Calming Contemplation At Crescent Beach

Contemplation is the eye of the soul and the highest form of happiness some say. Pondering life and our place within it happens everywhere but is uniquely common at the rocky log-strewn Crescent Beach shore. Until a train whistle blasts past the morning mist, it's where walkers go for a moment of bliss.

(Photo, Jan. 2019, Crescent Beach)

See more West Coast scenes at Musings of A Puddlist In B.C. and also at UNDER MY UMBRELLA AND BEYOND: Love The Planet Productions. Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS

See more West Coast scenes at UNDER MY UMBRELLA AND BEYOND.

Paint ... But Do Not Hammer On Train Cars

YOU CAN paint graffiti on them ...

but (as the sign below says) hammering on train cars that carry hazardous materials is definitely a no, no.

Watching the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) methodically chug by,

we were reminded yet again that no person or vehicle will get in or out of Crescent Beach for about 15 minutes, including an ambulance or a fire truck.

The route of this overburdened and increasingly long freight train is a disaster-in-waiting.

The likelihood of the hillside along the tracks eroding and the possibility of coal train dust or toxic chemical spills harming the community is real.

Solutions have long been sought, from building a tunnel or a bridge to relocating the tracks.

Recently the idea of relocating the tracks has gained steam.

Local citizens urging politicians to study the matter see positive signs.

Now the BC government Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Surrey-White Rock Gordon Hogg, local mayors, federal Member of Parliament (MP) Ken Hardie and BC Transportation Minister Todd Stone are on board with the plan. This is only the start as financial considerations and negotiations with BNSF will no doubt run into stumbling blocks. Any new and most likely shorter route to destined ports would meet new environmental challenges.

If relocation of the tracks happens eventually, I will not miss the drifting art (vandalism to many) blocking a critical path several times a day.

Relocation will unlock larger portions of seascape to pedestrians. People will be able to freely walk and perhaps cycle from the City of White Rock to Crescent Beach in Surrey along one of the most scenic shorelines in BC.

What a privilege and a joy this would be not only for locals but for visitors from around the globe.

To explore more sights from around the globe, link to OUR WORLD .

This post will also be linked to SIGNS, SIGNS.

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Picket Fence Fantasies

THE COMMON yet iconic picket fence implies proud home ownership and family-friendly neighborhoods. A feeling of calm drifts over me at the sight of these constructs photographed on walks in and around Crescent Beach. It is reassuring to know that gripping the edge of the beach is a strip of country life. Surrounded by the bustle of cars, nonstop freight trains and jet planes, the idyllic white-washed fences stand as a buffer to soothe passersby.

Here are more pickets linked to GOOD FENCES.

 

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more West Coast scenes at UNDER MY UMBRELLA AND BEYOND.

SCENES BY STAIRCASE AT 24TH AVENUE TO CRESCENT BEACH

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.

Alphabet Soup Graffiti Rides Train

SHOULD WE be impressed, reflective or worried when an alphabet soup of graffiti on many dozens of freight cars rolls down the track?

Whether boxy letters and scribbles are an act of vandalism, art or protest, the traveling show blocks the path to Crescent Beach. As I sit in my car waiting for the train to pass and try to unscramble the wandering words, I marvel that, in this age of security concerns, strangers with painterly tools at train yards seem to go unchallenged the entire time they are leaving their mark on boxcars.

See more markings at SIGNS, SIGNS.

To explore sights from around the globe, link to OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

TOP TO BOTTOM OF 1001 STEPS

See more West Coast scenes at Musings of A Puddlist In B.C. and also at UNDER MY UMBRELLA AND BEYOND: Love The Planet Productions. 

Waiting For The Train In White Rock

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.

Hats Off To Two Women Who Showed Up

JOY DAVIES and Pixie Hobby were the only political candidates who showed up at the Ocean Park town hall meeting to talk about the port expansion plan that would bring more trains through BC on route to ship US coal by sea to Asia.

Locals in the US and Canada are concerned about health and environmental impacts. The incredibly long strings of frequent freight trains blocking emergency access to communities along the way is also a concern.

I do not recall anyone saying these are good things. Yet few people spoke up more forcefully against the proposed expansion than these two accomplished women who will compete for the same votes in the fall federal election. Although one is Liberal and the other NDP, they agree about the hazards of thermal coal and potential for disaster to towns at home and around the globe.

The professional achievements of Joy and Pixie are significant. They could rest on their laurels but were compelled to run for their respective parties. They won respect and my admiration but could stumble in the bigger battle by splitting the votes so that the government currently in power (known for deregulation, giving breaks to big business, and not going to community meetings) could win again.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.