Post #21 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
The BC SPCA was kind enough to stop by Workspace today to give us all a bit of encouragement by way of snacks and promotional gifts. Ashley brought along two friends, one of which was a nine month old shelter dog named Bob.
The SPCA is currently ramping up for their Paws for a Cause fundraiser which will take place Sunday September 13, 2009.
Post #20 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
The following is a guest post, contributed by Chris of Left Coast by Design.
One of my favourite routes to take when traveling east and west through Richmond is along the south arm of the Fraser. You can drive from Steveston through to Woodwards Landing with little traffic along the serene and picturesque maritime highway. It’s quite beautiful and it’s also quite historic. Whether it be a visit to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, the Britannia Heritage Shipyard or London Farm, you can catch a glimpse of the beginnings of the Richmond we now know.
But I’ll bet you’ve never taken a moments notice of historic Finn Slough.
Photo credit:
kimli on Flickr
In the 1890s, a number of families of Finnish descent came to Richmond in search of land to settle. They originally settled on land with the intention of building homes and farms, but quickly became drawn with to lure of the mighty Fraser River fishing industry and began to “develop” the land closer to the river itself. After another Richmond pioneer, Thomas Kidd, blocked off both ends of the Woodward Slough to help regulate the flood plain of his farmland nearby, the Finnish families needed to relocate to allow their desire to fish to continue. They negotiated the purchase of some nearby land and built a settlement next to the Tiffin Slough – what we know today as Finn Slough.
As the community grew (with many more families arriving from Finland after news of the settlement spread), the necessity to work around the tidal floodplain resulted in a number of floating homes to be built. New arrivals would sleep in whatever accommodation that was available, whether it be converted net sheds, or derelict fishing boats. However, the community peaked in size by the Second World War and once the 1950s and industrialization arrived, the population of Finn Slough began to shrink. Today, there are approximately 30 residents left in this eclectic shantytown.
With the efforts of many of the remaining residents, a partial rejuvenation of Finn Slough can been seen. The old Dinner Plate Island School has been refurbished and the boardwalk around the community is kept in good repair. Although you can drive by this quaint community, the limited parking and narrow roads do not provide an opportunity to readily pull over. Instead, I would highly recommend parking at the southern end of No. 3 Rd. and either walking or riding a bike along the dyke until you reach Finn Slough. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch one of the few fishing boats that still operate out of the Slough steaming out to test their luck, or back with a recent catch. Or you might see any number of artists capturing the natural beauty of the area through paint or photo.
So the next time you find your way to South Richmond and are enjoying a leisurely trip along the river, remember that quaint community and stop by to say hello!
About Chris: Chris blogs over at Left Coast by Design and you can follow his updates on Twitter @lyteforce.
Post #20 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
Post #19 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
The following is a guest post, contributed by Terra of Mommy is Moody.
If you were to ask me, the only way I’d move from our home in the West End would be if an amazing opportunity to live in Southern California or Europe came along.
True be told, we make sacrifices to live where we do: my daughter and I share a very small 400 square-foot apartment, a queen-sized bed that barely fits in the bedroom and a tiny closet. We pay the least expensive rent possible and refuse to move to a less expensive neighbourhood for a simple reason: The West End has everything we need, and every lesson I’d want her to learn is right outside our door. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Post #18 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
For this year’s campaign, I offered to write a blog post for companies that placed a donation to my campaign. Immediately after hearing about this offer, Jeanette Duguay pledged her support. As a result, here’s a bit more about her work:
Jeanette has been designing/developing websites since 2001, specializing in open source customized content management solutions. Currently they use Joomla, WordPress, BuddyPress, phpBB, and soon will be offering Anahita Social Engineâ„¢. She has also had opportunity to birth 2 online Social Communities:
Tazzu – Co-Founder 2007, Director of Communications
Cafe Yogi – Owner/Founder 2009
Thanks to individuals and companies like Jeanette and JenTekk, I’m that much closer to achieving my goal for Blogathon this year.
Post #18 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
Post #17 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
All morning I’ve been watching the SeaBus come and go from the harbour right in front of me so I thought it warranted its own Blogathon post.
Many think that the SeaBus began operation in 1985-86 when our faithful Skytrain lines opened up. However, the passenger-only ferry crossing from downtown to the North Shore has been wave-hopping since 1977.
As my friend Dave says, it’s the “$3.75 Harbour Cruise”. The quick trip isn’t the most luxurious but the scenery is just gorgeous (and it sure beats sitting in traffic for hours to cross one of the bridges).
Post #17 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.
