Photo Hunter: Veterans - Victory Square Cenotaph

Victory Square - View from Pender Street

In the heart of downtown Vancouver you'll find a beautifully designed war memorial dedicated to the veterans of WWI. One of the more interesting design elements at this site is the helmet-shaped lamp posts.

"The war memorial in Vancouver is a gray granite obelisk, thirty feet high, at the foot of a gentle slope in a small park, Victory Square, on nine-tenths of an acre of green lawn, with ornamental trees and flower beds.

There are three sides to the monument, with the following engraved inscriptions:

Facing Hastings Street: "Their name liveth for evermore" and, within a stone wreath, "1914-1918."
Facing Hamilton Street: "Is it nothing to you."
Facing Pender Street: "All ye that pass by."

'Those whose sacrifices this Cenotaph commemorates, were among the men who, at call of King and Country, left all that was dear, endured hardship, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty, giving their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten.'"
Source: War Monuments in Canada

This post is dedicated to memory of the 26 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Since 2002, 133 Canadians have made the Supreme Sacrifice.
5,267 American soldiers have died in Iraqi and Afganistan in the 8 years of fighting. May their souls rest in peace.

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Macro Monday - Mushrooms

I saw this cluster of mushrooms on one of my lunch-time strolls, and while I don't know the name or if it's edible or poisonous, I found their shapes intriguing.


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Photo Hunter: Tied

Pike Place Market in Seattle has lots of vendors selling crafts, and one of the more interesting vendors was selling these liquor and wine bottles. They were melted flat and decorated at the stem. He said they were to be used as cheese platters. Aren't they unique? I'm not sure I would use it for cheese but it's a nice piece for a deck/porch table.

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Ruby Tuesday - Autumn Leaves

October's the month
When the smallest breeze
Gives us a shower
Of autumn leaves.
Bonfires and pumpkins,
Leaves sailing down -
October is red
And golden and brown.

-Author unknown

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Blog Action Day 2009 - Climate Change - Humboldt Squid

"The Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas), also known as Jumbo Squid, Jumbo Flying Squid, or Diablo Rojo (Spanish for Red Devil), is a large, predatory squid found in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are most commonly found at depths of 200–700 metres (660–2,300 ft), from Tierra del Fuego to California. Recent findings suggest the range of this species is spreading north into the waters of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Though they usually prefer deep water, between 1,000 and 1,500 squid washed up on the Long Beach Peninsula in southwest Washington in the fall of 2004. They have also ventured into Puget Sound." Source: Wikipedia

Today is Blog Action Day with the focus being on climate change. I received photos today from my biologist friend L, who found about 70 Humboldt squids dead on Long Beach in Tofino, British Columbia last week. He and other biologists believe that the warming waters of the ocean resulted in these deaths.
Adult Humboldt squid can grow as large as 10 to 13 metres long (33 to 43 feet) and weigh up to 49.9 kilograms (110 pounds). "Their range have expanded as far north as Alaska when prior to 1990s they were never seen further north than Oregon. When ocean temperature goes up, oxygen content goes down and salinity increases; there is a direct cause and effect relationship among the three. In fact, ocean oxygen content has been steadily declining for the last 20 years as temperatures have been steadily rising." Source: Canada.com

Imagine how many other species are being affected by the rising temperature of the oceans. Will we find more squid and other species washed up on our beaches in the future? Is there anything that can be done to reverse this process, or has the damage already been done? Only time will tell. But we each have a responsilibity to do all we can to protect and preserve the Earth, not only for ourselves, but for those following in our footsteps.

Here are some simple steps we can all take to prevent further destruction of our oceans, rivers and streams:

1. Never dump anything into city street drains.
2. Check your vehicle for any leaks that could pollute waterways when flushed down city drains.
3. Recycle your motor oil.
4. Pick up after your pets.
5. Wash your vehicle at a car wash, not in your driveway.
6. Be sure to use cleaning products that are certified biodegradable. Read the labels and don't use anything that has chlorine or ammonia in it.

Together we can influence change and save our planet before it's too late.

Ruby Tuesday - Scarecrow

The kids in my neighborhood started decorating this weekend for Thanksgiving and Halloween. I came upon this little display and thought it would make a cute first entry to the Ruby Tuesday meme.

I hope all my Canadian readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday.

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Happy Thanksgiving Day Canada!