Today's Pedal

This morning we drove to the park that runs along the dyke by the Abbotsford-Mission Bridge.  The Fraser River is running really high right now, although I'd say it's still 15-20' from the top of the dyke.  There is a parking lot and a beach area in that water under the willows.

And there are campsites behind those trees.  I suppose you might be able to moor your boat to the top of the picnic table.

As we rode along the dyke, every spot a trail went down, there were these signs.  In small letters that you probably can't read, it says 'Due to Flooding'.  

Really? Do ya think we couldn'ta figured that out?  

In fact they have the gates to the park locked.  

They were open when we got there, so we parked, and then one of the workers came over and told us he was going to close the gate, but it wouldn't be locked, and could we close it behind us when we left.  When we got back, it was locked, but there was someone with a key not far away.

Is that to stop us stupid people from driving into the river, or walking in and drowning?  I didn't really get why it was suddenly so different.  The river is always there, and it's a wide river.  It's just a little bit higher and a little bit wider now, but we couldn't understand how it has become so terribly dangerous.

This heron on the trail, obviously didn't read the sign.

So we rode along, the river on our left behind that field.  We turned around at that mountain just over the roof of the barn on the right.

Across the river, the roof and spire of Westminster Abbey

When we hit the mountain we went up the road a little ways.  It was so very steep that we ditched the bikes and walked up a bit further.  Despite the breeze, the mosquitoes were hungry.  I had wanted to see if we could see the Mission bridge, but it is somewhere behind that dark point in the middle of the picture.  A few vehicles came down the hill while we were there.  Two were taking it quite slow and cautiously, but a van came flying down.  It was bouncing on the gravel and washboards, and I just squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that it didn't go over the edge to the right.  It was scary.

We live on the other side of that hill in the far distance.  The flat farm land below is Matsqui Prairie.  We lived there for 5 years on 4 acres when we were first married.  Lovely in the summer, and very wet in the winter.

On the way back we chose to take the road. Not much traffic, thankfully.

Nice to see some of the blueberry farms are still using the netting. 

Beats listening to those blueberry cannons.  Speaking of which, I haven't heard our neighbour's going yet.

At 6:30 am when the air is still, I'd swear that the first one going off in the morning is at the bottom of our driveway, instead of a quarter mile or more away.

There's Something Wrong With This Picture

No, it's not the arbour thingy leaning at a jaunty angle.

Nor the scythe hanging from said arbour.

Nor the lack of railing around the deck.  I hate to say it, but it might end up being this Fall's project.  We move slowly around here.

If you need a clue, his name starts with 'L'

Don't you love how coordinated my farm outfit is though.  Black shorts and boots, and lovely turquoise t-shirt and nitrile gloves.

Wow, I'm totally coordinated with the doggy pool!

Dogs that dance in the overspray of the pressure washer.....

exhausted.

And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,  I'm going to copy a little something from Ryker's blog....

Awesome....going to the grocery store and finding that that particular store is discontinuing the laundry detergent you use, so they are clearing it out at 50% off an already reduced price.  13 bottles at $2.52 each, well, that's just awesome ( and is going to last us one hell of a long time).

Awesome....going to buy catfood at a mom and pop feed store, and getting $3 back because I paid with cash, and not credit or debit.

Drinking Fountain....

...for a scruffy little sparrow, that really is not in focus.

This was taken with a little Canon point and shoot that I had bought for my Mum. I looked at cameras on the internet, and then David took my mum to buy to buy it.  It was only when I saw it later I realized it had no viewfinder.  When you are used to a view finder, and now can only depend on the screen on the back of the camera, well it ain't easy.  I find that looking at the screen really requires me to have my reading glasses on, as it is about that same distance away as a book, and to put the glass on just isn't convenient most of the time. Add to that the fact that in bright light I can barely make out what is on the screen anyway,  so I'm lucky if I can actually get the subject within the frame.  I've been carrying that little camera in my purse just lately.

When I visited my mum at the hospital this afternoon, I took her for a bumpy ride around the block.

Did you ever chant when you were a kid....

'Step on a crack, break my mother's back'

The wheelchair ride over the joints in the sidewalk just fit right in with that verse.

 We ended up in a little park/sitting area just outside the hospital.  There is this fountain, which pours into a pool.  I think for a minimum donation, probably to support a hospital expansion, you could get something engraved on a tile.  There are a lot of tiles.

So my mum still has no use of her left arm.  She has some movement in her left leg, but it's not strong enough to support her.  She spends her day in a wheelchair, shuffling herself around the ward, having quite the social time with the other patients. She gets therapy during the week, and there is talk of her perhaps being transferred to another hospital where they do more intense therapy.  She needs to be able to do 2-3 hours of therapy a day.  I'm not sure that she will meet their criteria.  It's just one day at a time.

Living Wall

Remember the living wall I showed you at the Vancouver International Airport?  

Here's the one I mentioned that is in South Surrey.  It's quite lovely.  I didn't cross the road to see if the plant containment system is the same as the one at the airport.  I'm regretting that now, as I think it is quite different.  It is a south facing wall, and it looks like many of the plants are for dry, warm areas.

Like many great artworks, it's best viewed from a distance

Here's a link to more information about this living wall 

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2011/07/14/from-grey-to-green-the-beauty-of-vertical-gardens/

Another Oh Dear!

Saturday July 9/11

We went garage 'sailing' today.  Yep, we took a day off from the market.  It's the Abbotsford Berry Festival, which is a street festival celebrating all things 'berry', and then some.  The farmers market is part of that, so instead of the usual hours of 9am -1pm, the market stays open until 3 pm.  This would be fine, but usually it turns out to be a hot day (although it was just about a perfect day today, not hot), and sales for me are never better than an ordinary 4 hour day, so I got that I really hated being there for those extra two hours.  To solve that, the last couple of years I have elected to not be there that day at all.  It's nice to get the odd Saturday or Sunday off during the summer.

So today instead of lolling around, reading the paper and drinking coffee or whatever, we headed out to check out some garage sales.  It's definitely garage sale season, and we had a great time, and spent a fair bit of money, but only on really essential stuff.  Okay, in my dreams....

Anyway, we are tootling down a residential street in Abbotford,  checking the intersections for sale signs.  All of a sudden I look up, and there walking down the sidewalk in front of that closest house on the right, (photo courtesy of Google maps), is a deer.

Can you see it?

An invisible deer you say?

Well not really. 

 I did have my camera with me, but it took me a few seconds to get it out of the case and turned on, and by that time the deer had turned into the parking lot to the school right next to that house.

You can see the painted crosswalk in the picture above and below.

It continued walking and although we didn't hang around to see, it probably headed to that fairly large area of trees in the picture below.

Maybe I'll get around to doing another post on the trash/treasures we found this morning.

You know that saying....

'One man's (woman's) junk is another man's (woman's) treasure.'

Prettier Than the Bugs

Took a wander through the cutting garden this evening, and was surprised to see that there was a lily blooming.  Kind of interesting to look at it from this angle....two triangles of petals, one on top of the other, facing different directions.

I like the way this turned out.  Almost looks like I used the flash, but it is the evening sun still shining on it, while the garden behind has become shaded.

It's either a gaillardia or a rudbeckia.  I just put it in this year, and forgot to check the tag, if there is one, when I took the shot.  The flower is quite large, 3- 4" across.

Maybe not so lovely, but nice to see all the same.  There will be lots of broccoli to take to Sunday's market.  That head is about 5" wide.

Spider

We are seeing lots of these when we are weeding in the garden.  Some kind of spider carrying a white egg case. 

Click on the photo to magnify it more.  Those are quite the spiky hairs on it's legs.