Burnaby Heights merchants celebrated their community this past Saturday during Hats Off Day. This free family event spanned Hastings Street, from Boundary to Gamma, with a jungle-themed parade, show & shine, activities, live entertainment, and plenty of street food. I was out of town but I followed the tag #HatsOffDay online and watched it trend […]

Last year was my summer of kayaking, this year it’s canoeing. I’ve been out twice in a canoe in the last few weeks, spending Memorial Day on Iowa’s Maquoketa River (a Mississippi tributary) and a few weeks ago I paddled down the Nechako River (a Fraser River tributary) near Prince George. My time in Prince […]

In one day on the upper Sunshine Coast I had an awesome breakfast, learned how to play the violin, strolled along the beach, interviewed some fascinating locals for a FestivalSeekers article, drove up to Lund, hopped in a zodiac, ripped past Desolation Sound and landed on an island referred to as the “Galapagos of the […]

There are photo opportunities scattered throughout the Vancouver’s 52-hectare Queen Elizabeth Park. At 152 metres above sea level, it’s the highest point in Vancouver and makes for spectacular views of the park, city, and mountains on the North Shore. Photos abound of its gorgeously landscaped quarry garden, the arboretum with its collection of exotic and […]

The Abbotsford Tulip Festival is in full bloom, an hour east of Vancouver along Highway 1. I had the opportunity to visit yesterday, and the spectacularly colourful array of 2.5 million petals is definitely worth witnessing. Abbotsford Tulip Festival Photos Just off the main parking lot you’ll find a picnic area and family games, along […]

There’s something quintessentially “West Coast” about flying to and from your destination in a seaplane. Gliding across the water in an aircraft where almost every position feels like a window seat, lifting up above the bay, cruising over bridges and byways, you see the world from a whole new perspective. Touching down in another city […]

Vancouver has had a few city hall buildings; the first was a draped tent at the old Granville Townsite (1886) at the foot of Carrall St after the Great Fire. The first real structure was a building on Powell St, followed by a building on Main St just south of the Carnegie Library. The Holden […]

Hollyburn to Fromme, The Needles to The Lions, our rugged North Shore mountains provide recreation and stunning views all throughout the year. In winter, they give the city a snowy-white backdrop, even when it’s 15C in February, and they remind us how close to the vast wilderness our city lies. Thanks to those who shared […]

On the first sunny morning after a string of rainy days, my sister and I set out for a brisk morning hike from our home base at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort in Parksville. Little Qualicum Falls was our destination, just 20 minutes away up Inland Island Highway with a turn onto Highway 4 towards Port […]

Michael Schmidt‘s photography has been on my radar for years, while curating my weekly Vancouver photo roundup or while composing the monthly guest post contribution from the Stanley Park Ecology Society, his urban, nature, and wildlife photography always stands out. You can now check out some of his prints this month at the West End […]