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  I always enjoy spending an afternoon browsing around Granville Island.  Sometimes it's just to look around the Farmer's Market, other times I've gone there to attend events at the various theatres and the Performance Works. But the last time I visited, while meandering along the False Creek path by the line-up of boat houses, I discovered something new to focus on:  the Granville Island art.


Here's a few that I discovered on that Sunday afternoon walk.


There are miniature boat shows on the Island too.

I found this gallery located behind some of the main buildings by the False Creek.  There were some unusual sculptures on display there.


One of my favorites was this fountain made of saxophones.

This icecream cone made me want to hurry to the market to buy myself a treat!


Besides the visual art you'll also find musicians entertaining at the Market Square.

And beautiful displays of flowers.

Inside the Farmer's Market even the produce is artistically displayed!





Everywhere you look on Granville Island you will find art!


LINKS TO GRANVILLE ISLAND ART:

One Sunday recently I went to Van Dusen Gardens to see the cherry blossoms.  It was one of our first really mild days so I made it a day for my first picnic of the year too.  Not too many of the flower beds were blooming, but there were many blossoming trees and shrubs which made it a pleasant, picturesque walk.

These lovely gardens, located at 37th and Oak Street in the city and easily accessible by public transit, have been developed on property that once belonged to the Canadian Pacific Railway and later leased by the Shaughnessy Golf Club from 1911 - 1960 when the golf club moved to a new location.  The CPR wanted to subdivide but this was opposed and in 1966 Van Dusen Botanical Garden Association was formed to assist the Vancouver Park Board with developing the site. The development started in 1971 and was officially opened to the public August 30, l975.

The garden covers 22 hectares (55 acres) and is a spectacular collection of plants from around the world representing ecosystems from tropical South Africa to the Himalayas, South America, the Mediterranean and plants native to the Pacific Northwest and other parts of North America.  No matter what season you, there's always something beautiful to see.

At this time of year, cherry blossom time, I specifically wanted to visit because every year in Vancouver they hold a Japanese haiku poetry contest.  Van Dusen Gardens has many Japanese cherry trees and there is a stone engraved with some of the haiku that people have written about the trees.
One of the very first haiku I can remember reading was one by Basho, and it got me interested in the haiku verse form.  "This day on which the cherry blossom fell has drawn to its close."  The translated forms of haiku, written in English are usually three lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables, although the American version varies to sometimes shorter lines.  The haiku is usually about nature and the finally line will leave a lasting visual impression.

I enjoyed strolling around the pathways of the Gardens, discovering new shrubbery in bloom and even some sculptures.
Even though it was still early in the season, there were many flowers in bloom as well as the shrubbery and trees.




The garden design has displays of plants in picturesque settings, to illustrate botanical relationships such as the Rhododendron Walk.  The gardens are set amidst rolling lawns, small lakes and rock work.


There are some areas that represent specific origins such as the Sino Himalayan Garden, and this beautiful pavilion honoring the Koreans.




There's always something interesting to see at Van Dusen, no matter what the season!  It's open seven days a week. There's a restaurant on the site if you want to stop for a meal.  Or why not take along a picnic lunch like I did?

For Admissions and other information:  www.vandusengarden.org

There's nothing nicer on a mild Sunday than a long walk in Stanley Park.  Last week I didn't participate in the annual Vancouver Sun "Fun Run", instead I went on a marathon walk of my own through the quiet paths and around the lagoon at Stanley Park. 

It turned into a longer walk than anticipated because the bus routes were blocked off due to the Fun Run, but I wandered down from Robson and Denman Street to the edge of the Lagoon and set off from there.
There were lots of birds in the lagoon this day. It must have been the Blue Heron's nesting time as I saw an unusual number of them by the shore, as well as the usual gaggles of geese, ducks and swans.



Instead of taking the seawall walk, this time I cut through the Park via the road and walking under the big trees, stopping now and then to enjoy the views of English Bay and the Burrard Inlet.  My destination was the Ferguson Point Tea House as I had discovered a forgotten voucher for a meal that I had and wanted to use it before it expired.  As I learned later, I could have easily reached the Tea House by the seawall, but the stroll through the forested part of the park was a nice change.