The Royal Hudson

Lovingly maintained by the West Coast Railway Association, the Royal Hudson is being tuned up for its summer season schedule.

The crown jewel of the Sea To Sky Corridor.



Dave asked me to jump in to show just how big the wheels are.



It is a treat to see some living Canadian history still in operation.

Stuff I thought was Interesting to Shoot at the Time

This one is for Dave's dad, who might be visiting us from South Africa next fall. Although Dave takes pride in keeping Nibbles on the road, the tailgate was making an omninous noise on the highway and it needed to be checked out...

... because of the 300 lb replacement for a Mercury Grand Marquis rear end we bought at a wrecking yard in Mitchell Island. Plus I scavenged some scrap wood along the trip.

A rotting neon Nalley's sign beside the Lee Valley Store in Vancouver on Marine Drive. They still make pickles and relish, I think.

An overexposed burger/fries/salad combo at our favorite diner, the last stop on our long day. I love diner food and decor, especially the plastic squeeze bottles for condiments. The thin nozzle is great for doodling.

All Aboard for the Bruin Line

There will be a big photo post of locomotives in Squamish coming up later this month and this is a sneak peek. I'm guessing this derelict passenger car with the bear logo must have been employed on a scenic rural route somewhere between Alberta and British Columbia up to the 70's.

A Prize in Every Box

These hark from those days of yore when people assumed if you were stupid enough to put this in your mouth, then you must surely deserve to contract tetanus at the very least. I'm talking about 1910-28, when these Cracker Jack toy charms were cast either in lead or lead with tin plate. At 3/8" in width, a person would have to be extremely careful not to mistake one of these as a glob of dark toffee stuck to a large roasted peanut.

Risky Fun

Gosh, weren't toys so much more interesting a hundred years ago? This little cash register is a fine example of all that dangerous stuff: metal tabs, crimped corners, spring loaded drawer and (most likely lead based) enamel paint.











The American made Earl is almost a foot wide and doesn't have the mechanical finesse of other registers made in the 20's, 30's and 40's.

Yeah, there's a whole lot of rust on this baby.

Clover Craving Cub

Dave took these awesome pics (with a 200mm telephoto lens) of a yearling black bear while commuting to Squamish two days ago. This little guy/girl was grazing on clover and got startled by tourists getting too close.

Run Forest, run!

Oh, s/he's pissed.

Next day found him/her at the same spot, this time looking much more relaxed.

Of course, taken with that 200mm lens again.



Thanks Dave!

Desperately Seeking Sunshine

I've been busying myself of late celebrating my birthday, the second anniversary of this blog, fighting with my mum's homeowner insurance provider and wrangling with Lee Valley to get that last glass knob to finally replace all the pulls on an eighty year old chest of drawers. If I was blessed with hindsight I wouldn't have bothered with the hassle, but those kind of thoughts are a moot point at best.

The front yard is thankfully free of snow and permafrost. The flowers however, could use some rays.

I'll have to resort to the indoor hothouse variety for now. Dave has gotten into the nice habit of buying me blooms. I wonder if he knew I liked lilies?

I sure hope this becomes a regular trend!

A Smattering of Bears

Hungry? Honeybar! Feed your inner bear.

Here is a cup that technically makes you look like a bear. Some folks can construe it to be a dog. Whatever.

I hate to blog about sad stuff but Niu Niu the Panda needs prosthetic paws, pronto! Maybe this is a job for Mythbusters?

Check out the bears in Mark Ryden's surreal paintings. Fantastic!


Koala bears seem to suffer from the same relationship problems North American bears do.


"Once the guys started accepting Clark as a person and a ball player... you know uh, not just a Canadian... things really started to click." Go Bears!