Out and about in the big city...

Sunday and Monday I went to a Floral Design talk/show in Vancouver

with my boss and another co-worker.

It's a treat to take a trip back to a city where I lived for about 5 years.

I did some schooling there at BCIT for a horticulture program.

Admittedly it was a tough and lonely time for me living

there, trying to make a life,  single motherhood but of course

things all worked out as they should in the end.

I still enjoy getting a hit of the big city especially when you get to share it

with a few friends. We had SO much fun together and even got

a bit silly at times...that's what happens when the country mice visit the city!

Aside from the business end of things we did get to trip around the streets, 

went out for a great meal, saw some good, saw some bad, even saw 

some wildlife of the city kind...raccoons and skunks oh my!

One store I love to check out is called Yokoyaya...it's the sister

store of Daiso, a Japanese discount store. Not quite a dollar store. 

A bit better quality in my opinion.

Picked up a few little bits and bobs like these great waterproof 

fabric buckets...

I'm always in need of storage in the studio and these will work out perfectly...

Since I love sending letter in the old fashioned way...stamps and all, I 

found a few things to make the envelopes more interesting...

 
Sometimes the translations are fun to read...useful AND cute!

I've been searching for thin black wire for several projects regarding my sculptures...sorted!

I also found this sweet little box of addition flash cards for kids but I bought it, again for
storage, but was pleasantly surprised at the illustrations...

 
...I mean who doesn't love 8 flying raccoons with scarves and flags?!...

Or 12 floating elephants?!!...

One other shop that I love is Saje.
They make the most beautifully packaged essential oil products.
The key word is the word 'essential'.
I find essential oils indeed ESSENTIAL to my health and well being.
Aromatherapy equals many things to me.
Well being, relaxation, sleep aid, you name it, it helps me deal with so many things.
I think Neroli, an oil from northern India is one of my favourites
so I picked up a bottle at Saje. It can be hard to find.
It's only 20% pure Neroli because of it's strength...

I also picked up a bottle of a combination scent called Yoga which
has such a calming effect.
Like I said...their packaging is so pretty...

that's about it for my big city report....till next time!

Across the puddle...

On Monday I went across the puddle to the mainland to have

a visit with my brother Dan, affectionately known as Brogorman,

and my nieces who are on spring break.

Dan lives in North Vancouver so aside from the big ferry you also take

whats known as the Seabus. It's a 10 minute ride across to the north shore.

Looking back to the city from the north

 

Burrard Inlet is part of the Port of Vancouver where goods coming

and going to and from all over the world are moved about from

rail cars, shipping containers and on and off of huge freighter cargo ships.

 rail yard on the city side

Container ship being unloaded

These ships are huge! 

You really get a sense of their size when you are close to them.

Each of those containers are the size of a rail car, so about 40 feet long

 and there are hundreds on board. 

Sometimes humans are smuggled in these with (as you can imagine) not very good outcomes.

We took our nieces to Granville Island which I've posted before about here.

It's a wonderful place with shops and food and art and boats but this trip 

I was focused on galvanized metal siding...here we have the gang walking through the 'gallery'...

 The textures and colours were so beautiful...

...metal turned bad ...

 ...and then good again...

 ...well, in my eyes it looked good....

Under the Granville Street bridge...

I also fell in love with the winter kale plants...

 Even in it's decay, it had a colour scheme to dream up some ideas for

felting? knitting? painting?

Canada goose feathers were all the rage this day as well...

 Hello there!

 How handsome you are!

We made time to play on the slide...

 ...gazed at kites in the market...

After we dropped off the girls to go home we stopped by 

one of my all time favorite buildings in the world.

The Marine building down on the waterfront.

Surrounded now by the most modern of architecture, this beauty remains a show stopper.

At one time it was the tallest skyscraper in the British Empire.

Built in 1930 for a cost of $2.2 million dollars, it ran $1.5 million dollars OVER budget.

During the height of the depression this was not a good thing and it was sold to 

The Guinness Family of Ireland for $900,000 dollars.

The architects who designed it wanted it to, according to Wikipedia,

"evoke some great crag rising from the sea, clinging with sea flora and fauna,

 tinted in sea-green, touched with gold."

And indeed it does just that...

 the art deco features are stunning ...

The entrance way alone stops you in your tracks.

The outside of the building is decorated with all manner of sea flora and fauna

as well as the great transportation methods of the day...

If that's not enough to make you swoon, wait till you get inside...

 It was quite dark inside so my photos weren't the best but you can get an idea...

Gorgeous brass elevator doors...

...above them the old car call board...

 ...inlaid marble zodiac floor

 I absolutely LOVE these carvings of Viking looking boat bows up along the walls...

...up on the second floor you can get a closer look at 

the intricate carvings and the beautiful colours...

 Custom tile work

Inside the elevator walls are all inlaid with local wood...

I don't think there are many buildings being designed and made in the manner

of this one. Attention to detail was first and foremost and I'm always

in awe and grateful that this building has preserved the dreams

and skills of those who came before us.

If you're ever in Vancouver you must look up (mind the pun!)

The Marine Building...355 Burrard Street.

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