A Bit Up the Hill

 

My EV had a charge of 77%, which is far more than I needed for tomorrow's little trip.  At around noon, we are going to ride out to Golden Ears Park, specifically to the Alouette Lake campground.  Tim rode his motorcycle out to camp for the week at the popular provincial park. Tomorrow, Jiwan will come out to New West after a morning, doctor's visit and will come along with Jay and me.  The whole trip will be around 120 km.  We plan on bringing some picnic things for a lunchtime visit.

Although my Kona could have travelled about 400 km on what was in my battery,  I wanted to see if the Level 2 chargers were still working up at City Hall in New Westminster. I hadn't checked since last summer. I figured I could go see and top up Kimchi with a bit more juice on the slow 240v, Flo-branded charging provided by the city.  This is how they charge up a couple of city vehicles and they can be accessed by the public too for a couple of bucks an hour.

I found both spaces were empty so I plugged in.  Then, I walked home through Tipperary Park and down the hill.  It has already been one hour.  I'll go sit in the hot tub for a little while because Jay is at the Bonsor Rec Center for senior gym hours.  I can walk back up the hill.  It'll take about 10 minutes to do so.  I can drive the car back after its second hour.

Selfie-Takers Used to Annoy Me!

Usually in the run-up to my birthday, the weather gets really nice. By this time of year, a high pressure weather system has often taken hold over much of the southwest corner of British Columbia. Today there's nary a cloud in the sky and temperatures are in the low 30°s Celsius.

 

Tipperary park is just up the hill from our apartment.  Today though, I drove because I wanted to plug into the slow Level 2 chargers at New Westminster City Hall.  My hour there only added about 7% to my charge of 80%.  I do want to ensure I'm full when we take off on a road trip at the latter part of this weekend.  Canadian Rockies or bust!

I parked and learned a bit more about my DJI NEO mini-drone.  I didn't bother taking along the controller as it can operate in a number of modes directly from the device.  However, I did use the DJI software on my phone to experiment with flight control.

Go ahead, click the video to see a video of 48 seconds of me.  Oh, mostly me in some wooded areas near an uncovered stream running through a tiny park in our city.

Thirty Seconds of Today's Walk

 

Last week's foul weather kept me from completing my usual walks uptown. Today, I got back into a short-lived routine. Starting next week, we'll be putting on a lot of distance by foot as we travel through Southeastern Europe.  I was encouraged to continue exercising after weighing myself this morning and clocking in at 87 kg.  Last July, when my sister and friend came to visit, I weighed 101 kg.  It's nice to see progress again towards my goal of just 75 kg.

Today, I walked up Third and down most of Sixth. I lingered for a while in London Drugs but just as a diversion from the little 4K hike. Oh, I also stopped for thirty seconds coming back through Tipperary Park that's next to the New Westminster City Hall. 

I'm continuing to occasionally shoot a static 30-second video for this journal. It's nearly as easy to upload as a photo and it can provide a bit more of a view and accompanying sound.  I can hear the noise of a 'parks guy' mowing grass an adjacent area.

 

Up Fourth Street from Our New West Apartment

For as long as I've had a blog and that's 21 years now, I've included pictures from the park that's just up the hill from us.  Tipperary Park is next to the New Westminster City Hall.  It contains an uncovered stream and is a relaxing place, especially during British Columbia's elusive summer weather.

I remember learning that the space was designed in 1962 after Typhoon Frieda destroyed existing trees. The stream is not really wild but is contained within two asphalt beds.  The water is then somehow piped under Royal Avenue and downtown New Westminster to empty into the Fraser River near the edge of the current Pier Park.

Tipperary Park is a personal refuge that's within walking distance if one is willing to climb halfway to Uptown New Westminster.  I stopped today just to reacquaint myself with it.  I was driving and plugged my car into one of the city's Level 2 EV chargers.  It was a lovely day and the beginning of a high pressure weather system that will bring an expected heat wave to this part of the province.

Checking for Ducks

This morning, we went to pick up vegetables at Langley Farm Market. We generally do so on Thursdays, but just one week from today we're scheduled for a short 5-night cruise on the MS Noordam. Jay figured it'd be better to buy a few things today. Next, when driving home, we stopped at the uptown London Drugs. I picked up something. Lastly, as we came back down the hill, I thought we should pull in by city hall. I parked so we could walk through Tipperary Park and see if any wild ducks were about. In the past, many families of ducklings learned to swim in the uncovered stream that flows through the area. Last year, for some reason, I didn't see a single family of water birds. As it is a bit early, it's hard to tell what the situation will be this summer.

This picture shows the stepping stones across one section of the stream. Due to the the time of year, the water flow is a little more than it'll be later in the summer.

 

A Little Green and a Little Colour

 

On the 1.5 KM drive home from uptown, I pulled into the New Westminster City Hall parking lot. I parked in the Fourth Street area where the summer Farmer's Markets take place. Today, only a few people were walking around Tipperary Park. This land is a lovely patch of ground with several streams uncovered decades ago.  They are not really landscaped in a natural manner but they do make for a beautiful, small recreational area.

I'd been uptown to my credit union.  We fly to Nice, France just 10 days from tomorrow.  I thought it'd be smart to pick up some cash.  Nowadays, most purchases are made on our credit cards that have no foreign transaction fees.  It still feels better to have a bit of cash in one's pocket, although we never ever use paper (plastic polymer) money in Canada.

The Feeling of Spring

Note to self: When coming home from a winter away, try for a mid-April arrival. 

The blossoms are late this year, perhaps, but it's finally sunny! When away, I don't miss the local winter in this part of BC, even if it's mild by Canadian standards. Yet when home, I do welcome the actual arrival of spring quite a lot. 

I was on errands, and as I drove by Tipperary Park I decided to stop for a photo or two.

 

Fine Weather for Riding My Apollo Ghost

This is the beginning of the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada.  It's often considered the unofficial beginning of summer.  However, this year is a bit different in British Columbia; namely, today felt as though it is finally the end of winter.  It has been colder and wetter than normal since our return to Canada on the last day of March.  

Starting today, I noticed a palpable sense of excitement in the air.  People on the street seemed to be collectively happier.  Today, I got a chance to take out my e-scooter.  Of course, this made me happier.  I ran along bike trails to Sapperton Park and back up through Woodlands on Victoria Hill.  Before heading home and parking up on our balcony, I stopped in Tipperary Park up by City Hall.

What a muscular beast!  Before my purchase, I figured I needed two motors to go up and down the hills around here.  I guess it's worth occasionally carrying around its hefty 66 pounds because out on local bike paths, I can climb any hill put in front of me.

 

The Uncovered Stream is Still Streaming

The weather remains warm, almost too warm, but you'll never hear me saying THAT! 

On our errands today we stopped in two different downtown parks. We wanted to see the community gardens in Simcoe Park. We drove to that end of downtown so we stopped. The surrounding area was dry but the gardens looked like an oasis. 

After a bit, we stopped at Tipperary Park near city hall too. That is always a peaceful place between uptown and downtown.  We just 'regened' power into the EV as we coasted home down 4th Street.

The Old Uncovered Stream

Today was rather usual with a morning visit to our grocery store in Coquitlam. 

In the late afternoon, we took a local drive in New Westminster. I wanted to pick up some beer at the BC Liquor Store. We also stopped uptown and parked at London Drugs. I got a bit of cash from an ATM at the corner. We never use paper money but we have one final bill to pay for our bathroom renovation that requires dirty, ole cash. 

As we were coming back downtown, we parked on the upper side of Tipperary Park We saw many more people there than usual. 

It is very nice having long days when the weather is beautiful.

The Contractor Gets a Plumbing Permit

 

An email arrived this morning from city hall.  It explained that our application for a building permit was accepted.  We had to make an appointment to go up and pay the $486 fee to pick it up.  I suggested today at 1:30 pm.  I had begun collecting the required materials in mid-May.  I scanned a large packet, including a Land Title office deed, and sent in the PDF via email on May 21st.  Now, Jay and I have the results in hand.  So, we are one of many steps closer to having our bathtub removed and a full-sized, tiled shower installed. 

We arrived a few minutes early at city hall. Our email suggested that we not come ahead of time. That was fine. We easily took ten minutes visiting adjacent Tipperary park.

 

Spectacular Summer's Still Staying

Today, our little section of crown moulding wasn't installed. Andrey was pretty booked up and won't be able to come back until after the long weekend.

We did a bit of uptown shopping.  Later, when Jay went for a little exercise in our building's gym, I walked up 4th Street to our city hall.  I had the drone bag over my shoulder.    I used two batteries and flew for about 45 minutes.

First, I stayed in Tipperary Park, one of my favourite places near the apartment.  In fact, from the air, I took a photo of my most favourite park bench in the whole world.  The area is quite tiny but the trees and gurgling streams block the city and the fact it is sitting in the middle of New Westminster.

I also hovered over the City Hall Community Garden plots.  I will forward copies of a few more pictures for the New Westminster Community Gardening Society to use.

   

THREE DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM 14 METERS UP

East and west on Royal Avenue, and south down Fourth Street.

 

 

Errands Around New West

This morning we dropped off our old TV at the Thrift Store. I hope it can continue to give somebody some use. It was the first time, we folded down the rear seats in our KONA Electric to carry something larger than shopping bags.

    

We also went up to the Langley Farm Market on Kingsway. Then, before driving home, we stopped for a bit at Tipperary Park by the New Westminster City Hall. An uncovered stream runs through the park and we went to see if we could spot any ducklings. We saw just a few adult mallards. I'm not quite sure why no duck families took up the area for brooding this year.

It Ain't So Far to Tipperary (Park)

We've been out of mandatory self-isolation for better than two and a half weeks. I still have not charged the car yet. So the last time it was connected to a charger was last October. I wanted to run the battery down more before I recharge. So, we jumped in the car for a Sunday drive. We went to Coquitlam and into Burnaby. We crossed the hill on Willingdon past Metrotown to Marine Drive and came back some of the same route that bus #100 does.

We had nothing to stop for, nor did we have our surgical masks anyway. However, Jay suggested we stop up at the park near the New Westminster City Hall to see if we could spot any tiny ducklings. Generally, there are new families floating around in an uncovered stream at this time of year. The park is only about 300 meters from our building.





We didn't spot a single duck. It was nice to see fresh leaves on the trees as several weeks ago most trees only had buds. We put only an additional 32 KM on Kimchi, our Hyundai KONA Electric.

Different Perspectives: Cultural and Physical

Today was New Year's day in Jay's culture. He made us a delicious lunch with 11 items.



After our afternoon nap, I walked up to Tipperary Park, near New Westminster's City Hall. I love how my drone allows me new perspectives on places I think I know well. Viewing things from a hundred feet in the air makes a lot of difference.

I Value Variety

In one week and a few hours, we'll be heading to the airport. Our plans for the winter started months ago but it's finally getting close enough to taste.

Our YVR departure is in the early hours of the morning on the 31st. Our first flight is to Taipei and takes closer to thirteen hours than twelve. Our layover is one hour and twenty minutes. Then, we take the second flight to Kuala Lumpur. That only takes about five hours putting us into KUL at 11:50 am on Friday.

We are staying two nights near Masjid India right near the KL city center before continuing on to Sri Lanka. Our last leg will take about three and a half hours in the plane but only one hour on the clock because of the time-zone differences. We should land at the Bandaranaike International Airport at around 9:30 am on Sunday, local time.

Of course, I'm excited to get back to Sri Lanka after seven years. Life will be different than it's been during our British Columbian summer. I loved walking through the nearby park today. The trees looked like fall but so did the light itself. The temperature was around 10°C at noon.

I value the variety of my life.

My 'Sort of Secret' Little Park

Some folks here had the day off because the statutory holiday of Canada Day fell on a Sunday. For example, there was no mailman today. But hey, they've all been free days for me since October 2014 and my early retirement!





I was quite surprised when I took a short walk up to Tipperary Park, next to the New Westminster City Hall. I thought for sure I'd see more families and visitors enjoying the green space. That used to be my favourite sanctuary but over the last half dozen years, I have started to frequent another park near the Fraser River more often. Sadly, I've been neglecting my old favourite.

Let's see, I started writing this blog in September of 2003 and my first entry mentioning this park was on January 24, 2004. Oh, and this entry makes the fourtith entry on the subject.





Walking up Fourth Street is quite a hike but it is healthy to sweat a little.
Today, I passed the community garden plots on the land near the City Hall. How lovely some of the vegetables were! When ducking under the trees, I was surprised more folks weren't enjoying the nice sunshine. I thought as a day off, it would be more crowded. The effect was certainly all right as the place seemed to be all mine!







I do like the pictures I can take with my new phone. Actually, what I like might be the camera app's DRO setting. Dynamic Range Optimization seems to bring more life to foliage and works well for the light conditions in wooded areas. When I don't want to lug my weighty lens on the Nikon, it's nice knowing I have something useful in my pocket.

One of My Happy Places

A walk uptown is exercise, not because of the distance but as it is quite a hill. I can sneak up Forth Street, next to the New Westminster City Hall and through Tipperary Park. Doing so at this time of year is really enjoyable. I love it when the trees are still blossoming and everything is green with new spring growth.





By the time I've passed through the park, I'm on a bit of a runner's high from the physical exertion. From that point, the second kilometer takes me through the lovely neighbhourhoods, which are a bit of a secret to all but city residents. Most Lower Mainlanders only see New West from one of the major, snarled commuter routes through town.

A Summer Sunday

I live for this type of weather. It's simply called summer, I guess.

This morning we went up to the park near city hall, mainly to spot young ducklings. I cannot remember when the ducks should be swimming around with their young. Is it later in the month? We spotted none. We ended up throwing bread at two adults ducks and leaving some hidden in the bushes for our squirrels.

Then, we did drive over to Queensborough to visit the Bulk Barn. We bought lots of specialty grains, a few types of nuts, and some spices today. They've sort of spoilt us with their frequent $3-off coupons.

In the afternoon, it is a pleasure to watch people and events at Pier Park. Of course, we are quite some distance from the river, but my camera has one hell of a zoom.

Only the Weather to Mention

People talk about the weather just about as a last resort. When there's nothing else in common to discuss, it's always a safe topic. I had to say something about it today, however. This was just about the first day I can actually remember where I didn't need a jacket or sweater. Today was such a bright spot after the long, cold, wet winter we've had.

It was absolutely delightful to make one's way around today. We had banking to do this morning and we spent quite a bit of time at the local agent for the Expedia Cruise Ship Centre. We didn't come back with any tickets, as we found we had more options to study.



All of that took place uptown. I had taken along a small bag of stale bread ends in the truck. So, when coming back, we stopped to visit Tipperary Park near City Hall. There were only several mallards floating around and they weren't even slightly interested in our bread crumbs. Yet, walking around in a park on a warm day was a nice activity for us.