On Canada Day I saw this in the window of Murchie's Tea and Coffee shop on Government Street. Murchie's has been selling fine teas and coffees in Victoria for more than 100 years.
Above, busy with a cell phone and an i-Pod, passersby fail to notice Mr. and Mrs. Santa strolling by on Victoria's Government Street. 
This is a busy crosswalk at the junction of Government and Humboldt Streets.
Victoria is a beautiful city but not all of its residents enjoy it equally. In the shadows or on the sidelines, there are always those less fortunate such as the panhandler above or the shopping cart person below.
In Chancery Lane, below, a homeless person rests within a few meters of the lamplit sidewalk restaurants and bars of Bastion Square.
A few minutes walk up Government Street from Oh Gelato is the entrance to Bastion Square, and the Irish Times Pub, where all the best of Irish pubbery can be experienced, including live Irish music every night. Inside the square, you will find more restaurants and bars and later, if you're lucky, some great offbeat music.
Long after the sun goes down pedestrians stroll along Government street and a favorite stop for many is Oh Gelato. I've not tried all 66 flavors but what I have tasted was delicious.
In the shadow of the gate to Chinatown, on the corner of Government and Fisgard Streets, is Quonley's Grocery, where you can buy whatever you need 24 hours a day. This may not seem like anything special now when there are many convenience stores that never close. However, there was a time when Quonley's was the only store in the city that you could always find open.
Above, the sky is a serene blue with a light dusting of peacefully drifting clouds, while below...
...Government Street is buzzing with summer activity. This view is looking down Government Street towards the Inner Harbour. Car traffic is allowed but this part of Government Street really belongs to pedestrians and, as soon as school is out and families begin to travel, this street will be even busier and more full of life.
OK, here's a confession. I don't like cloudy, cold damp weather. I know that good photographers say that bad weather is a blessing because it provides all sorts of interesting lighting and dramatic skies and discourages dilettantes, but I like sunny skies and bright colors anyway. I have to search really deeply inside me to find anything inspiring about a landscape that looks like it has had all the life and color drained out of it by forty days of drizzle. In the midst of yesterday's downpours I happened upon this bit of sidewalk sunshine, some glowing yellow peppers provided by the Ambrosio Market in Cook Street Village here in Victoria. 
