LL Bean Customer Service Outstanding

I was disappointed that my new LL Bean cargo pants have developed a tear on a seam after just four or five wears.

But I am impressed with LL Bean customer service: a new pair will arrive in three to four days, along with a prepaid label to send the faulty pair back.

Thanks!

Oh, yeah, and it took less than two minutes to get through to a customer service representative on the phone. Impressive.

I like the Bean because they have a wide variety of men’s clothing with long inseams and arm lengths.

DFO Answers the Phone

I am very happy to post a positive comment today, because I’ve been feeling quite depressed and disillusioned in my volunteer stewardship efforts the last couple of weeks.
 
We live in an amazing country, Canadians.
 
Today I was working on a couple of letters to senior fisheries managers in Ottawa, as secretary for a volunteer advisory board to DFO. I wanted to check if I was writing to the appropriate people, so I searched the DFO online staff directory on their public website.
 
I found a couple of department and program Directors listed that appeared to be appropriate to my tasks, and there were phone numbers in addition to addresses. So I thought, what happens if I call?
 
What happened is that each Director personally answered the phone, and chatted with me about what I was trying to accomplish.
 
This is the first time in a long time that I’ve been able to say the phrase “my tax dollars at work” with a happy smile on my face.
 
Back to cranky curmudgeon tomorrow 🙂

Bounty of Birds at Reifel Sanctuary in Delta, BC

Yumi and I wandered the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, BC, for hours today. Tired, but happy with the number of species spotted and successfully “shot”.

red-winged blackbird

red-winged blackbird
Male red-winged blackbirds were putting on a show

american coot
American Coot

bald eagle
Juvenile baldy?

chickadee
Why not take the biggest one?

great blue heron
Great Blue Heron in flight

great blue heron
Gone fishin’

great gblue heron
Standing pretty

lesser scaup
Lesser Scaup

northern pintail
Northern Pintail

northern harrier
Northern Harrier

northern shoveler
Northern Shoveler

ring-necked duck
Ring-Necked Duck

sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane

sandhill crane

sandhill crane

sandhill crane
Taking cough syrup?

sandhill crane
Having a scratch

saw-whet owl
Saw-Whet Owl

wigeon
American Wigeon

wood duck
Wood Duck

spotted towhee
Spotted Towhee

spotted towhee
Tom Cruise ain’t got nothin’ on me!

Full Moon Over Burnaby, BC

It was great to squeeze in a one-hour ravine and Burnaby south slope ramble tonight after a solid 1-1/2 days of meetings this weekend.

I felt like this gorgeous full moon was rewarding me and my fellow volunteer Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board members for our efforts over the weekend.

We’re off to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Pacific Regional HQ tomorrow to share highs, lows, and advice from the BC stewardship community.

full moon over Burnaby BC

Full moon over Burnaby, BC

Burnaby Lake Birding with George Clulow

Had a great morning on a Burnaby Parks birding tour of Burnaby Lake led by George Clulow. I believe the outing’s tally was over 35 species of birds. And while it was spitting when we started, the rain stopped for most of the walk. I didn’t  want to carry my DSLR gear on this walk, and my teeny shirt-pocket Canon Elph 520HS did an admirable job of pinch hitting.

burnaby lake birders
The crew

Clulow spotting scope
George brings along his spotting scope and encourages folks to share it

Piper Spit
Heading out on Piper Spit

Redwinged Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird

Burnaby lake
Long-billed Dowitcher

Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee

Fox sparrow
Fox Sparrow

Beetle

squirrel

Streamkeeping, sustainability, community, business, photography, books, and animals, with occasional forays into social commentary. Text and Photos © Paul Cipywnyk