WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR

Another year, another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone.
As I take some quiet moments to consider the things that I’m thankful for this year, I realize some of them are new stuff but most are things that perhaps I’ve taken for granted.

The new includes the birth of my first grandchild; I never imagined how much joy and love a granddaughter brings into the household! I’m really thankful that my wife and I are still young enough to be fully involved in her life.

One of the other things I’m really thankful for is the church that I’ve served in for the last 21 years. Early in my ministry, I always dreamed of a worship team that would comprise the most gifted musicians and singers.
I’m so thankful for what God has given us in this worship team! Gifted individuals who are willing to invest what they do best to bring sweet music to the souls of man, and pleasure to the heart of the Father. I'm thankful also for the many who have served tirelessly in home groups and the passionate volunteers serving the children of the church, over the years.

I’m most thankful for my family who have walked beside me on my faith adventure, and had to put up with all the sacrifices and challenges .
THANK YOU GOD FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!

THE BEST OF SUMMER

It certainly feels like summer has ended here in the Pacific Northwest. June was a washout, but the last two months was nice and sunny.
This is a compilation of images that I want to remember from the summer of 2010.

Pate and baguette in Granville Island makes for a tasty afternoon snack.
Pollen season strikes fear into the hearts of many - thankfully I don't have allergies!
Fruit country - nice and hot!

We found this tree with the sweetest Golden plums.

Biking alone one hot sunny afternoon on the Shell Road Trail.

The highlight of my summer was the arrival of my grand-daughter!
This little girl is grandma's best friend!

We had the biggest Sockeye Salmon run in 100 years.
Fishing boats waiting their turn to sell their catch.
I bought 5 fish at $10 each - not bad eh!

Chickadee in Richmond Nature Park.

Caught this Ground Squirrel as it poked his head out to survey the scene in Manning Park.

A perfect shot as the sun was setting and a wave swept through these old pilings.

We found the best new Gelato in town.

James was making his first batch of Lavender Gelato that night.

On golden pond!

There's nothing like chasing seagulls as you chase the last rays of sunlight.

Must try the latest craze in outdoor exercise - standup paddle boarding.

Imagine going up the River of Golden Dreams .

Visiting my one-legged friends as they prepare for bed time.

This was a short summer but I managed to pack in a life-time of memories!

Fishermen

This is the best time to be a West Coast fishermen...seeing we have the largest run of Sockeye Salmon in a 100 years. The Department of Fisheries estimate that a total of 30 million fish are returning to spawn this season.

You should have seen the crowds that turned up on Sunday at Steveston Wharf! At one point in the day, the line-ups to purchase these huge salmon were two hours long.
I decided to purchase a fish on a quieter Monday morning and it turned into a new experience for me. What I didn’t realize was that hundreds of fishing boats were poised along the Fraser River getting ready for another haul of fish. As I stood on a fishing pier with my camera, I noticed hundreds of fishing vessels lined up on either side of the River. At 10 am sharp, they took off into the middle of the river, lying down their gill nets. As they did so, salmon could be seen jumping out of the water, trying their best to elude the hundreds of nets that blocked their passage to the spawning grounds.

You could also see the occasional seal, opportunistic and sneaky, taking their easy pickings. I came back that afternoon to see if I could catch some shots of these hardworking fishermen pulling in their nets.

I was not disappointed as they pulled in their prized catch. What a sight to behold!

What a reminder for me concerning the words of Jesus, when he called out;
“Come follow me...I will make you fishers of men!”

Something Fishy

I took a drive to Anacortes in Washington this week. The last time I came through this area was more than 15 years ago. The one thing that I noticed immediately about this very quaint little town was the trash bins. They were all done up to resemble canned fish products.

They looked so nicely done that it was no wonder that I didn’t see any trash in them.

Everything about the town cried out fishing village!

Even the old antique shops had fishing gear, fishermen’s hats, and old fishing boat photos. The highlight of this short excursion was discovering the best little Seafood chowder house this side of the US border. It was just a shack beside the road with a couple of tables out front on the porch, but the food was amazing.

I had a plate of deep fried oysters and fries along with the clam chowder soup. Yummy!
I guess consistency is important.
I wonder if everything in my life consistently reinforces my life’s mission?

Patience

There was a time not too long ago when we used to make an annual pilgrimage to a very special place. This year I decided I would squeeze in a daytrip to revisit my soul-refreshing retreat.
Manning Park has not changed much in the last 20 years. I remember the first time we camped out, we were totally ill-equipped. One tent, two canned food, three hours of driving, four people, against the elements. We didn’t get much sleep that first time because, we had not anticipated the cold evenings. This time round, we brought some friends who have not experienced the serenity of Lightning Lake and the surrounding mountain range.

I had prepared my two young friends to expect some local inhabitants, and they weren’t disappointed when we got there.

The excitement of two young girls trying to hand feed wild squirrels ended up more like a game of tag. This was a great time to introduce the virtue of patience and restraint to
the young ones.

Initially, they couldn’t sit still for long, but when all else failed, they tried patience.

One hour of sitting and waiting just for one successful attempt at hand feeding those critters must be the sweetest lesson on patience ever!
Good things come to those who wait!

Colours and Tones

I love how the sun feels on my skin during these warm summer days. Much more than how it makes me feel alive; is the warmth that it adds to the world around me. Colours change the mood; tones transform a scenery. It’s a wonder how the setting sun can add such artistry to a bland canvas.
The experts say that evening is the best time for nature photography. Well, it happens also to be the time I take my nature walks with my wife of 30 years.
Rarely, do you find me without my trusty companion – I mean my camera! I try to capture these special moments as a reminder to me of God’s handiwork and goodness.
Only God can add a silver lining to a dark cloud; only He can paint over a stormy day with masterful strokes of brilliant colours; only God with His Midas touch will wash over a scene with gold for just a few minutes.

Bear Country

One of the things that I enjoy very much is to see animals in their natural habitat.
How close have you ever got to a wild animal?

I’ve had the privilege and joy of travelling to West Africa and visiting a wild-life park years ago. I was told that elephants, rhinos and many other species frequent the area, but the only animal I saw was the screeching monkeys. What a let-down!
Often when you are looking for something, no matter how hard you try, you seem to fail in your search! This week, I managed to get close enough to a black bear that had wandered into a ball park. We were there just to cool off at a stream on a warm day and was not expecting encounters with a bruin. Sometimes, in life you are blessed with experiences when you’re not really looking for them.