It’s no secret that I love my hometown of Surrey, BC and when posts like Signs You Grew Up in Richmond and Signs You Grew Up in Vancouver in the 80s (which features my McBarge photo) starting popping up, I knew I had to make one for Surrey. With the help of two ladies I grew up with in Surrey, my sister and my friend Anne, I have compiled the following list:
Signs You Grew Up in Surrey in the 90s
You did the chicken dance on rollerskates at Stardust
You took the SkyTrain from the end of the line (Scott Road Station) to Metrotown to shop
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The legendary Army and Navy Shoe Sale, now in its 65th year, returns on Wednesday, April 30th. Canada’s largest designer shoe sale features over 100,000 pairs shoes with labels such as DKNY, Pour La Victoire, Steve Madden, Marc Fisher, Calvin Klein, Charles David, Kelsi Dagger and more.
“To celebrate Army & Navy’s 65th Annual Legendary Shoe Sale, we are showcasing our most exciting collection of designer shoes to date,” said Jacqui Cohen, Army & Navy President & CEO. “I am thrilled to continue the shoe sale tradition, which has become a highly anticipated event for girlfriends of all ages. Shoes that retail for hundreds of dollars will be discounted up to 90% and no pair of shoes will be priced over $40.” [Source: Press Release]
On the morning of the Army and Navy Shoe Sale, doors will open at 8:00am at all locations including Vancouver (Gastown), New Westminster, Langley, Calgary, Edmonton Whyte Avenue and Edmonton Londonderry Mall. On average, 5,148 shoppers line up on the day of the Army and Navy Shoe Sale, which has sold 3.732 million total pairs of shoes to date.
If you can’t line up on April 30th, not to worry. They refresh the shelves with stock throughout the day and while the entire sale lasts so you won’t miss out on some of the best picks.
1960s. Archives# CVA 780-768.
Army and Navy is Canada’s Original Discount Department Store. This family company is 100% Canadian owned and operated, with a strong legacy in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood. Follow the store on Twitter and Facebook for more information and enter to win a $500 shopping spree for you and your friends.
I don’t often delve into politics publicly but there’s one election happening this spring in Vancouver that cannot be ignored: The search for the Vancouver City Bird. There are six candidates in the running–all with their own Twitter accounts–and one hopes to come out on top so we can show it off for Bird Week 2015.
Vancouver City Bird Candidates
Northern Flicker | Twitter
Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground.
Anna’s Hummingbird | Twitter
Anna’s Hummingbirds are among the most common hummingbirds along the Pacific Coast, yet they’re anything but common in appearance. With their iridescent emerald feathers and sparkling rose-pink throats, they are more like flying jewelry than birds.
Black Capped Chickadee | Twitter
A bird almost universally considered “cute” thanks to its oversized round head, tiny body, and curiosity about everything, including humans.
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Pileated Woodpecker | Twitter
The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest.
Varied Thrush | Twitter
The Varied Thrush’s simple, ringing song gives a voice to the quiet forests of the Pacific Northwest, with their towering conifers and wet understories of ferns, shrubs, and mosses.
Pacific Wren | Twitter
Small in stature and incomparably energetic in voice, the Winter Wren inhabits moist forests and other habitats across much of eastern North America. |
Park Board Commissioner Constance Barnes told Vancouver Metro: “We have the highest count of migratory birds in the world, it’s amazing.”
“They’re not just important for pollination, but also things like bugs and making the city green. They’re birds that we see everyday, you just don’t stop to appreciate them. So we’re looking at ways to engage the public, both kids and old birders like myself.”
John and I have spotted the Northern Flicker recently in Stanley Park and the Black Capped Chickadee is always open to a photo op if you’re walking around the west side of Beaver Lake. However it’s the Varied Thrush who gets mentioned most often in the posts that the Stanley Park Ecology Society contributes here. Wren and Chickadee are also the only ones of the bunch with Stanley Park Trails named in their honour. This is a tough decision!
You can vote for your favourite between now and May 10, 2014 which is the end of Bird Week this year.
During the month of April I will be featuring a Cherry Blossom Photo of the Day, sourced from the Miss604 Flickr Pool and/or the #Photos604 tag on Instagram. You can barely walk a full block in the city without encountering a photographer capturing this pink blooms — or stopping yourself — so it’s the perfect time to start this series. Enjoy!
Photo credit:
Daniel on Flickr
No trees are required to enjoy the effect that cherry blossoms have on our city. This couple posed for engagement photos amidst the natural pink confetti.
View more photography posts on Miss604 along with the Vancouver Photos of the Week.
British Columbia, in all its splendour, is such a thrill to explore. There’s not much that can make me appreciate this province more than a mossy forest walk through towering Douglas Firs or a paddle around a cove, rolling over waves and water so clear I can spot the sea kelp stretching to reach surface sunbeams. We constantly find new ways to experience BC’s natural beauty and that’s where tours like those offered from Wildcoast Adventures come in.
Wildcoast Adventures offers a variety of kayaking options including tours around Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound. Last year I gave away an amazing kayak trip with Wildcoast and I’m excited to announced that we’ve partnered again to give away a bucket-list experience to one of my very lucky readers.
Wildcoast Adventures Kayak Getaway
My contest is for their signature Orca Camp, where you’ll stay near the Michael Biggs Robson Bight Ecological Reserve:
This vacation begins with pre-trip accommodation at the beautiful Gowlland Harbour Boutique Resort on Quadra Island and includes a 4 day & 3 night remote camping and kayaking experience to see Killer Whales in Johnstone Strait. You will begin your vacation on peaceful Quadra Island where the spectacular beauty of the resort’s waterfront location encourages visitors to reconnect with nature.
After enjoying your first day and a peaceful night’s sleep at the resort, you will take a water taxi to Wildcoast’s remote Orca Camp where you will kayak each day on the lookout for Orcas! This is a great location to find killer whales as they often feed in the kelp beds just off the Orca Camp beach. This glamping experience includes beachcombing, hikes, fishing, awesome food, a native sauna, evening campfires, sleeping in safari tents, and star filled nights!
Heading back home after this trip you will be relaxed and inspired by the experience you’ve had disconnecting from your busy life and reconnecting with nature.
You can enter to win using any or all of these methods:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Head over to Facebook and “Like” this image (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Wildcoast Adventures on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their tours. Must be 19+ to enter. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, April 25, 2014. The prize is for one person only.
Contest does not include travel to & from Quadra Island BC. Valid for 5 Day Package Tour during 2014 season ONLY (dates subject to availability). No cash value. Prize awarded as is. No kayaking experience necessary.
Wildcoast was born out of the longstanding kayak company Coastal Spirits, which provided wilderness kayak camping tours, including the Orca Basecamp in Johnstone Strait for over 15 years. With its owners looking to retire, Expedition Manager, Damon Stapinsky saw the opportunity to take the company to the next level. Having spent entire summers working the front-lines on tours with guests from around the world, he had a keen awareness of what made a great experience and what was now needed to ensure great kayaking tours in Canada could be had by the new generations of adventure travelers. By going above and beyond for guests and sharing knowledge of the area and passion for the outdoors, the newly reborn Wildcoast is providing kayak tours that provide new equipment, fresh menus designed by a gourmet chef and packaged as well as custom kayak trip offerings in order to cater to the unique dynamic of each group of guests. [Wildcoast’s Story]
Update The winner is ine van aken!!
