Yumi and I spent a couple of hours wandering Nitobe Memorial Garden at the University of British Columbia.
All posts by Paul Cipywnyk
Tulips of the Valley Festival, Agassiz, BC
Gorgeous afternoon at the Tulips of the Valley Festival in Agassiz, BC.
April Fool’s Blossoms in Burnaby
Spring has sprung in SE Burnaby. These shots were all taken of trees in our townhouse complex on my way home from touring some elementary school kids on Byrne Creek.
New Fishing Licences a Sign of Spring
I bought a BC Non-tidal Angling Licence and a Fisheries and Oceans Canada Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence today, both with salmon stamps. Such licences expire at the end of March, and renewing them around this time of year has become a rite of spring.
I am by no means an avid fisherman, but I enjoy hiking, camping, nature photography, streamkeeping and other outdoor activities, so I like having the proper licences if the opportunity arises to wet a line. I have a couple of inexpensive rods and reels, and a small tackle box with an assortment of enough lures and accessories to be suited to most fishing in western Canada.
I have a cousin who loves fishing, and I’m always learning when I go out with him.
I have store-bought canned fish in the cupboard and frozen fish in the freezer, so I figure if I’m eating fish I might as well kill some myself. It’s a reminder that cans and plastic wrap do not insulate us from nature, though nowadays lots of folks have no idea where their food comes from.
Honoured to Speak on Citizen Science & Community Groups
I was honoured to speak tonight at the Tommy Douglas Library in SE Burnaby in an event organized by the South Coast Conservation Program called Conservation Through Citizen Engagement on BC’s South Coast.
Pamela Zevit and Tamsin Baker of SCCP provided introductions to their program and the speakers.
Then I spoke about citizen engagement in relation to the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society, and shared some thoughts on communicating about local watersheds to citizens, youth, and various levels of government and government agencies.
I didn’t bother with a PowerPoint, just blathered on with my Slavic passion : – ).
Other speakers included DG Blair of the Stewardship Centre for British Columbia, and Monica Pearson of Balance Ecological, who both delivered stimulating, knowledgeable presentations. Great stuff!
Time, Money and the Freelance Life
The Editors’ Weekly has published another article I wrote, this one called Time, Money and the Freelance Life.
Goldeneye at Birch Bay State Park
I took a Friday – Monday trip out to the Okanagan to visit some relatives from Saskatchewan who had booked a suite in Osoyoos for a winter break. I’ll gradually catch up with posts, but here’s a couple of shots of a goldeneye at Birch Bay State Park in Washington State. There were a lot of them hanging out just off the beach. (I came home through the US to take a different road, and do some shopping though the exchange rate isn’t nearly as favorable as it had been for the last few years.)
Stretching and/or drying wings
Making a call
I Don’t Know You, Ashley, But I Fully Support Your Fight Against Rape
I’m going to bed now, with a very disturbed mind and a heavy heart.
I hope I can sleep.
I’ve been reading recent online threads about Ashley Judd’s painfully personal posts on rape and sexual harassment.
And the heartless, moronic backlash.
And I’ve also been astonished by how many women appear to doubt her, at best, and viciously slag her at the other extreme.
She should have done this, she should have done that.
What’s with that?
I thought it was us men who needed educating.
How blind can we all be?
Just Another Burnaby Sunrise
Dropped the car off for servicing in SE Burnaby and walked home. Lovely morning!
Walking into the sunrise along Beresford and BC Parkway
Lots of blossoms as I ambled along…
Morning dew
Dew and teeny web on underside of real-estate sign
Informative Burnaby Mason Bee Workshop
I attended a mason bee workshop sponsored by the City of Burnaby today. I’ve been to these before, but I always learn something new. Today’s speakers were bee expert Margriet Dogterom who runs BeeDiverse Products and bird box and bee box builder extraordinaire Joe Sadowski.
Margriet in action
Joe mentioned that he turned “83 years young” the other day!
When he saw me, he gave me a punch in the shoulder by way of greeting. I may have a bruise coming on 🙂
Organizer Melinda Yong of the City of Burnaby Parks Department