Photo # 340

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Personal views aside, I've always found antique religious architecture to be very fascinating...

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Photo #292

I started reading my first book of 2011 last night and continued reading for a little while this morning. When I set the book down to get a snack, a sunbeam just happened to be dancing across my coffee table and I ended up with this cool photo...

No editing here. I just turned the flash off before I took the picture. As for the book itself, I really like it so far. I've always been a bit of a history buff, and of course a ship buff, so this book quenches my thirst for knowledge on both subjects! I actually bought the book with a bunch of others about two years ago and for some reason I read all the others but forgot about this one. I just ended up getting more books and reading them. Has that ever happened to you?

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Photo #284

Happy Birthday, Jimmy Page!

No Introduction Necessary: Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham & friends

Historical Note: Although John Paul Jones and John Bonham are on this album, it's actually not Led Zeppelin. This is a compilation of recordings Page made between 1968 and 1970 with several other British musicians, including Jones and Bonham, as a sort of side project in the early days of Led Zeppelin. These recordings are also known as the "Heavy Friends" sessions and there is an album out there with that name. I don't recall where I found this particular album, but I really like it. It sounds so good through headphones!

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Photo #272

It's always cool to watch a moment of history on live TV. In this case my favorite hockey team the Vancouver Canucks made a little history tonight by finally defeating the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on home ice for the first time since 1989! That's right, for the last 21 years every time the Flyers played in Vancouver they've beat the Canucks. But that finally came to an end tonight. And what a victory! The Canucks ended the evening 6-2 over the Flyers.
Nicely done, boys...

A cousin-in-law of mine was actually at this game tonight, somewhere just above where the TSN name is shown at the top of the screen. Awesome seats!

Players celebrating a well earned victory. Sorry about the flash blob on the screen. I only had a second to get this shot.

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Photo #251

December 7, 1941. "A date which will live in infamy..."

I took this photo when I visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in November, 2008 and it has appeared on my Facebook page. I don't know the kids in the photo.

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Photo #226

A parade of antique military vehicles unexpectedly drove past my home yesterday morning, after I had already posted the photo of the day and put away my camera, but I did manage to get my camera fast enough to get at least one good picture. Check this out...

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Photo #225

To our glorious dead...

Photo taken by me in 2009.

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Photo #224

This is the Royal Air Force's Distinguished Flying Cross medal. It belongs to Megan's grandfather who earned it for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy"* during the Second World War. It's one of the R.A.F's highest decorations for bravery.

It's a little hard to tell, but the diagonal stripes are purple.

During his time in the R.A.F, Megan's grandfather piloted Spitfire fighter planes in the Battle Of Britain in 1940. He also flew Lancaster bombers (such as the model shown below) in other battles over Europe. In many of those cases his aircraft would be shot down and he is very lucky to have survived, and keep flying. All of his stories are fascinating because they are told from a first person view of notable historic events that no textbook could ever fully capture.

I've always been interested in history, and I like hearing stories from people who were actually there when history was being made. This can also be said for the veterans of today's wars who will be telling future generations stories of their time in the service.

Tomorrow, take a moment to honour our Veterans.

Both photos in this post were taken by me in September, 2006.

*Quoted from Wikipedia who quoted it from the British National Archives.

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Photo #222

In honour of Remembrance Day this Thursday (or Veteran's Day for my American friends), all of my photos this week will have a military theme. Despite one's views on war itself, I think it's important to remember those who fought and or gave their lives for the freedoms we have today.

I'm currently reading about the Naval battles that took place during the Second World War. While the text is detailed and well written, it's the photos of burning ships and terrified, wounded young sailors that really drive home the point that war is no game.

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Photo #209

In keeping with my Halloween theme this week, I give you three photos I took around this time in 2008 on a walk through Victoria's historic Ross Bay Cemetery...

How strange is it that I would meet a black cat in a cemetery around Halloween?

A monument for a lost sailor.

"So glad you could drop in 'kill' seekers! Don't worry about me, it only 'hearse' when I laugh!" - The Crypt Keeper.

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Photo # 110

Victoria's landmark Capital Iron building, built in 1863...

According to local history books, this building started out as a flour and rice mill then became a scrap iron depot. Ships would be tied up to the docks out back and hardware from the ships would be salvaged and sold. About 80 years ago the building became the store now known as Capital Iron. While they no longer sell old scrap from ships, they do carry all sorts of hardware, camping gear, kitchenware, Barbeque's, and so much more. And they have a neat collection of antique mariner's equipment down in the basement too!

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Photo #105

I found this old picture of my great grandfather and grandfather in a book I just got today...

The limited edition book (published up in my hometown of Campbell River) is about the history of the logging industry on the BC Coast, and features pictures and stories of some of my relatives. Now while I'm all about saving trees, I share the same hard working spirit my grandfathers had - I just work in a different trade. I never knew them when they were alive, so it's cool to have this little insight into their lives. I'm going to post a more detailed blog about this on my main blog.

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Photo #34

In honor of Canada's Navy Day Centennial today, here is a photo I took in 2009 of a couple of our Pacific Fleet's ships in their home port of CFB Esquimalt just outside of Victoria, BC.

This view is from Fort Rodd Hill National Park. The Hazmat building I worked in can't be seen from this angle.

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Photo #14

A coworker and I were discussing old battleships today, and one in particular was the U.S.S. Missouri...

Photo taken by me on Nov. 25, 2008. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA.

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