222 Mary Street, Victoria West

Here's another of Victoria's fine old brick heritage homes. I pass this one nearly every morning on my way to the West Bay Walkway for my daily stroll along the shore. I like brick houses in general but I particularly like this one because of how it manages to look so staid and proper despite being an eclectic mix of architectural styles. According to "This Old House", the bible of Victoria Heritage Houses, this dwelling succeeds in uniting Classical Revival, Gothic Revival and Italianate styles in one structure. It was built sometime before 1892 and during its long life has been lived in by a remarkable cross section of Victoria's population, including a draughtsman, a carriage-maker, a merchant, a sailor, a railway conductor, an engineer, 2 painters, a labourer, a biscuit factory packer, a machinist, a blacksmith, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, a garbage man, and a partridge in a pear tree.... I also like the way the surrounding modern condo development mimics the style and materials of this house.

West Coast Air

Victoria's Inner Harbour is a very busy place. In addition to the many different types of waterborne traffic - commercial and pleasure craft of all types and sizes - it is a very busy airport with float plane flights taking off and landing several times per hour during the day. There is also a heliport on Ogden Point so one or more aircraft are almost always visible in the airspace above or approaching the harbour. The plane above is one of West Coast Air's planes. There are several other small flight companies operating flights between Victoria and other points on Vancouver Island and between here and the mainland.

Naiad

Just a few minutes along the Westsong Walkway from yesterday's vantage point is the sculpture by John Barney Weaver entitled Victoria Pacifica, which was featured here in November last year. The larger sculpture is flanked by two smaller female nudes, one of which is pictured above (detail) and to the left.

Westsong Walkway

For the last several months my morning walk of preference is along the West Bay Walkway, the westernmost portion of the seaside walkway that extends from downtown Victoria along the shore of the Inner Harbour all the way to West Bay Marina in Esquimalt. The part of this trail that is closest to downtown is called the West Song Walkway and above is a view taken from that part of the pathway looking westward towards West Bay and Esquimalt. While the walkway is never crowded it is used extensively by walkers and joggers (and, occasionally, by little boys with scooters).

Headless Heron

Actually this Great Blue Heron is just having a nap. It must be very convenient to be able to just tuck your head under a large wing whenever you want to shut out the world. But I don't know as I'd care to try it while balancing on a branch about 30 feet up in a tree. I have several times seen this heron snoozing like this above the West Bay Walkway near Sailor's Cove.

Visiting With Giants

Walking through a temperate rain forest like Thetis Lake Regional Park is like being inside a complex network of immense and ancient beings whose interwoven muscles and sinews provide the steps and hand holds along the paths. One is completely surrounded and immersed in this living web. I always find myself speaking in a whisper so as not to profane the profoundly slow and peaceful conversation of the forest.

The Coastal Cafe

To ride the ferry between Victoria and Vancouver takes about one hour and thirty-five minutes. Many passengers spend this time having lunch or a snack in one of the ferry's eating places. This is a shot of the entrance to the on-board cafeteria called the Coastal Cafe. There is also a more upscale restaurant with an extensive seafood buffet and a small, mostly automated coffee bar. Each ferry also has, in addition to several large lounges, a video arcade for the kids, a play area for smaller children, and a gift shop selling books, magazines, souvenirs and snacks. There are also work areas where laptops may be plugged in.