The Colours of James Bay

I have written before about the aesthetic of development in James Bay in Victoria, but it is worth another post. The old houses which have been refurbished and renovated are a big part of the charm of the area.

Of course there are high rises, and I have heard people expressing concern that the community might lose its character if many more larger scale condo developments are constructed.

The older houses are finished with wonderful architectural details, and are often painted, and landscaped, beautifully. The photos in this post reflect my take on aesthetics.

A common colour theme is a combination of shades of green, burgundy and cream. Several examples follow.

From choice of paint colours, to architectural detail, to the colours and shapes of landscaping plants --- I love the way it all comes together. The shades of green and burgundy are "complementary" on the colour wheel and work well together.

Another house with an elegant selection of colours in the same range of greens and burgundy.

Here are a few more examples. 

I was intrigued by how the green and burgundy were interwoven on the door.

Slightly different shades of cream, green and burgundy from the previous two examples. The intricate detail over the front door stood out for me.

The greens and cream were offset by a salmon pink in this house, rather than burgundy.

Green, a yellowy cream and burgundy. I can imagine that determining which colour to paint each part of these houses must take the owners some careful design time. 

There are many other colours in James Bay besides the refrain of green/ burgundy/ cream that I have highlighted in the foregoing photos. 

Some have taken the theme and modified it in various ways.  

Here is a sample:

Green, burgundy and purple.

Cream, and two shades of purple.

Cream, brown tones, and pink.

Mostly pink!

A darker fuchsia version of pink, along with cream. The intricate paint job on the architectural detail of the bay window adds to the interest.

Some might think the pastel blue, green, yellow and cream don't work together, but I liked them.

A muted approach with neutral tones.

A closer view showing the neutral colours

Neutral earth tones

Burgundy, cream and earth tones

Finally, the freedom of expression in this house!

These paint colours broke all the "rules" - but work!

I have highlighted only a small selection of the colourful houses I have noticed. The variety of houses, landscaping and paint styles is one of the things that makes James Bay such an interesting and enjoyable walking area.

Marathon!

On Sunday Ken and I spent a delightful few hours absorbing the energy of the Victoria marathon. For a few days we had been seeing signs along the streets in the James Bay area alerting us to an upcoming special event on Sunday, when from 2 am to 3 pm no stopping would be permitted along the streets. 

We finally learned the day before what the event was to be: a race, and not just a small one. Almost 8,300 people participated, with 1,500 competing in the full marathon (over 42 km), 3,400 in the half marathon, and 2,500 in the 8K race.

The energy was palpable.

Runners, joggers, and walkers along Dallas Road. The race started at 8:00, this photo was taken around 9:30 am. However, there was an early start (6:30 am) for those who estimated that they would take more than 5.5 hours to do the full marathon.

A rainbow of colours streamed past

In some sections, the runners were so focussed, that the only sound I could hear was the slap of shoes hitting the pavement.

I felt emotional seeing this little girl cheering for her mom!

Community support included signs like this, applause from onlookers, and bells, drums and other noise makers encouraging the runners and walkers. 

Volunteers handing out water at one of the aid stations

I was impressed at how many people were pushing themselves to complete whatever objective they had set for themselves.

We saw so much evidence of individual grit and determination, as shown in the above photo.

Another man was half walking, half jogging, holding onto the arm of another man. I later learned his story. Eleven years ago he had a stroke moments after finishing his first marathon. For years he was in a wheelchair and could not walk. Now he has started running again, and has completed three half-marathons. The man whose arm he was holding is his brother, who was quoted as saying that he is inspired by what his brother has accomplished.

I think this man must have laughed the whole way. Somehow he had attached a contraption to his head, with a beer can dangling just out of reach. "Motivation", he called as he went by.

A lead vehicle and bicycles cleared a path in front of the lead marathon runner. The runner's time is shown on the car's roof. At this point we were about 500 metres from the finish line. The time shown is 2:16:10.

The lead runner, Eric Finan of Oregon, who won the race with a time of 2:17:52 over the course of 42 km.

I missed catching a photo of the top woman runner, Andrea Lee of Black Creek, a small community on Vancouver Island which has spawned other runners. Her time was 2:46:46.

The finish line. The emcee, in the tent on the left, gave a "play by play" of  some of the runners as they arrived. He seemed to know a lot about each - their personal bests, how many races they had participated in, and where they were from. I was impressed at the amount of knowledge he had at his fingertips.

As I watched the numbers of people participating in the race, at all levels of ability, I realized that it is time I set an objective to do something like this, and not let problematic knees stop me.

Next year, I intend to be a participant - rather than watching from the sidelines!

To Rebel or Not?

Extinction Rebellion started this week with global action in over 60 cities worldwide. Victoria was one of them. We happened to be on the Johnson Street bridge at the time of the protest.

Times Colonist photo of the action on the bridge. Photograph: Adrian Lam

The protest led to the closure of the bridge to vehicle traffic, except for transit buses and emergency vehicles. Bicycles and pedestrians were able to cross. I was impressed at how the Victoria police were handling it. Everyone seemed quite cheerful. One bus crossed while I stood nearby, and the driver tooted his horn in support; people cheered in response.

The Extinction Rebellion logo of the hourglass in the circle represents time running out for the planet.

The next day the Times Colonist newspaper ran a very grumpy editorial. The action, claimed the editors, was "an assault on our civic way of life".  Furthermore, the editors queried "by what right do these groups claim to impose such turmoil?" They argued that the protest was "hostage-taking" due to the inconvenience imposed on people who could not carry out their normal everyday business. They also said the protesters were "arrogant" and "overly filled with righteousness".

They thought the police should have been much harsher in laying down the law, saying that because they did not do so, others will also be encouraged into civil disobedience. But I think the police took the right approach in not making the event confrontational.

The Times Colonist editorial board entirely missed the point that Extinction Rebellion is conveying, that government inaction is forcing protesters to civil disobedience because of the severity and urgency of the climate situation. It's not just another protest for the lawn of the legislature, as the editors suggested; climate change is an urgent issue but it is not being dealt with as such. Those who protest with Extinction Rebellion see this as our last opportunity for serious action.

The "11 years" in the banner comes from the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Non-violent protest has a long tradition. There is a TED talk by Erica Chenoweth about her research showing that non-violent action has been twice as effective as violence and armed conflict at causing societal change. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w)

I am reading an online booklet by Roger Hallam, one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion. He has titled it "Common Sense for the 21st Century". It is a play on the title of the original pamphlet "Common Sense", which remains a best-selling American title and is still in print today (Source: Wikipedia). Printed in the year 1775, "Common Sense" argued for the separation of American colonies from Great Britain. In other words, it argued for the American Revolution.

The sub-title of Hallam's piece is "Only Nonviolent Rebellion Can Now Stop Climate Breakdown and Social Collapse".

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King are two of the most well-known, articulate spokespeople for non violent resistance. 

Gandhi's Salt March, 1930 (Image: public domain)

Gandhi led a march to the sea to gather salt, the production of which was controlled by the British in India to favour salt imported from Britain. Starting with 78 hand-picked volunteers, by the time they reached the sea thousands had joined the march. Nearly 60,000 people were arrested. It took years, but this act led to the ultimate declaration of Indian independence from Great Britain in 1947. 

In 1963 over 200,000 people marched in Washington demanding equal rights for African Americans. King's speech is still quoted today, "I have a dream".

Martin Luther King, August 28, 1963. (Source of image: AFP / Getty images from https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/08/26/photos-mlk-dream-speech

And in Canada, the largest act of civil disobedience in the country's history -- British Columbia's "War in the Woods"-- brought thousands of protesters in the early 1990's to the remote area of Clayoquot Sound, and resulted in the arrests of almost 1,000 people. These protests of logging in old growth areas led to some wins.  However, the overall war has not been won yet; while some areas have been protected, the rate of harvesting old growth areas is unsustainable in B.C.

Protesters blocking a logging road at Clayoquot Sound, July 1993. Source:  https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/so-many-people-giving-a-damn. Photo: Chuck Stoody/CP Images

I am inclined to believe Hallam's thesis, that we have reached the point where only nonviolent rebellion can stop climate breakdown and social collapse. 

However, I also believe deeply in Martin Luther King's words: "True pacifism or non violent resistance is a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love." 

Those of us who are moved to civil disobedience need to meditate on the power of love. We need to come from a place of love and understanding, especially of those who would oppose us.