Archive for April 27th, 2006

27 Apr 2006 Where the Filipinos Hang Out
Author: Gail |  Category: Vancouver, Vandigicam  | One Comment

I’m quite fond of this picture, but I don’t think many people have seen it. I took it last June on a photowalk around Jericho Beach in Vancouver for the Intertidal Arts Project, created to make “ocean floor art” to be washed away after the lowest tide of the year at 1:30pm.

Apparently there were a bunch of us there, but we were all spread out along the beach and didn’t run into each other. Except I did find Cliff, and Rachael magically emerged from the ocean, sans cell phone (retrieved later by another beachcomber!).

It was a gorgeous day at the beach. We even got caught by the tide!

27 Apr 2006 The Industrial Canyon
Author: Gail |  Category: Europe  | Leave a Comment

March 24, 2006
Hamburg, Germany

The port of Hamburg has the largest storage facilities of any port in the world, I learned on this boat trip around the harbour. I wish I’d had a wide-angle lens to try and capture the immensity, but maybe you can get an idea of it here. The tour guide only spoke in German, so Berit had to translate for me while I gazed in wonder at the dimensions of the concrete walls.

I was so pleased to be on the water again, even if it was in an industrial setting. In Vancouver I became accustomed to seeing massive cargo ships in English Bay from my apartment, departing cruise ships clearing the Lions Gate Bridge and heading out to Howe Sound, taking the Aquabus to Granville Island, and a BC Ferry every week to the office. Viewing the Pacific Ocean is part of everyday life in Vancouver, and only once you leave do you perceive the differences in ambience: the squawk of seagulls, water slapping against the dock, the tinge of saltwater and seaweed in the air, the hypnotic lull of lapping waves and marinas filled with bobbing boats — they all contribute to a feeling of tranquility. (Maybe I was a mariner in a former life?)