Alaska: Here we come!

After having spent three days in Vancouver, it's time to set sail!  Our ship has come in, docked, and she is readying herself for our arrival.  

Under the Lions Gate bridge (no apostrophe in the name).

Passing the sulphur docks.

Spring line being set.

Spring line being hauled onto the dock. 

Watching the dock hands work sure does make a young man hungry for fresh croissants, cinnamon buns, and Gatorade!

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During the three day stay in Vancouver, I woke up at about 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. which is my normal school day schedule but what is remarkable about that is that I'm three time zones away.  (How does my body know?)  However, this early time of day allowed me to go on some cool walks along the sea wall. 

While photographing things I thought that it would be fun to have a "subject" that was different than my typical Bahamian themes. And...voila...letters!

So, these are some of the letters I saw and some of the other sights along the way.

Our hotel, Canada Place/Pan Pacific, also nicknamed "Five Sheets" (see picture for the sails/sheets) is the Convention Center and cruise ship terminal. So, when we are ready to board the vessel, we take the elevator to the correct level and off we go. 

However, until it is time to board...

This sculpture is meant to look like a giant rain drop and on the rainy days during our visit, it's quite a fitting focal point. 

To the west down the sea wall walk, is the seaplane terminal. 

A little farther...

Houseboats are always so funky and they certainly stand out in the marina. 

I walked the entire stretch of the Burrard Inlet during my two morning walks. On the journey out, I was only along the sea wall. And, because I think that it is important to keep in mind that "you can't always go back the way you came", I returned through the streets and admired the neighborhood and architecture. 

After a while of looking for letters in the surrounding area, I got confused on which direction letter G goes. Oops. Hopefully, the mirror image editing tool button will work to fix this boo boo. 

This was along the dock. I have no idea of its intended purpose but it sure is a perfect K.

I love these giant floats and just couldn't resist the black marker on this one. 

The far away shot is actually so much more beautiful!

"B is for bicycle" and this town is full of cyclists who are using this as their sole method of transportation (rain or shine).

Looking through the hole in a cleat on a public dock. 

X marks the spot on the gang plank. 

The public water park meant for kids is brought to you by the letter Y. (I couldn't resist.  This whole theme is so Sesame Street.)

Parallel to the sea wall is a linear park which features a concrete Art Deco-ish V. 

The mnemonic device, "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" reminds me of the amazing breakfast/lunch we had when we stopped along the way to "Whistler", the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. (I'll include the Whistler pictures in another post.)

I absolutely stopped to smell the roses!

And took a picture for a FORMER co-worker. (Sniff. Sniff.)

Is it Canada Geese or Canadian Geese?  This one is high steppin'

Letter F or E?  What a cool shot!  This is why I like to do these themed pictures. You never know what you're going to get. 

A sandwich board sign advertises sailing lessons at the yatch club. 

A very Jetson's era D is actually part of a big metal and wood sculpture of wings or a bird in flight. 

As I was searching for letters, I found someone else who was also looking for something. 

I love that someone placed fresh flowers in her lap.

The art in this city is amazing!  On every block there are several pieces on display!  And the number of water features... It must not snow or freeze here as much as I thought. But, the lack of free wifi has stifled my Googling for answers. 

Ya see what I mean?  Water is everywhere!  

This letter P is actually a handrail for the steps at a condo building. I had to work hard to not get the yellow security car or the orange mailbox. But they're there if you look. 

I had intended for this to be a letter R...

But I think it also makes a lovely cursive Q too. 

S carved into a log. 

This sculpture is a "ship wreck" carved by thousands of people. It looks more like a cactus until you see it up close.  Then, is us strangely soothing and smooth. If it wasn't a wet day, I would have enjoyed just sitting there and admiring the curves and how the effort of so many ordinary people could have created such an elegant single piece of work. 

The walk wrapped up with the Olympic torch.

This was a "whale" of a walk!  

Our cruise hasn't even begun!  "Life is a journey, not a destination."

Thank you Vancouver!  What a lovely experience!!