindness, stupidity, and bull-headedness of the current administration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial

Old Manitoba Prairie Churches in Ruins

Old prairie Ukrainian churches in ruins. From my photo archives, Oct. 24, 2008.

If I recall, these are all north of Dauphin, Manitoba. I wonder how many of them and their bell towers are still standing 12 years later. I would love to do another road trip around the area some day. . .

From what I could see of the land, this was not a friendly area to farm. Lots of rock piles in the fields, perhaps the immigrants didn’t know what they were getting into back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Just a hundred miles further west in Saskatchewan the land was much better, from what I’ve seen.

I’m not a very religious person, but I admire these Slavic ancestors who put faith in faith. They pulled together in the harshest conditions and built churches, community halls, schools . . .

Some broke their backs and their hearts, but others prospered, and gave back to their communities.

These photos may seem sad, but I see strength and love in them. And memories eternal. . .

old manitoba prairie churches in ruins