I always enjoy an opportunity to go somewhere different and appreciate the contrasts from one area to another.  I ventured down to North Vancouver this past weekend.  My cousin lives a short distance from Lonsdale Quay so in no time at all after the long drive from the Okanagan, we ventured down to the market.  It was buzzing with activity from the food trucks to the market stalls and live entertainment.    The following day was filled even more with fun events as I did not realize it was the weekend of the “Slide the City”; a water slide all along the length of Lonsdale, one of a kind as I understand it within BC.    It was so much fun watching young and old participating in this event and I managed to capture some shots at the end of the slide.  Thankfully there were many volunteers helping people out otherwise I think there would have been a few bumps and bruises.   Again all along the sidewalks and side streets were different market stalls and even a mobile boutique which I was most intrigued with.  

We then ventured over to Ambleside.  I always love this walk by the ocean and watching activity on the water.  One of the sad things I noticed immediately upon my arrival in North Van though were dried out plants and trees.  I realize that we have had a particularly dry year and they need to conserve water, but it was upsetting to see.

On the Sunday, we had a day outing over in Steveston.  It has been many years since I last visited this town and I had forgotten how quaint it is from the varied gift shops to the quayside area where the fishing boats bring in fresh seafood every day.  

Despite the water restrictions there were a number of colourful tubs of flowers; one in particular which caught my attention was outside the “Prickly Pear” garden nursery.  What a delight to see all the varied foliage in the containers outside and then we explored the nursery itself.  It has a garden related gift area as well as indoor and outdoor plants plus a small florist.  We could not leave Steveston without having fish and chips – the halibut was excellent.

It doesn’t take much to have a change of scenery and at the same time I enjoyed catching up with my cousin while I admired the view outside her condo.