The first pic is not my photo, I swiped it from here (sue me). It's McNeill Bay, in Victoria (well technically in Oak Bay, a city squished right beside Victoria). It's a very nice place to walk, jog (yeah, right) or ride your bike along the water.
Here's a plaque that basically says that McNeill Bay was where the SS Beaver (heehee) anchored before landing to scout out where 'Fort Victoria' would be built and it was, in 1843, the first few days of Victoria's existence. Of course, the place existed and had been settled quite happily prior to Whitey showing up but fessing up to this that would meaning having to redo the plaque.
The view is great. It's the sort of place that is beautiful to see from and that's hard to capture in a photo... hard for me to, I mean.
The actual beach is not really a great beach as the road is smack, right there and wave break is just functional concrete.
But!
When on the beach, if you turn your back on the water you are met with another commemorative plaque! This is to Fosina Irene Margaret Ross who 'gave this esplanade to the people of Oak Bay.' Could it be uglier?
I especially like how it's so lovingly placed next to a storm drain.
And I always wonder did she get shafted in this deal? Or was she such a royal bitch that she had that coming? I've been wondering for years...
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Great post. The Steamship Beaver eh? Reminds me of a song.......
ReplyDelete'Twas on the good ship Beaver,
My God you should've seen her.......
I forget the rest.... can anyone finish it? ;-)
Don't look at me, I've already eaten! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThese photos are amazing. You make me want to be there.
ReplyDeletei have a hankering to return to vancouver...have not been there for a long while. great post and your photos are fab-u-lous!
ReplyDeleteLove your sly sense of humour here. lol Great shots, btw, and looking forward to seeing more of the Island. Too bad it's so bloody expensive to get over and back. :(
ReplyDeletethat is a nice series of pics!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful pics...and then drainage from an outhouse. If she only knew!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the historical info - I've wondered what the name of that bay was. And you're right - it would be a lovely beach if they hadn't built the road right on top of it.
ReplyDelete"Whity" has never figured out how to do things right! I did enjoy this area when I visited Victoria. My great grandfather lived next to the Oak Bay Hotel/Lodge(?) that was taken down several years ago probably for condos! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSmiles
The Oak Bay Beach Hotel... yup. A nice old (for the area), visually interesting building flattened for a condo development... probably for part-time residents who just come to golf and yacht and pose in their gucchi clothes.
ReplyDeleteI sound very bitter about that, don't I? But, that hotel contained my favourite pub 'The Snug' so I'm entitled to be pissed-off. ;-)
BTW... it's
oops... as I was about to say... the land is still just a vacant, flattened site... last time I drove by. I hope that their bad karma bites them on the ass. :-)
ReplyDeleteHmm, I think I would've asked for the land back. Or at least given them a good haunting.
ReplyDeleteGive the poor woman the benefit of the doubt. It was probably the wisdom of the city fathers that came up with this ecologically favourable design, maybe even they thought that conrete was beautiful like engineers who lovingly look at monstrosities of steel warking akk over the landscape distributing electriity and pat themselves onthe back for their engineering achievemnets!
ReplyDeleteHey, otherwise its a terrific place!