Silver Valley Lamp Post Banners

Yesterday we were out for a ride along Fern Crescent, which leads up to Golden Ears Provincial Park. This area of Maple Ridge is known as Silver Valley. All along Fern Crescent were some lovely new banners on the lamp posts. Not just cloth banners, no, these are made to last, nice shiney metal ones. Well worth the taxpayers dollars I say! They are so pretty and make such a statement about our area.

Why did these images resonate so deeply within me? They seemed so familiar. I knew I hadnt seen these banners before. Then it struck me....These images bore a stiking similarity to some of my own photos!!! Every picture a photographer takes is an individual work, and to me each one of these is my babies! Today I went back and photographed the Silver Valley banners and have placed them here besides the photos which they resemble. If you look at the details, there are some undeniable identifying details. The graphics have been altered slightly from the originals, probably for a cleaner version which made the printing simpler and converted into a "painted" style. Each of these images was posted on my Maple Ridge Daily Photo Blog over the last couple of years.

What do you think? Am I imagining this? I dont believe so! Could it be a mere coincidence that three images just happen to be so similar to my own photos

I am thrilled that my pictures have been put to such use where they will be seen by so many people. But I was not contacted for permission. I dont even care about making money from my photos, but the recognition would have been something.

I have emailed City Hall and await their response.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

This week was my mum's birthday and today my sisters and their gang came over to celebrate. Mum is here for a couple of days before heading down to the USA to visit her cousin. I made a couple of big pots of homemade soup. Turkey vegetable and cream of broccoli and cheese. Carol and Sheila brought over buns meat and cheese. What a yummy feast, all followed up by Strawberry shortcake for dessert. Keith brought home boquets of flowers for both mum and I.

Here are a few photos of our trip to Stanley Park a couple of weeks ago. This is the drive along English Bay. I love these old trolley buses.

Always loads of cyclists along the seawall.

The swans on Lost Lagoon were posing.

And do you see on the duck pond this new hairy breed of duck?

100 MILE CHALLENGE

UPDATE: iF YOU MISSED IT, THE FIRST EPISODE CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE AT http://100mile.foodtv.ca/episode/day-1-purge
Sunday, is the first episode of the 100 Mile Challenge, which is featuring Keiths brother Mike and his wife Angela and their family. Pictured here at the local Farmers Market eating "green" lollies. I copied this pic from an online Vancouver Sun newspaper article. The 100 Mile Challenge will premier on the Food Network (ch 52 in our area) at 5 pm pacific Time. We are having a little gathering here for dinner and to watch it together! It should be fun. They have been busy all week with tv interviews. They have been on Breakfast Television, Global News and will soon be featured on Urban Rush. They were featured in a full page spread in last Fridays Vancouver Sun Newspaper. Angela is such a dynamic bubbly person, with great looks to boot, she is a natural for this TV business. Mikes blunt remarks and dour expression when he sees his first 100 mile breakfast, was comical and made an interesting juxtaposition to Angelas enthusiasm. They arent acting either, their true personalities really came through.

Our Canucks lost to Edmonton tonight, but not for lack of effort, it was a fun game to watch. On TV that is! This picture is of GM Place with the huge mural of Roberto Luongo. I took this last week when we went downtown.

Today my Sister and I took out Lexi, and two other neices that are all close in age. We went to a Jobs Daughter Bingo fundraiser. It was actually really fun. We paid four dollars each to get in and then 25c a game. Plus there were door prizes and the fee included drinks and sandwiches and home baked goodies. The girls all came home loaded up with prizes. Tonight they are having a sleep over at Lexies new house.

Over here at our place, we are having a Demolay Wake a thon. I would prefer to call it a sleep over, which implies they may actually sleep at some point over night! So we have a house full of teenage boys and none of them are even ours! Well, unless you count out three nephews!

My sister Sheila's in laws were also in the spotlight this week. Cheralynn and her partner were also featured in the home and garden section of our local paper for winning an award at the Vancouver home show for outstanding work in their Landscaping company which attracted alot of attention for their talent with native plantings and water features.

Of course, I am already famous as I have all you nice people stopping by to visit all the time!

Hired

Happy April Fools Day!
Well this is no joke, everything you are about to read is true!
Well things are moving along nicely in this household.
As you all know, Heidi graduated from her vet assistant program on March 5th. Yesterday she got a response from one of the places she submitted a resume to!!! She went in for an inter view and on Friday she goes for a trial run. If they like her and she likes the work there, she is hired. This is an Emergency Vet, which is open after hours, and on Sundays and holidays, when other vets are closed. So they see some very interesting cases!
I will let you know how she does.
I am happy to say, hat my vacation request has been approved, so that means Keith and I will be able to attend the family reunion in Saskatchewan this summer. We just had news today that a favorite auntie and Uncle of Keith's will also be going from Vancouver, as well as a couple of cousins. When we went to the last one in 2005 we had a marvelous time, and met many new faces that Keith is related to. We will also be celebrating his Great Aunties 100th birthday at that time. It is nice to have these things to look forward to. I don't know yet if our kids will join us as they are all working. We would ideally like to travel on further across Canada after that weekend and see more of the country. Now that we have a reliable vehicle, that shouldn't be much of a problem.
Yesterday, One of my sisters and her boyfriend both received lay off notices from their job. They both worked at a local factory that produced speciality rechargeable batteries. So for them both to be unemployed at once is a big blow to that family. Carol will be going to school as soon as she can get in to take a care aid course. My other sister Sheila also received her lay off notice a couple of weeks ago from her job as payroll clerk and accounts receivable. This bad economy is really being felt!. Fortunately I think my line of work in nursing is safe for now. Keith so far has been ok, but you never know. In the news yesterday they reported that the cruise ship industry in Vancouver has lost some business to Seattle. Keith's company provides fuel to the cruise ships which stop in the port of Vancouver, so that may cause some concern. It is by no means their larger contract, but every blow is felt. We will keep our fingers and toes crossed that he will be ok. Keith has always been very resourceful and is master of finding ways to make a dollar. If worse came to worse, I could easily work alot more hours and overtime, they are so short in nursing. Yuck! I sure hope it doesn't come to that.
But as I say, all our children are now working and seem to be well on their ways. So I am not too worried about them.
Next week we have to plan a birthday party to celebrate some of our family's spring birthdays. My Mom, My nephews Paul and Troy, My Father in Law and Brother in Law. These all in one parties are the way to go! Its about time for another nice get together anyways!!!
That's all for now. I am writing this at work and I shouldn't take any more time.
Thanks for stopping by and I will post again soon. I know you are all dying to see photos of our new and improved downstairs rooms!
BYE.