Bits and Pieces of Vancouver

The Inspector

Andy Forster is a Streetlight Inspector for the City of Vancouver, site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. During the last major Vancouver windstorm in December, three streetlights came crashing to the ground. The reason for their failure? Dog urine. Apparently, on streetlights at least, it's more efficient than battery acid. So Andy grabbed his hammer and he and his colleagues are checking every streetlight in Vancouver to see if they have been structurally corroded and weakened at their base by dog urine.

I was captivated by the sight of this burly, good-natured man in a bright yellow hardhat and vest methodically banging each streetlight in turn with what looked like a rock hammer. I had to ask. And then I had to ask Andy if I could take his picture. Andy is a Prince of the City.

And yes, he still thinks dogs are the best. As Andy puts it, "If a person doesn't like dogs, there's something wrong with them". He looked at my two dogs, Cactus Jack and Panhandle Slim, all six and nine pounds of them and added, "I like your wolf pack...".

A Round Peg in a Square Hole


Sometimes you find yourself mesmerized by line and form. Cars and chrome and line just seem to go hand in hand. And on occasion, a round peg fits perfectly in a square hole...

English Bay, Vancouver


Few things in the winter months are more hauntingly beautiful in the Pacific Northwest than a line of brooding storm clouds. String them out over the water and a line of mountains on the horizon and you have a recipe for the dramatic.


All with the Apple iPhone.


- Vince Hemingson