A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

This photo seems to fit right into the upcoming time of the year. It looks like a gigantic, German nutcracker to me. In what other season are walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts sitting on your coffee table?

This is actually the world's largest tin soldier. He stands right here at the New Westminster Quay. This guy is nearly 35 feet tall and weighs in at 5 tons! Perhaps he needs to cut down on his carbohydrate intake. His waist looks quite trim though, so I guess he just has a big skeleton (of steel).

(To read more comments and pictures about Quay entries on this blog, enter a query into the SEARCH WEBLOG option to the right.)

Labels: Quay

Today there's not been enough sunlight to merit switching off the inside lights. It has been pouring rain for hours and hours! After 15 years in a desert, I was immediately appreciative of a wet climate. Yet, seven years ago, when a new arrival in Vancouver, it may have seemed a tiny-bit depressing. A dark day such as this now feels quite comforting! I'm ready for more rainy days, so bring 'em on!

Labels: weather

Labels: Internet

As with nearly every picture on this blog, I shot this with my digital camera. Click it to visit a link that points to information about the Buddhist Temple in Richmond, BC.

Labels: digital camera, temple

Yesterday, I wrote about the country of Turkey. Today, I'm writing on a day when many birds by that name are eaten!

This year on October 13th, Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving. Now, we extend best wishes to those in the U.S. celebrating the day.

Labels: food

My previous entry mentions visiting the ruins of a university which was active 1600 years ago. Today, let's virtually visit a spot which promoted the collection of knowledge four hundred years prior to that. (And I thought my necktie selection was ancient!) Jay and I took several vacations to Turkey. On one trip, in 1995, we walked around the ruins of Ephesus. As it was a winter trip, we were the only people at the ruins of the ancient city.

Background:
The Celsus Library is one of the most spectacular buildings in Ephesus. The building was started by the Council Gaius Julius Aquila in 110 A.D. as a memorial for his father. The construction was completed by Gaius' successors in 135 A.D. The facade of the library was reconstructed in the 1970's and stands as a testiment to the eternal human quest for knowledge.

Web Information - The Library at Ephesus

Labels: India

Yesterday's entry about our city library, started me thinking of other locations for study. My thoughts wandered to a summer spent travelling in India. I clearly recall walking through ruins in Bihar province in 1994. I was going to look through my personal photos to find one suitable for scanning. Luckily, when at the computer, it was easier to do a Google search than to look through our suitcase of old photos! The link below has more pictures, and probably better ones, than I have.

Here's the Background:
Nalanda was a Buddhist University of the 5th century A.D. It flourished for at least 700 years. A famed Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsang, studied at this University for five years in the 7th century. He has left fantastic accounts of the activities at the University. At the time, it attracted 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students from China and the Indian sub-continent.

Web Pictures - The Ruins at Nalanda

Labels: India

Here is a bit more downtown New Westminster history. I took this picture of water cascading down the fountain at the Law Courts building. On this site stood the former Carnegie Free Library. It was occupied from 1905 to 1958. The area is on Carnarvon Street and one block from this apartment.

The library moved to its present, up-town location at that time. However, it has a longer, and more interesting history. This information appears on the library's web site:

The Library holds the distinction of being the first public library in the province of British Columbia. It owes its existence to two events. In 1865, New Westminster was the capital of the mainland colony of British Columbia, recently carved from the forest on the banks of the Fraser River by the Royal Engineers. When the Regiment disbanded, it donated its collection of books brought from England to create a public library for the City. At the same time, Queen Victoria offered a copy of her late husband Prince Albert's speeches "to the public libraries of her more important colonies".

To continue reading about the history of our library, please click this link.

Labels: library, New Westminster (Page 1)

The photo to the right was taken from the New Westminster downtown parkade. The old, painted signage is on the back of a building now known as the Burr Theatre.

The Burr that is recognized by this name is a hometown boy who was born here and now eternally rests in a cemetery in New Westminster. Raymond Burr was best know as TV's Perry Mason and, later, as Ironside. However, he was involved in a multitude of films too.

The Burr Theatre building, dating from 1927, has a very interesting history. Click the link to visit the official site. It is on Columbia Street and approximately a two-minute walk from this apartment.

Labels: New Westminster (Page 1), stars, television

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procrastination: to put off intentionally and habitually.

The midterm exams were sitting on the kitchen table for all of Friday and Saturday. Now that it is Sunday afternoon, I've finally got down to correcting them.

Labels: complaints

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The weatherman hinted that we might have a bit of snow on the ground when awaking this morning. It's cool but rainy. Darned.

Labels: weather