Redwood Park

I spent my lunch hour today walking in Redwood Park, a really cool man-made forest near my work. The forest was planted by twin brothers who settled in the Hazelmere Valley in 1878. At least, that’s what it says on the sign!

This is a recreation or memorial to the house that they built and lived in back then. Unfortunately it was locked up, so I couldn’t see inside at all. But given that it’s just a replica, it’s probably empty anyway.

The reason I went there was to take a picture of this little elf door I spotted in one of the trees last time I was there. I visited a few weeks ago, and the elves still had their Christmas decorations up. Looks like they’ve let the yard go a little bit…

I got a little closer and noticed something alarming. Looks like B&E’s happen even in the middle of the forest! Hopefully everyone’s okay…

After relaxing in the woods for a while, I hit the Tim Horton’s drive-thru on my way back to work. When I got to the window to pay for my soup and coffee, the server told me that the guy ahead of me randomly paid for my order! What a nice thing to do. I paid for the guy behind me – hopefully it made him smile too

Mom’s Christmas Village

I’m visiting my mom for Christmas and it’s so great to relax and enjoy time with my family. I love being surrounded by familiar decorations and festivities. The Christmas tree with its lights and the ornaments that bring back childhood memories, and (my favorite) the elaborate Christmas village that my step-dad sets up every year. I just wanted to share a couple shots I took of the village at night. Merry Christmas!

Holiday Express

West Village

East Village

Village Band

Hawkins Emporium (my mom’s last name)

Mother and Child

Train Station

Day trip to Whistler

Last Saturday I spent the day with my brother driving up to Whistler and back. There was a huge sale going on at a ski and snowboard shop and he wanted to get a bunch of snowboarding gear. Parking was a nightmare due to the sale, so I dropped him off out front and parked farther away. While he was at the sale I went for a walk, taking my new camera out for a test drive! I thought I’d share some of the pictures I took on my walk and on the drive home.

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Catching up…

Well, the holidays have made it difficult to keep up with my blog and my Etsy shop is looking a little sparse, but I’ve really enjoyed the rest and the time spent with family and friends. I’ve also been busy trying to navigate this crazy weather we’ve been having. Vancouver is not used to snow like this and the lack of snow plows in my neighborhood have made things very interesting. This is my back yard as seen on Christmas Day.

I’ve actually gotten quite a bit of knitting done for the shop – now I just need some time with my “models”. I finished a new style of fingerless glove that I’m very pleased with, and I’ve made pairs in about 3 or 4 colors. I really hope to get a chance to photograph them soon, especially since I got a new camera for Christmas! It’s a Fuji Finepix and I’ve been having lots of fun playing with it and getting comfortable. The biggest perk for me so far is the super macro feature, which I’ve been using to take shots like this.

There seems to be a bit of a grainy quality to some of the pictures I’ve taken, which I also read about in reviews (after I’d bought it). However, since most of the shots I’ve taken so far have been indoors and in low light, I’m remaining optimistic. I’m very eager to try it out in good light. Although I have less occasion to use it, the long distance focus also seems to be very good. 12x optical zoom is very decent for anything I’d need. This shot was taken from my doorstep, across the yard and into the back lane.