The Swallowed Anchor 2

A couple of years ago I posted a photo of this quaint house opposite the West Bay Marina. I took another photo of it yesterday when I was going for breakfast at the Queen Mary Restaurant at the Marina. The house is looking rather more decrepit now and anyone who wants to see it should make a visit to the West Bay Marina soon. It is slated for demolition. HERE is a good article about the history and future of this unusual old house. The name of the house, The Swallowed Anchor, is nautical lingo. To "swallow the anchor" means to retire from a life of sailing.

West Bay Marina Sunrise

I still have a few bird photos from my excursion to Esquimalt Lagoon on the weekend but I thought I would break the sequence today with another sunrise photo, this one of West Bay Marina with its houseboats and sailboats. This marina marks the western end of the West Bay/Westsong Walkway, the eastern end of which is the Johnson Street Bridge in downtown Victoria. It's a beautiful walk at any time of day.

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Some of you may be wondering what the white stuff is on the rocks in the foreground. It's not snow or frost - it's broken shells. Seagulls drop clams and other shellfish onto the rocks here to crack them open for their dining pleasure.

West Bay Marina

A few steps further down the walk pictured yesterday brings the above view into sight. It's the West Bay Marina, the western end of the walkway that begins at the Johnson Street Bridge in downtown Victoria. It's a nice mix of pleasure boats and colorful houseboats. The latter are now called floathomes, and I think it's a good idea to introduce a new term. Modern houseboats are a far cry from early models that were little more than boxes on barges. Some of Victoria's most interesting home designs are floating, both here and at Fisherman's Wharf.

Westbay Marina Houseboats

I love the colors and shapes of these houseboats moored at the Westbay Marina in Esquimalt. Many of these houseboats are manufactured locally, on land. Someday I will post some photos of them under construction because I keep visiting the place where they are made in the hope of seeing one being transported into the water (since I cannot imagine how they manage to get them there.)

Arbutus

More snow last night and a busy day trying to fit some Christmas shopping in with work so here's another shot taken a few days ago from the Westsong Walkway, looking towards Westbay Marina in Esquimalt.

West Bay Marina

Lovely bright day today and the wind has finally died down so I was able to walk around and take some photos of the neighborhood. I crept and slid down to the Westsong Walkway and took this photo of the West Bay Marina in Esquimalt.