The Miller Richmond

This is the Miller Richmond, a shallow-draft tug that belongs to JJM Construction, a company that does, among other things, marine construction and dredging, so her primary role is hauling JJM barges. She was built in 1974 by Allied Shipyards in Vancouver as the Carlyn McMurren, one of 3 tugs built by Allied that year for the Northern Construction Co. She became the Miller Richmond in 1987. I think she may be for sale, but only if you have a spare million.

And for those that can`t tell - this is a fine looking vessel, even in the rain! She's been doing the City Transfer barge run the last week or so, so I might yet get the chance to catch her in good weather.

Seaspan Commodore

We rarely see the larger Seaspan tugs off Powell River, and since the Mill's Woodroom shut down many years ago, it is even rarer to see one of these self-loading/self-dumping barges. This is the Seaspan Commodore and the logbarge Seaspan Phoenix.

I saw the pair of them, loaded with logs, heading south on Malaspina Strait on Sunday morning. They were going to the Stillwater log sort, where the Phoenix offloaded. But it seems that once she dumped, they couldn't get this Phoenix to rise again, she's listing to starboard. Sunday night the Commodore and her tow came back up the Strait, lights ablazing, and anchored off Second Beach. They were still there yesterday morning when I grabbed these shots, interesting additions to my collection of tugboat pictures.

More Snowy Owls - Boundary Bay

Last week's owl posting proved popular so I'm treating you again. More pictures of the Snowy Owls at the dikes on Boundary Bay at Delta, BC,  a week-and-a-half ago. An experience I'll not soon forget.

What a treat to be able to photograph so many! The first two pictures are of the same bird, so five birds here, and I still have more. These owls may be there another month and more before they've all gone back north, so if you have a chance to see them, don't pass it by.

I'm mildly surprised by the number of Google searchers that have found last week's owl post, so hopefully this post pleases a lot of folks!

And don't forget, "clicking" on the pictures makes them bigger.

For the record, these were taken with an Olympus E-5 with a 300mm f/2.8 lens plus 2x teleconverter, ie: 600mm, with tripod and gimbal, f/8, ISO 800 with shutter speeds from 1/250" to 1/400".

Inland Lake - One More

One more photo, because it's such a lovely spot.

The view from the boardwalk.

Billy Goat Smith

I don't doubt that every little town in the country has a story of some old character from the past, and Powell River is no exception.

Billy Goat Smith, according to the Powell River Historical Museum, came to Powell Lake around the year 1906, and built a cabin at the head of the lake. His real name, Robert Bonner Smith, gave way to "Billy Goat" Smith, given that he raised goats for milk. He was said to have one of the finest gardens in the area.

No one really knows why he lived as a recluse on the Lake, though several different stories include robbery and murder. After he lost his boat in 1931 he seldom left his property, and with the exception of a few friends, shut out the world. His final resting place, Cranberry Cemetery, is marked by a stone with both his real name and his name in local lore .

Municipal Rose Garden

The little Rose Garden at the corner of Joyce and Westview, with its park benches, provides a nice resting spot. A place for the many walkers that stroll Joyce Ave to take a minute and smell the flowers!

Pacific Coastal Airlines

Pacific Coastal Airlines provides scheduled flights between Powell River (YPW) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), using a variety of different aircraft. On the left is a 30-passenger Saab SF340A, on the right a 33-passenger Shorts SD3-60. Below is the front end of a 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900C. All three aircraft are making their approach, with landing gear down, to runway 09 of the local airport.

 These shots were taken from my home near the airport. Standing on the corner of Manson Ave and Duncan St in Westview also provides a great, albeit noisy, perspective of these aircraft coming and going. Check it out!