I decided to take a few pictures while on my walk this morning; a memory, in case development creeps further in and modifies the surroundings yet again. The pictures were all taken with my old-fashioned flip-phone (I don’t like to carry too much on my walks).
I usually start by walking to 108th. In the photo below, the A-frame church on 108th can be seen in the distance, in the lower center of the picture (to be precise, it’s the St. Georges Coptic Orthodox Church).
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It’s about six blocks to Hawthorne park, and I walk on the north side of the park until I get to the first entrance. Below is a photo of some of the flowering salmon-berry bushes alongside the walkway:
There are three duck-ponds in the park; when the flora is green and healthy, it can be difficult to see the water.
Below is a picture of the pond closest to the west end of the park (a portion of the pond is visible as a brownish patch in the lower center).
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The gardens at Hawthorne are pleasant to walk through on a weekend morning; quiet, peaceful.
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I don’t usually walk by Minerva, but this morning I did.
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The playground was empty, but I walked around anyway…
Unless I’m feeling particularly lazy, I walk around the park and onto 104th; I turn east, an empty business development on my left. It is an interesting building; perfect for a tàijíquán, yoga or Buddhist base.
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I exit the sidewalk on 104th as soon as possible by turning north into a cul-de-sac; near the end of this street a Hydro-path cuts through the forest to the west and houses on the east (to my left). This morning the hydro lines were humming: hnnngdznnngnnndz.
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The Hydro-path (as I call it) is a nice use of land that has no commercial value. The path was (I presume) built by B.C. Hydro: there was always a path, of sorts, through the wilderness, but the well-maintained walkway makes it a tad more inviting, especially when the wildflowers are in bloom…
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The Hydro path crosses over a small creek, but at this time of year the bushes and flowers obscure the waters…
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As I was about to leave the Hydro path this morning, onto the roadway at the other end, a bird flew over me and into the forest; as it passed overhead it called to me: follow me, follow. But I continued on my way.
As always, with any walk, there is a path not taken…
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I usually don’t cut through the empty lot down the block, but this morning the path was inviting (it can be a bit threatening at dawn & dusk)
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In the (very large) empty lot, there are a couple of old trees that blew over in a wind-storm several years ago, but the trees are still alive and healthy. The picture below was taken a while ago, when one of them was flowering (as you can see, part of the lot has a nice gravel trail through it, provided by the City of Surrey. At one time, a park was planned for the land, but I’m thinking the administrators might change their mind if a developer makes an offer. I hope not):
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The picture below is the final bit of the empty lot; civilization is just behind the row of trees, and I can almost see my home…
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Well, that’s about it. I missed out quite a few spots, but I might do this again in the fall (and maybe with a better camera).
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db johnston
almost falling 