Mudbay Park

Today (Monday) we took Max over to Mudbay Park, an important part of the Pacific Flyway, the aerial highway migratory birds use to make their way from South America all the way to Alaska. It’s a pit stop of sorts, for birds on their way to and from mating/breeding grounds.

Mudbay ParkThis was our first time there; there are paths running along the sea shore, over dykes and through the estuary. The marsh grasses hide lots of birds, but most of the up to 1200 species are not here at this time of the year. We saw only the usual ducks, crows, seagulls etc. The tide was not too low, so the flats are not that visible in the pictures.

Mudbay Park - Panorama

Mudbay Park DriftwoodIt has a nice flat course for easier running. There are several well-paved trails, used also by cyclists. It was overcast, so a touch cool, but nice for a walk/run. The first loop was a 1.5 km trail, that had no hills what so ever. The only incline was down hill, and that was about 5 steps worth! Max liked to look over at the ocean, but had no inclination to try to get there.

Mudbay Park - LupinsIt’s certainly a park that’s worth a second look. Pam has already declared it her favorite park. For a runner, it has some nicely maintained trails, in a relatively flat setting. The ocean is a welcome diversion, but the plant life is nice too. Lupins were just beginning to bloom all over the trail.

Surrey Lake

Surrey Lake, May 15 2009It’s been a while since we’ve made a post on the blog. Not sure why that is – just lazy I guess. We’ve been doing a lot of running, Max and I. We usually head down to the watershed on the weekends, and I usually don’t take a camera. Yesterday was a day off for me, so Max and I headed over to Surrey Lake.

Surrey Lake, May 15 2009It’s a man-made lake, and wetlands, designed to protect the farmlands. It’s got a trail around and up a fairly steep hill. On top of the hill horses graze. The run down the backside of the hill is nicely lined with trees, then you break out over the flats of the wetlands.

Max really gets excited when we get close to the parks where we run. He sits up and starts whining eagerly, prancing on his seat. All the little creatures get him scampering all over.

Max at Surrey LakeHe’s much better around people when we’re on a leash. He used to react to people who got too close. But we’ve managed to calm that down a bit. Still working on his in-home behaviour when visitors arrive – I’d like him to be a bit calmer when he sees we are ok with whoever has arrived. We had a technician from the cable company and he was better. Not great, but getting there.

I tell you tho, he has the most hysterical habit of playing with his stuffed toys. I’ve seen dogs take toys and shake them and rough house them, but Max takes them and TOSSES them WAY into the air. They even wind up on the table! It’s so funny, and he stands there with his mouth wide open in a big smile! It’s really too funny.

Tribute to Nurses

Cathedral Place Office towersThe Vancouver Medical Dental Building was built in 1929. On about the tenth floor there were constructed 11 foot high terra cotta statues of the Nursing Sisters, a tribute to the nurses of the First World War.

Art Deco tribute to World War 1 nurses.The story goes that one of the architects who designed the building was wounded in the war, and he credited the Sisters with saving his life. This was his way to pay his respects.

They could not be salvaged when the building was demolished, but replicas now reside on the Crystal Place office building, on the corner of Georgia and Howe, but down at the 3rd floor level, where they are clearly more visible! When we were waiting for the Sun Run to start, we took a couple pictures of her – and so – here she is! Really pretty cool.