Gargoyle on a roof

Gargoyle on a roof

There's something weird on this rooftop!

Zoomed in for a close-up from the front.

 There are so many Historical buildings in our town. I should share some of them, later ... but this isn't a building I'm intrigued with, it's a gargoyle sculpture on a roof.

So many times I've driven past this house in Nelson, BC and caught a fleeting glimpse of this sculpture on a roof top. As I'm sure many of us locals have. It's been there for years but I've never seen it up close.

My curiosity finally got the best of me, so we took the time to stop & I walked around taking pictures & getting a closer look.

I'm thrilled to see it's made of metal, and has some amazing details like claws, scales, a cool tail and I wonder if he always sports the helmet & skis.

 I don't know who made it, or if it has a name,
but it's pretty cool, and so I thought I'd share it with you :)

I'm sure a lot of Nelson folks have seen this, but not up close.

 

View from behind

A bit closer

Close up from the backside... love his scales!

Close up side view from behind, love his tail & the skis :)

Front view- OH NO! he sees me! 

Love this pose.
Too bad the sun was behind him. I had to edit the photo to lighten up what looked like a silhouette.
Note to self: stop & take pictures again, but next time later in the day :)

Winter's here

Poof… it's winter in the Kootenays.

It started snowing yesterday, with our 1st snow warning and as I type this, I hear a snow-plow clearing the road.

I love the clean, whiteness of a fresh winter snow… as long as I've got a hot cup of coffee and a window to watch it through.

The reality is, a white knuckled and slow drive to town in the morning, and a bus ride home after work, at the new scheduled time (5:12pm).

It was heartwarming to see people going out of their way, to accommodate new passengers, by switching seats, so that a young dad can sit beside his child (instead of being separated in the last available seats.)

By the time our bus got to the bridge (BOB- our Big Orange Bridge), it was standing room only.

By the way, it's pitch dark here by 4:30, and I forgot to bring a flashlight, so when I got off the bus I had to fumble my way along the highway and down our driveway. There are no streetlights here, and the snow muffles all sound but I looked up to see an amazing display of stars. Yup winter's here… it's a love/hate thing for me.

Note to self: "Remember to carry mitts, hat, scarf, and a flashlight at all times."

New Nelson Transit Schedule

I hope I'm not the only person excited about the new Nelson Transit schedule for the North Shore that starts next week -Monday November 14, 2011.

I live about 30km from Nelson, near Balfour, and am glad to have bus service out here.

It costs $2.50 and is about a 45 minute ride- one way from downtown Nelson to Balfour.

Here's some links for Nelson Transit:

- Maps

- new Nelson Transit Rider's Guide

- Rural area bus stops

- New North Shore bus schedule

I enjoy taking the bus. It's nice to let someone else drive, save gas, and there's usually someone to chat with, read a book, or just look out the window at the scenery (although this time of year it's too dark to see much, but in the summer it's awesome!)

Unfortunately I rarely use our Transit, because the bus has me arriving in town 1 1/2 hours before work, then waiting 1 1/4 hours afterwards to go home, it makes for a long 12 hour day. So, I only take the bus when the weather's really bad, or when my husband needs to go to town, (he drops me off ) then I take the bus home.

With the changes to the North Shore bus service, I'll have a choice of 3 buses home (5:12pm, 6:52pm, 8:40pm), instead of just the one at 6:15. (There is another bus that leaves town at 4:45pm, but I don't finish work until 5:00, so I never take that one).

I'll bet a lot of students will appreciate the new 8:40pm run too. I know it would've been handy when my kids wanted to visit friends in town, after school.

Anyhow, I look forward to this change, and hope to see more of us taking the bus.

Note: I've since heard from a couple of people that live in Nelson, saying that services in town have been reduced. I didn't realize that and it's a shame...

Stained glass panels- St Saviour's Church.

St. Saviour's Church, Nelson, BC, Canada

Recently I had the privilege of visiting

one of our treasured Heritage buildings,

the St. Saviours ProCathedral Church,

(in Nelson, BC.)

The numerous stained glass panels were amazing and the history interesting.

Here you can see more (and better) photos of the stained glass.

I hate to admit it, but, it's been a long time since I've been inside a church.

Sometimes it's fun to be a tourist in your own neighbourhood, Enjoy :)

*Note: the old chair has dog heads carved on the arms*

Fire in downtown Nelson, BC

Downtown Nelson, BC was filled with smoke early this evening.

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I was still in town, (Nelson, BC) at 7:30pm tonight.

The air smelled of smoke, as I walked up Vernon St, and then I could see it.

I followed the gathering crowd and the billowing smoke up Ward Street, to Baker.

Firemen were already fighting the fire... it's the Redfish Grill, I was going to go there for lunch today!

It sounds like no one was hurt or in the building (that "they" know of).

Since we no longer have our Nelson Daily News paper- I figured I'd take some pictures and

share the news. Fortunately the "grapevine" works pretty well in a small town. I'm hoping we can read about the fire and maybe see pictures some day soon (next week?)

But I wonder... what else has happened in Nelson since we lost our paper this month?

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Note: There was a fire in Ainsworth about a month ago and the Silver Ledge Hotel burned down. It was arson.