A toy and a commute

Let's start with my new toy

I have always used mainly Nikon.   I bought the original "F"  way back in the 70's and I still have two of them.  I have owned many models; FM, FM2, F801, F100 and many other models I can't remember.   I have several lenses from the film days which of course, are all FX.  I have also had DX bodies, D70 and D80.   Anyway I got off track a few years ago when I bought a Canon T2i.  I didn't have any Canon lenses so I had to buy a few.

anyway, I also had several EOS film bodies when I made the bold decision to switch to Canon but then I sold them all and went back to Nikon . . .  so I have gone back and forth a few times.  I have generally had upscale bodies and it has been frustrating to only have one control wheel which meant having to go into the menu to change settings so I decided to get a higher model

My friend was also looking for a new(er) camera and had settled on either a T5i or 70D Canon.  In the end he decided to get what I bought but it was much more than he was planning to spend so I searched Craigslist and found a nice telephone to give him for his birthday (which is next week).   He has already bought a 24-85  VR FX lens and I am looking out for a 50mm 1.4 as this is what he wants next

If you can believe Ken Rockwell this lens is virtually distortion free and being metal, is very solid and built to pro standards.  I bought it from a very nice lady who decided to just use her camera phone as it was more convenient

It is the last of the original Push-Pull design

Of course I had to test it out as compared to my 80-200  2.8  ED-IF, and my 70-300   ED 4-5.6

The pro lens on the left is heavy and I seldom use it.   The one on the right I carried it with me on my trip across the Continent last year and I may have used it once.   This lens can be used on my Canon or Sony NEX with adapters and of course I can use it AF with my new to me,  Nikon

I was probably not ready to ride, but yesterday I decided to ride my bike to work.  I thought that if I wore riding boots then it would help my ankle by adding support

It seems like a while since I had ridden so I took it easy and didn't take any chances.  I made sure to pack

my riding sandals,  just in case.  I find it hard to walk in my boots.   I made it to work and

parked in my space.  Everyone at work was wondering if I was well enough to ride

I made it home and had to juggle things around to make it easier to get my bike out

I will most likely not insure my Beemer this year as I have no plans to ride anywhere so I moved it to the rear.   I also received a recall notice from BMW Motorad but I could probably bring it in next Spring, instead of this year.  It is for some fuel line hose which is subject to stress cracking

This morning I commuted to work on my bike again.  It was a gorgeous day but a bit too warm on the way

home.   I think it got up to nearly 80°F where I work in Coquitlam, it is much cooler here in town

and thankfully, I made it safely home again.   I'm not yet back to normal but it is progressing every day.

A relaxing Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the females out there

Instead of going to a more upscale place we decided to go where we usually go most every Sunday where the food is reasonable and lots of free parking.    Since this was a special day,  I decide to go for the

upscale Salmon Eggs Benedict

We were here with a few of our friends and after our meal it was decided to go to Lindell Beach to visit another friend and give our cars a nice run on the highway

Lindell Beach is just south of Chilliwack and very close to the Cdn/USA border, just under 2 hours east of Vancouver depending on traffic.   Don't believe what google maps suggest as it takes me about half an hour to reach the freeway

Lindell Beach is just past Cultus Lake which is a desirable summer destination for the locals  (info here)

We have to drive around the lake to reach the southern shore of the Lake.   We have to pass through

Yarrow BC which is about a couple of blocks long and there is also a gas station here

There is not much traffic today but the roads are clogged during the summer.   Eventually we arrive at the

south end of Cultus Lake =  Lindell Beach, BC.   Not much is happening today but next week signals the start of our summer season with our first long holiday weekend of the year,  Victoria Day (info here2),  which is to celebrate Queen Victoria's Birthday

Lindell Beach is a resort community with many lakefront homes, along with numerous campgrounds, trailer parks and a few provincial parks (info here3)

Today I have the float all to myself.  The owners have not yet put their boats into the water

I remember coming here during the summer and when it's hot it feels nice to dangle your feet in the water,  just like I'm doing now

Our friend has a cabin here at the lake and it was a nice day to come out here to visit


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Medical Update:

No, I'm not better yet.  My foot is still swollen a bit but it's getting better by the day.  No, I don't have gout.  You only have to google the symptons to realize that I don't have swollen toes or swollen joints.  I tried to see my Doctor a week ago but she is on vacation until May 20th so I decided to tough it out and just utilize the small supply of Celebrex and Tylenol.   Last week my right Ankle was swollen.  Hard to see but it was

about 20% larger than normal and my shoes fit a bit tight so I had to wear sandals & clogs at work.  My ankle is barely swollen now but somehow the swelling moved to my heel

It hurt to wear confining shoes as it was rubbing when I walked.  I could not wear my closed heel sandal

I had to resort to the one with the heel strap

so wearing these were a bit less painful.  So while I like to walk like this . . .

and drive like this

the "bump" (swollen heel) hit the floor and was uncomfortable as I had to pivot my foot to use the gas pedal and brake

so I had to wear my Chacos, and notice that they have good arch support.   No, I haven't attempted to ride my bike yet.  I'm not quite ready but I hope to be soon and up until today, driving has been a challenge.  I have no idea why this issue is recurring but it may just be a sign that things are wearing out

I was craving a Hamburger

Now, doesn't this make you hungry ?

I always order the same old, same  old.  This is a bacon, cheese burger with tomato, lettuce and carmelized onions.   This is my standard order and I don't usually deviate.  I'm not that adventurous.

This is part of my series of showing you around Vancouver and having a burger was just an excuse to snap a few photos of our premier shopping, down on Robson Street.   (more info here)    We used to come down here for dinner every Friday, until the Stanley Cup riots a few years ago   (info here1)    We are referring to the FIRST riot back in 1994,   not the SECOND recent riot in 2011   (info here2)    So embarrasing to have two recent riots.   There are always trouble makers who come to the city to make trouble.   I mean, who comes to a hockey game with baseball bats in their backpack, or molotov cocktails . . .  and who wear balaclavas or masks to hide their faces . . .

We haven't been down here in "years" and I notice that we have a lot of vacant stores.  This is the street with our highest retail rental rates.    Appears that our local economy isn't as vibrant as I thought, or it could be that these stores cater mainly to tourists and tourists are not traveling to Vancouver.   Or perhaps our visitors aren't spending any money

We also have private vendors selling Art on the sidewalk, in front of closed stores.  I'm thinking what our visitors must be thinking about their impression of our city.   When our economy was vibrant, pre 2008

You would be hard pressed to find parking on Robson Street.   This night there is lots of room . . . even for an H-D  Motorcycle.   Robson Street is in a designated tourist district so the stores are allowed to open extended hours.  If you were to visit Vancouver you would surely come to Robson & Thurlow Streets

This is it.   Ground Zero of our premier shopping area,  Robson Street  (in the evening)

and here is how it appears "peeking around the corner"

Oh, back to my burger . . .  We like to go to the Red Burger place and we were lucky to "jump" the line

by grabbing a couple of seats on the Counter, rather than having to wait half an hour or more for a more intimate table.   Mrs Skoot is able to take larger bites so this is what she ordered

They also provide "unlimited" fries but we didn't order any extra and were content to only have what was served.   In order to keep the calories down, I only had a glass of ice water, instead of the bottomless coke, which is what I would normal ordered

It is hard to capture a decent sunset in the City, but this is what we saw a couple of weeks ago

Hard to compete with wires and telephone poles

South from Squamish: Sea to Sky corridor

This is a continuation of my post   HERE   where I went to Squamish to have lunch with ScooterChick (Pat)  and Scootard (Chris)

Since it was a nice sunny day it was my plan to stop everywhere for photos.  After I left home and headed north down Cambie Street I noticed a nice view of the City and I was lucky to snag a parking spot

It was not that early but being a Saturday, the traffic was light.

I zoomed in on the "Lions" in the background  (info here)    Those are part of the North Shore mountains.   Vancouver is surrounded by mountains: Hollyburn, Cypress, Grouse and Seymour Mountains are to our north.   We were always taught that the Mountains are North, so you can always determine where you are by looking at them

I snaked my way through the Downtown area and found myself going over the Lion's Gate Bridge

During rush hours, this is a bottleneck and we only have two bridges which cross over Burrard Inlet.  Three lanes is not enough and during rush hours they change to two lanes either south or north depending upon traffic conditions.  Notice the traffic arrows above

After a relaxing BBQ lunch at this place where they (ScooterChick and Scootard) had never eaten before

We went our separate ways.  Little did I know they were coming down to Vancouver but I decided to navigate over to their Beach area

There is lots of undeveloped land in Squamish

and I stopped several times to grab some photos along the way.  I even made it to the famous sandy beach in Squamish but it was very windy there and I was getting chilled.  I had originally wanted to wade in the water but it was a good day for all the windsurfers that I saw

Notice that angy tree trunk on the right which was stareing at me.   Soon it was time to go so I headed south

on Hwy99 and headed for Whytecliff Park.   I like it there as I wanted to show you the little island

It is not far from Vancouver and it is a nice ride along Marine drive with lots of water views along the way to Horeshoe Bay.   Look at the map below.    Notice the little Island which is cut off from land during

high tide

There always seems to be people walking back and forth from the Island but the rocky bridge is below water during high tide, which is twice a day.   If you make it over you may be stranded over there for half a day before you can walk back

It is hard to walk barefoot as there are lots of rocks and gravel

but I manage to fit in a bit of wading action.

I decided to take a rest break and just enjoy the day.   During warmer days it is a challenge to find parking here as there are only two parking areas and if full, there is no where else to park.  The road is a narrow shelf road along rock-faced walls barely wide enough for two cars to pass

As I approached the Lion's Gate bridge I was caught for about half an hour in traffic congestion.   That's how long it took to go two miles before I could actually reach the bridge deck towards Stanley Park

There could be a mile of traffic behind me and I was only about half the way

I made one more stop at False Creek to aim my lens directly into the sun to see how much flare I would get.  The photos above were taken on 12April2014.   Hard to believe that nearly a month has passed and that was before when I was able to walk

Fast forward to today

Today is Sunday, Haircut day.  At least I still have some left to cut but it is getting a bit sparse

My barber is as close as our kitchen

I hope I still have some left when the procedure is done.  I am crying inside