Maria, Linda, Flora and Virginia met at the Britannia Seniors Centre where we sat for an HOUR (!) drinking coffee and discussing where we should walk today ... we waffled between going to Queen Elizabeth Park or accessing the waterfront at Rogers Sugar Refinery ... meanwhile thick threatening rainclouds rolled overhead ... Linda broke the deadlock by suggesting she drive us to New Brighton Park off Powell Street just west of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge ... our aim was to find a way to the waterfront on the north side of the railway tracks that run parallel to the waters edge ...
Our walk started at the east end of Brighton Park outside Cascadia Terminals
... an enormous structure of wheat silos loomed over as rain splattered down on our umbrellas ... I saw four small people coming out of the terminal ... thinking they might be employees, I approached them ... although their English was very limited, they were able to tell us that they were seaman from a Chinese freighter anchored at the terminal dock ... four tall cylindrical funnels were at that moment pouring tons of wheat into four holds in the belly of the freighter ... the seamen waved goodbye and set out in search of a city bus to take them into Chinatown for the day ...
We continued our walk past an outdoor pool ... at the end of the adjoining building we found two memorial plaques mounted on a rock wall ... one plaque is dedicated to the British Royal Engineers who surveyed the harbour in 1863 and named the settlement "Hastings Town site" to honour Admiral Hastings of the British Navy ... the town site was "where Vancouver began" ...the engineers divided the area into lots for the post office, customs building, telegraph office, CPR office, hotel, stable, museum, dock, ferry landing, and playing field, ... the other plaque commemorates the 1968 dedication of New Brighton Park, named for the new "Brighton Hotel" which was built there in 1880 ...
Our walk followed the coastline around the park's rolling grasslands ... across the harbour on the North Shore were five other freighters anchored at various silos and terminals ... in New Brighton Park, picnic tables were anchored under large oak and maple trees ... a section of the grassy area near the shore has been designated as a leash-free dog run ... three small Jack Russell dogs escorted their owners past us ... at the edge of the park three solid granite slabs served as benches creating a viewpoint of the Ironworkers bridge ...
Back in Linda's car "Carolina", we drove the length of Powell and Cordova Streets hoping to find an inroad to the harbour area, but a tough chain link fence, in places topped with curved barbed wire, blocked all access ... we felt we were driving through a military zone not our "true north strong and free" Canada ... a comment was made that the current homeland security concerns of our neighbours to the south likely was the reason Vancouver's harbour was so tightly barricaded ...
With the wind rising and more rain threatening, we drove back to the Seniors Centre and had a delicious lunch of chicken salad, bread, cookies and apple desert ... oh yes, and a second pot of coffee ...
Contributor Virginia B
Our walk started at the east end of Brighton Park outside Cascadia Terminals
... an enormous structure of wheat silos loomed over as rain splattered down on our umbrellas ... I saw four small people coming out of the terminal ... thinking they might be employees, I approached them ... although their English was very limited, they were able to tell us that they were seaman from a Chinese freighter anchored at the terminal dock ... four tall cylindrical funnels were at that moment pouring tons of wheat into four holds in the belly of the freighter ... the seamen waved goodbye and set out in search of a city bus to take them into Chinatown for the day ...We continued our walk past an outdoor pool ... at the end of the adjoining building we found two memorial plaques mounted on a rock wall ... one plaque is dedicated to the British Royal Engineers who surveyed the harbour in 1863 and named the settlement "Hastings Town site" to honour Admiral Hastings of the British Navy ... the town site was "where Vancouver began" ...the engineers divided the area into lots for the post office, customs building, telegraph office, CPR office, hotel, stable, museum, dock, ferry landing, and playing field, ... the other plaque commemorates the 1968 dedication of New Brighton Park, named for the new "Brighton Hotel" which was built there in 1880 ...
Our walk followed the coastline around the park's rolling grasslands ... across the harbour on the North Shore were five other freighters anchored at various silos and terminals ... in New Brighton Park, picnic tables were anchored under large oak and maple trees ... a section of the grassy area near the shore has been designated as a leash-free dog run ... three small Jack Russell dogs escorted their owners past us ... at the edge of the park three solid granite slabs served as benches creating a viewpoint of the Ironworkers bridge ...
Back in Linda's car "Carolina", we drove the length of Powell and Cordova Streets hoping to find an inroad to the harbour area, but a tough chain link fence, in places topped with curved barbed wire, blocked all access ... we felt we were driving through a military zone not our "true north strong and free" Canada ... a comment was made that the current homeland security concerns of our neighbours to the south likely was the reason Vancouver's harbour was so tightly barricaded ...
With the wind rising and more rain threatening, we drove back to the Seniors Centre and had a delicious lunch of chicken salad, bread, cookies and apple desert ... oh yes, and a second pot of coffee ...
Contributor Virginia B
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