Queensborough Sauntering

Made a conscious effort to get together with friends this weekend to take advantage of a spectacular un-winter like day here in the Vancouver area. We wanted to get outside and enjoy the sunshine after a number of foggy and gray days. It's something we should really do more often but we all get "busy" doing day to day stuff, don't we?

Met Clive and Tanya and their grand daughter Sophie in the Queensborough area of New Westminster. Our destination point was the most eastern tip of Lulu Island which has become a booming residential area named Port Royal. Since the turn of the century the area was home to light industry; from warehousing and manufacturing, to ship building and trucking warehouses. With many of these businesses moving away or just closing altogether, the area has been re-made into a mix of houses, condos, and high rise towers.

Click on any picture to make the picture full size in the picture gallery....

Remnants of industry are still apparent, highlighted by the active spur rail line that cuts through the area wending it's way between side streets, and new community parks, under the new residential overpass, then splitting high rise towers to head off on a rail bridge over the Fraser River.      

The area also has a wonderful perimeter path that runs for 2.5 K around the tip of Lulu Island and provides a great walking/bicycling pathway for the locals. The path provides great views of New Westminster, the Fraser River, and best of all, has 9 geocaches along it's length. This was a good intro to geocaching location for young Sophie and Clive and Tanya as well. Young Sophie can enjoy the treasure hunt and Grandma and Grampa can enjoy the views.

This was a good place to spend an easy afternoon enjoying the neighbourhood and catching up on adult talk while we watched the busy river traffic traversing the liquid highway.

Sophie was enjoying herself finding the treasure hidden along the path and Tanya was enjoying it as well. We even had a kitty cat come over to see what all the fuss was about!

One of the things the developers have done well is to provide lots of green space for the residents; this includes wide open grass areas, community gardens, and a well organized playground

 Here are the train tracks cutting through the area; notice how they run right past the condos in the back ground.

I think Tanya enjoyed the treasure hunt as well, or maybe she was giving me her smile that said "you better not be taking a picture of me"! I can never figure out what women are really trying to say.....  :)

Clive, Tanya, and young Sophie took their leave later in the day....they must have been feeling off as we couldn't talk them into driving over to the nearby mall to visit the Lindt Chocolate store! See the pictures below for the smorgasbord of chocolate that awaited us!!

OK folks, you really have to click on the pictures here to see the chocolate bars full size so you can imagine all the creamy, gooey chocolate that is under that thin, easily ripped packaging.

 
 Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint chocolate, chocolate with hazel nuts, chocolate truffles..........you could OD from the sights alone!

I thought this was a really neat picture of these cute little guys all sitting perfect on the shelf just waiting to be adopted. Then when I loaded the picture on my computer and looked at it full sized, I realized they were all looking at me...... staring at me....just waiting for me to turn my back before they come alive and attack!
Well, I got the first kick in....I bought some of their cousins and I'm chewing on one of their heads right now as I write this blog! I'm torn between saying "take that you scary little teddy bear" and "mmmmmm......chocolate......"

These pictures and more from today are available on my Flickr photo web site here