This day brought Marilyn and her brother Ken, Helga, Flora, Linda and me (Virginia) together at Britannia Seniors Centre where we plotted our trek for the day. We set out on the #20 Downtown bus and transferred to the #250 bus at the Georgia Street bus stop in front of the Bay heading to West Vancouver through Stanley Park and over the Lions Gate Bridge. The view out to sea, to the North Shore Mountains and east beyond Burrard Inlet is spectacular.
Two stops past Park Royal Mall we got off at the entrance to Ambleside Park, taking a few minutes for a pit stop at the service station. A block off Marine Drive, we entered the park and chose to walk east along the pathway that divides the parkland from the beach. The day was balmy, slightly overcast but with enough sunshine to change the colour of my exposed skin to a light red (of which I wasn't aware until I got home). I had forgotten to apply sun screen.
Our first item of interest was a tall totem-like figure on a rocky spit facing west toward the Pacific Ocean. The 10' tall figure is mounted on a high cement base and carved from red cedar, it's arms extended outward. According to a plaque at the base of the statue, this is a Squamish Nation welcoming figure "with open arms to all who pass our shores". The figure was raised at the first K'aya'chin (gathering) of ocean canoes. The Squamish Nation dedicated the figure to the citizens of West Vancouver on July 25, 2001. The carver was Sekwilm Siyam Siutl', assisted by Stan Josef, Jr., Wesley Nahanee and William Nahanee, the project being sponsored by the District of West Vancouver and Ledcor Industries.
Further along, towards the towering Lions Gate bridge, is a large open wrought iron sculpture on a base built like a planter 4' high, about 15' long, covered in different coloured bricks to represent a large rectangular basket. The top of the sculpture represents the two peaks known to most of us as the Lions and to First Nations people as the Two Sisters. Below and between the peaks is the head of a thunder bird flanked by two upright paddles, with the prow and stern of a dugout canoe showing at the sides. The artist is Xwa Iack tum (Rick Harry) of Squamish Nation and the sculpture is dedicated to the ancestors of Ch'tl'am, the Squamish Nation, and the citizens of West Vancouver . Below is Rich Harry
The warm day drew people outdoors, walking their dogs, sunbathing on the warm sand, and picnicking in the park. With other walkers, we followed the broad paved pathway, taking a side trail around a small lake, to the end of the completed path. Beyond that, our walk took us through a rough broad strip under construction to extend the pathway along the river to the back of Park Royal Mall. At the mall, we stopped in the food fair for Quizno's famous broiled bunwiches.
After lunch, Linda and Helga returned home; the rest of us followed the path back to the beach and continued to the first large wharf jutting out from the base foot of 17Th Street. In a small park at the wharf, several artists were sitting at easels working on paintings. Other paintings were lined up along the hedge surrounding the property. In the centre, a plain two-storey building, bearing a sign "Ferry Building Art Gallery", sits primly behind a small plaza surrounded by rosebushes in full bloom. In the 1930's before the Lions Gate Bridge was constructed, the only access from Vancouver to West Vancouver was by the 17Th Street ferry which operated from the early 1930's and continued until 1947, even though the bridge was built and in use from 1939. The ferry must have been a popular means of passage, perhaps even faster than by the bridge, or the people were not ready for that rigged giant spanning the entrance to the main harbour.
The next time we go to West Vancouver, we will continue the walk from Ambleside Park west to Dundareve and stop at one of the many small home-style cafes for refreshments. Many shops line Marine Drive through Dundareve and Ambleside, offering a charming village atmosphere for an afternoon of shopping and tea.
Until next Saturday, Happy Canada Day!
Contributor Virginia
Two stops past Park Royal Mall we got off at the entrance to Ambleside Park, taking a few minutes for a pit stop at the service station. A block off Marine Drive, we entered the park and chose to walk east along the pathway that divides the parkland from the beach. The day was balmy, slightly overcast but with enough sunshine to change the colour of my exposed skin to a light red (of which I wasn't aware until I got home). I had forgotten to apply sun screen.
Our first item of interest was a tall totem-like figure on a rocky spit facing west toward the Pacific Ocean. The 10' tall figure is mounted on a high cement base and carved from red cedar, it's arms extended outward. According to a plaque at the base of the statue, this is a Squamish Nation welcoming figure "with open arms to all who pass our shores". The figure was raised at the first K'aya'chin (gathering) of ocean canoes. The Squamish Nation dedicated the figure to the citizens of West Vancouver on July 25, 2001. The carver was Sekwilm Siyam Siutl', assisted by Stan Josef, Jr., Wesley Nahanee and William Nahanee, the project being sponsored by the District of West Vancouver and Ledcor Industries.
Further along, towards the towering Lions Gate bridge, is a large open wrought iron sculpture on a base built like a planter 4' high, about 15' long, covered in different coloured bricks to represent a large rectangular basket. The top of the sculpture represents the two peaks known to most of us as the Lions and to First Nations people as the Two Sisters. Below and between the peaks is the head of a thunder bird flanked by two upright paddles, with the prow and stern of a dugout canoe showing at the sides. The artist is Xwa Iack tum (Rick Harry) of Squamish Nation and the sculpture is dedicated to the ancestors of Ch'tl'am, the Squamish Nation, and the citizens of West Vancouver . Below is Rich Harry
The warm day drew people outdoors, walking their dogs, sunbathing on the warm sand, and picnicking in the park. With other walkers, we followed the broad paved pathway, taking a side trail around a small lake, to the end of the completed path. Beyond that, our walk took us through a rough broad strip under construction to extend the pathway along the river to the back of Park Royal Mall. At the mall, we stopped in the food fair for Quizno's famous broiled bunwiches.
After lunch, Linda and Helga returned home; the rest of us followed the path back to the beach and continued to the first large wharf jutting out from the base foot of 17Th Street. In a small park at the wharf, several artists were sitting at easels working on paintings. Other paintings were lined up along the hedge surrounding the property. In the centre, a plain two-storey building, bearing a sign "Ferry Building Art Gallery", sits primly behind a small plaza surrounded by rosebushes in full bloom. In the 1930's before the Lions Gate Bridge was constructed, the only access from Vancouver to West Vancouver was by the 17Th Street ferry which operated from the early 1930's and continued until 1947, even though the bridge was built and in use from 1939. The ferry must have been a popular means of passage, perhaps even faster than by the bridge, or the people were not ready for that rigged giant spanning the entrance to the main harbour.
The next time we go to West Vancouver, we will continue the walk from Ambleside Park west to Dundareve and stop at one of the many small home-style cafes for refreshments. Many shops line Marine Drive through Dundareve and Ambleside, offering a charming village atmosphere for an afternoon of shopping and tea.
Until next Saturday, Happy Canada Day!
Contributor Virginia
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