St. Paul's Hospital

As mentioned in Zanepost, this is a view of part of the roof of St. Paul's Hospital on Burrard Street, Vancouver.

Completed in 1894 by the Sisters of Providence, a Catholic women's religious order, the hospital grew throughout the decades into an important research and teaching facility serving the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

In a city that is largely dominated by modern glass and steel architecture, the hospital stands out as an example of a previous time period. The building caught my eye and so I stopped and drew it from a coffee shop across the street.

Armchair travel

I was riding on the subway in Toronto one day when I saw an advertisement for adventure travel.

The scene reminds me of so many comic strips and graphic novels I used to read as a child. Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese and the Tintin stories by Herge' come to mind.

Jericho Beach

West of Vancouver's downtown lies the Kitsilano neighbourhood and a great stretch of beaches, which include Jericho, Locarno and the Spanish Banks. These popular beaches attract many people during the warm summer months. Activities include swimming, sailing, biking on the nearby path system, volleyball, kayaking and windsurfing. Some of the beaches are designated as "quiet beaches" (Locarno and Spanish Bank West) where amplified music is not permitted by the municipality.

Another beach is Sunset Beach, closer to the downtown core. See "English Bay" below.

At the airport

Like many people, I enjoy looking at planes when I'm at the airport. I did this drawing while I was awaiting a flight in Toronto a few months ago. Commercial airliners are complex, large machines that take off and land thousands of times without incident. They're a testament to the people who continually strive for improvements in safety, technology and communication on behalf of the travelling public.

Getting by

I was at a fast food restaurant the other day and saw this homeless man catching forty winks in an easy chair. It looked like a comfortable spot. He had finished his drink and dozed off, warm and safe.

The restaurant is in the downtown area of Vancouver and many poor people seem to hang out there in the evening hours.

Florida breezes

A summer memory: we went to the Tampa area earlier this year and one evening dined at this restaurant. The Columbian Restaurant at St. Armands Circle is a wonderful spot for an open-air dinner on a warm evening. It occupies a premier spot in this trendy area on the outskirts of Sarasota. The ocean breeze wafts through from nearby Lido Beach and lots of people come for the dining, art galleries and evening shopping. The character of the Circle can be described as a mix of European and Spanish American influences. It's a great meeting place and a good location to unwind.

Outdoor patio

This was the scene at a restaurant patio in the Yaletown area of Vancouver, earlier in the summer. My wife and I were waiting for an important phone call and I decided to spend the time doing a little sketching. These were some of the people at the nearby tables.

The shade of a large patio umbrella is always a welcome thing.

English Bay

Here's one of my sketches of English Bay from Vancouver's West End.

From this densely populated area of apartment buildings and hotels the view looking out to sea is spectacular, especially at sunset. Tankers arrive from far away ports and wait in the Bay to be called in to the harbour for loading. They have become an integral part of the city's view. At twighlight, they turn their navigation lights on and they twinkle out on the water. The building on the right with the dark ring around it is the Empire Landmark Hotel, which sports a rotating restaurant on the top floor.

According to englishbay.com, the area acquired its name from the 1792 meeting between the British sea captain Vancouver and his Spanish counterparts Valdez and Galiano. The same meeting resulted in the naming of the Spanish Banks nearby, an area which is home to three of Vancouver's best beaches.

False Creek

This is a view looking across False Creek, facing north towards the hockey arena (GM Place) to the Vancouver Lookout tower built on top of the Harbour Centre office complex and the condos downtown.

The odd-looking boat in the foreground is a water taxi that services False Creek.

Grouse Mountain

Hello ! This is where I plan to post my sketches. I've got a lot to learn, but I look forward to having fun at the same time.

This is a sketch from the deck at Grouse Mountain, just above Vancouver