The Falls of VanDusen Gardens

We walk around VanDusen Gardens about two or three times a week. The Gardens are a backyard of sorts for us and we enjoy seeing the changes week to week. We also hear from visitors about the falls. The falls seem to be on every tourist's list of things to see while visiting the Gardens.








There is a tropical flair on the way to the falls at VanDusen; the ferns are nearby and they conjure up thoughts of a more primitive time in a hot and humid rain forest.




























The falls at VanDusen are perhaps 12 m in height, and possibly 2 m wide at best. They are apparently fed by... a municipal water source. Not that there is anything wrong with that.





I remember some other falls, at Argentina's border with Brasil, where we spent more than several days earlier this year. The Garganto del Diablo, at Iquazu, is 82 m high and 150 m wide. It was hot and steamy and everything was wet beyond belief. It was an adventure.



And yet, so too are the falls at VanDusen. The sound of water falling on rocks and the mist in the air, is not unlike Igauzu, and it's slightly closer to home.




You can see some photos from the other falls here: Iguazu Falls

Sunflowers, bees & Colony Collapse Disorder

I think sunflowers are beautiful. They come in several colours, grow incredibly tall, and offer their seeds to birds and other creatures. At VanDusen Gardens, the wonderful sunflower garden is full of bees.

Bees are truly wonderful creatures. They produce honey, a pure food if ever there was one. They also pollinate a multitude of plants. Through pollination, they are, quite possibly, essential to life on this planet. In fact, according to the UN, of the one hundred crops responsible for providing 90 percent of world food needs, seventy-one are dependent on bee pollination. Bees are certainly essential to human life.

Over the past six years, more than ten million bee hives have been wiped out due to something called Colony Collapse Disorder. Investigations continue into the cause of the problem with increasing concern about the use of pesticides and fungicides.

This past winter thirty percent of bee colonies in the US were wiped out. In the UK, almost half of their hives were lost. In Canada, thirty percent declines have been reported annually for the past three years.

CCD has been going on for years with slightly increasing media coverage each year, usually involving the economic impact of the crisis. The crisis is much larger than that and all of us should be aware of the problem. Citizens can make a difference, by making informed decisions when shopping, and in demanding more oversight by our governments in the use of agricultural chemicals .



A recent article in the Globe & Mail is worth a read, as is the weekly series just beginning in The Guardian. It is called Buzzfeeds and appears every Tuesday.

All photos copyrighted by Jim Murray. 

Reproduction, without permission , 

is prohibited.

Faubourg ~ Vancouver Coffee Shops Part 7

In the heart of Kerrisdale, east of train tracks that don't go anywhere, and along busy 41st Avenue, is a remarkable little place called Faubourg. Beside Caffe Artigiano and across from Bean Brothers and Starbucks, Faubourg presents a bit of French culture with pastries, baguettes, cakes and much more.






The coffee is good, not great. Better coffee can be found next door at Artigiano. What is outstanding about Faubourg: breads, cakes and treats. The pastries are simply wonderful, with the croissants being the best we've encountered in Vancouver.




Service is decidedly un-Parisien: efficient and friendly. Faubourg is busy through the day, everyday, and the setting, inside or out (on a very small sidewalk patio), is noisy, but with breads and treats like this, who would complain?

Best Fish & Chips ~ Centennial Beach Cafe

Fish and chips cafes in Metro Vancouver are almost a common as sushi restaurants, and many offer their own variations on the traditional working class British fare. It is actually believed that deep fried fish was introduced to Britain in the 1600s CE by Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain, and derived from pescado frito. The chips came later, probably sometime around the mid 1800s.


Without doubt the best fish and chips we've encountered this summer is found at the Centennial Beach Cafe . It's part of the wonderful beach park of the same name in Tsawwassen. The sky and beach seem to go on forever, and the fish and chips never disappoint.

In particular, the halibut is excellent.Thick and moist, with a light (almost slightly healthy) batter and not overcooked, this dish is first rate. Perhaps a little stingy on the cole slaw side, and I can't recommend any of the add-on salads, the fish and attending chips are highly recommended. Some of the other menu items are well worth a look too; the chowder looks great, and the views aren't too bad either.

Vancouver Coffee Shops ~ Part 6: VanDusen Gardens

A gem of a place, the coffee shop at VanDusen Gardens is actually Truffles, a company that specialises in event catering in Metro Vancouver. At the Gardens, the location is wonderful, and location is everything. What could be better on a sunny day than to sit outside in such a beautiful setting. Inside... it's a bit utilitarian.




The coffee is good, with all the basic espresso drinks available. Not quite the flavour of Viva Java, or the cool hipness of Elysian, the coffee at Truffles is fine. The service is great. The staff is actually delightful, courteous, helpful and attentive.



There are food items of course, and for a simple lunch of sandwich and soup, or afternoon tea, Truffles is a great place to spend time. And the gardens are okay too.