Over the last ten years the Heritage Vancouver Society has released its list of the Top Ten Endangered Sites in Vancouver and the 2011 list is now out.
Schools: Carleton (1896, 1908 to 1912)
Carleton School 1912. Archives Item# LGN496
As you can see, several Vancouver schools top the list of most-threatened buildings in the city. “In recognition of the magnitude of this threat, our top three sites illustrate the main threats to Vancouver’s historic schools: closure, redundancy and demolition,” stated the Heritage Vancouver Society online. “These ten sites represent the many challenges that we have in building a future for heritage in Vancouver.”
The Vancouver Historical Society will be hosting a free public event at the Museum of Vancouver on Thursday, February 24th at 7:30pm. Donald Luxton will give a talk on each of the sites on the 2011 list if you would like to learn more.
A groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the first urban farm on the North Shore this weekend at Loutet Park. On February 26th from 3:30pm until 4:30pm public are welcome to attend the event that will launch the edible garden project in North Vancouver.
The farm will produce vegetables on the North Shore, for North Shore residents, allowing them to source their products locally and not from across the bridge. The urban farm will be managed by farmers Gail Spurr and Jo White from the Edible Garden Project as well as members of the community.
“This is not your typical farm,†says Heather Johnstone, Edible Garden Project Coordinator. “We’re lucky to be located next to an elementary school so students will have a chance to be involved. Plus, we are able to provide gardening workshops and set up volunteer opportunities on site – this will be a farm where the community is very much involved.â€
The Loutet Farm is a project of the North Shore Neighbourhood House, UBC and the CNV. The Edible Garden Project manages community gardens, the Sharing Backyard Bounty garden sharing program, and the Strong Roots education program.
The groundbreaking for Loutet Farm will take place at the South end of Loutet Park (at 14th St and Rufus Ave, North Vancouver). Follow @The_EGP on Twitter for more community garden updates.
The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com
After driving for a number of hours from Courtenay, our tour pulled up to the beautiful Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet. I didn’t quite know what to expect before arriving but when we did, we were all awestruck by the natural waterfront setting the resort was built around.
Immediately upon checking into my room, the stunning views overwhelmed me with every well appointed room having floor to ceiling windows. Even the bathroom had glass doors that could be opened allowing you to see the ocean from the enormous bathtub and shower:
One very unique feature of an oceanfront resort like this is that you can’t help but leave your windows and balcony doors open at night…nothing is more soothing than hearing the waves crash below your window. The only downside to a room like this is that you may not get much sleep as you’ll want to watch the sun come up in the morning everyday, no matter what time that may be.
Sunrise from my balcony
After getting settled, we headed down to the wine cellar, located in the lower portion of the resort where Executive Chef Andrew Springett had created a special menu to allow us to sample everything the restaurant had to offer:
Dinner featured a selection of Vancouver Island and BC wines including Averill Creek Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, Alderlea Hearth and Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc:
We then began with plate after plate of unique food combinations and wine pairings:
Birch Syrup Cured Coho Salmon, Poached Spot Prawn, Micro Celery
Fraser Valley Rabbit, Celeriac & Green Apple Remoulade, Red Leaf Greens
Warm squab breast, parmesan truffle ravioli, onion & leek fondue
Apple Glazed Black Cod, Crisp Gnocchi, Scallions with Japanese Mushrooms,
Lemon Dressed Apple and Frisee Salad
Sauterne poached pear, almond glass, sweet Genoise
It’s worth noting that the Black Rock had the fastest wireless internet connection speed I’ve ever experienced, let alone in a hotel. It certainly made it easier to quickly upload all the photos you see in this post while I was staying there, giving me more time to enjoy the amazing views from my room.
Suffice to say, I didn’t want to leave.
Related posts from the rest of the tour of Vancouver Island include caving in the Horne Lake Caves, surfing in Ucluelet and a zodiac tour of the Broken Group Islands.
John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos in this post were taken by John.
Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island or the operators and businesses mentioned.
The Big Book Drive will take place this Saturday at Lansdowne Mall in Richmond. Spearheaded by an SFU Project Management team, they will be collecting book donations that will go to the Salvation Army’s Family Support Services and other literacy-related programs.
Organizer Joseph Choi told me by email: “All books collected will go towards the Salvation Army’s Family Support Services and their other literacy-related programs so that we can provide books to help low-income families and children.”
Items they would like to collect include textbooks, comic books, magazines (no adult material), novels, journals, and catalogues. The goal is 2,000 books of all genres that will go towards literacy programs in BC for all ages.
The Big Book Drive will be at Lansdowne (No 3 Road at Alderbridge Way, outside of Toys R Us) from 9:30am until 4:00pm on Saturday, February 26, 2011. They will host another book drive event March 19th and 20th.
The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com
After a day of travelling around the Comox Valley, we headed to the Old House Restaurant, which is the namesake of the hotel & spa we were staying at. Built in 1938 by the Kirk Family, who lived in the house until about 1973 when it was renovated to become a restaurant fixture in the Comox Valley.
We began the evening with a visit to the Artisan Bread Bar which had a number of types of fresh baked bread and a huge assortment of butters and sauces:
Along with the bread, we started things off with jumbo prawns in chipotle lime wrapped in bacon with a pea green salad:
For the main course, I opted for the 8 oz New York steak, wild mushroom demi-glace, with garlic mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables:
One of my dinner companions chose the Pan Seared Ling Cod – locally caught with spiced mustard glaze, seasonal vegetables, & citrus scented wild rice blend:
For dessert, we shared the Cappuccino Cheesecake and the Old House Brownie with Hazelnut Gelato. They were a delicious and decadent end to the meal.
Related posts from the rest of the tour of Vancouver Island include caving in the Horne Lake Caves, surfing in Ucluelet and a zodiac tour of the Broken Group Islands.
John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos in this post were taken by John.
Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island or the operators and businesses mentioned.
