The Sunflower Bakery Cafe and Zephyr Cafe in Squamish

We stopped at several coffee shops while visiting Squamish. Two were beside each other on the main drag.

The Sunflower is more a bakery, featuring gluten free breads made without additives or yeast. In place of yeast the Sunflower uses something called the mother sponge, which sounds a bit like a Seinfeld episode, conjuring all kinds of images. The cakes and pies did look fabulous. Everything is made on the premises and it all looks, and tastes, wonderful.

We were tempted to have some carrot juice, though wondered about the freshly squeezed part. Isn't that rather difficult?

Next door was the Zephyr Cafe which was more typical of coffee shops; cluttered in a good way with a determined sense of the town and its folk, and the moral responsibility of a socially conscious business.

Along one wall there are bios of all the candidates running in the municipal election, along with answers to common questions posed to each. That social responsibility thing in practice.

Tip jars answered the question of the day, with all too often beating out probably not enough.

The coffees were strong. Mine, a rather thick and chocolaty espresso, and Sherry's a pumpkin spice latte, with a strange swirl on top, and filled to the brim. Not necessarily the best coffee I've tasted, but on a cold and windy day... this is great and the political vibe is okay too. Coffee shops were traditionally places where discussions took place, where people debated endlessly, and with civility. It probably won't be allowed to happen at the big chain coffee operations, but maybe... here....

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

The eagles are coming to Brankendale

In Brankendale, a neighbourhood of Squamish, along the Squamish River, The eagles come every year. In fact, it is one of the most significant areas of wintering bald eagles in North America. Last year almost 4000 eagles wintered here, feasting on runs of chum salmon in the Squamish, Cheakamus and Mamquam rivers, as do the hopeful human fishers on this day too.

The eagles start to arrive in mid-November, though their numbers peak from mid-December to mid-January.















It is beautiful here. People walk along the dyke, photographers are common, and everyone watches, and waits, for the eagles to appear. And they do.



A new show everyday.


Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Garibaldi ~ a hike in the cold

It was windy in Squamish and about six degrees, though it felt much colder. We drove through Garibaldi Heights and through the campus of Quest University and up along what seemed to be an old logging road. The remaining colours of autumn were brilliant, the air increasingly cold and frosty.











Finally, having manoeuvred around most of the deep pot hole on the track, we parked and began our hike, me without gloves or toque of course. At leaving the car, the air temperature was minus two. The sky was clear and the sun was warm, when its light found the ground through the towering trees. Our path began as rock and turned to a rougher mix of rock and frozen mud.












Oddly, it seemed to me, there were few sounds of birds as we climbed the path. The sound of falling water was a constant and fellow hikers stopped to fill water bottles with icy, clean, mountain refreshment.





The first snow of the season appeared in places along our route.

The vistas, when finally we could see through a clearing in the trees, were incredible indeed.

It was time for coffee, and the hike back began.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.