Vancouver Olive Oil Company

A new world awaits when you walk through the door of Vancouver Olive Oil Company (VOOC). First you’re taken in by the beautifully arranged dark-stained shelves made of pine beetle wood and filled with cylindrical stainless steel containers called fustis. The fustis have spigots which dispense exotic olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Lower shelves contain tasting utensils and empty, labeled bottles waiting to be filled. The central table in this photo is made from reclaimed acacia wood and sits atop wheels from India. On the surrounding walls are framed photo prints by Robert Doisneau, a French photographer who took the famous 1950 photo of two lovers kissing near the Town Hall in Paris. The VOOC photos are of Italian villagers harvesting olives and producing olive oil.

The incredible St. Roch

Beautifully located at Kits Point in Vanier Park, just east of Kits Beach is the 20 metre shingle and glass A-frame which houses the St. Roch, a wooden schooner built for the RCMP in 1928. It’s part of the Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM) and is a national historic site. This stunning view was photographed from a West End tower.

Room at the Roxy

This shot was taken from a shop facing Hamilton St. in the atrium of the Vancouver Public Library. The colour of actual trees contrasts with the black and white image adding to the mystery of the photo’s subject matter.

It’s the current exhibit on The Wall, a public art initiative reflecting the city’s “built environment” or manmade space in which people live, work and recreate. It’s a collaboration between CBC, its neighbour JJ bean and the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. The space is 38 by 29 feet of CBC wall at the CBC Plaza on Hamilton St. The exhibit is an enlarged 4 by 5 inch photographic negative of a production still from the 1957 CBC television drama Room at the Roxy. It depicts a mother about to enter a run-down hotel in search of her drug-addicted son, as relevant today as in 1957.

A Mecca of Diversity

Kadri Brattvet is trying to capture what has drawn countless artists to the Cape Cod area, and particularly Provincetown, Massachusetts. It’s the special quality of the light which has been likened to that of the Mediterranean that reflects off the sea and sand dunes, creating a tranquil beauty. Kadri is at the Viewing Tower at the Province Lands Visiting Center, part of the northern end of the Cape Cod National Seashore, approximately one mile from Provincetown, MA. where we visited this September.

Kinsol Trestle

A magnificent work of art that successfully blends in with its natural surroundings – that’s the Kinsol Trestle. Built in 1920 from sturdy Douglas fir, the wooden framed bridge was part of the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway route on Vancouver Island.

Heritage Afloat

For me, a heritage house has character, history, craftsmanship. It is built from excellent materials with attention to detail and style, and most importantly, it has a sense of mystery. When you walk in, you know the place has a story to tell; you’re intrigued with the built-in cabinetry, the original woodwork and the sense of warmth and home they evoke. The house presented here has all these attributes and more. Its excellent condition bears witness to a well-constructed, well-loved house.

© Denis Bouvier

It’s Smokin’ at Italian Day!

Outside the Portuguese Club of Vancouver, sardines are being grilled for a crowd of appreciative fans. Up and down Commercial Drive from 3rd avenue to Parker St., street vendors, cafes and restaurants were not only selling Italian food like pizza, paninis, and Italian sausage, but food from many o

The Sun Rises in Seattle

Photographed in April at the Seattle Center next to the Space Needle, “The Sun” is a signature installation of renowned glass sculptor, Dale Chihuly. As part of an effort to revitalize the Seattle Center, Chihuly agreed to establish a comprehensive exhibit of his work and designed Chihuly Garden and Glass which opened on May 21.
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